To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The Leader and Deputy Leader made the following announcements:
The Leader:
It has been 18 months since this Administration was elected to lead Spelthorne Borough Council and it feels right that it is time to reflect on all we have achieved as a Council.
The past year and a half has shown once again that in Spelthorne, we have continued to deliver for our residents and have made significant accomplishments in every area of Council business. At the start of this year we launched our Corporate Plan, setting out the Administration’s values and priorities over the next five years. We have defined our goals for the Borough, set around five themes: community, addressing housing need, resilience, environment and Services.
Yes, we face ongoing difficulties as national challenges continue to affect local services, and this will be the case for some time. But our successes clearly point to a strong and all-inclusive leadership and highly dedicated and resilient staff.
In February we delivered our balanced budget for the next year, and I outlined how our careful planning ensured we have sufficient contingencies in place to deliver the services our residents expect from us. Much work has already been undertaken for next year’s budget, working collaboratively with Councillor Committee Chairs and by listening to our residents and understanding their needs.
We were delighted to receive over 1700 responses to the Residents’ survey this summer. The insights collected have provided us with invaluable feedback on our core services and ideas on how we can do things differently to benefit our community. Compared with the LGA averages, Spelthorne scored particularly well in relation to service delivery, value for money, trust, keeping residents informed, and listening and acting on residents’ views”.
The Deputy Leader:
“We continually evolve as an organisation, looking at new and improved ways to reach our goals. The transformation and smarter working programmes within the Council continue to achieve budget savings or reduce future costs, while improving outcomes.
We’ve had the responsibility of administering additional Government and Council grants to support our residents this year and have ensured these have been fully utilised. This includes £546,000 from the Household Support Fund and £252,700 in community grants, to support households and organisations meeting the challenges of the cost of living, whilst also maintaining our Warm Hubs for the second year running. We have also co-ordinated the £1.2 million pounds grant funding received so far to support the Homes for Ukraine programme. This Council has also delivered the largest Local Authority Housing Fund Temporary Accommodation and resettlement housing programme of any district or borough council in the country, providing homes for those in need.
In spite of growing construction and inflation costs, our strong financial management has meant we have been able to continue investing in Spelthorne. This includes the opening of Eclipse, the world’s largest Passivhaus Leisure Centre and a decarbonisation programme for Sunbury Leisure Centre - both a significant commitment from this Administration to our Net Zero journey.
Through new ways of partnership working and project management, we are also making sure that external providers and partners not only provide value for money, but also benefit our environment and our economy. An example which is clear for all to see is how we have adapted our street cleaning policy by utilising parking enforcement and collaboration with Resident Associations to provide an efficient and effective street cleaning programme”.
The Leader:
“There are so many examples of how we look after the needs of the public. Be that through tacking health inequalities or preventing unsafe and unwanted House of Multiple Occupation practices, the Article 4 Direction agreed in August, gives the Local Planning Authority more powers to consider the impacts of small HMOs on local residents and their families.
We have continued to foster a better sense of engagement between the Council and residents. Encouraging residents to report issues via a refreshed digital reporting tool on our website so we can address concerns quickly as we know by working together, we can make a difference. Initiatives such as the Spelthorne Partnership Assembly (SPA), provide an open forum for residents to share their views and for us to listen and act to make their lives better. A prime example is the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order introduced in May to ban taxis parking in Stanwell Moor and parts of Stanwell has made a real difference to our community. Additionally, our community led approach towards the development of our Design Code project will ensure that our decisions will truly reflect what our residents want for Spelthorne as we know that the people who live and work in our community are best placed to shape its future.
I am also excited to share that we have reached a significant milestone in the progression of the Local Plan, only last week a signed agreement between the Council and the Environment Agency has meant that Cllr Beecher has now written to the Planning Inspector, asking to resume the Local Plan Examinations.
As well as hearing from our residents, earlier this year we heard from our staff who are delivering the strategic priorities that this Administration have directed. And what do they have to say? Following an all-staff survey, this organisation recorded the highest result for overall satisfaction obtained from any Council since the research programme started in 2012.
It is important to say at this point, I am incredibly grateful to our residents and Officers for working with us and their support in making Spelthorne a Borough to be proud of. We couldn’t do it without our community, I am determined to work with residents to make Spelthorne the best borough it can be, so if there’s a problem in your area, please let us know so we can sort it out.
This Administration remains committed to speaking up for Spelthorne; and I remain confident that our significant and positive progress will continue”.