The Annual Report debate was the opportunity to consider the outcomes and returns of the City Council's work in 2005/06. The highlights of the achievements for 2006/07 Speech given at full Council follows -
Chair,
The Annual Report summarises the progress by the City Council in 2005/06.
And the Annual Report provides an opportunity for Councillors in one debate to comment on the work of the City Council and the progress made in Nottingham, during a year.
Other documents are presented.
The Best Value Performance Plan has information on 172 indicators.
It is specified to read more as a report of outputs and outcomes, with indicative results or targets for future years.
Despite the use of “plan” in its title, the significant planning done by the Council is expressed elsewhere.
In the Corporate Plan, presented here for noting.
In the Corporate Directors’ Statements of Accountability.
In the service plans.
In the improvement plans, for children’s services, adults’ services and use of resources.
The financial management of the Council has been reviewed and agreed at Executive Board.
The outcomes of which are presented in the Statement of Accounts – all 108 pages of it.
And we also receive a revised Statement of Internal Control.
Given the volume of papers presented for today, it is remarkable that the scrutiny meeting does not appear to have been used as an opportunity to raise many points.
Executive Board I have to say was remarkably constructive, with the Conservatives voting with Labour, for a motion that –
recognises “that there has been significant progress in delivering the actions underpinning the Council’s priorities”;
recognises that “Over half of the key performance indicators demonstrated better performance than in 2004/05” and
recognises that “This builds on the general performance improvements that have been made, with approximately 70% of all performance indicators demonstrating improvement over the last 3 years.” In fact that figure now exceeds three-quarters.
So a welcome recognition of progress by the Conservatives and we look forward to Georginamaintaining that tone.
It’s possible that may not happen.
Talk of “keeping powder dry” suggests that details on the presentation within the reports are to be used as an attack on Labour’s record in running the Council.
And it still comes to me as something of a surprise that the debates aren’t more ideologically driven.
Something about more decentralisation and rights for the individuals from the Liberal Democrats.
Or more outright calls for reduced taxation, less state-intervention, less service, less concern for the most needy because trickle-down will help everyone in the end, from the Conservatives.
Now I know this might be regarded as a time of flux, a year on from Labour’s third consecutive General Election victory.
But can anyone explain the latest Lib Dem stance?
A national set of policies that now calls for less income tax and more capital tax for national taxes, whilst bewailing the impact of local capital taxes such as the Council tax – which they still call to be replaced by a Local Income Tax.
So their party's mnational lead is confusing.
Even so, you might think the Lib Dems might have something to say on broader issues.
But, really, in the year in question, Alex (Foster), at Exec Board, didn’t.
As for the Tories, we look forward to them reflecting their progress in the polls by embracing David Cameron and his new language.
Or perhaps, just saying something nice about him.
But there still remains something strange about the Nottingham Tories.
Calling for cuts in the increase in taxes but only ever offering one-off savings – very imprudent.
Never spelling out what they’d stop doing – year-on-year.
And often calling for more services to be provided.
Witness recent Tory leaflets in Sherwood & Mapperley calling for more recycling to be done, with highly customised waste collection services. Will we today hear from the Tories just how much they think that will cost?
Most surprising is the continued opposition for projects like expanding the tram and creating a new Market Square.
Yes, it reflects the Tories before Michael Cowan joined them.
Against the Royal Centre and the Ice Centre.
But by now really, you might have expected a change.
Michael Cowan, when Labour’s Chair of Finance at the County, raised taxes so that more could be done for people, especially the most needy, with public services.
He wanted to do the same when he was a member of the City Labour Group.
And he was often a champion of projects that sought to change the nature of public space.
A champion, with a huge eye for detail, that meant, for instance, that he took flights to other countries to see aspects of how Newark Library would look.
The one time I saw him speak at County Hall, he was responding to an angry attack from the County Tories over those trips.
And he was a champion for the leaf-stem. Stood up to a lot of people over the value of the statue.
Now I like the leaf-stem.
But I’m going to like the new Market Square a whole lot better.
We need a high-quality arena that can support great events in the most important space in the city.
I don’t always see the coverage I’d like in the Nottingham Evening Post, but their editorial calling upon the Tories and the Lib Dems not be so cheap over the square was bang on.
We will ensure that the new Market Square will open with a flourish and that an exciting programme of events that's attractive to all sections of our communities - and to visitors - will run through 2007.
