Cllr Paul Clokie:

IT IS is my privilege to welcome you to this, the fifth state of the borough debate.

This year, as I did last year, I intend to continue with the concept of a general debate on the state of the borough.

You have heard the excellent presentation from Ben Marshall from Ipsos/Mori and I thank Ben for coming to Ashford this evening to present the findings of the Ashford’s residents’ survey.

I do not wish to repeat what has already been said but would like to highlight a number of areas:

* It is pleasing to see that people in the borough are positive about quality of life. As a council we have always placed a high importance on this in our overall corporate aims and objectives.

* The importance of control of development is one that I think we can all share.

* The need for a good mix of housing with provision of affordable housing is something that all of us recognise and I can assure members that this will be a major part of our new corporate plan.

* The overall rating of the council is very pleasing and shows that we are at least getting some things right in the eyes of our residents.

* The perception of Ashford Voice, our council magazine, and its usefulness shows that our investment in this area is being well received.

There are, however, clear messages in the residents’ survey that we need to consider.

* Although the importance of control of development is recognised, we need to ensure that people have confidence that the council is doing all it can to keep the essential features of what makes the borough a great place to live and work. And that they are not being adversely impacted by the number of houses being built.

It is my view that as we progress through the Local Development Framework process the public will see how the council intends development to take place, in a way that enhances the town of Ashford.

* As I said a few moments ago, the need for affordable housing is well recognised and it is for this reason that the LDF will include a provision for all new housing developments to contain 35 per cent affordable housing (that is 20 per cent to rent and 15 per cent systems of shared equity) - a welcome step for both existing and new residents of the borough.

* We need to ensure that the benefits of Ashford Future are felt across the whole borough and not just the town of Ashford.

* We need to examine carefully how we communicate with residents and we will be doing this through a new communications strategy, building on the outcomes of the residents’ survey.

* We need to recognise the areas within the residents’ survey, where the public have expressed their concern or dissatisfaction, and introduce measures to address those concerns.

I will be asking officers to ensure that in the new corporate plan and in individual service plans full account is taken of the issues raised in the residents’ survey.

* There are clear issues in the residents’ survey for our partners and I will, through the Local Strategic Partnership, Ashford’s Future and other partnership bodies be raising the issues with the relevant partners.

Moving on to more general issues, this past year has seen a number of changes in the environment in which the council operates.

For example, the Ashford Primary Care Trust is about to be replaced with the Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT, and its new chief executive, Ann Sutton, who we welcome to the borough.

On that note can I say especial thanks to Marion Dinwoodie and all her staff at the Ashford PCT, for their work with the council over the past three years which has in my view been exceptional.

I look forward to continuing the positive working relationship with the new PCT.

The police have also reorganised into a larger area covering both the Ashford and Shepway council areas under the command of Chief Superintendent Steve Harris, who we also welcome to the borough.

It would seem that local Government is an island of stability in a vase sea of change - but maybe we should reserve judgement on that until we see what the long awaited White Paper says about possible reorganisation of local government.

Turning briefly to the subject of local government reorganisation, I have consistently argued that reform of local government is an unnecessary, time-consuming and expensive activity.

It is much more effective to examine ways of making the existing two-tier system work better. I, along with our officers, have been at the forefront of discussions to this effect and I anticipate that members will be receiving further information on this, after the White Paper has ben released.

Whatever comes out of the White Paper there are important issues and challenges that we must face. These include:

* A revised corporate plan to take the council forward from 2007.

* The Ashford Partnership is considering the role it should play and also carrying out a review of the sustainable community strategy.

* Changes to our governance structure with the establishment of an audit committee.

* Proposals to alter the way Ashford’s Future is delivered, especially now that we are moving from planning to delivery.

* The need to provide a mix of homes, including affordable homes, for our new residents.

* The need to generate good quality employment locally for our new residents.

* The need to meet the challenges of an increasing population putting an increased demand on our services.

It is all of these together, but particularly the latter point, which influenced the decision to carry out a residents’ survey at this point in time. It was felt to be important to gain an overview of how our residents felt the council was performing before we moved on.

Turning to Ashford’s Future for a moment, the Department for Communities and Local Government has recently carried out a review of how Ashford’s Future is being delivered.

Although the review was generally positive there are issues the partners within Ashford’s Future need to address.

This process has started and members will be aware of the report to the last executive from the chief executive on Delivering Ashford’s Future, which detailed how the infrastructure, necessary for the growth of Ashford, could be delivered.

Whatever revised arrangements are eventually put in place, I am determined to ensure that this council will continue to provide, the essential democratic legitimacy for Ashford’s Future: the future of Ashford must rest in the hands of the elected members.

There have undoubtedly been disappointments over the past year:

* The recent announcement by Eurostar of the withdrawal from Ashford international station of services to Brussels and reductions in the services to Paris.

* The absence of a sustainable and acceptable scheme from Imperial College for its Wye campus.

* The delays to the opening of the Stour Centre.

But growth does bring us significant opportunities and these disappointments have been counteracted by:

* Signs that Government may actually be listening to some of our arguments on funding. I welcome the recent decisions regarding a new housing grant, more funding within the business rate retention scheme and also the fact that more up to date population data is being used, although there are still some points to be made on this issue.

