Agenda item

Purpose: To receive the Leader’s annual report to Council.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jeff Brooks, made his Annual Report to Council. He highlighted the progress that had been made in regard to provision for special educational needs and disability (SEND) children as well as with adult social care. As a result of the increased demand for these services, the Council now spent 64 pence in every pound on these areas. Due to financial pressures, the Administration changed the way the Council worked, from improving recruitment rates, significantly reducing spend on temporary workers – achieving a reduction of £6m – and reducing staff turnover.

Several deliverables were also highlighted to Council. These included investments in young people and schools – such as the building of new classrooms, a new I-College, and the provision of new mental health and SEND support – improvements to roads, homes, transport, and leisure facilities – such as being on track to deliver 1000 affordable homes by 2030, football being brought back to Faraday Road, reducing pothole depth needed for repairs, planning to repair 60 kilometres of roads in the Municipal Year, and introducing 14 new 20 miles per hour limited areas – and finally to protecting the environment – such as by reaffirming the Council’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030, having installed 13 Kerbocharge points and with 72 EV points installed or in progress, promoting recycling (with West Berkshire now being in the top 15% of recycling Councils in England) and with several million invested to safeguard chalk streams and to help with flood alleviation. The Leader concluded by highlighting the principles of the Council, those of Customer Focus, Integrity, and Fairness and that these were driving the Administration’s actions.

In response, the Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Ross Mackinnon, and the Leader of the Minority Group, Councillor David Marsh, asked several questions of the Leader.

On why the Administration was planning to continue with the extension of the pedestrianisation of Newbury Town Centre despite the majority of residents responses to the consultation being against the proposal, the Leader highlighted that the extension was only a trial. After the trial period had ended, it would be assessed to see if it had worked, and if it was determined that it had not been successful, it would be stopped.

In addition, the Leader was questioned as to why the case in favour of pedestrianisation was not being proactively made on social media, leaving room for unchecked opposition, as was also suggested to have been the case with three weekly bin collections. In response, the Leader indicated that the Administration were using a wide range of communication methods to convey their policies, not just social media, in order to try to engage with all residents.

The Leader was also questioned as to whether the Administration was meeting their Manifesto commitment around ensuring that consultations were detailed, and residents’ views were listened to, as they had proceeded with both pedestrianisation and three weekly bin collections despite residents being against the proposals when they were consulted. In response, the Leader noted the number of consultation outcomes the former Conservative Administration had not followed and that three weekly bin collections had been done in other authorities in the country. Although they were not widely approved of before implementation, the Leader believed that residents were satisfied with those services once they were in place. He also indicated that it would help assist with recycling uptake.

Council noted the Leader’s reassurance to users of the Resource Centres that if the service could not be provided privately, the changes to the Resource Centres would not go ahead. </AI9>