New Council Cabinet aims for quality services at lower cost

East Hampshire District Council has selected its new Cabinet to lead the council over the coming year. Cllr Patrick Burridge, who continues as Council Leader, believes the EHDC has a strong cabinet to "meet the challenge of protecting and improving services while saving money for East Hampshire taxpayers". 

 

 He explained:``A lot of this will be achieved by thinking imaginatively about how we work. Major savings are already being achieved by sharing management and services with Havant Borough Council. In addition, from October, we will save a very substantial £0.85 m per year by sharing our waste and environmental services contract with Winchester City Council and other initiatives will soon be in the pipeline. 

 

 ``I have the greatest confidence in the skills and commitment of my Cabinet colleagues to achieve yet more. In these challenging financial times we need to buy our services more efficiently and I have appointed Richard Millard to handle procurement and asset management to identify how we can provide taxpayers with even better value for money.

 

``The rural economy needs help and with the arrival of the National Park there will be new business opportunities. Glynis Watts has worked for many years in tourism and part of her regeneration portfolio will be to maximise how local shops, pubs, B&Bs, restaurants and hotels can benefit from increased visitor numbers.

 

``Jenny Gray has worked tirelessly on EHDC's planning committee for many years. Given that the National Park will have a significant impact on our development policy, Jenny will be our representative on the National Park as well as being responsible for housing across all of our district.

 

All councillors, not only those on the Cabinet, have East Hampshires future at heart and our overall aim is to provide the maximum in quality services but at the lowest reasonable cost to the council taxpayer.