The Council's new administration has reviewed its Working Groups and introduced new ones, to encourage further multi-party cooperation to better serve the needs of residents.
These groups will be multi-party, with representatives from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green and a number of elected independent councillors taking seats on these committees.
The new Local Plan Working Party will consist of a Councillor from each ward, as well as from different parties. This will also include the Leader, Cabinet Member for Planning, the chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Chair of Planning. Deputy Leader, Cllr Jim McIlroy, who will be chairing this group, said "Not only will this be the first of the new administration's promised cross-party engagement groups but, as it regards the New Local Plan which is so important to residents, it is arguably one of the most significant working groups for our Borough. This group will lead the way to prove co-operative working over politics for the benefit of our residents. I look forward to steering this group to identify how this Borough will develop over the next 15 years".
The Staines Masterplan Working Group will now be renamed to the Staines-upon-Thames Development Group. This project will have input from all parties and a number of independents to ensure an inclusive approach towards the future plans for the town.
A Financial Reporting working group will also be established with the goal to produce reports with greater clarity for financial reporting to all Councillors. These will also help everyone understand our current financial position in order to inform to the residents they are receiving value for money and how the Council is performing against key performance indicators.
Spelthorne are also establishing a Working Group to review the Council's commercial investments, assessing their current and future financial viability as well as the structure of Knowle Green Estates Ltd, with the intention to focus more on the development of housing.
Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council Cllr John Boughtflower said: "When elected as leader, I promised that there would be an increase in cross-party working and, just over a month on, this administration is demonstrating that actions speak louder than words. These groups will be working together with the sole intention of building a better Spelthorne and ensure residents are receiving value for their Council Tax. We believe this inclusive approach will result in long-term benefits for all our residents."
