ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog

Lib Dem councillor apologises for misleading voters

Cllr Simon McDougall, a Lib Dem councillor on Arun District Council, has apologised and agreed to pay £1,000 after misleading voters. He had accused Conservative colleagues of predetermining a planning application. The money will be spent sending letters and taking newspaper advertisements withdrawing his allegaton - which had legal implications.

Will all the other Lib Dem councillors around the country who have circulated leaflets misleading voters follow Cllr McDougall's example?

Will Norwich Council ditch Labour's byelection chances

One factor which wont be doing Labour any favours in the Norwich North byelection on July 23 is the record of Labour-run Norwich City Council. The Band D Council Tax is £1,530 when added together with the County Council and other precepts (against a national average of £1,414 Band D Council Tax.) But perhaps for all this money the residents of Norwich get exceptionally good services? Er, no. The Audit Commission gives them an overall rating of two out of four stars.

For that category one star was the lowest they could get. But in another report on housing the Audit Commission decided to award them zero stars. This follows housing officers moving themselves into properties meant for the elderly. generally the state makes for a bad landlord - an excepetionally bad landlord when it comes in the form of Norwich City Council.

A Council should be the servant not the master of its residents. Is this the case in Norwich? Not for Lenny Woodward, a nearly blind 96-year-old war veteran. He put a glass jar in the wrong recycling wheelie bin and couldn't retrieve it so the Council refused to collect his rubbish. Or for the sheltered housing residents banned from eating takeaway fish and chips. Or hairdressers threatened with prison for serving mulled wine at Christmas. After all this is the Council that bans window boxes, conkers and bouncy castles.

The Conservative opposition on Norwich Council have made specific proposals for savings to allow the Council Tax to be cut.

One problem is that Council officers have clearly become distracted by bidding for unitary status rather than running efficient services. But it is pretty clear there is a wider malaise. I hope a Labour defeat in the byelection will be followed by a drubbing for them in next year's council elections.

10 years on: Devolution has largely failed

Cllr Cameron Rose, a Conservative councillor on Edinburgh, says that as measured by results devolution has been nothing to boast about.

The tenth anniversary of devolution in Scotland was celebrated last week. Last month the Calman Commission on devolution in Scotland recommended a range of additional powers (including tax raising powers).

The foundation of its recommendations is the assertion that ‘devolution has been a remarkable success’.  To be fair to the Commission, such was the tenor of many of the submissions the committee took. But whilst many of the recommendations are reasonable the basic assertion is cosy and self congratulating and needs to be challenged for the sad lack of ambition it reveals.

The report recalls the purpose of devolution: ‘Its purpose is to serve the people of Scotland and to make their lives better’.

Certainly it has provided a closer link between citizens and elected representatives. There have been a few useful pieces of legislation and it has enabled Scotland to set the pace in some areas such as anti-smoking  policy (though it would have come to Scotland anyway) and Climate Change legislation (if you are one of the reducing band who think that is a good thing).

John Denham gives Tory Ealing "Best Achieving Council" award

Communities Secretary John Denham presided over the Municipal Journal Awards which included the award of Best Achieving Council to Conservative-run Ealing. Congratulations to Ealing which has recently given residents a Council Tax rebates and introduced a bold experiment in scrapping unnecessary traffic lights.

Denham announced that his Department would sponsor an award next year for: "Environmental sensitivity in waste collection." This was a response to the Daily Mail's campaign against wheelie bins.

Some awards had curious titles and I can't find details on why particular awards were given. My council, Hammersmith and Fulham, won the prize for: "Most Effective Political Team Achievement." Thanks very much, Mr Denham. We have certainly been in the political firing line, not least in terms of the barrage of lies told about us by DCLG Ministers. But we march towards the sound of gunfire.

Labour join Conservative-led coalition in Cumbria

Cllr Jim Buchanan, a Conservative councillor, is the new leader of Cumbria County Council. It means that every county council in the country has a Conservative leader. Independent and Labour councillors will be joining the coalition. The Lib Dems will become the official opposition.

Even if the Lib Dems had accepted a Cabinet post, Cllr Buchanan would have had a casting vote to avoid deadlock. As it is the Conservatives will have a majority of cabinet posts.

There could have been a minority Conservative administration formed and a Conservative/Labour coalition is something of an oddity. But I get the impression that there isn't a great ideological clash in Cumbria.

