6th January 2012

SOUTH SOMERSET: Facing up to tough decisions ahead

Somerset County Council Leader, Ken Maddock, acknowledged in his New Year message that 2011 had been a challenging year but said he hoped residents could look forward to 2012 with increasing optimism.

He continued: “One of our major projects to bring faster broadband speeds to homes and businesses will begin in earnest, with a pilot programme in Wheddon Cross. Following crucial work with partners to secure £30m of funding, the process will then begin to roll out superfast broadband across the county.

“We will also look to ‘kick on’ with changing the way the council works to give local people more say in how the authority is run and what services they need, as well as finding innovative ways of working which offer better value for money.

“The economy, and the infrastructure to support it, is one of our key priorities, as is giving children the best opportunities and looking after the most vulnerable in our society.

“Somerset County Council invested in and secured funding for projects worth £68m in 2011. Many of these projects are already beginning to pay genuine dividends.

“We also had to make some very tough decisions, but by focussing resources on our priorities we have produced some impressive results.

“More Somerset children this year achieved five or more GCSEs at, or above, grade C than ever before. Our Get Somerset Working campaign to create 100 apprenticeships in 100 days actually saw more than 500 created by Somerset employers. Our Children’s Services were rated as ‘performing well’ by Ofsted for the fifth year running and our Adoption Service was judged to be ‘outstanding’.

“We know we face further reductions in funding from the Government, but we have committed to freezing council tax for the third year running to ease the pressure on your bills.

“Our successes in 2011 and plans for 2012 show what can be achieved, and give us all renewed enthusiasm. On that note, I wish everyone a very happy New Year, and a successful 2012.”

Meanwile South Somerset District Council leader, Ric Pallister, said that in the face of difficult economic times the district council had decided to “focus on four key priorities: health, because without it we have nothing, homes because a decent roof over our heads is a basic requirement in life, jobs as a vital ingredient in our lives and finally the environment we live in”.

He said: “Despite severe cuts in council funding from central Government, we will maintain essential services. The necessary savings to achieve this have been primarily generated through greater internal efficiencies in the way we work but inevitably there will be some services that will be at risk over the coming years.

“Our approach to savings is one of avoiding ‘knee jerk’ reactions by planning ahead and giving ourselves time to think through measures in a careful and considered way; judging the likely impact and looking for alternatives to the way we do our business. Only when we are sure that we have the best, most cost effective, or sometimes only solution, will we make changes that may impact on our residents.

“A major piece of work that should be completed this year will be our Core Strategy or Local Plan which will determine how our communities will evolve over the next 15 years, where new or expanded businesses can be located and where the homes we will need should be built. It will be judged by a Government planning inspector and it is vital that it is approved if we are to develop our district in a balanced way and safeguard some of the environmental features that we value so highly. Planning to ensure that we have enabled employment to match our needs and the houses that go with it, will not be easy. We also face the major challenge of an ageing population and it is important that we have the right type of homes where they are most needed.

“Inevitably where growth is concerned, and particularly housing, where it is to be built will often be controversial but we must remember that this plan is not about us today; this is about where our grandchildren will live and work in the years ahead. If we get the plan wrong, then the consequence will be unplanned growth where the development industry chooses and not where the people of South Somerset want it, and that would be a very bad thing.

“2012 is going to be tough but we start the year with our unemployment level at half the national average and I, along with all the councillors will do our very best to see that it stays that way.”

PICTURE 1: SOMERSET County Council leader Ken Maddock

PICTURE 2: SOUTH SOMERSET District Council leader Ric Pallister

SOUTH SOMERSET: Facing up to tough decisions ahead

SOUTH SOMERSET: Facing up to tough decisions ahead

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