To receive an update from the Leader of the Council.
Minutes:
· The effort and delivery across all areas of the Council from Members of all parties and Officers with the annual reports to show the facts and figures shortly at the Cabinet meeting.
· The Liberal Democrat commitment to the financial responsibility of the Council, since last May had closed the failing 3 Rivers project and increased the social housing stock with the purchase of the St Georges Court Site and created much needed homes for local residents at affordable rents.
· The new administration had reduced the level of subsidy to the 3 leisure centres and made them more efficient;
· The annual budget for leisure had been reduced by over £400,000.
· The 2024/25 budget was set without any use of reserves, was fully balanced and was unanimously supported across the political spectrum.
· The collection rates of 97.5% for Council Tax, 99.4% for business rates and 98.9% for corporate debt recovery, these were some of the best in the country.
· The State of the District Debate was the first of its kind at this Council. There had been engagement and honest conversation with over 70 attendees from across the Town and Parish Councils.
· The creation of a new Cabinet portfolio dedicated to Community and Parish Engagement. This would create a direct link between Parishes, Cabinet and Officers. Cllr Gwen DuChesne had agreed to take on this role and anyone who knew Gwen would fully appreciate how her compassion, empathy and drive to empower people to succeed would be essential in this role.
· This Council was the first in Devon to introduce a Council Tax exemption for Care Leavers and agreed to support them further with access to our leisure facilities.
· The reduction of the senior management by removing 2 senior posts and for the senior staff to work more effectively.
· The commitment to Climate Change, to understand and plan to mitigate the effects that the communities felt and to reduce the ongoing contribution to Climate Change.
· The roll-out of 3 weekly waste collections had seen the recycling rate increase by 5% and the Council had been placed in the top 10% nationally and second best in Devon.
· As a key part of the Liberal Democrat administration’s commitment to openness and transparency, the Council provide regular detailed financial information to Council meetings. Anew performance/risk monitoring dashboard for a number of the Council meetings had been created to ensure all Councillors and the public understood how the performance had been throughout the year.
· The Cabinet team were already in discussions with senior officers about the shape/scope of the 2025/26 budget and how this could align to the delivery of the new Corporate Plan; a plan that will be put before all the Policy Development Groups shortly for Members’ consideration.
· Thanked all of the Members and officers who had helped to deliver all the impressive achievements over the past 12 months and looked forward to continuing to work closely in order to navigate Members through the next set of challenges and opportunities that the Council faced.