Newbury Town Council Strategy

Introduction/Background

Since being created in 1997, Newbury Town Council has achieved many things:

A good level of public service;
A precept that reflects the needs of the town and provides good value for money;
A competent and valued officer team, working within a simple and robust staff structure;
A healthy set of accounts and a sensible and prudent level of general reserve;
Trained and committed Members, both past and present;
A diverse and responsibly maintained set of assets transferred into the ownership of the Council;
Adopted processes and policies that are open to public scrutiny and which are environmentally responsible.

This Strategy sets out the Council's aims and objectives, and provides the policy framework within which the elected Members of the Council make decisions and officers conduct their operational work. It also provides a basis on which newly elected Members can be briefed.

It has been developed with the Council's existing short, medium and long-term goals in mind, and will guide the Council's budget setting and expenditure; it will be reviewed at least annually and it will be revised as required.

The Council's Objectives

Newbury Town Council exists to serve the citizens of the town. It is a catalyst for the development of activities, facilities and services within the town. The Council's overall objectives are to provide services that are:

Responsive to the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the town;
Show best value and represents good value for money;
Delivered in partnership, where this offers best value;
Recognisable as being delivered by the Town Council.

In addition, the Council provides a channel for people to express their needs and preferences, and it acts as a facilitator for action that will improve and enhance life for everyone who lives in, works in, learns in or visits our town.

Targets for the next five years (2011 - 2016)

The next five years should focus on regaining Quality Status, providing excellent customer service and enhancing the Council's role in the town.

The Council has therefore set itself specific targets for the short and medium term future:

Short Term Targets (WITHIN 12 MONTHS)

Regain Quality Status;
Maintain up to date Service Plans for all our community services and assets to make best use of the Council's human and financial resources;
Ensure continuing investment in Victoria Park;
Progress repairs and reinstatements in Victoria Park following the damage suffered during the last 12 months;
Ensure effective contribution to the Broadway enhancement scheme, maximising the historical / heritage opportunities;
Support and publicise the Thursday and Saturday markets;
Continue to lobby for the market to expand across all pedestrianised areas;
Progress the work towards the re-opening of Newtown Road Cemetery;
Annually promote events for Local Democracy, in particular for young people;
Establish beneficial uses for any spare space within the Town Hall;
Keep abreast of Localism and Big Society impacts;
Support the Business Improvement District (BID);
Help ensure effective integration of Parkway with the rest of the town;
Establish more detailed S106 spending plans;
Complete the installation of the 4th piece of the Town Trail, at Old Hospital Green;
Recruit a Project Officer;
Ensure effective support for the Diamond Jubilee and 2012 Olympics.

Medium Term Targets (NEXT 5 YEARS)

Complete the Town Council's Victoria Park Enhancement Scheme;
Continue the development of the Town Trail;
Continue to press West Berkshire Council to devolve appropriate assets and services to NTC, and to ensure value for money for those already under NTC stewardship;
Continue to lobby West Berkshire Council to ensure that all forms of transport (pedestrians, cyclists, trains, buses and private motor vehicles) are properly catered for in the town;
Set a good example with environmental and energy saving schemes, working with others as appropriate;
Extend the protection of the character buildings of the town by adding them to the English Heritage "National List", or the new "Local Lists" for locally important buildings;
Ensure appropriate celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of twinning with Braunfels;
Work with others (such as WBC, the Town Centre Partnership (TCP), and the BID) to refresh the Vision for Newbury 2025, and scrutinise the detail of individual components of the Vision.

Long Term Targets (OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS)

Newbury Town Council also takes a longer-term view, and is committed to a number of long-term projects.

Campaign to protect the character of the town by promulgating the Key Principles of the Town Design Statement and expanding Conservation Areas where appropriate;
Work with a wide variety of other organisations and bodies to continue to develop a vibrant community and vision for our Town centre;
Encourage the development of affordable housing throughout the town;
Develop further links with other Councils (at all levels) in the locality;
Work in partnership with others to facilitate a continuous improvement in the appearance of our town;
Encourage participation in recreational activities and the provision of recreational facilities in the town.

Many other "strategy targets" are covered by our six main Policy Areas, which cover ongoing commitments.

The Council's Policies

The Town Council has set out its policies under six equally important headings:

Local Agenda 21 (LA21, which affects all areas of the Council's activities);
Communication and Consultation;
Community Leadership;
Enhancing and protecting the town's facilities;
Provision of services;
Equality and Diversity.

