In addition to any announcements made at the meeting, please see Paper BC/23/7 attached, detailing events attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
Minutes:
21.1 The Chairman referred Councillors to Paper BC/23/7 for noting.
21.2 The Chairman invited the Leader of the Council and the Deputy Political Leaders to make their announcements.
21.3 Councillor Busby made the following announcement:
“I’d like to start my announcements by giving an update about our coalition administration’s collective ambitions for this Council term. The Green, Independent, and Liberal Democrat coalition is built on a spirit of partnership and cooperation – it is absolutely essential to our approach. This will be exemplified not just by how we work together as an administration but how we work with our communities. We want to listen, collaborate, and empower.
As Councillors, we have now agreed three broad themes that will drive our agenda and be at the coalition’s heart. We shared these with you yesterday, so I won’t go into detail, but perhaps Councillor Saw or Councillor Ward may like to say a few words about them.”
21.4 Councillor Ward made the following announcement:
“Thank you, Councillor Busby. It is clear that the electorate wanted to see changes to what we do and how we do it but change is good, or at least inevitable. These shared priorities are both ambitious and exciting. They are a combination of continuity with many refreshing new ideas and a strong commitment to strengthen some of the plans already proposed by the previous administration.
We will support our residents, communities, businesses, and environment through greater collaboration and a real desire to seek out innovative projects. Collaboration means with all partners, our communities, and also other Councils and organisations in the County.
Yes, there is a greater focus on climate change mitigation and I know some may be sceptical due to the potential costs, but we have made it clear that a strong economy based on thriving towns, encouraging new businesses, and improving skills is the bedrock on which we will meet the climate challenges. The administration has work to do and I’m pleased to be a part of that and deliver against these priorities.”
21.5 Councillor Saw made the following announcement:
“Thank you, Councillors Busby, and Ward. We are an ambitious administration – as Councillor Ward says we are committed to change, not for its own sake but because we want to help improve the lives of our residents, the resilience of our communities, and make our contribution to the achievement of national priorities such as the drive to net zero and the biodiversity recovery.
Our vision is to see local communities empowered to develop and deliver solutions to the issues that matter to them. It is our role to bring these different stakeholders together, whether fellow local government organisations, businesses, or the voluntary sector, to work with us to develop new solutions and to find the funding to make them a reality.
We will do things differently and we make a measurable difference.”
21.6 Councillor Busby summarised with the following:
“We must now turn these priorities into meaningful actions to achieve our aims. Alongside this, work is getting underway to establish the Council’s corporate plan objectives. Our Residents Survey, which is so important to help us understand the views and needs of our communities, launches this week, and our State of the District report will be published soon.
There are also lessons to be learned from the exemplary Councils we heard from at the LGA Conference a couple of weeks ago and during a visit to the best Council in 2022 – South Staffordshire. These will all influence and shape what we do to improve our district in the next four years.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome the news that the Tour of Britain will be coming to Babergh on Thursday 7th September, passing through a number of towns and villages including Hadleigh, East Bergholt, and Holbrook. It is a great opportunity to showcase our district and for communities to come together.”
Supporting documents: