Speech By Council Leader Alex Perkins - given at the Council's State of the District Debate
Tonight represents the beginning of a new process. A new idea which we welcome with open arms. This is the beginning of a consultation process with the people of this district - to set a budget for the forthcoming year.
Tonight we have the chance to tell people what we as councillors think are the key issues. In October and November the council will be holding a series of open meetings at which local people can comment on our plans, and ideas and add to them their own.
This is the first time that Canterbury has been involved in such an open and democratically accountable process. And I know that it will inevitably be a difficult if rewarding process - to balance all of the wants, needs, desires and aspirations with the realities of budgets, financial regulations, and our clear duty to maintain income and reserves for the future.
We want to put people first. And that means serving and listening to our community. Protecting our environment. Boosting our local economy. Improving transport, to keep local people moving - and of course, helping to improve their health and wellbeing.
Tonight my fellow members of the Executive want to talk to you about specific projects which are covered by those topic headings. So I will just tell you some of my priorities.
It will not be a surprise to anyone that at the top of that list comes the fight to save our hospital. Only this week, on Tuesday, accident and emergency services at Kent & Canterbury Hospital became so overloaded that 999 patients were turned away and had to be sent to other hospitals!
How dare they tell us that critical services are not required in Canterbury!
We are being robbed of one of our basic rights. The right to effective, efficient and available health care. I genuinely believe that lives will be lost, and the reason - well I believe it is simply the desire to save money.
So, what price a child's life?
I am a parent. I have young children. They were born at the K&C. The K&C is the safety net upon which we all rely.
That is why I will never give up the fight to save our hospital!
Next week an all-party delegation of Councillors will meet with the government Minister who has responsibility for our hospital. We will ask her to act on behalf of local people. To listen to our needs and to take action. There is no more important meeting that any of us will attend this year!
As we demand that the minister listens to us, we must also be aware that we, as a council, and as councillors must always be listening. Listening to local people. Not just when they phone or write to members - but when they phone or come to Military Road.
One thing that we want to tackle over the next few months is the way in which the Council deals with its public at the first point of contact. Some parts of the Council are good at this, and some parts are not so good. We are determined to raise standards across the board so as to achieve a consistently high performance.
A Best Value Review has been looking at this issue for some months, and there will be a recommendation to introduce a "Customer Contact Centre" over the next three years. Our aim is to have at least 80% of enquiries into the Council - whether by telephone, Email or visit - dealt with on a "one and done" basis by the Centre. This is an achievable target - and we owe it to local people to make sure that our services are accessible and user friendly.
This ethos will form the basis of our new corporate plan. The current plan runs out in March - and its successor needs to be formulated, discussed, consulted upon and agreed by then. It will run in tandem with, and support, our community strategy. It will also reflect and amplify the agreed aims of the East Kent Triangle partnership objectives. And of the draft Local Plan. Much of that is already contained within our Capital Of Culture Bid and reflected by the Capital Strategy. It's going to be a busy year!
Ultimately we will have an overarching and comprehensive Strategic document which will detail our aims and objectives for the future of the district. An all encompassing blueprint for Canterbury, the coastal towns and all of the rural villages.
We will continue to redevelop and regenerate our district with imaginative use of our land and resources. Look at Herne Bay. Since 1991 it has been the target of unparalleled investment and regeneration. A new seafront, cinema and swimming pool. We have built a new harbour and rejuvenated the town centre. Whitstable has a new swimming pool and sports facilities. And the Horsebridge development will provide a centrepiece to this now flourishing and popular town.
And we have carried that blueprint forward to Canterbury. The Whitefriars development, already well ahead of schedule is bringing absolutely top class retail facilities to the city - coupled with the exciting possibility of a new state of the art Library. Funded for local people by KCC working in conjunction with this Council and Land Securities.
The development of the Tannery will provide housing and amenities where today there is a post-industrial wasteland. And then there is Kingsmead. Probably the most wide-reaching and forward thinking project this council has to date been involved with. Exciting opportunities lie within. New leisure facilities for all. And hopefully we will be able to find space for a new school that we hope to facilitate in conjunction with Kent County Council. A chance to rationalise land use across the Eastern side of the city. To relocate the dustcarts and the coaches. To bring forth a first class and imaginative development that will guarantee future income to the City in perpetuity. These are exciting times.