Mayor of Doncaster recruits Tories to his cabinet

The Mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies, an English Democrat, has announced the appointment of five cabinet members. There will be three Conservative councillors and two independent councillors.

Davies was elected on a bold programme to cut Council Tax and banish political correctness. He will need help in order to deliver it. His election was unexpected and he so he will now have to move fast to push through detailed changes and overcome the resistance he is bound to encounter from officers.

An indication of the opposition he will face comes from a hostile BBC interview for Radio Sheffield. The interviewer even managed to attack him for cutting his Mayoral salary on the grounds that would diminish "respect" for the office. The BBC Sheffield interviewer also abushed him by making an (entirely false) claim that cutting translation services would be illegal, Not only would it be legal but it would be in line with Government policy.

Conservative-led coalition takes charge in Cornwall

The Conservatives have formed a coalition with independent councillors to form an administration to run Cornwall County Council.  Cllr Alec Robertson, a Conservative, becomes the new Council leader. The new cabinet will consist of six Conservatives and four independents. The concept of an "Independent Group" with a collective stance has always struck me as something of a contradiction in terms. But two of the Independents who are now cabinet members were outspoken critics of wasteful spending under the Lib Dem council. So let us hope they will work with their Conservative colleagues to achieve better value for money.

Should we have more directly elected mayors?

Interesting paper from Localis debating whether or not we should have more directly elected mayors. Although we often associate modern style of mayors in the UK (mainly London) as imports from the US, there is a relatively long history of mayors stretching as far back as the 12th Century in UK.  London is offered as an example of the role succeeding. Is it? Boris Johnson is great but Ken Livingstone wasn't. The argument about the structure should transcend whether one likes the incumbent or not.

Boris is trying to give some more power to the boroughs and reduce spending. But there is a long way to go. City Hall remains a monument to waste and empire building. Boris will find it harder to cut spending than Ken Livingstone found to increase it. We were promised that an additional layer of Government would not amount to anything as costly as a GLC Mark Two - but that is pretty much what we have ended up with. There are two issues. Do we need London wide Government? If so should it take the form of a Mayor?

The issue is debated between Anthony Browne, an advocate of mayors and Director of Policy for the Mayor of London and Richard Kemp, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the LGA. The final article is by Steve Malanga offering a US perspective.

Councillors aged over 60 are "past it"

Cllr Rene Kinzett, the leader of the Conservative Group on Swansea Council, is being investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman after declaring that "most of the people on the council are in their 60s and, quite frankly, past it." Not quite clear if he was saying that anyone over 60 is too old to be a councillor but he certainly seemed to imply it.

Surely we should judge people on their individual merit rather than according to arbitrary criteria?For instance I think a willingness to use email is virtually a necessity for being an effective councillor as is the physical strength to get out and knock on doors canvassing their residents. Is Cllr Kinzett suggesting a 61-year-old could not conceivably be capable of such things? An ability to stay awake during Council meetings is also important but this can sometimes be a challenge for all age groups.

Where Cllr Kinzett is on stronger ground is suggesting that "robust political debate" should not be a matter for the Local Government Ombudsman. 

The average age of Welsh councillors is 59.

John Bercow deselection: Another Buckingham councillor's view

After Cllr Jackie Phipps comments yesterday, Cllr Tim Mills now gives his views.

I'm a constituent of John Bercow and signed his nomination paper at the last election (although more than one was prepared and I'm not which one was used).

I want MP's to be paid sufficiently to be able to do their jobs properly. Ann Widdecombe was right when she said that low salaries will mean that MP's will be restricted to the wealthy which is not a democratic approach. Unfortunately we insist of paying MP's relatively low incomes, especially when compared to the Continent, but expect them to still do the job correctly.

I therefore feel the expenses affair comes down to personal integrity. Claims may have been "within the rules" but MP's were allowed to claim without receipts and to switch nominated properties because they were trusted not to abuse the system.

There will always be some who take advantage of any system. The Kirkbride/Mackay claims are so outrageous I believe they should both stand down but if the only doubtful claim that John Bercow made was to flip properties once, it doesn't show a pattern of behaviour that deserves to penalised by being forced to stand down.

Should John Bercow be deselected? A councillor's view.

