LEADER'S REPORT
To receive the report of the Leader of the Council
Minutes:
The Leader thanked
Members for their ongoing support in what was now the end of his second full
year as Leader of the Council and his second review of the last year at the
Annual Meeting and said
(a)
he
wanted to spend the majority of his speech looking forward but it would be
remiss of him not to acknowledge the considerable achievements of the last
year. The Council had secured the Local Plan; an ambitious statement of intent
to deliver sustainable growth across communities. In support of this, alongside
the County Council, the Council had secured £50m from government for the relief
road and was pursuing a further £15m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to
support the southern section. The Council had also been recognised across
Leicestershire as a “key centre for growth and regeneration” through the
recently adopted Strategic Growth Plan and had submitted an ambitious bid to
the Future High Streets Fund to help regenerate the town centre. The Council
was starting to see the impact of its growth plans, with a 60% increase in new
homes delivered in 2018/19 compared to the previous 12 months. The Council
would continue to maintain a strong focus in this area and would continue to
support the County Council in working to deliver the bypass. The Council had
already began implementing the improvements identified in its Planning Services
Review and during the course of the year would bring forward proposals for new
structures and resources to ensure it provided the best service possible;
(b)
following
a significant amount of work over the last year, the Council now had in place a
strong Melton Place Board and Place Plan, where a range of business and
community stakeholders were working with the Council to promote the town,
improve the visitor experience and encourage inward investment. The Council had
a clear ‘vision’ and ‘story’ it could
unify behind and he looked forward to seeing how the various sub-groups
could deliver improvements and genuinely deliver on the Council’s promise to be
the Rural Capital of Food’;
(c) as well as prioritising the delivery of new homes, the Council had also prioritised improving its existing housing stock. Earlier this year the Council had unveiled the £2.5m investment in Beckmill Court. The Council had also adopted a new Fire Safety Policy and was working closely with TFEC on this and the renewed commitment the Council had made to reach the Decent Homes standard for all its stock. It would take time but the tide had turned and the Council was making some steady improvements. In terms of housing services more generally, further investment would be required but the Council had started to re-build support for its tenants; including investment in new housing officers and Neighbourhood Support Officers; refocussing on its priority areas. The Council was making a renewed commitment to tackle inequality, and work with schools, colleges and employers to secure the skills required to support higher paying jobs. Increasing aspiration and reducing dependency was a ... view the full minutes text for item 10
LEADER'S REPORT
To receive the report of the Leader of the Council.
Minutes:
The Leader
(a) began his report by commenting on how much had been achieved in the last year and how the Council had built upon installing a team ethos, using the words ‘us’ and ‘we’ as part of the new culture;
(b) referred to the considerable progress made towards securing the Local Plan which set out the growth ambitions to 2036 and provided a blueprint for the future prosperity of the Borough. The Leader extended his thanks to the Local Plan team, Councillor Chandler and the Local Plan Working Group for leading this agenda in what had sometimes been a challenging environment. The Council had also supported and overseen the successful implementation of a number of Neighbourhood Plans within the Borough;
(c) mentioned that the Council’s investments and efforts at the Cattle Market had paid off and had been celebrated both by the official opening and visit by HRH The Princess Royal and more recently through winning the East Midlands Regeneration Award at the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveys 2018 Awards when the judges had recognised that the completion of phase one of the project would safeguard the market’s key role in the local economy for the next 20 years. The Leader congratulated the Corporate Services Manager, David Scott and the project team for this fantastic recognition. The new development also provided a platform for strengthening Melton’s status as a rural centre for food tourism and a feasibility into further options for developing the site was currently underway;
(d) referred to other considerable investments made by the Council into improving its housing stock by refurbishing Granby House and Beckmill Court;
(e) spoke about the key drivers to support the Council’s growth ambitions; improving Melton’s infrastructure and connectivity was a key focus. In conjunction with the County Council a significant funding bid to the Department of Transport for the new distributor road had been submitted. The outcome of this was due soon. Work had also started on the feasibility of improving rail connectivity with Nottingham which would improve the access to another major market as well as open up improved possibilities to benefit from HS2 and the East Midlands Airport developments;
(g) referred to a number of significant procurements which had been undertaken to maximise the value and quality of a number of major service areas. A new contract for the waste service would shortly be signed which would mitigate the loss of recycling credits and put the Council on a much more stable financial footing. The Regulatory Services Business Manager, the project team and the working group were commended for delivering a very complicated piece of work;
(h) advised that the Council was in the process of procuring a significant new housing repairs contract which should enable the Council to exploit new technology and improve the quality of service offered to tenants. The leisure contact had been aligned to cover the Melton Sports Village with the Waterfield site and would run until 2022. The Council could now look again at ... view the full minutes text for item 9