Making Bedfordshire Thrive
The Council’s strategic objectives 2006–2009
Foreword by Councillor Madeline Russell, Leader of the Council and Andrea Hill, Chief Executive
A year ago we set out Bedfordshire County Council’s strategic direction for the short, medium and long term. ‘Making Bedfordshire Thrive’ demonstrated the commitment of the County Council and its partners to the people of Bedfordshire. It was developed with District and Borough Councils, criminal justice and health partners and with the business community. This year it has been updated to reflect the things Bedfordshire residents told us were important through our Ipsos-MORI research programme.
We want to see Bedfordshire and its communities thrive and we are working closely with many different organisations in the county to make that happen.
Bedfordshire County Council has improved dramatically over the last 12 months. It has risen to the challenge of tackling previous under performance, and is beginning TO provide better value for money for local tax payers. Clear political direction from the Conservative Administration and an effective senior management team have led the turnaround of the County Council from a poorly performing organisation to one that is achieving consistently higher performance as measured by independent regulators. Significant improvements have been made in a wide range of key frontline services including road maintenance, waste and recycling, education and care for the elderly.
The Council believes in boosting Bedfordshire’s economic prosperity so that the county and all its communities thrive.
We are not complacent about our achievements; they have been hard won, by strong leadership and the energy and hard work of our staff. There is still much to do, both to create a prosperous future for Bedfordshire and to further improve County Council services.
As the County Council strives for further improvement, Making Bedfordshire Thrive sets out the things you can expect from the County Council and will notice happening in your local area.
We will take action to minimise the impact of growth on our beautiful rural countryside and seek to increase the quality of life for both our existing residents and those moving into the area. We will work hard to create new communities with local jobs, better community facilities, improved and, where appropriate, increased public services.
We recognise the importance of investing in our children, raising their aspirations so that they get the best possible start in life. We want to ensure all children get a good education that develops their full potential.
As community leaders we will seek to influence and shape the Government’s proposals for growth in the county.
We want to increase independence, respect and choice for the elderly and the vulnerable in society so that our county can be a fair and just one. And we want to achieve all this with less government, efficient services and lower council tax increases.
Our beliefs are set out in four strategic objectives so that we can focus our staff and resources.
Our priorities match residents’ priorities. We have redistributed money to fund priorities and drive accelerated improvement. We have invested in road repairs - because it is residents’ number one priority for the County Council. We are also making new money available to help tackle fear of crime and reduce anti-social behaviour.
We are very clear that we cannot do everything within our tight financial constraints and so difficult, yet balanced choices about service delivery, need to be made.
We are committed to reducing the council tax burden on our residents over the next three years and so offer better value for money
This does not mean that our ambitions will have to be reduced. We are determined to drive ahead our vision to promote economic prosperity and to help communities thrive – making a real and lasting difference to the quality of life for all of those who live, work or visit Bedfordshire.
So we are very clear about the importance of our role as a strategic leader in the county. We take our responsibility as a ‘place shaper’ very seriously and will use our leadership to help protect what residents believe already makes Bedfordshire special and to build vibrant communities as the county develops. We will raise Bedfordshire’s profile and make it a destination of choice for businesses and for visitors.
You can download the full version of Making Bedfordshire Thrive| (pdf, new window).