27 February 2007
In setting its budget for 2007/2008 Eastbourne Borough Council has taken account of the views expressed by its residents. Consistent messages have been fed back to the Council by its residents over the past two years on where it wants to see new investment being targeted. Most recently these messages have come from the Citizens Panel, a 1,000 strong representative sample of residents which is being consulted on a regular basis about some of the major issues of choice for the town.
As a result of the preferences expressed by residents more money is being put into tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, more into parks and gardens and more into community development. The sales proceeds from the disposal of assets will finance big slices of capital investment much of which is going into the Seafront in response to the wishes of residents.
Councillor Chris Williams, Cabinet portfolio Member for Finance commented “I am delighted that the Council has residents who want to be actively involved in decisions about where we should target investment in the town. Our Citizens Panel is a real success in this respect. Not only do we listen to the views of our residents but we act on them as well. I am particularly pleased that in an increasingly difficult financial environment we have been able to find extra money to put into those services rated highest by our residents.
“I am delighted for example that we have found the money to continue making investment into our seafront. Our residents have consistently identified this as a priority. In recent years we have brought forward initiatives that have seen seafront shelters transformed into 21st century seafront cafes through private investment. This year we have invested £50,000 of our money in replacing the railings around the carpet gardens and over £100,000 into replacing all of the existing seafront lighting with new longer lasting energy efficiency lights, and next year we will spend £300,000 on new Dotto trains and £280,000 on refurbishing some of our seafront toilets. That’s three quarters of a million pounds of money raised from the disposal of assets over two years which represents a significant commitment both by the Council and its residents.”
“We want to do more next year and beyond and we want our residents to continue to play their part in helping us to make the right decisions for our town as we move it further forward into this new century”.
