Last nights Council Meeting

An item was approved at last nights full Council meeting which I consider a landmark decision. This was to reduce the number of Council meetings through the year thus following my ''more for less'' ambition increasing efficiency and of course saving taxpayers money on the way. That we have achieved the first part of this process two months ahead of target is significant in that we can now concentrate on reshaping committees to improve the decision making process by avoiding duplication and thereby speeding the whole process up. I thanked Officers for their support in seeing this project through and noted their enthusiasm for further process change designed to make our constitution fit for purpose and relevant to the hard economic realities driving us at present. Limited resources both in terms of available finance and human resource will impact on us as we move forward into next year so our work on operation efficiency is imperative if we are to maintain, as we intend to, the high level of front line services we have all got used to. I have to say this is a fascinating project full of challenges designed to make Christchurch Borough Council more business like in terms of process, more welcoming in terms of planning opportunities, more of ''by the Community'' rather than just ''for the community'' and doing more of what we are good at and making sure all our partners are on board with our objectives.