Old Weston Annual Parish Assembly

May 2021

Report from District Councillor Jonathan Gray

Highlighted below are some of the main areas of my activity and interest in the work of the District Council. I am always available to explain these in more detail and to try and assist residents in any way that I can. Please call me on 01832 710799 or email me at jonathan.gray@.gov.uk . Follow me on Twitter: @cllrgray

1. The role of the District Council Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) was formed in 1974 by amalgamating several Urban and Rural District Councils. The key services we provide are: • Refuse and recycling collections, fly-tipping removal and street cleaning • Homeless and housing allocations and handling benefit claims • Leisure Centres • Managing Country Parks and open spaces (such as Paxton Pits) • Handling and Determining Planning Applications • Strategic Planning responsibilities (managing where will homes/businesses be built) • Environmental Health issues (fly-tipping, noise nuisance, stray dogs/dog fouling) • Building Control and Local Searches • Licensing of pubs/entertainment venues • Running elections and maintaining the electoral register • Collecting Business Rates and Council Tax on behalf of Parishes/County/Police/Fire & Rescue • Working with the Combined Authority and the Mayor for & , Dr Nik Johnson

We also operate in partnership with other Councils to deliver other services – a good example being transport where we help the County Council deliver more for Huntingdonshire residents by offering financial and officer support.

2. The key issues facing HDC • Assisting in the recovery from the COVID pandemic, as well as leading the regeneration and repurposing of our Town Centres for a new mix of retail, leisure, and residential uses. • Diversifying our income so that we are less at risk to changes in national government policy. • Rebuilding our systems around the principle that you, the resident, are the most important aspect of our work and activity, as well considering what staffing structure will best deliver this.

3. The Structure of the Council • There are 52 elected Councillors (or ‘Members’). 7 of these sit on the Cabinet and make the majority of decisions. Others either scrutinise the work of the Cabinet or are involved in making individual Planning or Licensing decisions. Being a Councillor is a voluntary position: whilst many Councillors are retired, some (like me) have full time jobs. I find this breadth of age and experience is helpful when considering issues. • The political affiliation of Members is now: 30 Conservatives; 10 HDC Independent Group; 7 LibDems; 4 Labour and 1 Independent. • The next scheduled elections to the Council take place in May 2022, when ‘All Out’ elections are held for every seat. • The paid staff (or ‘Officers’) of the Council are led by our Managing Director, Mrs Jo Lancaster.

4. Council Tax • The District Council element of your Council Tax bill was frozen at £145.86 for a Band D property for 2021/2. Given the extreme challenges of the Pandemic, and uncertainty facing many residents around their security of income, I believe this was the appropriate response. • We saw income from several sources fall dramatically during the past financial year, most notably from One Leisure and our Car Parks. Whilst we anticipate that the year ahead will see incomes rebound strongly, although they are not likely to return to their pre-pandemic levels. • Despite these challenges, we set an aspirational budget that provides investment in key projects and frontline services despite the ongoing financial pressures of the pandemic and costs associated with response and recovery. It attracted strong cross-party support at the Full Council in February: just two Councillors present abstained, whilst all others voted in support. • The Council has built up strong reserves during the past decade, precisely to weather the kind of shock as we have seen during this past year. Whilst our financial plans for the next 5 years anticipate using some of these reserves, at the end of that period they will still be in a strong position. • We remain among the lowest of Districts and Boroughs in terms of tax levied per household (over 85% of other similar authorities charge more than we do), despite the fact that we have a wider than average range of services.

5. My responsibilities at HDC

In addition to the work I do for the Ward of Kimbolton, in I have sat on the Council’s Cabinet, with specific responsibilities for Finance and Resources.

At the Full Council meeting on May 19th I was reappointed to the Council’s Cabinet to lead ‘Strategic Finance’. This slight revision, to reduce some of my more operational responsibilities, will ensure that my focus is on setting and monitoring of the Budget, managing the Council’s Commercial Estate and oversight of its investments and borrowing.

As a Councillor with more influence than most, I try to use that position to bring balance, co-operation and professionalism to what we do, as well as speak up for smaller villages and ensure that the views of all residents – not just those in towns – are heard. I am a strong voice for you in the heart of the District Council.

6. Some specific issues we are currently addressing • We have invested significant time, energy and money in the regeneration of St Neots Town Centre, which has been one of 50 towns to benefit from a successful bid for Government funding from the ‘Future High Streets Fund’. We have ambitious plans to support Huntingdon and St. Ives also transform their town centres as attractive, vibrant places to live, shop and work. • The final pieces of the ‘post-A14 jigsaw’ are coming together in Huntingdon. The duelling of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton, part of the Cambridge to Oxford corridor, will start later this year. There is growing emphasis from Bedfordshire to widen and improve the A1, and we have successfully lobbied for a ‘northern route’ of the CamOx rail line, serving St Neots. • Pressure for more housing growth remains relentless. We are walking the fine line of what is deliverable and appropriate, realising that outright resistance usually leads to development being imposed on you, generally not in a strategically planned manner. • Supporting the County Council in their strategic role in managing flooding and water management issues. • Our commercial and corporate strategy continues to evolve. Almost £5m of income from rents on our Estates helps to reduce Council Tax and fund vital public services. Despite the trials of the pandemic on commercial property, these rents have held up strongly – largely due to us avoiding High Street retail and focusing on commercial and distribution. This investment in the health of the UK economy brings the resilience to our budget we want to achieve, with the added bonus of tracking inflation – which Council Tax does not.

7. Specific work I am doing as your Ward Councillor • I regularly provide help and advice to residents and the Parish Council. • I attend the majority of the meetings of the 9 Parish Councils across the Kimbolton Ward in order to keep informed on matters specific to your village and to provide support and advice to your Parish Councillors. • Planning concerns have grown strongly in the past year. The pace of building in our villages has picked up, particularly of ‘small developments’ that avoid the level of scrutiny the impact they have on our settlements deserves. I have also been involved in a number of Planning Enforcement issues, and I am pleased that team has been strengthened by strong new hires. • Working with residents and your Parish Council to resist and defeat the proposals for a ‘Weston Park Moto Cross’ circuit is a significant achievement for the community. • I continue to lobby for vital and valued services in rural areas – which already have considerably less Council ‘spend’ - to be maintained. We are one of the very few councils who now offer a free green bin collection all year round. I am also continuing my pressure on tackling rural litter.