Swale Borough Council - Plans Approved to Give Communities Greater Involvement in Local Decisions

Councillors have approved plans to give local communities a greater involvement in council decisions affecting them.

Last week’s virtual full council meeting agreed to set up four area committees to spread power into local communities and give people a greater say on council matters.

Cllr Mike Baldock, deputy leader of the council, said:

“Area committees give local councillors a chance to reconnect with the public, help develop area-focussed strategies and bring valuable local insight to council decision-making.

Each committee will have a budget and a mandate to monitor core services in their area. Members working together will be able to make suggestions and vote on how to spend money in their area, giving us a much-improved local focus.

They will also be a valuable source of information for cabinet and services, and members of the public and local parish and town councils will be able to ask questions and comment on relevant subjects.

This is a fantastic way to involve more councillors in the decisions that affect their areas and will improve the quality and quantity of engagement in the decisions affecting local communities.

We now need to work out how we can get these committees up and running with the current public health restrictions in place. We would like to see them operational as soon as possible.”

The leader of the council, Roger Truelove, said:

“This is the first major step towards bringing Council decisions closer to the public and in redressing the balance between the Executive responsibilities of the Cabinet and the involvement of all members.”

The four committees will be made up of:

• Eastern

Abbey, Boughton and Courtney, East Downs, Priory, St Ann’s, Teynham and Lynsted and Watling wards.

• Sheppey

Minster Cliffs, Queenborough and Halfway, Sheerness, Sheppey Central and Sheppey East.

• Sittingbourne

Chalkwell, Homewood, Kemsley, Milton Regis, Murston and Roman.

• Western

Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow, Borden and Grove Park, Hartlip Newington and Upchurch, the Meads, Woodstock and West Downs.

The full report that was agreed at the full council meeting on Wednesday 17th June is available on the council website

Swale Borough Council