We will engage our communities in planning for an even better future for Nottingham and in celebrating our diversity and shared festivals in all parts of the city via a programme of locally focused, locally managed events.
Labour is ambitious for this city.
And we’re proud too.
Cos it would be counter-intuitive not to.
Many of us chose this city.
Not born or raised here.
Chose it.
Cos it offered city-life. And because of the quality of city life it offered and offers. The shopping. The facilities. The events. The night-life. The green spaces.
But now, at a time of falling crime, our city’s reputation is being hit by publicity being given to certain league tables, that have often been badly researched.
Endsleigh’s survey using 2 year old data.
And the one produced by Tory activists, which didn’t even bother to count the people of Clifton in the base. And still Nottingham Tories have refused to condemn it.
It would be very non-controversial to stand alongside the Police and say – this report got it wrong.
Not allowing for the make-up of the catchments. Why did the report lump in South Derbyshire’s stats into Derby’s, but not do the same for Nottingham and its conurbation?
But to fail to condemn it - when it discounted the people of Clifton – simply unacceptable.
Frankly, criticisms of any data presented by the Council for today will be a bit rich if the Nottingham Tories are prepared to stand by such shoddy work.
The city’s reputation is important to us and important to commerce and partners such as the universities.
The impact of such reports is now being felt. It’s why we need to do more for the city’s reputation, and not just on substance.
Cos crime is down. Gun crime has been cut dramatically. The Respect surveys have shown higher levels of confidence in living in local neighbourhoods.
We intend to do more of substance and will announce more once the implications of picking up NRF projects are fully understood.
We want to do more regarding wardens.
We think wardens have been a success. So, now, do Nottingham Tories. But remember their refusal to back our budget in 2004 to pay for more. Then, in a debate on police numbers, they said that police numbers was all that mattered. Then in March, they said employ some more wardens, mainly in Wollaton.
There is a strong emphasis on making Nottingham safer in the Corporate plan.
The plan is a clear statement of our vision for Nottingham and our design to deliver that vision.
We will take effective steps to share that vision with the communities we serve, to tell the people of Nottingham what we intend to do to take Nottingham forward.
We will invest in better communications with our residents and with our customers.
The Arrow is already improved.
We'll make it more frequent, give it a more local focus and guarantee delivery to all homes.
And we'll produce an A-Z of services.
And we do have a lot to be proud of in the last year.
Better performance management, better performance.
Departmental spending controlled, efficiencies made.
Visible new investment in the city centre.
The best local transport planning, in the country, sustained.
Restoration of Wollaton Hall started.
Major exhibitions, like the Waking Dreams Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, continued.
Crime down.
Fear of crime down.
Experience of anti-social behaviour down.
Cleaner streets.
Sustained improvement in educational attainment.
Adult social care is improving.
Better partnership working between public agencies, including the first of the new joint service centres.
Better public health.
Lower operation waiting times.
Labour’s ambition for Nottingham and the increased spending on public services has driven the progress.
A lot done and we know there is more to do.
In our determination to “Serve Nottingham Better”, we will oversee the huge range of plans with a project board which meets for the first time this week.
On financial management, departmental spending has been actively managed and broadly balances at the end of the financial year.
The most significant achievement has been made by Social Services, which in many cities overspends, sometimes dramatically so, but has been brought under control in Nottingham.
The drive on efficiencies means the Council has presented savings of £14 million over the last 2 years in its Annual Efficiency Statement.
And the financial transactions yielded a surplus of £4 million. We have assumed a better performance in this year’s budget.
We are placing more in reserves for 3 purposes.
To develop plans for stronger customer focus.
To make more repairs to important operational buildings.
To improve risk management, a major obstacle to achieving a better Use of Resources.
And now we listen.
And we’ll listen out most for that sense of proportion and significance.
Will Nottingham Conservatives decide to sustain their support for the achievements we expressed in the Executive Board report?
There is a lot to celebrate. The city is safer. The city is cleaner. There’s better attainment at schools.
Progress on the big issues.
And continued ambition for the city. For further improved services. For the new square, the new arts centre and an extended tram.
Ambitious for Nottingham. Proud of Nottingham.
I move the recommendations in the report.
Ends.
[Speech given 2006/06/27; page last updated 2006/06/28]
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