This month, the DCC Cabinet made some significant decisions:
1. It approved two more mergers of Infants Schools with Primary Schools.
2. It approved the Shildon masterplan.
3. It approved the setting up of a ‘Social Enterprise’ in Chilton to deliver the ‘Green Fund’ of £645,000 promised by the Dalkia Biomass Plant.
4. It approved the Street Lighting Policy – this has been the subject of fierce criticism in the Newton News, but the county-wide consultation evoked only 255 responses, of which 72% agreed with the dimming of street lighting.
5. It received some interesting reports on performance, including: a great attendance at the AAP budgeting exercises;
– there has been a slight increase in the crime rate, together with a change in the kind of crime (people are stealing more everyday necessities such as food and toiletries);
– the Council continues to keep up with the cuts necessitated by government grant reductions; it is a sad fact that DCC now has a proven track record in implementing cuts successfully, based on proper preparation and consultation, attention to detail and outcomes, and implementing robust decisions.
– there has been a complete review of all the Council’s Sustainable Communities ‘All Together Better’ Strategy (for example the ‘Altogether Greener’ Environmental Framework has been almost completely rewritten).
Cabinet also received a really interesting Partnership and Performance Update which shows, among many things, that the County Council is getting better at answering the phone when you call.
If you want to know about any of the above in more detail, you can read all the reports considered by the Cabinet online at http://bit.ly/DCCCabNov13.
JCL