Introduction from the leader of the Council – Council Plan 2008/09
I am very pleased to present East Sussex County Council’s Plan for 2008/09. It contains a great deal of information about our services and performance, including how we did against last year’s priorities and targets, what we aim to deliver for the next three years and how we plan to deliver these improvements. Our Reconciling Policy and Resources process focuses on services and means we are very clear about our priorities, performance, weaknesses and challenges and are able to plan ahead. This allows us to set realistic aims and aspirations, basing what we want to do on the resources available. Our Communications Strategy provides the coherent context for all aspects of our communication and consultation work linked to Reconciling Policy and Resources.
Last year we received official recognition, through the Corporate Assessment of the whole County Council and Joint Area Review of Children’s Services, that our services are good and improving. The overall conclusion of the inspections was that, as a County Council, we are ‘performing well’ and that we are providing good Children’s Services with an excellent capacity to improve. Further confirmation that the County Council is providing good services was given by the Audit Commission’s ‘three stars out of four’ performance rating (which included top marks for how well the Council manages its finances and also for its environment services, including transport, planning and waste, and trading standards) and ‘improving well’ status in its direction of travel statement. Areas identified for continued focus on improvement were Adult Social Care, waste management and the transport infrastructure.
Our promise to all our residents is that East Sussex County Council will be an efficient, customer focused, accountable authority working with partners and local communities to:
- make a positive difference to people’s lives
- create a prosperous and safe County
- provide affordable, high quality services at the lowest possible Council Tax.
Our broad priorities, as indicated in this promise, and as shown in detail in each of the sections in the Plan, remain essentially unchanged from last year. In recognition of the important role the Council can play in tackling climate change we have, however, added a priority to make positive progress towards tackling this important issue in East Sussex, both in the County Council's own activities and through work with partners to influence the behaviour of others. We are also working with our partners via the East Sussex Strategic Partnership to deliver an Integrated Sustainable Community Strategy called ‘Pride of Place’ which sets out a shared vision for East Sussex in 2026. The strategy contains our countywide strategic objectives and priorities to help us achieve the vision and improve the quality of life for people in all parts of the county. The Strategy is supported by a three year Local Area Agreement which includes targets to enable us to monitor our progress in delivering these priorities and mandatory indicators relating to educational attainment.
We are working ever closer with partner organisations to provide a seamless, improved service to the public. The key to improving services and efficiency is joining up services between public sector organisations and/or within an organisation. To us this means considering the full range of services along the supply chain from front line to back office and may involve delivery by public, private or voluntary and community sectors. In an ever challenging economic climate we aim to improve services and efficiency by delivering more of our services in partnership with other organisations. We are not just looking within the County to do this – work has already begun to deliver services over cross-county boundaries.
An example of successful partnership working, which also provides evidence of how we are working towards our core aim of regenerating the economy of the County, is the regeneration of Bexhill and Hastings. Since this work began, over £300 million of new public sector investment is being brought into the area; wage differentials between the Hastings and Bexhill area and the rest of the County (and between the rest of County and the region) have narrowed significantly; the new University Centre is growing rapidly, with around 1,700 students currently studying there; and new, high-tech businesses have been enticed into the area, including over 35 businesses into the new Creative Media Centre and a similar number into the new Innovation Centre. Work is now underway on the second phase of the regeneration project, which will include 1,400 new homes, increased business space, more job creation, improved transport links and greatly expanded education opportunities. We are also rolling out the successful model adopted in Hastings and Bexhill in other parts of the County, notably in Newhaven and in the Eastbourne and Hailsham areas, where a partnership between East Sussex County Council, Wealden District Council, Eastbourne Borough Council, and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is overseeing the regeneration of that area, with the aim of creating a sustainable, vibrant and buoyant area providing an opportunity for residents and businesses to thrive in a high quality environment.
We are committed to acting on the aspirations of local communities, to being locally accountable and to promoting the well-being of the whole of the County and its residents. This year we will work even harder to meet local need by tailoring our services in the light of customer views and feedback.
Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone – residents, Councillors, management, staff and all our local partners – for your part in helping us to make, and continuing to make, East Sussex a tremendous place to live, work or visit.
Councillor Peter Jones
Leader of East Sussex County Council