After the revelations that John Bercow, the Conservative MP for Buckingham, "flipped" the designation of his main home in 2003 in order to avoid liability for Capital Gains Tax, we are asking councillors in his constituency for their views on whether he should be deselected. Here Cllr Jackie Phipps gives her response:

John Bercow has been and is an excellent constituency MP.  I have always been pleasantly surprised by how many people, including non Conservatives, have enthusiastically told me how he has helped them or someone they know.

In my village the school was having problems with the County Council installing safety measures for the children and in despair the school wrote to John. He wrote a letter and a site meeting was arranged and the problems solved.  Last year the village was threatened with the closure of its Post Office.  I wrote a draft 'In Touch' and took it to the constituency office. John was there preparing to see constituents. I showed him the 'In Touch' and asked for his comments and support.  He gave both.  He was one of those whose support helped to save our Post Office. On Tuesday night I went to a WI Quiz where someone said that she had written to John and that he had replied in a couple of days.  She was very impressed.  I believe a majority of his constituents will vote for him again.

Many MPs have acted very stupidly by claiming more than they should have done and will hopefully pay the price.  They have brought Parliament into disrepute and alienated an electorate who are angry enough to vote for anyone else, but I believe that everyone (including MPs) should not be considered guilty until proved guilty.  If John has committed a crime he will have to pay for it. I would like to hear his side of the story before making a judgement on what he has done.

Whitby beats off challenge as Birmingham Council leader

Cllr Mike Whitby has beaten off a challenge from Cllr Randal Brew, a fellow Conservative councillor, for the leadership of Birmingham Council. The decision at the annual meeting of the 49-strong Conservative Group was understood to have returned Cllr Whitby by a clear margin.

Cllr Brew had offered a change of direction. For instance he noted that the Council's 60,000 workforce has actually grown since the Conservatives took over in 2004. He proposed to reduce the number of Town Hall staff by 3,000 over two years. He proposed greater efficiency, more outsourcing, lower spending on consultancies.

In part the challenge had been prompted by such grand schemes as opening a municipal ban and lending Warwickshire County Cricket Club £20 million. Backbenchers complained about not being consulted. Cllr Whitby has promised to listen more in future and to be less autocratic. Ousting an incumbent leader will always seem rather a drastic option. But the important part of the contest was about substance more than style. Will Conservative councils deliver Conservative policies? Cllr Brew may have lost the election but I hope he will win the battle of ideas.

Backing for Andrew MacKay from local councillors

Further to the item on Friday about the role of councillors in deselecting MPs engaged in expenses abuse I have emailed all the Conservative councillors in his Bracknell constituency. There are 43 of them so far as I can tell - most of them on Bracknell Forest District Council but also six on Wokingham Council. So far only five have responded - all supportive of Mr MacKay and I publish their reasons below. A sixth, Cllr Mary Ballin, has already made clear her support in the local press.

While not terribly conclusive it does lead me to doubt how much appetite there is for deselections. After all this is probably the worst example among Tory MPs. Mr MacKay, and his Tory MPwife Julie Kirkbdide, had two homes. He designated their Westminster flat as his second home and used the Additional Costs Allowance to pay for it. She designated their other home as the second home and used her Additional Costs Allowance to pay for that. A completely outrageous scam. Unacceptable most of us would think. Unacceptable enough to gather a petition of 50 members to convene a Special General Meeting to propose deselection - which is, to use a familiar phrase, allowed under the rules.

Should councillors show leadership on MP deselections?

There is a strong mood that in the worst cases of MPs abusing their expenses it is not enough to repay, nor is an apology. They should go. Withdrawing the whip from them would be the straightforward answer. As would them agreeing to stand down. But should grassroots activists be just sitting back and waiting? Should they not be putting down the rule book to see about mounting deselections.

It seems to me that councillors could be suitable people to get the process going where it is needed. We have the status, the confidence, the experience of procedural wrangling. It might all be terribly awkward if they have a rogue MP who is very polite at wine and cheese parties. But there is a duty to do the right thing and a responsibility to the Conservative Party as a whole. There is also a question of their own interests. If they seek to retain an MP involved in unacceptable conduct might not the councillors be dragged down with him.

