State of the Borough Debate

RBK Council

Tuesday 11 December 2007 


The main part of the evening was devoted to the annual State of the Borough Debate. Local press were present and the public were invited. The sequence of events for the debate is was as follows:

  • The debate opened with a statement from the Leader of the Council on 'The State of the Borough'
  • There was then an opportunity for an initial response from the Leader of the Opposition Cllr Howard Jones
  • Representatives of the Council's key partners and stakeholders and members of the public were invited to contribute to the debate
  • The debate was then be opened up to Members of the Council generally with a maximum of ten further speakers
  • At the conclusion of the debate the Leader of the Council had an opportunity to respond briefly to the issues raised but there was no formal vote
  • The initial speeches of the two Leaders were time limited to a maximum of 15 minutes each; those of individual Councillors were limited to four minutes in the usual way, as were contributions from partners/stakeholders and members of the public

 

State of the Borough Speech

 

Leader of the Opposition Cllr Howard Jones

There have been articles in the Press about the venue for this debate and Derek Osbourne has made a point about wanting to move the debate to the Rose Theatre. I think it right that I say something about that. Let me explain first of all why I wanted this debate to be held in the Guildhall - in this Council Chamber.

This debate is part of the Municipal Year – it is a full Council Meeting - it is one of the few occasions in the Year when the Council meets in full – all the Councillors – with you Mr Mayor presiding.  We have had three State of The Borough Debates previously.  Others will decide their relevance to the Council and even more importantly to the residents who voted us in as Councillors.

For my part I am a traditionalist – I am proud of our country and of its traditions – traditionally Council Meetings are held in the Council Chamber – I could see no valid reason for having the Council Meeting at another venue.

Why the theatre? Does Councillor Osbourne want to turn this debate into a show – into a play – into a farce – or did he just want to display his own acting skills – he has told us on more than one occasion that he always fancied himself as an actor.

No this debate is much more important than the wishes of one member of this Council -  we want a serious debate on serious terms and the chance for the people to have their say in the Chamber where quite properly matters affecting the residents of this Royal Borough should be debated sorted out.

The ‘State of the Borough’ debate gives us the opportunity to say thank you and pay tribute to the most valuable people in this Royal Borough:

First of all to the residents who live in the Borough, - then to the businesses that bring employment and opportunities to the Borough, and also to the services that provide us with the support we all need in our  schools – in  our hospitals, and in  the clinics that look after us when we fall ill.

And I would also to thank all those who care for the elderly the sick and the suffering - often without much support from the wider community.

 

There is also a small number of dedicated and hard-working team of 20 Councillors that I lead who have represented not just Conservative residents, but all residents, right across this Borough and I would like to take this chance to thank them for all their hard-work, their good advice and support throughout the past year.

I would also like to thank the officer corps of this Council who support us all, and all the other Councillors - some of these officers go above and beyond the call of duty on countless occasions. 

To all these people I send my best wishes for the coming festive season and the New Year.

 

When I think about Kingston, I have three main view points: first as a father, then as an ex policeman who spent some time working in the Borough, and then as a resident for over 40 years.

As a family our children went to the excellent schools in the Borough - schools that many families who do not live in Kingston aspire to send their children to.

We all know that finding or choosing good schools for our children can be one of the most significant and difficult decisions most of us make as parents. Kingston is renowned nationally as a great place to bring up a family, and for children to grow up, and go to school in, and that is a key element of who we are as citizens of this Borough.

It is a great shame that schools in Kingston are no longer uniquely for Kingston children – it is my belief that we as Councillors should do whatever we can to make sure that Kingston children first and foremost are able to take advantage of the tremendous education opportunities available in this Borough.

I believe in strong families in whatever form – I believe in a disciplined education in good schools - and I believe in equality of opportunity for all - I believe in nurturing aspiration – I believe in encouraging people to work hard and to strive for success.

As many of you know, I worked in the police service for many years doing my bit to keep local communities secure from criminals, and encouraging a sense of community pride and a collective responsibility. Serving in Kingston I saw at first hand the problems the Borough faced, and the actions by both the Police, the Council and the Government to try and tackle both anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.

 

There are numerous factors that cause individuals to turn to crime nationally and in Kingston, and that is probably a discussion for another time.  However, one of the factors we can see in Kingston is the gradual change in this town from a family and market town, to a town regionally synonymous with a drinking and partying culture

When young people come into Kingston with the singular intention of consuming alcohol from the numerous licensed establishments, this will predictably lead to an increase in all sorts of drink-fuelled crime and unsocial behaviour that we see late on a Friday and Saturday night.

It is quite interesting that many of the young people that I know locally prefer to now go out of Kingston  for their entertainment -  they say that in the evening Kingston at the week end is invaded by undesirable elements from other parts of South London.

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams have been a successful refinement of policing activity in the out of Kingston town centres such as Tolworth, Hook, Surbiton and New Malden and we applaud this initiative. In the Town centre, however, we would like to see more positive policing – if you like – Zero Tolerance from the police against those who upset public tranquillity. Indulge in public drunkenness and anti social behaviour

I believe in strong policing, tough sentencing and mandated rehabilitation for criminals 

For those that show signs of substance misuse I strongly believe that the Council and the partners we work with must do more preventative work, educating children and providing contemporary and attractive youth services for children and young people outside of school hours.

As a resident of the Royal Borough I am proud to represent the people who put their trust in me at election time and right through the year. It is my objective and that of my colleagues to hold the Administration to account on behalf of the residents, but to work with the Administration when it’s good for the residents we serve.

Recently we have witnessed the closure of a day centre for elderly people and the increase in domiciliary care charges for which no one on this Council should be proud.