And there are new developments afoot. For years we have sought to provide first class conference facilities within the district. We have been ever conscious of the need to attract a 4 or 5 star hotel. And we have supported the principle that an Innovation Centre would be a boon to the district. In the next few months I believe it will become clear that each of those objectives are imminently obtainable. The University of Kent are preparing to consult the city over their plans to provide such first class facilities within the existing campus. A thousand seat conference centre and accompanying Hotel will benefit everyone . Along with the innovation Centre this plan will provide jobs for local people - Bring new expertise and new businesses to the district - and will greatly increase our ability to attract visitors.
But there is much more that we can and will do to boost our local economy. We know that we already outperform just about every other area of Kent in terms of Economic Development and growth. But we have to alleviate the problems brought about by choking traffic congestion.
We need to take a strategic overview of transportation issues and formulate a far-reaching policy for the district. Some of this is already underway. The need for slip roads onto the A2 at Thanington and the plan to bypass Wincheap are already council policy and, - as such, are contained within the draft local plan and mentioned as part of the capital of culture bid. We will continue to lobby KCC for more money for pavements and roads. We will fight to obtain domestic use of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. We wish to achieve the upgrading of the Canterbury West Line and ultimately the introduction of A New Parkway Station to serve the City. We are determined to achieve proper integration of our transport network. And we believe that to be an achievable and necessary goal.
We know from the results of the "All Together Now Survey" that one of the things that local people are concerned about is the fear of crime. We will continue to support the local police and are committed to the continued use of CCTV. We are committed to involving young people in schemes to promote community awareness and social responsibility. The work of our excellent and award winning community development department is testament to this. They are building for the future. And we are proud of the work they have done. In the coming months we will be able to unveil more projects that the team will be undertaking. We will introduce skateboarding facilities for young people in a matter of months not years. We will seek to provide a youth bus to act as a focus for projects centred on young people as well as introducing new initiatives that will bring further investment in local people and local projects. To date we have attracted over 10 million pounds in external funding for this sector. This represents excellent value for money combined with award-winning performance. This is indeed best value.
Our local community will be under a very special spotlight during the next week. It is the next stage of our journey to the capital of culture.
The Capital of Culture assessment team are coming to see for themselves the very special place that is our district. We can show them the value we place upon the diversity of our local culture. We will explain how we will prepare to be a capital of culture for a modern and thriving Europe. We are the gateway to the continent - and much of our bid reflects that. The unbelievable benefits which our district will gain from even getting on to the short list for the title of "Capital of Culture" are known to you all. Even the process to date has shown us better ways to work together as a region - to value each other's contributions. I can only thank our wonderfully talented bid team, lead by Colin Carmichael, for showing us what we can deliver through integration and co-operation with our neighbours in Kent. Thank you Colin.
Our environmental work also features heavily in the bid. We aim to have the very best recycling policies achievable. We will hit our targets. Our current clear bag scheme is now ready to be rolled out to the next stage. And although the uncertainty over SWERF has caused much worry to local people the recycling campaign remains focused. And let me assure you of this - we will not allow new technologies to be introduced, which will be detrimental to the health of local people. If it doesn't work SWERF will not be built here. If it can be proven to be a successful alternative then it will be welcomed. But Not At Shelford. That is the wrong site - and I believe that message from local people has now begun to get through.
What else can we do for the environment? We will achieve 95% of new build on brownfield sites. That is not negotiable. That is a promise. And of course we will continue to work to protect and enhance our World Heritage sites so that they can be enjoyed by visitors and local people alike - while being protected from overdevelopment and pollution. We will continue to seek to achieve a balanced parking strategy. The third park and ride is now open. We will provide a fourth. And a fifth if the demand is sustained.
And we hope that that demand will be sustained. Sustained by visitors to the city - and by local people coming to shop and to enjoy the fabulous leisure facilities we now have. And yes they are fabulous. We have an award winning theatre. A choice of pools, gyms, museums and attractions. And with further success in our capital of culture bid that can only get better and better.
I live in one of the world's most beautiful cities - set within a district filled with diversity and prosperity. As a council we must remain at the heart of the process of regeneration which has helped to create this climate.
By October this administration will be ready to face CPA assessment. I believe that from a low position a few years ago we will be able to demonstrate our successes. I am sure that as a Council we are number one in Kent. I believe that it will be shown that we are in the top fifty service providers in the country.
The state of the district is Good!