One obvious case for deselection is Andrew Mackay whose Bracknell seat is mostly covered by Bracknell Forest Council which has 39 Conservative councillors mostly in the Bracknell seat. What are they doing about it? Bracknell also has three wards under Wokingham Council.

> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Two-thirds of Conservative members say Andrew MacKay should cease to be Tory MP

Should councillors be representative of modern Britain?

By definition councillors are representative in the sense that they are elected. So far as selection is concerned one would hope that when the Conservatives are choosing Council candidates they would do so on merit - who would do the best job.

Is this all there is to be said on the subject? If, for instance, a Council was run by a large Conservative Group consisting entirely of retired white businessmen would this matter - provided they keep costs down and the streets clean?

The Government are worried that "only" 30.8% of Britain's 20,000 councillors are women. They are also worried that less than 1% of councillors are ethnic minority women compared to over 5% of the overall population. Women are invited to come to some taxpayer financed event in Lambeth on May 21 to hear Harriet Harman tell them to become councillors. Not sure about standing for the Council? Go on. Do it for Harriet.

My own view is that it is good to have a reasonable mix. Being a councillor is time consuming which offers an advantage to those who are retired, while it is probably also a good idea to also have some people with different perspectives - for instance those with children. But these are matters between political parties and the electorate. It is not for the Government to stick its nose in.

Queen's portrait to go up at Tower Hamlets Town Hall

Inspired by the decision of the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to put up a portrait of The Queen at City Hall, Cllr Tim Archer, the Conservative opposition leader on Tower Hamlets, called for her protrait to be displayed at their Town hall. This has now been agreed.

John Williams, the Head of Democratic Services, has emailed Cllr Archer to say:

"Further to my previous e-mail I have now been able to discuss this matter with colleagues and Members and it is proposed that a portrait of the Queen should be displayed in the Town Hall, as is the practice at some other authorities.

Birmingham Council leadership challenge expected

The Birmingham Post reports that Cllr Mike Whitby, the Conservative leader of Birmingham City Council, is to face a leadership challenge from within the Conservative Group with Cllr Randal Brew putting his name forward.

Policy differences have already been reported here. A further controversy has been a proposed £20 million loan to Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

June 4 elections: Northamptonshire

Cllr Jim Harker, the Conservative leader of Northamptonshire County Council, outlines the Conservative vision for the next four years.

Our manifesto sets out what we have achieved and how we intend to build on what we have achieved, to ensure Northamptonshire County Council is a well managed and efficient organisation that puts our customers and residents first, protects the vulnerable and enables people to look after themselves.

Our agenda for the next four years will see us prioritise the following:

• A prosperous economy that helps to protect and create jobs across the County.
• Giving elderly people a wider choice of better quality care.
• Providing young people with wider, richer education and life experiences and opportunities.
• Strong emphasis on partnership working and value for money.
• Smaller government, low taxes, reducing costs and waste.

Scrutiny is working

Jessica Crowe, Executive Director of the Centre for Public Scrutiny, responds to critics of the effectiveness and expense of Council scrutiny arrangements.

Here at the Centre for Public Scrutiny we have a comprehensive knowledge base about overview and scrutiny in local government. This level of insight is rare since practical experience of scrutiny’s development in one authority does not necessarily allow conclusions to be drawn about the development of the function nationwide – how scrutiny develops in one place can be very different to how it develops in another.

Having recently published our analysis of the 2008 CfPS annual survey of overview and scrutiny in local government the Centre is in a good a position to assess trends in overview and scrutiny. Reading the responses to your article entitled Who will scrutinise the scrutineers? and to an article by London Assembly Member Roger Evans entitled Opposing the opposition it surprised me to see so many people condemning overview and scrutiny as unworkable. There seems to be a contrast between those who dismiss overview and scrutiny as a negative, ‘New Labour creation’ and those whose direct experience of the process has led to a more positive viewpoint. We observe that perceptions amongst Conservative Councillors are as diverse as the models of scrutiny in local government themselves.

From Private Eye's Rotten Boroughs

Items in the current issue include:

• Labour have deselected seven "long-standing working class councillors" in Barking and Dagenham including former Mayor Dee Hunt and current deputy mayor Fred Barns. Middle class allies of local Labour MP Margaret Hodge are deemed responsible.
• Lib Dem led Southwark Council is spending £15,000 on a "community empowerment event" at the Vinopolis wine bar.
• Wigan Council leader Lord Smith is being taken to the Standards Board accused of instructing Labour councillors on the Planning Committee to vote through the demolition of Leigh Girls Grammar School.
• Item questioning how "independent" members of the independent panel that recommends councillors allowances in Rotherham is.

