The Leader's Budget Speech to
Council
25th February 2009
Budget Speech
by the Leader of the Council
Councillor Tony Briggs
2009 could well go down in history as the
toughest year financially for this country.
We are constantly bombarded with doom and
gloom from the media financial and business pundits, I acknowledge
that for some of our residents and businesses the future will be a
challenge.
That is why this council must play its part in
mitigating the impact of the recession, both on residents and
businesses and to that end this administration’s aspiration is to
work towards a zero increases in Council Tax in the future.
However I believe that the recession offers
opportunities of creating a better future for the Borough of
Havant.
Let me try and articulate the vision that this
administration aspires to and the benefits that will be realised
from such aspirations.
We have two key principles that lie behind all
that we do here at the borough council:
Firstly, that we will ensure the provision of
high quality, affordable and accessible public services to
customers in the borough (whether or not this council directly
provides them)
Secondly, that we will ensure the stewardship
of this borough for future generations, both in terms of the
physical environment and for the people and communities across the
borough.
In delivering on these two key principles we
have a clear vision that the starting point is to create a public
service village and cultural centre on the civic campus site,
Our environment is changing faster than ever
before.
The expectation of the public and politicians
is that councils must deliver better value for money and greater
public consultation as well as leading the agendas of
place-shaping, shared services and partnership working.
How can all of this be brought together into a
focal point for manifesting and realising the dreams and
aspirations of a place and its people?
The old ways of doing things are not enough or
not working.
We need to take radical steps to continue to
have meaningful input into the lives of our citizens yet the
discussion about a 21st Century Civic Centre has barely
begun in the local authority world.
We have developed an innovative concept for a
new form of civic engagement. We might be a small district council
in Hampshire called Havant but we think big and have bigger
aspirations. We want to be known as ‘Havant Has’ so we have been
having an interesting conversation which we are enacting right
now.
Until now, nobody has understood the form and
function of the 21st Century Civic Centre. Havant’s
Public Service Village (PSV) concept is bold, radical and
courageous. It needs clever private and public sector partners who
think ahead and outside the box to join with us to make something
very special happen.
Our Vision
We plan to have a state-of-the art Civic
Centre on one key site which, in design terms, is a bold statement
of our rising confidence and aspiration for our people.
Using the skeleton of our existing building,
we will create a central hub with inter-related satellites that
combine into multiple access points for the customer and businesses
co-located on site:
- A place and space that makes people go ‘wow, this is simply
amazing, outstanding’, thus making a step change in their view of
the public sector and what its purpose and function is.
- Adaptable space for civic debate, conversation, cultural
expression and business transactions.
- Re-modelling the town’s history to be relevant today through
re-thinking and transferring old skills / capabilities to
21st century needs (as Detroit is doing with car design
into video games development).
- Reflecting the natural environment to create a sensory
landscape for the future which will evoke calm, contemplation,
ideas generation and inspiration e.g. the use of water within
interior / exterior design.
- A place that’s for fun and play.
- Atmospherics that are energising and dynamic as well as
relaxing and contemplative.
- Where work / life balance can be created on the same site.
- A non-institutional, comfortable, social space, human in
scale.
- A showcase for the best and a laboratory for new thinking and
ideas. The PSV stands the test of time.
We expect to see:
- A Business Innovation Centre to encourage new
entrepreneurs.
- An ideas / talent space where shared facilities create
multi-disciplinary networking.
- A Discovery Centre majoring on business and commercial
information provision.
- Whole site wireless enabled technology.
- Hi-Tech multi-media e.g. video walls, Wii rooms.
- Conferencing & exhibition space.
- Live civic debate and engagement.
- A hub for the Third Sector e.g. a ‘Care Fair.’
- Opportunities for community development through partners
offering ‘ultra-modern apprenticeships’ in environmental
sustainability and lean / green technologies (via the EA), local
government studies (via Hants CC) and multi-media work programmes
(via the Performing arts centre and the BBC).
Philosophy and Values
Our Public Service Village is a place of ‘can
do.’
It is light touch.
It is lean, agile and focussed.
It is a place of seamless connectivity and
interaction.
It is a total solution for customer needs.
It showcases a world of possibilities for
individual and community growth.
PSV Cornerstones
We have adopted four guiding principles
relating to the PSV. At every stage of the development and
operational process we will return to these principles that the PSV
must:
1) Serve the Public. In all that we do, the
space and its services will maximise access and a generous
disposition.
2) Promote Civic Identity and Pride. The PSV
will be the pride of Havant. It will be a place where our citizens
can celebrate and integrate. It will act as a model for aspiration
and inspiration. It will be efficient and sustainable.
3) Further the borough’s redevelopment goals.
The PSV will act as a catalyst for private and public sector
investment, increase inward investment and exemplify smart growth
with a dynamic mix of uses.
4) Be an exemplar and consistent with
statutory plans. We will co-ordinate building design and content to
be congruent with national, regional and local planning processes
as well as being a living example of how redevelopment can
re-generate social, economic, educational and environmental
concerns.
The PSV hub spokes will touch other key
centres (high street, college, leisure facilities, retail and
business parks) via access schemes (bridges, pedestrianisation,
improved public travel), circulation in physical, spatial and
conceptual terms.
As a first step towards realising the PSV
aspirations I have shared our concept with the Leader of Hampshire
County Council who has expressed interest in our ideas, and has
invited The Chief Executive and me to make a presentation to the
County Councils Cabinet and Corporate Directors on the
6th March.
Working in partnership with the County other
Districts and Agencies will offer the best opportunity for further
monetary and efficiency savings.
Turning to the budget for 2009/2010 our budget strategy forecast
a Council Tax increase of 4.9%; taking into account that government
grant meets more than half of our budget and that grant will
increase by only 0.5% this year. The ruling Conservative
Group considered such an increase to be a heavy
burden under the present economic conditions
and instructed the officers to find further savings.
Therefore I am please to be able to recommend
a Borough Council Tax Increase of 3.9% and a net budget of
£18,124.500 for 2009/2010.
The net effect on a band D property will be an
annual increase of £7.20 i.e.
14p per week for the Havant element, The
County, Police and Fire will add a further £27.81 per annum, the
combined additional cost for band D will be £35.01 per annum or 67p
per week, which represent the lowest overall Council Tax increase
for thirteen years – an overall increase of 2.5% for taxpayers.
Mr Mayor, Councillors I move the
recommendations as on the order paper.
Councillor Tony Briggs
Leader, Havant Borough Council.