Council working on ten-year plan
MIKE ROSS WANTS TO LISTEN TO RESIDENTS
CITY council leader Mike Ross says he wants residents and businesses to help shape a new ten-year plan for Hull.
In one of its first major moves, his Liberal Democrat administration is set to initiate work on drawing up a new long-term vision for the city.
It aims to develop council policy initiatives in line with public support. However, he has warned there will be no quick fixes.
Cllr Ross said: “One of the first actions of this new administration is to kickstart the process of developing a new plan for the next ten years of this great city.
“It will re-write the way this council works, making it a council that listens to the communities across the city and acts in their interests.
“We are ambitious for the city and everyone who lives here.
“That’s why I’ve commissioned this brand new plan for the future.
“It is a forward step for the council and the city and shows this new administration is ready to take up the task of making this council one that listens and moves the city forward.
“Too often we have heard the view that the council does not listen effectively to the priorities of residents.
“We want to see a plan that comes forward to change that. With this plan, we will be changing the way the council does business.
“As council leader, I am determined to put the city’s residents at the heart of what we do.
“While we know this won’t happen overnight, we are going to move this city forward, working with the people of Hull.
“They have told us they want to see a greener, cleaner, and safer Hull and we are going to put our communities’ concerns at the heart of what this council does.”
Since winning power in last month’s elections, his Labour critics have accused the Lib Dems of being devoid of ideas with no oven-ready policies to introduce.
They have also slammed moves to slim down the number of backbench scrutiny committees on the council.
Billed as a new community strategy for the city, it will ultimately be linked to a new corporate plan setting out how the council will actually deliver identified priority services and spending initiatives on the ground.
Many of these will also be in partnership with other agencies such as the police, the local NHS, and the Environment Agency.
In a report for next week’s cabinet meeting where the proposed new plan is expected to be supported, council chief executive Matt Jukes said part of the work would include close liaison with neighbouring
East Riding Council on a potential devolution deal.
He added: “Developing the case for a devolution deal for Hull and East Riding and negotiating a combined authority deal is a key area of activity which will need to be included within this.
“Consultation on the combined authority proposal will be required and there may be an opportunity to consider both issues in tandem and how the council will work together with a combined authority.”