Boris backs handing power down to London's boroughs

There is often much cynicism about whether localism will be delivered by a Conservative Government - or whether once they have got power they will prefer to hang on to it rather than give any of it away. So there is encouraging news today that the Mayor of London is backing proposals for power to be given to the boroughs - including power currently held in his empire.

The City Charter, signed by every borough leader in London. The full text is here but the Evening Standard report highlights the call for councils to be able to:

• Appoint borough commanders (Currentl done by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.)
• Spend NHS money currently under the control of the Primary Care Trusts.
• Decide on GPs opening hours.
• Change bus routes and timetables taking control of local services from Transport for London.
• Take charge of trunk roads run by TfL.

In the foreward Boris Johnson and Cllr Merrick Cockell, the Chairman of London Councils say:

"Governing a city as energetic, diverse and dynamic as London will always be complex. But Londoners have a right to expect that the machinery of government works for them and their families. They want to have a genuine say in decisions that affect their lives and they want good quality services delivered at the lowest possible cost."

Lib Dem councillor in Somerset denied justice by his own Party

Last week the Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger gave the following speech in the House of Commons

I am delighted to have the opportunity in an Adjournment debate to talk about Mr. Paul Buchanan. This is a short debate with a short title, but I am here to tell the House of some extraordinary events in the life of an elected councillor for the county of Somerset.

Mr. Buchanan is not a constituent of mine; nor, by any stretch of the imagination, is he is a supporter of my party. He is a Liberal Democrat, so we ought to be classified as sworn political enemies. However, sometimes there are bigger things in life than party loyalty, and when a man is made to suffer without good reason and has no right of redress, it matters not a jot what his party loyalties may be.

Labour member told she is "too white and Jewish" to stand for Birmingham Council

Elaina Cohen has lodged a complaint with the Labour Party after applying to be the Labour candidate for the forthcoming East Handsworth and Lozells Ward byelection for Birmingham Council. She claims that a sitting Labour councillor, Cllr Mahmood Hussain told her she was "too white and Jewish" to stand,

June 4 elections: West Sussex

Cllr Henry Smith, the Conservative leader of West Sussex County Council, with his priorities for the next four years. See the full manifesto here.

While I am proud of the £80 million of efficiency savings and increased local, democratic decision making processes the current Conservative administration has achieved to date, I would like this opportunity to look forward to what a future Conservative term would offer for West Sussex.

Our headline pledges are:

• To keep council tax low, service quality high and seek further efficiency.
• To improve the safety on our roads and significantly invest in additional highways maintenance.
• To care for our elderly, families and children.
• To protect our environment, including the green disposal of waste.
• To work to restore local government through greater democratic influence

Oxfordshire Town disowns French twin

The Mayor of Wallingford, in Oxfordshire, is seeking to de-twin with Luxeuil-les-Bains in eastern France. They send the French Christmas cards and the Wallingford magazine each month but haven't had anything back for the last ten years.

The Council for European Municipalities and Regions say they have no procedure for ending twinning. But surely Wallingford could just pass a motion and write to the French notifying them.

The good news is that relations between Wallingford and its German twin, Bad Wurzach, are going much better.

Is town twinning justified? Not if it means free holidays for councillors. But if, for instance, it could help schools set up exchange programmes for children in the holidays that would seem quite useful and shouldn't really cost anything.

June 4 elections: Somerset Tories seek postal votes from cricket team.

Somerset County Cricket Club are playing away at Northamptonshire in the Twenty20 Cup on election day, but the players did not want to miss out on voting. So, earlier this week, Conservative County Councillors and candidates met with the players to hand a postal voting application form to each of them.

Stephen Martin-Scott, Conservative County Councillor for Taunton & Trull was one of those present at the CountyGround. "It's really important to use your right to vote - even if you're going to be away from home on election day. I'm very pleased to see that Somerset's cricketers recognise this, and are supporting the democratic process in this way. My near neighbour in Trull, Marcus Trescothick, even filled in his application form at the Ground. That really is recognising how voting is important!''

