In the past four years as a City Councillor, I have contributed to:-
• the restructuring of the Lancaster District Local Strategic Partnership (LDLSP) which has meant that the Partnership was better able than before to tackle effectively the needs of the District. [For more information about the LDLSP, see www.lancaster.gov.uk/lsp]
• the emergence of the Sustainable Community Strategy for the District, which has meant that the needs and aspirations of the District are better articulated than before,
• the work of the LDLSP on the development of a Community Engagement Framework which will improve engagement with our communities by the key partners in the LDLSP.
• the publication of the Faber Maunsell Report offering practical ideas for the development of the transport infrastructure in the District, additional to the benefits to be provided by the construction of the Heysham-M6 Link,
• the production of a revised parking strategy for the district

BUDGET MATTERS

In December 2008, Council decided - despite Conservative opposition - to change the system of allocating City Council expenditure of Council Tax between Council Tax payers in different parts of the District. The result of this change was that Council Tax charged to most of the rural areas in the District for meeting City Council expenditure in 2009-10 went up by 10.5% (ten and a half per cent), while the City's demand for Council Tax from households in parts of the district in which there are no parish councils went up by only 1% (one per cent).

I consider this change to be unfair in its failure to recognise issues of double taxation and the functional roles of Parish and Town Councils in our District. Residents in Parished areas are paying twice for some services which are provided in their areas by Parish Councils and Town Councils but are provided by the City Council in other areas. Conservatives continue to press hard for an effective solution to be agreed.