Everyone at the council recognises the key to driving improvements to our core services and delivering on our key priorities is leadership and excellent organisation.
Fostering healthy, strong and robust relationships is vital so we will continue to promote equality and diversity in everything we do and foster good relations among all of our communities especially residents and businesses.
Ensuring we become increasingly efficient and effective in all of the services we provide
We believe we should continue to work towards becoming financially self-sufficient by ensuring:
- We generate income to reduce our reliance on council tax and government funding
- We run services that are fully digital and allow our customers to serve themselves wherever possible. This frees up resources and reduces the need to stop providing other services or lower their standards
- Where we have control over fees and charges, the user of the service will pay the whole cost of the service they receive
We will ensure all customers can access our services according to their needs.
Providing leadership and fighting for the district
We are an ambitious and environmentally-aware council. By showing leadership and fighting for the district, we will deliver economic growth not only across this council term but also lay the foundations for success for the next 20 years.
- We will develop, lead and support the district’s recovery as we move to a post-Covid and EU transition world, ensuring our economy and communities can adapt to and benefit from the new normal
- We want our new Local Plan to focus on prosperity, wealth creation and sustainability. Infrastructure is vital, as is the quality of homes delivered. We want the people living in those homes to feel part of our community
- We are committed to the council achieving its carbon-neutral ambitions by 2030 by working to deliver our Climate Change Action Plan, but we cannot ignore the global, national and local opportunities and threats that have emerged from the pandemic. That means our efforts must be economically viable and timed to get best value for our residents
- We recognise preserving and enhancing our heritage assets is important but in order to do so they must, where possible, be actively participating in the district’s economy. We should embrace the private and not-for-profit sectors to find new and innovative ways to use these assets. When it comes to the private sector, One Pound Lane is an excellent example, while the not-for-profit sector is playing a positive role in relation to the Westgate Hall, Whitstable West Quay, Herne Bay Pier and the Marlowe Kit
- We recognise new housing developments need real open space that is close by to protect the health and wellbeing of residents. The council should - within our powers - protect these spaces and work in partnership to enhance and maintain them
- We will work hard to keep our influence over transport matters in our district, even though responsibility lies elsewhere, so that we can implement our plans wherever possible