Wednesday 10 March 2010
KCC has been taking part in one of 13 pilot studies on an
initiative called ‘Total Place’ which is looking at how all the
public agencies spend money and the opportunities to share
resources. The aim is to improve services to the public and to save
money. Our submission has been well received by the Treasury.
I’ve recently had lunch with Philip Hammond, Shadow Chief
Secretary to the Treasury and I’m enjoying trying to influence
Conservative thinking for what I hope will be the new Government
later this year. ‘Total Place’ was just one of the topics we
covered.
On 24 February, I had a most enjoyable evening with Bob Neill
MP, the Shadow Minister for Local Government and Planning when we
shared a platform to talk about ‘Making Localism Work’. The evening
was hosted by Bell Pottinger.
On 26 February, I went to the ceremony to mark the start of
building work for the Kent History
Centre. As well as the history centre and archive, there will
be a new library for Maidstone to replace Springfield. The cost to
the taxpayer has been radically reduced through an innovative deal
with the construction company Bouygues which gave them the site and
allowed them to come up with a solution that met our needs at a
price we can afford.
I’ve also been meeting KCC staff at a series of roadshows round
the County. Together with Peter Gilroy, the Chief Executive, I’ve
been thanking them for their work and holding a conversation about
what’s happening in Kent and our plans for the future.
On 16 March, I’m looking forward to the Kent Design Awards Dinner in Tonbridge. Tessa,
Lady Bruce-Lockhart will be presenting the Lord Sandy
Bruce-Lockhart Award for Craft and Conservation. Sandy’s influence
is still felt and he cared passionately about good design, so it is
most appropriate that this award is given in his name.
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