This section sets out the Council's position on each of these policy areas, along with some examples of what we are already doing under each heading.

Policy Area 1 - LA21 / Sustainable Newbury

Local Agenda 21 (LA21) comes from the 1992 UN conference on Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit). It is intended to encourage "sustainable development", which is defined as "development which links protecting and improving the environment with improving security and creating a fair and more equitable society".

Newbury Town Council enthusiastically embraces its responsibility to promote sustainable development through Local Agenda 21. We will, for example:

Listen to and consult the citizens of Newbury, facilitate open debate on local matters and help to empower the local community;
Use local suppliers wherever reasonably possible;
Minimise the waste created by the Council and the services we provide and recycle wherever possible, to reduce the carbon footprint of the Council;
Protect the public open spaces in the town;
Actively pursue alternative energy provision and encourage the best use of resources by others, to encourage the reduction of their carbon footprint;
Encourage biodiversity and wildlife habitats where suitable;
Encourage activities, development and transport plans that promote the health and wellbeing of, and respect for, all our citizens and visitors;
Safeguard the vitality of the local economy, ensuring that any adverse impact on the environment and the quality of life in Newbury and its surrounding are is minimised or avoided;
Ensure that our policies and actions do not exclude any sections of the community, and that our services are available to all citizens of the town;
Promote the aims of LA21 among the community;
Prioritise the award of financial or other support to organisations which are based in Newbury and which serve wholly or mainly the residents of Newbury;
Work to retain Newbury's Fair Trade Town status.

Policy Area 2 - Communication and consultation

We will actively seek to hear the needs and desires of people in Newbury, and will always strive to make a balanced response within the limits of our resources, having regard to competing claims and legal constraints For example, we:

Are available to the public at Saturday morning surgeries;
Encourage the public to attend meetings of the Council and to ask questions at Council meetings;
Are committed to making our information, public meetings and records accessible to as wide an audience as possible, making best and efficient use of up-to-date technology and communication methods;
Support the Newbury Young People’s Council;
Publish and distribute a quarterly newsletter;
Consult where appropriate, using the most appropriate techniques (such as questionnaires);
Strive to achieve good working relationships with West Berkshire Council and other bodies that are important to the town;
Are constantly working to improve our website;
Fulfil our statutory obligation to facilitate an Annual Town Meeting;
Have established a proper and responsive Complaints Procedure.

Policy Area 3 - Community Leadership

We will provide community leadership by organising and supporting ceremonial and civic occasions, and by initiating or facilitating special projects. For example, we:

Support Remembrance Day and other important civic events;
Run and sponsor the annual Civic Award scheme;
Provide a forum for action and debate.

Policy Area 4 - Enhancing and protecting town facilities

We will enhance and preserve Newbury's appearance and heritage as well as its environment, community and cultural vibrancy, working with other organisations as appropriate. For example, we will:

Promote the arts and leisure activities through our Arts & Leisure Strategy.
Lobby the planning authority and comment on all planning applications in order to protect the environment of the town from excessive, unsustainable and conflicting development;
Lobby for an adequate infrastructure suitable for the 21st century;
Participate in the Town Centre Partnership or any successor organisation;
Maintain the assets of the Town Council, and promote accessibility in general;
Work with others to enhance Newbury’s reputation as a safe and friendly place in which to to live, work, learn and play.

Policy Area 5 - Provision of Services

We will deliver well-managed services to the town, using direct labour or contractors as appropriate, and always ensuring value for money while using local labour and suppliers where possible. For example, we:

Have our own Environmental Improvement Scheme budget, to use for projects such as provision of footway lighting, public benches, additional litter bins, dog bins and tree planting;
Provide efficient and customer-responsive services for allotments, cemeteries, grounds maintenance, footway lighting and conferencing facilities (as well as receptions and wedding celebrations) in the Town Hall;
Run regular, high quality markets;
Provide bus shelters in appropriate locations;
Provide roadside salt/grit bins in appropriate locations where needed but not provided by the District Council;
Maintain a policy for the funding and administration of the town’s Christmas lights.

Policy Area 6 - Equality and Diversity

Newbury Town Council is fully committed to equality for all and to fully recognising and embracing diversity in our community.

We therefore wholeheartedly accept our legal obligations and will fulfil our duties and responsibilities under, and act in accordance with both the spirit and requirements of, the equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in it and any other relevant legislation.

ADOPTED 18 July 2011