Staffordshire Borough Council Leader's New Year message
Councillor Patrick Farrington sets out positive year ahead and his New Year’s resolutions
Staffordshire Borough Council Leader Councillor Patrick Farrington sets out positive year ahead.
New year, new challenges. And we are up to them!
So what will 2023 bring?
Well we remain ambitious and on track to deliver improvements to Stafford Town centre, new leisure and cultural facilities in Stone and support for the most vulnerable members of our community.
The first phase of work in transforming the Stafford high street gets underway with the renovation of the Market Square - a focal point for the area and an opportunity to bring more events into the heart of the county town.
Then there is Westbridge Park in Stone. The work will start in the spring and be completed later this year - with £1.5m to make this a destination park the people of the town and surrounding areas can be proud of.
And we are also backing the town’s new Crown Wharf Theatre with £500,000 going towards the project.
I am proud we can still roll out this strong programme of investments in the current financial climate.
And to safeguard key services for local residents and businesses we have agreed to share services with our neighbours at Cannock Chase District Council. A decision overwhelmingly agreed by both local authroities - with a potential saving of £1.2m to the council taxpayer.
This move also places Stafford Borough and Cannock Chase in a stronger position when competing for funding, or influencing decision making, from central government.
We will continue to support our ‘Warm Spaces’ schemes where venues across the borough are providing a safe place for residents struggling to heat their homes because of energy prices and the rise in the cost of living.
And we have also proposed a change to our Council Tax reduction scheme which would mean around 4,500 households having a 100 percent discount on their bill. So some of the hardest hit families will not be paying a penny in council tax from April 2023.
So here’s my New Year’s resolutions - delivering exciting projects for our borough, bringing further investment to our local economy, protecting vital services while saving taxpayers’ money, and supporting our most vulnerable.
Our council is determined this will be a good new year for our community.
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