State of the Area
State of the Area 2007
“The aspirations of the community are to live in a safe, clean, prosperous, learning and healthy borough”
A safe, clean, prosperous, learning borough was the message delivered by Executive Council Leader, Cllr Roy Oldham at the annual State of the Area address.
Talking to an audience of community leaders at Ashton Town Hall last Tuesday (20th November 2007) Cllr Oldham outlined what the council has achieved over recent years and finished over by revealing a number of objectives for the near future.
"There is no better theme for the State of the Area address than that which continues to embrace the priorities laid down by the people of Tameside: A safe, clean, prosperous, learning borough".
"These four powerful words as separate entities provide specific qualities but together they provide a place to live which is fit for purpose and if the majority of people agree that their four priorities have been met by a listening, effective council, then the job is a good one".
The council leader then went onto outline the four main priorities which residents have said affects them most:
- Safe - crime and disorder reduction
- Clean - environment and living space quality
- Prosperous - economic developments and jobs
- Learning - schools, libraries, museums and recreation
But Cllr Oldham did add a word of warning to residents during the speech when he said it was no longer acceptable for people to sit back and leave everything to the council.
"There needs to be an awareness from the communities that make up Tameside, that they are part of the system and responsibilities are not singular to governments. Every time a parent neglects to correct their child for bad behaviour, every time a person litters the streets, or allows their dog to foul the pavement, those who will not recycle their own waste, park their vehicle in an unlawful manner, they are costing all the rest money and are spoiling the area we live in".
At the end of the speech the council leader outlined a number of objectives, the first of which concerned council tax and making sure it is affordable. The object is to keep the average tax bill well below £1,000 per year against a rising average national bill of over £1,200.
He also told the audience that the second main objective was to keep to an absolute minimum the level of household waste going to landfill.
He said: "Each household bears a responsibility to reduce the waste they produce. It is simply not good enough to claim that households are paying for its removal; no-one can just expect it to be taken away and dumped elsewhere".
The other objectives listed included lowering the borough’s carbon footprint, and continuing to celebrate the borough’s rich and impressive heritage.