Announcements of the Leader of the Council.
Minutes:
Councillor Steve Flitter, Leader of the Council, gave the following announcements:
“I’d first like to thank all those who sent messages of condolence to both my wife and I and Councillor Steve Wain and his wife following recent losses.
As you will be aware, a comprehensive Organisational Update was circulated earlier this month to all Members and if you haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet then I would strongly encourage you to do so as it contains a lot of information about the fantastic work which has been undertaken by this Council.
In relation to the proposed closure of the Natwest Bank in Bakewell, on behalf of the Council I have sent a strongly worded letter to the CEO, Mr Paul Thwaite, and encouraged him to meet with us, the MP, and other interested parties to work together to find a future solution to in person banking in this part of the Dales. I received a response earlier this afternoon which reiterates the previous standard responses issued and offers a meeting with the local Director for the branch, rather that the requested meeting with the senior leadership of Natwest. This is very disappointing, however I will continue to explore with colleagues how we can continue to exert influence on Natwest.
I would also like to talk about a recent meeting of the Vision Derbyshire Joint Committee for Economic Prosperity, it was good to see that the Business Start Up Grants Scheme has currently funder 100 projects with a combined value of nearly £350,000, with a further £99,000 currently being appraised. I also noted that the client investment, within the private sector, totalled £485,000 taking the total for project investment so far to £835,000. A decision was made that the remainder of the Retained Business Rates would go to the new Strategic Leadership Board to support their ongoing work. It is also worth noting that we hope to bring the draft terms of reference for this Board to the January meeting of this Council for consideration.
At the most recent meeting of Vision Derbyshire, we were presented with graphs showing which issues District Councils would be unable to vote on, due to being out of the remit of their responsibilities. I raised a question regarding the ability for District Councils to vote on issues relating to Public Transport, as whilst this is not strictly within the roles and responsibilities of the District Council, it does have large impacts on the lives of our residents via the planning system, housing, traffic, and most of all the connectivity of a rural area such as the Derbyshire Dales. I hope to receive a response to my queries soon.
I was delighted to hear that Jason Spencer, the Council’s Democratic and Electoral Services Manager, has been formally recognised for his distinguished service by the Association of Democratic Services Officers. At their recently held Annual Conference, Jason was robbed of winning the award, but his shortlisting for it clearly demonstrates his achievements over the past 30 years in corporate governance. I’m sure that you would all like to join me in congratulating Jason on this excellent achievement.
I’m sure all Members agree that the effectiveness of this Council is heavily influenced by the hard work and commitment of our staff. As an employer, we need to ensure that we have a workforce who are well-managed, respected and valued. I am therefore delighted to report that in the recent bi-annual staff survey, which was completed by 80% of our employees, the highest response rate ever recorded, staff satisfaction levels have again improved on the results recorded in 2021, 2019 and 2017.
Thirty-eight questions had more than 70% positive responses, this compares with thirty-one questions in 2021; 24 questions in 2019 and 10 questions in 2017. The top results are:
· 94% feel confident raising issues with their immediate line manager.
· 87% state that their manager gives them support and guidance to do their job.
· 86% state that their manager shows genuine concern for them.
· 85% are satisfied with the District Council as an employer.
· 85% feel well managed by their immediate line manager.
The cross-party Traveller Working Group continues to meet with a view to progressing the identification of permanent and temporary Traveller sites, you will note that there is an update report from this group on the agenda today. I can’t stress enough how important it is for Members of this Council to continue to work together in this regard. We must strive for a solution, not only for the Travellers but equally for the residents of the District.
I would also like to draw attention to the East Midlands Combined Mayoral Authority elections which will take place on the 2nd May 2024. Its vitally important that we engage and work hard to get the best for Derbyshire Dales as this new authority will naturally focus on the cities and larger towns within the area. There is an opportunity to foster good relations with the other Derbyshire Leaders on the Strategic Leadership Board where there is an appetite for refreshed collaborative activity in Derbyshire especially on matters relating to the combined authority. At this morning’s meeting it showed that there is recognition that a future partnership approach should specifically align with proposals for the East Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority to secure collective influence.
I’m pleased to report that the decarbonisation works have now been completed at the Agricultural Business Centre and also here at the Town Hall, you can find out more information relating to this Council’s current work towards our climate change goals in the most recent Organisational Update.
Before I finish, I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you to shop locally across the District by taking advantage of free parking in all of our car parks after 2pm every day for the rest of December.
And Finally, it just leaves me to say a massive thank you to all of the Officers who work hard to support Members and to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”