The Leader's Message

At this time of the year, I normally outline my main objectives for the coming year, but at the moment, due to the upheaval in local government and public finance, my objectives will be in general terms, rather than detailed specific targets.

My objective is to ensure that, despite the financial restraints that have been and will be imposed by the Government, Ribble Valley Borough Council will continue to provide the excellent level of service that residents expect and position itself to meet the new climate of financial austerity, as well as the new opportunities that await us.

I have no argument with the financial measures this Government has put in place. The last Government's economic record has left less money for local government and less money for council staff. It is not easy for them to accept a pay freeze, but this has been happening to many in the private sector for the last two years. The council has a loyal and hardworking workforce, but as I have before we have to work smarter and reduce our costs wherever possible. For the last six months, the council's corporate management team has been discussing a new management structure, details of which will be outlined shortly.

The cuts announced by the Government and the abolition of the regional development agencies have hit neighbouring Pennine Lancashire authorities hard, as they have got used to relying on large Government grants to assist them in improving their housing, economies and infrastructure. Quite rightly they are looking for immediate savings, but no one quite knows what the future holds.

There is serious talk of Pennine Lancashire becoming one of the new local enterprise partnerships that are being proposed by the Government. This is something Ribble Valley Borough Council will be actively involved in, but I have made it quite clear to other council leaders and chief executives that we will be pressing for a more equitable distribution of non-ring-fenced funding. For example, if Government funding comes to a new body, each local authority must have a minimum percentage of such funding, say five per cent.

A question mark also hangs over the rest of Lancashire and council leaders and chief executives from across the county will meet soon to discuss the future. This is a fast moving scenario and I would not like to predict the outcome. 

If that is not enough, we have heard the news of upheaval in the NHS and the primary care trusts, which could have huge implications for Ribble Valley Borough Council and its residents. It could be an opportunity for the council to provide administrative services to Ribble Valley GPs. I believe it is important to set up a working group to explore this. The working group will represent the political balance and include relevant officers. I will soon be discussing the proposed group's terms of reference with the council's chief executive and leader of the opposition.

I hope this brief summary gives you a glimpse of the challenges and opportunities that face us in the coming months. It is certainly vital that Ribble Valley remains independent and we must continue to position ourselves to achieve this objective, while remaining financially strong and continuing to provide the high-quality services that our residents expect.

I now turn to the excellent events and projects that Ribble Valley Borough Council can be proud of.

The annual Ribble Valley Sports, Arts and Community Awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at The Grand in Clitheroe. The MC at the event was sports broadcaster Peter Stevenson and awards were presented to clubs, coaches, volunteers, community champions and outstanding young sportsmen and women. Arts and sporting excellence grants totalling £5,000 were also presented to 22 young dancers, actors and musicians. The quality and breadth of the talent shown by the young people was quite breathtaking and gave a small insight into what goes on in Ribble Valley. 

Ribble Valley Borough Council hosted thousands of picnickers at the Clitheroe Castle Field for the National Family Week Picnic on Spring Bank Holiday Monday. This family event did not cost much in terms of cash, but was a huge success thanks to the effort and enthusiasm of several council employees.

The Clitheroe Castle Museum has been named Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2010 Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards. The museum now attracts 30,000 visitors a year compared to 8,000 prior to its £3.5million refurbishment. This award is a testament to the hard work of officers from the council's community development and communications teams, as well as the finance and legal teams, who did much to ensure that contracts were brought in on time and to budget.

In the future we can look forward to the re-launch of our highly acclaimed Ribble Valley Food Trail and the Clitheroe Fine Food Street Market on August 14, which promises to be a fantastic event and I look forward to seeing local residents there. 

We have much to be proud of in Ribble Valley and I am confident that we can deal with the changes that we will inevitably face in the next few years. We have sound finances thanks to a prudent financial regime backed up by excellent financial disciplines and practices by our officers, dedicated workforce and elected members, who have the community foremost in their thoughts and actions.

 

Michael Ranson, Leader

Ribble Valley Borough Council

July 2010