I have lived and worked in Kingston for many years and I know the high regard in which Kingston Council was once held  -  particularly when it came to providing services, help and support for those who had fallen on hard times, or had difficulties in education, work, or in later life.  I believe that this level of service is still within our grasp if difficult decisions are taken and we move to an outward looking, technological and market driven culture within the Council.

There are many services which are better provided through community organisations, charities, or businesses that have the experience, knowledge and experts trained to help the residents better than the Council.  We should support these groups and organisations and look hard at what other areas within the Council can be improved by cooperation with the third sector  -  as it has become known..

One of the most difficult areas we face at present is that of finance in the Health care sector. The country has seen a vast amount of investment going into the NHS in the past ten years, but the results in Kingston have been a poor performing NHS Trust at Kingston Hospital and Kingston Primary Care Trust in huge financial crisis, cutting back on services, and financially scaling down its involvement in partnership working with the Council.

We have seen threats from the local Primary Care Trust to close down Springboard and Fuchsia Ward at Tolworth Hospital. We have in our Group actively opposed these cuts. We want to see some real local positive results from the billions of pounds poured in the National Health Service.

How can the Chair of the PCT who is responsible for overseeing the massive maladministration in this service still be in position?  The Director of Finance and the Chief Executive on more than one occasion have fallen on their swords – isn’t it time that the Chair of the PCT – who is the one common factor since the inception of the PCT – because of the lack of Leadership in this organisation, should she not accept the responsibility herself and resign. 

Many areas in public life have seen investment from the Government, but not Kingston Council. A priority for me is to get a fair deal from an unfair Government. I want a fair deal on the rate support grant settlement from the Government and I have written to the Minister saying so in order that we can appropriately plan for the long-term financial security of the Council, whilst supplying the very best services to the residents.

I want a fair deal for Kingston Council tax payers  Our account is raided each year to help sustain the Labour heartlands particularly in the North and North East of the country. 

Kingston Council tenants, also get a very raw deal – they assiduously pay their rents into the Housing Revenue Account,  and they will be disappointed to hear that the Council will not meet the Decent Homes Standard. Tenants will also be disappointed to hear that people in other parts of the country are gaining access at their detriment to totally new social housing accommodation largely subsidised by us..

Tenants, and we on our side of the Council are enraged by the fact that broken windows and almost derelict staircases and public areas can only repaired by covering them with a piece of wood.  This is not good enough, and is down in part to the Government creaming off many millions of pounds over a long period of time.

Investment in our social housing is urgently needed and all options should be examined – I am very firmly of the belief that we should present to the tenants a stock option scheme which hopefully they will realise is the best thing to secure their futures in tenanted accommodation.

I can of course not make a speech involving the grant settlement, the housing revenue account and Council finances without mentioning the Rose of Kingston Theatre.

We are all glad – or most of us are - that the theatre is finally going to open, but we are still not happy at the way it has been funded. Our position is not a political position but the position of tax paying residents of the Borough  I am sure everyone here is aware that this Administration has gambled with public money on such a tenuous investment.

Nevertheless I am hoping that the Rose of Kingston will be a success for two reasons. Firstly I want to see Kingston Town Centre shift from one seemingly obsessed with alcohol consumption and a yob culture to one where different attractions will bring varied groups of people to the town centre.

Secondly I want to see the theatre begin paying back the money that the Council – in fact the residents in their high Council tax bills - the residents have loaned to the theatre. This can only be done by the theatre being a success.

We look forward to at last seeing some of the investment being repaid to the council. We are looking for a repayment schedule – its unbelievable that these loans have no fixed period of repayment – there is no repayment schedule – we would all like to be able to get a loan like this - we will be pressing a repayment schedule on the Administration 

As some would have you believe we do not oppose the theatre project. weI oppose the extravagant way in which money has been spent by the Council when we pay the highest council tax in London.

How is it that Hammersmith and Fulham Council – now Tory controlled – can cut Council Tax by 3% year on year? It’s not only about the rate support grant you know. It’s also about how you manage your money, your staff and your assets. Hammersmith and Fulham still provide good services at a reasonable price with a 3% cut in Council tax when we are unable to?

Kingston Council spent an extra £39m on staffing alone in just seven years – this is an increase in staffing costs - not including the education sector of over 80 per cent in seven years.

Its about mismanaging contracts such as the Hook Centre and the New Malden High Street debacle – we are still trying to sort out the mess there.- its about spending money on pet projects of certain Councillors like the Fountain in the Market Square.

One of the biggest threats to the local economy in Kingston is the threat of huge increased land fill costs imposed by Europe and central government.

We are cooperating with the administration on the South West London waste partnership with other outer London Boroughs – this is a sensible collaboration whereby the councils involved will share costs in developing means of disposing of unwanted residual waste.

We look forward to the decision making time next year when we in council will be discussing the waste disposal strategy in the borough. Let me say now that we are very clear on this. We will support weekly collections of residual waste. We will support weekly collections of recycling. We will support initiatives to minimize packaging. We will support initiatives to improve composting

We will oppose chips in bins. We will oppose any pay as you throw scheme. We believe that our residents pay enough in Council tax to expect their reasonably accumulated waste to be disposed of at least once a week and we believe that any chips in bins and pay as you throw schemes would only be another example of a further indirect taxation on the already overtaxed residents in Kingston. These two schemes will also lead to an increase in fly tipping in the Borough

The most recent Mori Poll showed that 44% of the people surveyed are dissatisfied with the service from this Council. 49% of the people surveyed do not think that the Council is efficient and well run and a huge 68% of the people surveyed do not think that this Council gives good value for money.

For our side – we believe that we Conservatives truly reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kingston and we will continue to provide the Scrutiny of this administration that the residents want and expect.

Thank you for your attention.

December 2007