Our City p1 15/11/13 12:41 Page 1 Stoke-on-Trent ISSUE 34: WINTER 2013 Our City Grateful pledge to Armed Forces Page eight CITY BUDGET reflects the people’s priorities Page three Our City p2 15/11/13 13:16 Page 1 2 Our City WINTER 2013 Buildings review leads to a creative solution protecting council services By City Council Leader, Councillor MOHAMMED PERVEZ OUR review of the way the city council uses the Council buildings it occupies has generated a positive and more efficient way forward. To support the economy of Stoke town, we are proposing to keep the current Civic Centre building open and relocate staff from other offices. grants We have listened to the concerns of Stoke town traders and residents and have worked hard to address their issues whilst being mindful of the needs of the city as a whole. Under the proposals that I have now double announced, the city council will maintain its presence in all six towns. We will create three universal hubs in Tunstall, the City Centre and Longton and each of these areas will receive significant investment. In the City Centre, the new buildings will honour also become the corporate headquarters for Photograph courtesy of Neal Simpson, Stoke City Football Club. the council and help to kick start the Central Business District and create much needed jobs for you. Additional council service hubs will be Exceptional contributions recognised with Freedom of created in Burslem, Stoke and Fenton. A number of neighbourhood centres across the city will also continue to provide services at a the City for Stoke City and The Queen’s Royal Lancers more local level. TOKE City Football Club These proposals will help us to make savings and at the same time define the way the and The Queen’s Royal council delivers services in the future. SLancers have been granted We are currently consulting with staff and the Freedom of the City in residents on these proposals before making a recognition of their importance to final decision in December. Stoke-on-Trent communities. This issue of Our City talks again about the The highest civic honour, granted huge pressure we face in meeting only 62 times in the city’s proud history, Government-imposed cuts. Times are tough will be presented to the football club and we have to make some very difficult and regiment – which recruits many of choices. However, rest assured we will its troops from North Staffordshire – in maintain our focus on the future economic a special ceremony at the Britannia Stadium on 4 December. prosperity of the city and continue to invest in Lord Mayor Sheila Pitt said: “This is key areas to make Stoke-on-Trent a great city the ultimate recognition of exceptional in which to live and work. contributions to Stoke-on-Trent life. Sir I was pleased to see that so many of you Stanley Matthews had the honour in paid your respects at the Remembrance 1963, 100 years after the formation of Sunday services around the city to Stoke City Football Club, and it is commemorate the valiant who gave their lives fitting that we recognise the club’s for so many. I was heartened by the comments achievements this year, as it celebrates made at the signing of the Armed Forces its 150th anniversary. Coldstream Community Covenant which is our pledge to “Our city also has a strong military Guards support servicemen and women and their tradition. The Queen’s Royal Lancers march through the families in a variety of ways to reintegrate are regarded as the Midlands’ cavalry City Centre for them back into civilian society. regiment and recruit heavily from North Armed Forces We are renowned for being friendly and Staffordshire. “The profile of being in the Premier Receiving the Day. welcoming and naturally want to support “They returned from Afghanistan and League is greater now than it has ever Freedom of the City been and it’s important we help the city carries no special privileges those who are prepared to sacrifice their lives paraded through the city to mark Armed Forces Day this year and we are of Stoke-on-Trent to continue to and is intended as recognition of for their fellow countrymen and women. proud of what they have done for our thrive.” significant and valuable services Equally, I want the very best for each and city and our country.” The Queen’s Royal Lancers rendered to the city. every one of you. I want to create an Stoke City Chairman Peter Coates Commanding Officer Lieutenant Previous recipients of the Freedom of independent city where businesses thrive, jobs said everyone connected with the club Colonel Jules Buczacki said: “The the City include Sir Stanley Matthews, are plentiful and where our children can look was delighted. “It is an enormous Freedom underlines the links between former anti-apartheid activist Walter forward to a bright future. We all have a part honour, especially in this our 150th the regiment and the city from where Sisulu, sparkplug inventor Sir Oliver to play and it may take some time to achieve anniversary year,” he said. “As a club, many of our soldiers originate. Lodge, Belgian Second World War this but I can promise you that nothing will we place great importance on playing an “We are delighted to accept the resistance heroine Hortense Clews and deter me from delivering this vision. important role within our local Freedom and look forward to marching several former city councillors and lord community. through the city streets in the future.” mayors. Live webcast of full council meetings Give us your feedback on this issue of MEETINGS of the full council can now be viewed online.To see and hear Web: stoke.gov.uk Our City by emailing Our City is printed on the debates and decisions which affect life in Stoke-on-Trent, visit recycled paper.When Facebook: facebook.com/ [email protected] stoke.gov.uk and click on webcasting. you have finished with stokeontrent.citycouncil this publication please A list of dates and times of council meetings and committee meetings or write to: help the environment Twitter: @SoTCityCouncil by passing it on to a can be found on our website at stoke.gov.uk/meetingdates FREEPOST Our City. friend or recycling it. twitter.com/SoTCityCouncil Our City p3 15/11/13 15:56 Page 1 WINTER 2013 Our City 3 A chart showing the increasing gap between the amount the £55 council needs to spend each Budget puts year and the funding available. NEED TO SAVE £25 residents’ NEED TO SAVE £20 priorities NEED TO SAVE first in line £77 £77 £97 £122 ITAL public feedback business and jobs, have been has helped the taken on board. SAVED SAVED SAVED SAVED Vcouncil put the Investment in capital projects such as the Central Business community’s priorities first District and City Sentral are also while delivering a balanced gathering pace with the aim of Amount saved Additional savings Additional savings Additional savings budget for the next maximising extra inward to date 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 financial year. investment which will benefit the Approximately £20million of city’ residents. sustainable savings have to be The latest savings follow on possible before the budget setting with the budgetary pressures that services for the forthcoming year. made during 2014/15 as the from £77million that was cut process began. are faced. People were asked a “Once again we have had to Government continues to impose from the authority’s budget over They included roadshows, series of questions as part of the make some very difficult decisions austerity cuts on the authority. the last three years. The council meetings with community groups My City My Say engagement. so we wanted people to tell us However, frontline services and was therefore keen to involve and residents’ associations, They included: what services are what was important to them and those critical to vulnerable people members of the public in the consulting with businesses and important to you? and how do give us their views on how we have been preserved in latest process so people were fully the voluntary sector and online you think the council should meet meet the challenge of Stoke-on-Trent. aware of proposals and had every surveys. During one event at the the financial challenge. ever-reducing resources. In addition, public priorities, chance to have their say on future King’s Hall residents were asked Overwhelmingly, people “Our challenge, as always, has such as safeguarding against services. to come along and try their hand questioned about what were the been not only to balance the crime and antisocial behaviour, A wide-sweeping series of at balancing the budget for the top three most important things books but deliver essential making repairs to pavements and events took place in the autumn forthcoming year to demonstrate about their neighbourhood put frontline services especially those roads and investing in new to engage as many people as the difficulties the council has forward crime and antisocial that prioritise the most vulnerable behaviour, clean streets and a in society, while ensuring robust good standard of roads and and cost-effective support services pavements as their priorities. are in place too. Asked what were the top three “It has also been about most important things about the ensuring we continue to invest in city as a whole, the most popular the city and encourage economic answers were low levels of crime growth and prosperity. and antisocial behaviour, bringing “One of the other challenges in new business and jobs, and job was to make people aware that prospects.