The first week

Tuesday saw the Mayor making ceremony and the start of the new Council. Members resplendent in their robes taking part in a ceremony commensurate with this ancient Borough's history. So now the work begins in earnest with the new Councillors finding their feet to deliver on the issues they have determined will make Christchurch a better place and of course the Conservative manifesto so resoundly endorsed by the community in the recent election. My role has changed as now I have to oversee the performance of the Council as well as seeing that my team is highly motivated and engaged in the tasks at hand. That there will be changes to established practices there is no doubt as we will have to learn to work smarter ever mindful of the reduction in central grants and the importance of delivering services at the current levels and maintaining value for money. Issues of community well being will still rate very highly on our list of priorities as we take measures to keep Christchurch as a very safe place to live and visit. Economic development is also high on the agenda as we encourage new enterprise and work to build on our existing economies especially tourism. To do this we must concentrate on our strengths, have some vision and work with all of our community. Let the task begin.