The people of North Yorkshire will continue to get the best possible service from their county council – despite millions of pounds in cuts to its budgets.
That’s the pledge in the newly-published Council Plan 2011-14, which sets out the authority’s priorities for the next three years … and shows how it will address them.
In their introduction to the Plan, Council Leader John Weighell and Chief Executive Richard Flinton acknowledge that the Government’s measures to tackle the national debt crisis are having a severe impact on North Yorkshire County Council’s budget.
“This situation may not be of the Council’s making, but we must live with the consequences and ensure we make the right decisions, even where these are difficult,” they say.
“Whilst the need to deliver financial savings is of the utmost importance, the County Council will continue to deliver key services that look after local people and help people to go about their daily business. We have consistently been regarded as a high performing council and we must continue to deliver our services in the most effective way possible. Whilst we may have fewer priorities, those areas of priority will be delivered to the best possible standard.”
The council identifies four principal priorities for the next three years:
protecting and supporting vulnerable people;
supporting economic growth and employment;
improving accessibility for all our communities and supporting active communities; and
managing our environment and promoting environmental sustainability.
The Council Plan acknowledges that delivering and coordinating services requires certain support systems to be in place. But, it says, “we realise that every pound spent on running the Council is a pound that is not spent on front-line services.
“We will continue to minimise and reduce the cost of running the Council, do everything we can to be as efficient as possible and get the best value from our assets whilst continuing to deliver our services.”
The full Council Plan can be found online at www.northyorks.gov.uk/councilplan
Thank you for posting this very clear message to us all. My organisation has worked in this community since 1993 to protect and support vulnerable adults reach and maintain their citizenship. We are committed to providing ongoing appropriate support while being ever vigilant to value for money. I would value the opportunity to speak directly with anyone in the council who wishes to hear the work we do in Harrogate and District to assist you to reach your goals.