* The development of a very positive Ashford brand, which has been enthusiastically received by business.

* Commencement of work on the County Square extension.

* Commencement of the interim works to junction 10.

* Good progress on the Victoria Road redevelopment, the proposed learning campus and also Ashford’s first park and ride scheme at the Warren.

* The core strategy of the Local Development Framework will soon be presented to members.

* Confirmation that the high speed train service to and from London will be building up to a full timetable by December 2009.

* Near completion of the work at the St Stephen’s Walk Health Centre - proof of effective partnership working.

* A successful crime and disorder reduction partnership which has achieved its target of a real reduction in a range of crime figures in the borough - bucking the Kent-wide trend.

I do not propose, however, that the council should rest on its laurels as there is still much to be done:

* We need a continue to lobby Government to deliver a fair deal for Ashford as a growth area. As I have said in this forum in the past, frankly it is unjust for Government to expect our council taxpayers to pick up the bill for the service pressures that follow rapid household expansion and population growth.

* I will work to ensure that the benefits of Ashford’s Future are felt across the borough as a whole.

* We must work to draw together the results of the residents’ survey, the Omai survey, and input from our own members and services, to ensure our new corporate plan takes Ashford Borough Council forward, in the way in which our residents and we as members would wish to see.

* We must continue to support the work of the Ashford’s Future Community Infrastructure working group, who are proposing a model for our new communities, in the form of community hubs that will seek to ensure new communities benefit from facilities, designed and operated and for the benefit of those communities, as current residents enjoy in our more established towns and villages.

* We will work to strengthen our communities through supporting the development of parish councils throughout the borough and where they are wanted by local people.

Mr Mayor, I have acknowledged both the good and the not so good but most of all I have outlined the areas of the further work with which we are faced and I ask all colleagues to rise to those challenges in the same consensorial way in which this council has always worked.

State of the borough statement by Cllr Peter Davison:

TONIGHT is the night of the debate on the state of the borough. The opinions of residents are very important, and Mori is a reputable firm of pollsters.

However councillors were not consulted on the questions to be asked, and I fear that the request for the exercise may have been designed to divert attention from the other serious issues that confront the borough.

The year since the last debate has been tumultuous and I doubt that the council has ever faced so many crises or its leadership so much criticism.

However, first I would like to thank those officers I have worked with for their professionalism and sense of civic duty.

Also those councillors of all parties who I have worked with who have put party politics aside to reach decisions in the public interest. I have also enjoyed working with the open parish councils and ward residents to resolve a host of issues.

Current problems threaten the entire development programme for Ashford.

Kent County Council, the Environment Agency and the Council for the Protection of Rural England have all warned of water shortage. Standpipes have now been mentioned. The Government has failed to fund the infrastructure.

Only some 400 new jobs have been created in three years, and now the fast London rail service is to be cut.

This is why last year’s suggestion for a pause in the headlong dash to build houses is still relevant.

As a ratepayer and long-term resident I am deeply concerned at the catalogue of disasters that now surround the leadership of the council. It is a great pity that the good work the council does is offset by disastrous performance elsewhere.

We have apparently lost our iconic discovery centre. However following up a rumour I found that investigations had quietly begun on a 3,000 plus seat arts and sports arena following a visit to Kensington.

I am not aware of any councillor consultation but I understand that whereas London has its Albert Hall, Ashford may now have its Clokie Hall.

Joking apart, the concern here is that after the secrecy of the Wye project, and now the arena, how many other expensive and grandiose schemes are secretly in the pipeline?

Perhaps we can have an assurance.

The cost of over-runs and apparent mismanagement are very serious.

* Office refurbishment.

* The Debenhams car parks requirements.

* And the Stour Centre now over a year late and approaching £3 million over budget.

Add to this

* The failure to create new jobs.

* The failure to get promised Government funding for the new infrastructure.

* The unnecessary secrecy of proceedings with the exclusion of Press and public that stifles debate.

* The running sore of late documents for key meetings which prevents councillors from briefing themselves properly for decision-making.

* The autocratic handling of projects and disregard for others.

Some weeks ago I learnt that the Local Plan, the Greater Ashford Development Framework, and Ashford’s Future Core Strategy preferred options for the development of only leisure and sport facilities on the Conningbrook Lakes greenfield site were to be overturned by the council by injecting proposals for large areas of house building.

As the current policies were arrived at after considerable public consultation, I cannot see how the task group recently set up to plan the site can diminish the area for leisure and sport and disregard the policies and options.

The task group has an `independent’ chairman who heads the consultancy company employed by the main site owner.

And probably worst of all:

* The loss of democracy.

There is still only one elected councillor on the Ashford’s Future Board.

Yesterday evening I was told that the Wye Parish Council wanted to ask some questions at the parish forum on the aftermath of the concordat project. I understand that their request to have an agenda item was refused. Whose forum is it?

The Wye concordat project committing the council to actions it did not know of, and keeping it secret for seven months, an action if not actually, comes close to the abuse of power.

Even now there has been no council debate.

fter subsequently declaring ignorance of what was being signed, those suggesting an apology now including the editor of the Kentish Express, are labelled `impertinent’.

If any credibility is to remain, I would suggest for everyone’s sake an apology should be made.

I feel sure that the leader will tell me it is not all as bad as this.