Christmas and New Year message from the leader, Cllr Alan Farnell
Some might say that because of the global economic troubles, 2008 (or certainly its last quarter) will not be missed.
However, despite problems posed by the current economic climate, which have impacted on many areas of Warwickshire life, 2008 saw a number of positives for the county.
Improved working with our public sector partners has allowed us to examine opportunities to better serve our citizens. This is no more evident than in our work to address inequalities across the county and, in particular, key neighbourhoods in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
Increased working with our neighbouring authorities has allowed us to work more effectively on cross-boundary issues, for example flooding.
2008 was an Olympic Year and the closure of the Beijing Games saw the beginning of the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics in which Warwickshire will have a part to play.
October saw the ‘Switch it Off’ campaign which called for people from all over Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire to ‘switch it off’ to show savings that can be made when we turn off unwanted lights and appliances.
The County Council recently won an award from the Energy Institute for this campaign so thank you to everyone who took part.
The continued implementation of locality working has begun with a number of benefits including community forums - regular local meetings that allow residents, councillors and police representatives to discuss and determine local priorities for their area.
Within the organisation there have been a number of positives including the opening at Shire Hall of Warwickshire Direct one stop shop offering access to a range of services from both Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.
The County Council was also awarded a 3 star rating from the Audit Commission after our Corporate Performance Assessment in July. We are very pleased with this rating but are already examining areas identified for improvement with an eye to achieving the top rating of 4 stars.
2009 will present us with a number of challenges as the economic downturn continues. This is no more true than in the budget setting process, which, this year, is the most difficult I have been involved in. However, we are working hard to ensure that front-line services and those most in need are protected.
Overall 2008 has been a positive year for Warwickshire; 2009 will be a year of challenges that I know, collectively, we can meet.
I wish you, your families and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best, Alan Farnell.