I have been asked to blog my speech at the recent joint meeting of CBC and EDDC.
Madam Mayor
This is a very exciting time to be involved in local government, the challenges we face as democratically elected members of this council should not be underestimated. National pressures such as the massive deficit, challenges to our social order and the prospect of increasing unemployment until the economic tide turns are unhelpful contributors to the task we have to perform of delivering harmony and services in our community. Decisions we take now will be measured over the next decades, they will be assessed by their affect on our local economy, our cultural and environmental heritage, on the future for our younger population as it exists and the future population that is on its way. So, this is why I remind myself that whilst ‘time is pleasant’ in this delightful Borough of Christchurch ‘time is also of the essence’. What I mean is that in order to deliver the services for our current community we have to have common sense management but we also need foresight, we have to have imagination we have to innovate but in essence we have to act now to ensure we take the right decisions from the right evidence and that evidence has to come from the heart of our population
And it’s during these times of challenge that communities and individuals also clamour for the way forward, they also need to know where we are going, they also need to understand that they have to share the vision for the way forward so that we can build a better future. So when we have all these things dropped on our collective laps which effect the establishment of our ongoing strategy, we should not shirk from taking the tough decisions.
Madam Mayor tough times never last but tough people do, so we should be grabbing the opportunity with both hands. This Core strategy gives us that opportunity, we can by using it to engage our communities, start the process of determining a better future for our conurbation.
In doing that we need to cherish three things and I repeat what I said at the members Seminar in January:-
We should not feel or be made to feel in any way defensive about this process and indeed the core strategy itself. A massive amount of effort has been applied by officers equalled by that applied by members. We have already involved our community in the options process with an exciting response which I will deal with later. This involvement has shaped our vision, it has energised our ambition so we should feel proud of what we have achieved to date and excited about what we can deliver for the future.
My second issue is that we should respect the whole process, not only have we embraced the requirement to consult, we have nurtured and cherished it and that is the reason we had such a healthy response to our options consultation. 3000 responses, compared to other local areas that should remain nameless (Bournemouth) with much bigger populations had less than 100. This graphically demonstrates that we have handled this matter in the right way and we should be proud of that.
This level of response brings its own challenges, we have to understand that it is impossible to please everyone, but as each iteration of the strategy shows, we have listened, we have adjusted whilst ensuring that the that the developing strategy is fundamentally based on sound evidence.
Christchurch members will understand that since the Community Services and this Conservative groups policy meeting in February a great deal of work has been undertaken by officers in a very short amount of time in honing the policies and again ensuring the strategy is based on sound evidence. Our collective approach to this vision is therefore absolutely right and officers and members should be commended for it.
My final point is that we should consider this strategy in an holistic way. We should understand what its effect will be on our core objectives in the long term. How will it help in delivering outcomes in the areas that we have highlighted as imperative in our vision?
The Economy,
We have to be seen to be a welcoming Council. Forward thinking with plans to expand the opportunities for new business, new investment and where we see opportunities for employment growth use all our limited powers make entrepreneurs and public companies aware that Christchurch is a good and healthy place for high quality business. This strategy will help in that goal.
Housing
We need to support the social needs of our community and indeed the needs of our expanding economy by providing a housing mix which will appeal to young workers, professionals and families. Where we encourage areas of development these should simply be ‘nice places to live’ which will enhance this delightful Borough. We are clear about the numbers of essential and types of affordable housing for the next fifteen years. Our strategy guides us in the deliverance of this objective.
The Environment
Our strategy shows sensitivity to our important natural features, harbour, coastline and beaches. It also protects our SSSI’s and all other environmental jewels it nurtures an underlying strategic green infrastructure encompassing sustainability in design and construction as well as encouraging new technologies for the built form and innovation in design. This strategy will deliver this goal
The Community
This core strategy aims to provide for mixed communities where residents can access high quality affordable homes, worthwhile and challenging employment and a range of leisure, cultural and community opportunities to help to improve the quality and experience of living in Christchurch. So this is as much a strategy to enhance our quality of life and well being.
All these factors are important in their own right but joined together they will help us to take a cohesive and sustainable step to the future.
So members whilst challenged we should be privileged to be involved in this process and duty bound to ensure the overseeing of our overall community and individual ward contribution to the consultation and eventual success of our final submission.
To be instrumental in guiding this community for the next twenty years is a responsible but exiting prospect indeed. To be involved in shaping our future as local Councillors is an opportunity not to be missed, it’s what we are in community service for, given the average term of councillor office this opportunity does not come to everyone who serves in this way, we are therefore privileged and duty bound to see it to its conclusion.
Members tonight I am recommending that this core strategy is released for public consultation; I have explained my rationale for this duty being a significant and essential process of engagement with our community. I have highlighted the various areas of influence it will have in the future and how that might direct us to understand how individual wants will be subservient to collective community needs.
To this end our role will be one of guidance and understanding in our wards by working with our communities.
As you are all aware it is written large in my office as leader of this Ancient Borough Council: - it’s working for the community that gets the community working.
Members I commend this Core strategy to you and ask you to agree that it should be issued to our community for consultation in April of this year.
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