A NEW Year message from East Hampshire District Council leader Ferris Cowper:

“In 2015 East Hampshire District Council made huge progress toward the delivery of the promises we made to you at the May election and we will accelerate progress in 2016.

“At the turn of the year, I think it’s appropriate to deliver a short progress report to you.

“EHDC is one of a tiny number of local councils in the UK that is maintaining all front-line services, and even improving some. In 2015-16, we have achieved this through excellent management and smart investment and despite the loss of central Government grants.

“We have also been able to save up surplus funds in this and prior years ready to invest in the new initiatives that will complete our independence from central Government grants by 2020 and which will also enable us to start cutting your council tax with the aspiration of reducing the EHDC levied tax to nil by 2024.

“No other council in the UK offers this to its taxpayers.

“A key component of this drive toward financial independence and improved services is our income generation programme. During the year we took on staff in key roles from the commercial sector to work with our highly-trained public service professionals.

“We are also continuing to look hard at our cost base and I hope to make a major cost sharing announcement during 2016. Although the annual accounts are not due, I expect that in the current year we will have generated new income and cost savings of just under £1m per year and in 2016-17 initial budget indications are well in excess of £2m per year.

“Our biggest single project has been the regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon. After years of promises, townsfolk can now see real progress with the commencement of the northern section of the relief road followed by a start on demolition at both Quebec and Louisburg Barracks sites. This year saw inward investment of £120m out of an estimate for the whole 20-year period of about £1bn. The highlight was my meeting with The Prince of Wales at Poundbury where His Royal Highness paid great attention to our plans for the town, and during about 40 minutes of one-to-one time he offered me several pieces of good advice about the house-building design code we are formulating. He made it very clear that he is impressed with our plans.

“We haven’t neglected other parts of the district. We have agreed a financial deal with Hampshire County Council to appoint a senior strategic transport planner dedicated to the needs of EHDC. We have announced another financial partnership with Alton Town Council for a town development manager to help implement the neighbourhood plan. Earlier this year Meridian TV carried our announcement of three police community support officers managed by the police but dedicated to the needs of East Hampshire’s policing and community safety needs.

“Our anti-littering campaign has also attracted a great deal of media interest and is working extremely well, I’m pleased to say.

“No district council can complete a year without something big happening in planning. You may recall we faltered slightly a few years ago when submitting our core strategy for housing but now I’m pleased to say we are one of the first local planning authorities to have our more detailed allocations plan agreed by the Government. This is a huge achievement and reflects extremely well on our planning officers at all levels. Now we are working on the development of detailed policies that are used daily in determining planning applications and you will see more public consultation in 2016 as a result.

“The final big issue for 2015 was devolution. This also attracted wide media attention because EHDC was the first council in Hampshire to query the value of the proposal to its residents. Now there are others who can see the issues and I doubt a local TV?news channel will be playing Rebel Rebel the next time they interview me! Further, the Secretary of State has made it plain that the Hampshire bid will only be agreed to by the Government if there is much more housing for Hampshire’s residents. We could be talking figures 50 per cent above those in our core strategy and allocations plan. While some are saying we should be resigned to this because it’ll happen anyway, I fail to see the point of several years of debate with you, our residents and also our main developers, agreeing a target figure fully supported by demographic data, only to throw all that away on the whim of the Secretary of State. This matter will be publicly debated by your council in 2016 before any final decision is made by EHDC.

“You can see 2015 has been a major watershed year in the history of our council and 2016 promises to be even more important to all our lives in East Hampshire. I offer my most sincere thanks to all of my council officers for their amazing dedication and flexibility. I also thank all 44 councillors, 19 of whom were brand new in May, for coming to terms with the vital policy issues of the day so quickly.

“Your council offers you high quality and improving services, declining taxation, a landmark regeneration programme and genuinely creative thinking about the entire local government business model. I believe all our residents, businesses and volunteer organisations can look forward to an even better 2016. I wish a Happy New Year to everyone.”

Ferris Cowper

Leader

East Hampshire District Council