I have had the great privilege to be the leader of this council now for almost 4 years. In that time we have been on an incredible journey of change. 

We are a bold and ambitious council. With a clear set of priorities, and a clear sense of urgency in achieving our missions that are set out in the Council Plan.

Our goals stem from what residents have told us they want. But our mission isn’t only about what we want to accomplish. How we do it, and why we do it are as important as the goals themselves.

Our mission is underpinned by 3 core beliefs. 

Firstly – connecting people into communities is everything. 

Pride, identity and purpose at the very core of who we are. That exists in abundance in our borough.

Whether we come together as friends and family, colleagues or neighbours, bonded to one another as parents or through pastimes, we are more trusting, more open, more resilient, with a network of people around us who we love and they love us in return. When we feel appreciated in our contributions and heard in our distress.

Secondly – each of our 7 towns deserves a fair share of the wealth and opportunity that we create together, in a place that feels like it is moving forward to a better future.

Where the creativity and the entrepreneurialism of every person can create new value and opportunity, which isn’t determined by the post-code we live in, the family or background we come from. 

Whether it is a job that pays a decent living income, a safe and genuinely affordable home in which to live. These cannot and should not be distant dreams in other parts of our borough or our city.

Thirdly – that we hand power and control over to people, who know better than we can ever know, what is and feels right for themselves, their family and their community. That we respect with absolute clarity when it’s time to get out of the way, and we are brave to lean in to what people are telling us.

So it falls on us to help build a society in which we make the compromises we need to make if we are going to live together in stability and peace. To open up spaces, to welcome people in, and to have the humility to know we won’t always be right. 

So why do these matter? 

We live these beliefs each and every day. And we want to do more of it. Share more of it. Encourage more of it.  As a council, we are not a collection of services or a distant bunch of people shut up in an office. We are agents of change in everything we can and do and our collective impact is immense. 

This is what the council’s Connected Communities’ agenda is all about. All of the work is guided by these three principles. Connecting people with each other, the chance for a decent future and creating the space to resolve our differences.

The approach sits behind our “your voice your town” project. A set of resident led workshops that are taking place in all our towns. You can find out when the next meeting is in your town and get involved by visiting the council’s website.