Refrom UK leader of Nottinghamshire County Council Mick Barton provides an update on the first few weeks of the new majority party.
Cllr Barton writes:
‘Almost two months ago, the people of Nottinghamshire gave Reform UK a resounding vote of confidence by electing councillors the length and breadth of the county.
‘I had the pleasure in recent days of welcoming our successful councillors Gaynor Mann and David Smith to County Hall after their success in the Mansfield North by-election, and I can tell you they have already got down to work for their constituents.
‘At the new administration’s first Full Council in late May, I was elected Leader of Reform UK in Nottinghamshire.
‘I’ve lived my whole life in this wonderful county, and as a Mansfield resident, I was honoured and privileged to accept the Leader role and subsequently appoint my Cabinet to run the services that are so vital to residents every day.
‘It’s been a busy few months getting our priorities and vision for the future in place, but the hard work is now underway with our first Cabinet meeting earlier this week.
‘There’s no doubt the number one issue on the doorstep during the election campaign was the state of our roads. That’s why this week we’ve announced an immediate Highways Review that will look at all aspects of the service, focussing on the potential for improving the outcome for residents. Several Cabinet colleagues and I will lead the review and report back on our findings in due course.
‘Areas for discussion will include the reduction of reactive, short-term maintenance, the desirable whole street approach, making sure residents are well informed and up to date about future highway schemes in their area and informing residents about the increased use of innovation and technology in our treatments.
‘Another key review underway is into our financial efficiencies with particular focus on procurement and contract management arrangements. The review will look at areas for improvement to ensure services are providing the best value for money for Nottinghamshire taxpayers. I will again be sharing my findings with residents in early Autumn.
‘I was recently appointed to the Board of the East Midlands Combined County Authority with responsibility for Transport. This is a huge area of responsibility and I’ll be pushing hard for investment for new projects across the county as well as driving through delivery on major projects like the A614/A6097 junction improvements, which includes work to upgrade Ollerton Roundabout. Projects like this make such a difference to residents and businesses and I’m determined to make it a top priority in forthcoming meetings.
‘As a new administration, we’re also looking at renewing and refreshing the Nottinghamshire Plan which sets out our vision and priorities for the future. This is where we can put our stamp on how we shape services over the coming years. As the leader of this council my aim is to maintain good services for all residents, keep a close eye on the finances and make sure that taxpayers are always getting value for money.
‘I look forward to keeping you all informed over the coming months and years.’
