34 BC/21/12 ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND LEADER PDF 17 KB
In addition to any announcements made at the meeting, please see Paper BC/21/12 attached, detailing events attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
Minutes:
The Chairman referred Council to his tabled report which was for noting.
The Chairman then invited Councillor Ward to introduce his report.
Councillor Ward introduced his report and informed Council that it was good to be back in the Council Chamber for the Council meeting and whilst there were still some guidelines in place so that everyone could feel safe, it did mark another point on a steady return to normal.
The Leader reported that Covid infection rates locally and nationally remained stubbornly at a moderate level, which was to be expected as people mixed a lot more, but hospitalisations and deaths – also stable – were reasonably low. It did mean that the message of caution and sensible use of masks and sanitisers remained.
The Leader took the opportunity to mention the two awards ceremonies at which Babergh – and Mid Suffolk – were successful.
The Leader had attended the iESE conference and awards ceremony at Church House in London where the Council had won three awards: a gold, silver and bronze. This was really an excellent achievement and the Leader was proud that officers were delivering to a high standard and that what the Council was doing for its residents was being recognised nationally.
The Leader stated that whilst winning bronze in the Council of the year category was very good, the Council shouldn’t rest on its laurels and must strive for the gold award.
The Leader also reported that the Housing Solutions team was highly commended in the Community Heroes of the Year category at the Municipal Journal’s Achievement Awards for their efforts in keeping vulnerable residents off the streets during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Leader was pleased to accompany Cllr Fleming of Mid Suffolk to the Stowmarket depot to talk to Radio Suffolk about the switch of our vehicle fleet to run on HVO, which took place at the weekend. We are the first rural districts to do this and shows that the Councils are delivering real benefits for residents and their environment as part of the Councils’ efforts to reach net zero by 2030.
The Leader was very pleased to announce that the Council’s £180k investment in CCTV in Hadleigh and Sudbury was almost fully operational. There are 21 cameras in Sudbury and 8 in Hadleigh. Four are still to go live – Belle Vue Park and Cavendish Road in Sudbury and the cricket ground and Pykenham Way in Hadleigh. There is also one mobile camera and the Council will monitor its use to determine if more are going to be needed.
And finally, the Leader reminded Councillors that the final stage of the Women’s Tour will be passing through Babergh on 9th October. The route takes it through several of our communities and will enable many of our residents to watch. It should be a great spectacle.