3/2/2010 - Priorities set as county council looks ahead for the next three years

The unveiling of Cumbria County Council’s draft council plan for the next three years will make getting the county's roads and bridges back in shape following recent floods and prolonged freeze as its top priority. 

The meeting of Cabinet on Tuesday was the first time an administration of the council, made up of members from the Conservative, Labour and Independent groups, have worked together to create a plan to comprehensively address the needs of Cumbria. 

The plan sets out the authority’s strategic priorities and this in turn leads to the setting of the council’s budget to enable the plan to be delivered. 

The need for urgent work to repair our highway infrastructure means that this is at the top of the priority list. The council recognises that several other important areas of work, outlined in the plan, will need to progress over the next three years.

Projects have been started which need to be seen through to completion. The Carlisle Northern Development Route is expected to be ready by spring 2012. This will open up access to the west of the county for businesses as well as cut congestion and journey times through the city centre. 

Also included in the council's plan is the continuation of work to transform the county's schools through the Building Schools for the Future programme. This is in addition to the transformation of secondary education in Barrow, Carlisle and Egremont with the establishment of state-of-the-art academies thanks to the county council securing investment of £100 million.

To avoid land fill tax we need to dramatically reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. To address this council has started construction of a new mechanical biological treatment plant at Hespin Wood near Carlisle which is set to be up and running by 2012, with a second plant in Barrow coming into service a year later. These plants will transform waste disposal in the county. 

The next three years will also see the progression of work on Britain’s Energy Coast; modernisation of the way we care for our elderly; a countywide carbon reduction programme to meet the challenging EU targets, and a major efficiency drive to make sure council services offer value for money for council tax payers.

Partnership working across the county will take its first steps to devolve power and improve the way we engage with people at a local level. 

However, as a result of the difficult national financial climate, there is a real possibility of reductions in funding for future years from central government. Whilst the Council knows its funding for 2010 - 2011, settlements for future years from government are not known, but are likely to be lower. 

So this coming year has to be one where the council prepares for this potentially difficult future. This has made the Cabinet look closely at how the council can work more efficiently and effectively. Actions taken this year will have a significant impact on how we perform to deliver our front line services in coming years.

Leader of the council Jim Buchanan said: "The floods and frosts have had a dramatic impact on our roads and bridges. Bringing our highways back into operation has to be our top priority - and we know that most people in Cumbria share this view.

"But we can’t lose sight of the fact that the council has many priorities - including safeguarding children and vulnerable people, making sure our schools provide the best possible opportunities for our youngsters, and getting rid of the county's waste in a way which is friendly to the environment.

"We have to do all this in the most cost effective way possible, so we are having a very hard look at our own organisation to remove waste and inefficiency and provide better value for council tax payers."

The final draft of the council plan will be presented to a meeting of the full Council on 18 February for approval alongside the medium term financial plan.

ENDS

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