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| Cllr. John Taylor |
New leader for Staffordshire County Council
Staffordshire County Council has a new leader in the form of Cllr. John Taylor. His new role was confirmed today at full Council. He succeeds Cllr. Terry Dix, who has been a county councillor for 26-years. Cllr. Dix also confirmed his desire to remain a county councillor until 2009 and was also confirmed today as the new county council Chairman.
The new leader, who represents the Kidsgrove and Talke district, has been a county councillor since 1993. He has been married to Glenys for 42-years and has three daughters.
Speaking about becoming the new county council leader, Cllr. John Taylor said:
"I pay tremendous tribute to Terry. He has been an inspiration to me and to colleagues across the board. His love and commitment to Staffordshire has been second to none.
"I want to address Council's priorities for the next couple of years but wanted first to look back over the last year or so to reflect on some of our success stories.
"Corporately we have seen improvements in our approach to managing the huge change agenda currently facing us. The establishment of the change team, the progress on communications and performance management, especially in relation to partnerships were recognised in the Direction of Travel Statement. We have addressed the significant issues within ICT, delivered a robust Local Area Agreement and approved a sound but challenging budget. We have also demonstrated that we are a listening administration by not approving the proposed pay structure considered earlier this year in January.
"We have also been prepared to take challenging and often difficult decisions. In adults' social care we approved the policy of "Changing Lives" as we realised that we have to modernise our services if we are going to provide the kind of help that our current service users and future services users want and need.
"We have invested in our services for vulnerable children following the Joint Area Review of late 2005. We have seen a new management team deliver improving outcomes for these children by concentrating on family support and keeping them "out of the system". This work was recognised in the Annual Performance Assessment where the score for safeguarding children improved.
"The last year has brought outstanding results for Development Services, scoring 4 out of 4 on its linked CPA scores. The innovative partnership with Accord and Wrekin is regarded as national best practice and we continue to be one of the leading authorities in preventing death and serious injury on Staffordshire's roads.
"Looking forwards, we want to work in an honest and transparent environment where the new Cabinet has a shared and collective responsibility for:
Improving service delivery, especially in our priority areas of vulnerable people
Controlling the budget and delivering efficiencies and improvements through the service review process
Resolving the Job Evaluation and pay modernisation issue
Ensuring that we get the basics right. This includes improving our approach to performance management through greater accountability for officers and Cabinet members as well as exploiting our investment in a new corporate system. We also need to enhance the way we communicate with our employees and with our partners and the public.
Organisation and performance
"Our aim is to provide high quality, value for money services which are delivered to meet the needs of our customers and communities. Service review recommendations will be implemented and our organisation will be easier to access as we develop our call centre approach and improve our website. We will clearly communicate our key messages and we will launch our Residents' Magazine and new Citizen's Panel during the summer. We will continue to develop the management of the Corporate Change Programme and move forward in our approach to managing both individual and service performance. We will also keep a close eye on developments for the new national framework due to be introduced in 2009 and make sure that we are as prepared as we can be for the new regime. By 2009 my objective is to improve the CPA Use of Resources score to 4 and for the Council's Direction of Travel Statement to recognise that we are "improving strongly" as an organisation.
Healthier communities and older people
"Our aim is to provide improved health for the people of Staffordshire, particularly in areas of health inequalities by promoting healthier choices and improving health services. Our joint appointment with South Staffordshire PCT of the Director of Public Health in South Staffordshire is a demonstration of our commitment to the public health agenda. Wherever possible, we will provide older and vulnerable people with greater control over their own lives. The policy of "Changing Lives" will allow people to live safely, to have an active role in the community and to access the support they need to be as independent as they choose. We will continue to reshape the structure of the social care and health directorate to move resources to local areas and to frontline delivery. We will ensure more integrated service delivery by working closely with health and district council colleagues, particularly in the areas of commissioning services and developing housing strategies. By 2009 my objective is for our improved services to be recognised externally as a 3* adults social care service.
Children and young people
"Our aim is to ensure our children and young people are healthy and safe so they are able to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their community. There will be a continued focus on preventative services to support vulnerable children with their families to stop them entering the care and child protection systems. We will use the Community and Learning Partnerships to identify local needs and deliver services with our partners locally. We will drive to improve educational standards, particularly at Key Stage 4 and keep as many young people as possible in further education or training once they reach 16. We cannot deliver this agenda alone and through the Children's Trust arrangements we will build effective multi-agency partnerships which actively involve parents, carers and young people in planning, delivering and evaluating services. By 2009 my objective is for our improved services to be recognised externally as a 3* children's service.
Safer and stronger communities
"Our aim is for individuals and communities to feel safe and to be increasingly free from crime. With our partners we will develop strategies which avoid duplication and conflicting priorities, so that maximum resources are used to deliver practical community based activities. An example is the domestic violence LAA flagship where we will work together to prevent abuse across Staffordshire. We will reduce anti-social behaviour, youth crime and the misuse of drugs and alcohol. The roads of Staffordshire will continue to be as safe as possible. We will involve residents in resolving the issues that matter most to them. Working with the voluntary and community sector we will strengthen capacity in local communities to resolve local problems and increase levels of volunteering. We will grow the role of the local member so communities see democracy in action and become more engaged with the democratic process. By 2009 my aim is to meet the national target for reduction in overall crime in Staffordshire and for the percentage of residents who feel that they can influence decision making in their local area to have met or exceeded the LAA target.
Economic development and enterprise and sustainable communities
"Our aim is for Staffordshire to be known as a high knowledge, high skilled economy with a high quality of life. There will be a thriving small business sector with large numbers of new businesses being formed, surviving, growing and creating employment opportunities for local people. Town centres, market towns and villages will be vibrant, supported by a dynamic rural economy and a highly skilled and motivated workforce. But economic growth will be sustainable and will protect the natural environment. We must find ways to meet these aspirations that will not compromise the position of future generations. We will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, develop transport by improving accessibility to everyday facilities, encourage more walking, cycling, car sharing and use of public transport. The topical issue of climate change will continue to be addressed, firstly by making our own organisation's contribution as well as encouraging partners and others to do the same. By 2009 my aim is that performance against the linked environmental services block of the CPA remains at 4 out of 4.
"You have just read an outline of our improvement plans for the next two years. We will be reporting our performance for 2006/2007 to full Council as usual in the autumn. We as Cabinet have a collective accountability for driving this agenda through, but in truth this responsibility extends not just to Cabinet but to all Members who are here representing the interests of the many varied Staffordshire communities.
"I look forward to meeting many of you soon and working hard together."
Page Last Modified:
17/05/2007 14:24:24
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