Improving the lives of residents
I WOULD like to respond to the letter from Ian Rogers: We need to be brave to make radical change (11 October).
Within his letter, Mr Rogers makes a wide range of accusations ranging from a lack of a long-term strategy to improve people’s lives through to increasing numbers of student accommodation and the £10 million investment in buying Coombe Abbey Hotel.
So, let me enlighten Mr Rogers. Firstly, the One Coventry Council Plan – which was adopted by all members of the Council in 2016 – is a strategic document setting out our plans and ambitions until 2024 and is available on the Council’s website for all to see. The work outlined in this plan is helping improve the lives of residents and the businesses based here.
A key element of improving people’s lives is to give them the opportunity and access to employment. Over the last nine years we have worked with partners to help create thousands of new jobs. Through our work at the Job Shop in the city centre, we try and ensure those from the most disadvantaged areas share in that success and opportunity and over the last five years we have helped more than 7,700 to get jobs.
As traditional areas of employment such as manufacturing has declined, Coventry, unlike other areas, has adapted and diversified.
Our successful universities are now major employers in the city, and we continue to lead the way in new technologies.
Coventry is at the forefront of 5G and driverless car technology which as well as boosting business helps lead the way in the climate change agenda.
Over the last five years, the hard work of Coventry City Council with partners such as Warwick Manufacturing Group resulted in Coventry winning the right to be home of the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.
This is currently under construction and will help us to ensure the city remains at the heart of this ongoing green industrial revolution.
As a Council we are proud of our record in public health and, in times of austerity, find the money to invest in the building of The Wave waterpark and a new 50m pool for the city – the latter an election commitment we promised the people of the city. Prevention is better than cure and encouraging a more active city with initiatives such as our Coventry on the Move initiative in parks can help residents live heathier lives for longer.
With regards to housing, just over five years ago one of the main complaints we heard was that family houses were being snapped up by landlords and converted into Houses in Multiple Occupation or HMOs. A deliberate plan to encourage the building of purpose-built accommodation is now seeing a drop in HMOs and many of these houses are now being returned to residential lettings or being sold.
Finally, investing into successful businesses such as Coombe Abbey is a prudent measure that gives us significant yearly returns.
We have lost more than £120 million in government funding since 2010 and as an alternative to cuts, are looking at ways to generate income where we can.
Buying Coombe Abbey using reserves – which can only be used once – means that the significant seven figure yearly return can be used to help sustain the frontline services that matter so much to our residents, as central government funding continues to fall.
It is an alternative approach the Coventry Labour Group fully support and builds on our ownership, or part ownership, of moneymaking assets such as the industrial and retail units across the city, the Waste to Energy plant and the Material Recycling Facility that we announced earlier this year for example.
Councillor George Duggins Leader, Coventry City Council
We are fortunate to have our Queen
THERE can be varied opinions over the measures outlined in the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 14 October. But we must surely all agree that the organisation was excellent, with a superb display of pageantry.
And Her Majesty was once again the embodiment of dignity and courtesy. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated lady as our Head of State.
Cllr David Skinner, Westwood Ward