Asked why postal voting was so crucial, Councillor Martin-Scott said, "The forthcoming elections have never been more important, as they will dictate the future success of this County. The wasteful ways of the current Liberal Democrat administration contrast starkly with the Conservatives' promise to freeze Council Tax. It only takes 5 minutes to sign up for a postal vote - you can even download the single page form from your local council's website - and I hope that all in Somerset will do so if they think they might be out of the county on June 4th.''

The deadline for voters in Somerset to register for a Postal Vote is Tuesday May 19th.

June 4 elections: Hertfordshire

Cllr Robert Gordon, leader of Hertfordshire County Council, on their plans to build on achievement.

Conservatives are ambitious for Hertfordshire and its people. We have used the strength of our County Council to promote Hertfordshire and to protect our residents and communities. The current economic crisis is already having an impact on local jobs and prosperity and things are likely to get worse before they get better. A Conservative-run County Council will continue to play its full part in helping residents through the recession. Under Gordon Brown, Hertfordshire and other councils in the Home Counties have not been given their fair share of public spending, leading to higher council taxes and difficult choices over spending priorities. Nevertheless, we have managed to spend record amounts in tackling the backlog of highway maintenance but know there is still more to do. Under the next Conservative Government, Hertfordshire will be treated fairly but we realise that money for public services will remain tight.

The Audit Commission recognises that we have given good value for money and we shall continue to get best value from every tax-payer’s pound. We shall continue to fund the needs of Hertfordshire’s growing number of older residents, protect vulnerable children and adults, and provide high quality education and training opportunities. We shall also work with the next Conservative Government to deliver a council tax freeze for at least two years.

We understand that all our decisions – and those by central government and its regional quangos – impact on individuals, families and their communities.

Councils spend £1.5 million on junkets

The Sunday Telegraph reports that local Councils spend £1.5 million sending councillors and officers on foreign junkets. Labour run Greenwich spent £25,000 sending a six strong delegation to Beijing for the Olympics. They flew Business Class. Labour run Glasgow Council sent is Film Commissioner to last year's Cannes Film Festival. Lib Dem run Eastbourne Council sent officers off to an Extreme Sports event in Rotterdam while the Mayor of Calderdale went off to a bagpipe festival in the Czech Republic.

Conservative/Lib Dem run Birmingham Council spent £6,600 sending three staff to a conference in Chicago to promote Birmingham's profile as "a city of haute cuisine."

June 4 elections: Leicestershire

Cllr David Parsons CBE, the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, is asking for a mandate for zero Council Tax increases.

Since 2001 under Conservative control, Leicestershire has become one of the country’s top performing councils. We have been recognised as “The Council of the Year 2009” - the first ever County Council to win this prestigious award. For the fourth year running, the Audit Commission has rated us as an excellent four star council- and we are strongly improving. 2009 sees us asking for another mandate to carry on this good work and deliver our aim of zero council tax increases.

This is the level of performance people in Leicestershire demand, and it is a challenge Conservatives everywhere must strive to achieve. Despite low levels of government grant, Leicestershire delivers high values of performance and we are rightly one of the UK’s top value for money councils.

Council Tax and the Recession

Conservatives this year delivered a council tax increase of just 2.9%. This is a remarkable achievement as these elections will be fought against the bleakest economic outlook for a generation. Leicestershire Conservatives are determined to deliver zero increases in council tax and help for individuals and local businesses during the recession. It is common knowledge the Labour government penalises good performance and discriminates against county councils when it comes to the level of formula grant we receive- we are one of the lowest funded local authorities in the country.

June 4 elections: East Sussex

Cllr Peter Jones, Conservative leader of East Sussex County Council, of their record of success and vision for the future.

In June we will again seek re-election of our Conservative County Council, enabling us to continue improving services. We pledge to work to cut Council Taxes. We would have cut taxes already if the Government had not discriminated against us and transferred money to its friends in the North.

We look to a potential Conservative Government to introduce a fairer tax system and we can successfully work with partners to increase the £40m (12%) of savings in operating costs that we have already achieved.

Our vision is for an East Sussex which delivers high quality services at the lowest possible council tax, offering rising prosperity for businesses and “fatter” wage packets. A County that creates opportunities for new skills and technologies to reduce under performance and stimulate advance, whilst respecting our unique environment.