The departure of Tim Perrin, the Chief Executive at the District Council, gives us a moment to reflect on the direction we are going.
Mr Perrin took over as Chief Executive in 2004 and inherited a failing council that had received a rating of 'weak' from the Audit Commission after their in-depth examination of the council in 2003/04. There was a cultural resistance to change and a tendency to deny that anything was wrong. Mr Perrin has put a lot of effort into trying to change this but feels the ongoing work will require considerable more input and, for family reasons, he does not feel able to continue. The management restructure, that we supported, has been painful to achieve, but was absolutely necessary if we are to stop the decline highlighted by the Audit Commission.
The move to a Cabinet system, apart from being a move that was required by central Government, was supported and voted for by the whole council in 2007. Of course, those who are not in the ruling party will feel that they no longer have much influence. But to try and imply that this is different from when Labour had a majority and governed the council in the run up to the 2003 election is misleading. I have been reliably informed that senior Labour councillors made all the decisions before committee meetings and woe betide anyone who stepped out of line when it came to the vote.
The complaint by the leader of the Independent group that members who are not on the cabinet have no opportunity to change things, or influence policy, is untrue. In fact he was himself invited to sit on a committee looking at some of the budget challenges accepted, but failed to turn up. Perhaps he should prove his commitment by putting energy into other issues than just planning – which has to date been his sole interest.
The claim by opposition parties that we are to blame for the recent poor audit reports is an example of their attempt to politicise all issues. Because previous administrations did not take adequate steps to address the council's weakness they left us with the poor performing council that we are now trying to put right.
One or two councillors claim that they support the Conservative Party, yet choose every opportunity to criticise the administration in public, largely, I suspect, for the sake of getting their name in print. Some of the defections we have seen from our group over the past year have illustrated a lack of commitment to the greater good, an inability to accept that some changes are bound to be unpopular but will, in the long term, improve our efficiency. There appears to be a feeling by one or two that by resisting any unpopular changes their chances of re-election are higher and they are doing the district a favour. But we all need to try and see the bigger picture, accept that the Cabinet is trying to cut costs and improve service delivery and is not perversely trying to impose unnecessary expenses.
At the last election the district voted overwhelmingly for a Conservative administration. The district showed it was fed up with the weak, directionless travel of previous years, it wanted a set of aims and priorities that it could relate to. Council tax levels have to be kept down. Efficiencies have to be found. Costs of running the council have to be drastically cut. The local economy and environment need to be supported. These are all things that we are doing. When individuals decide that they cannot support these principles and cross the floor to a different group, does this show commitment and service to the electorate? Or does it show that they haven't the strength and loyalty to support the manifesto they were elected on?
The provisional budget, which is currently being looked at by all members, is aligned to our corporate priorities and is based on sound Conservative principles. By concentrating on our core services we aim to deliver an efficient council and keep council tax, which has more than doubled since Labour came to power, as low as possible.
While the job of changing the council's direction has started, there is still a long way to go and we need the commitment of members and officers alike if we are to succeed in turning the council around. Change is never easy and takes time to achieve. In the same way that turning a large tanker at sea takes several miles, turning the council is likely to take several years. This is a time when all councillors, no matter their political colours, should be working together to create a strong council.
Over the next few months the process will begin to look for a new Chief Executive who will help to drive the council forward for the good of the Forest. It is important that we find the right person who has the leadership skills to do this.