Leader of Derby City Council, Cllr Baggy Shanker has reflected on the first 100 days of the Labour administration, focusing on what this Cabinet has achieved so far and looking ahead to the next 100 days and beyond.
“Walk the talk, the proof is in the pudding, actions speak louder than words. We know there is a lot of truth in these sayings, and it’s what we do and achieve that really matters. Back in May, the residents of Derby voted for change and put their trust in us. With that trust comes the responsibility of delivering on our promises we made for the city; to put people first.
Today marks 100 days since the Labour administration was tasked with leading Derby City Council, and in that time, we’ve made big strides with the commitments we promised in our Manifesto.
So far this year we’ve saved Ashgate Nursery from closure. We’ve worked to ensure our local community libraries remain open for our residents and put them on the path to sustainability. We’ve moved forward with a free bulky waste service, which will come into place later this year, and we’re in the final stages of establishing a City Centre taskforce that will ensure Derby continues its road to prosperity.
The pride of being Council Leader in my home city is an immense one. But it isn’t a task that I take lightly. Derby is my home. I was born in Arboretum and raised in Normanton, where my parents instilled in me the importance of helping others and equal opportunities.
One of our biggest tasks as a Cabinet in these first 100 days has been to review the Council’s budget, known as the Medium-Term Financial Plan, and understand how we can make it work for Derby.
The Council hasn’t been immune from the effects of rising energy costs and inflation that everyone has had to deal with; I’m sure you’ve seen that in your own household budgets over the past few years. These pressures were unanticipated, and along with the increases in the cost of looking after children in our care, supporting young people with special education needs, the pressures of an aging population, they will continue to worsen without the much needed funding and other reforms to support the work we do for our most vulnerable.
Looking ahead, these challenges will remain, while we look to set our Council budget for 2024/25. Indeed, the Council’s Medium Term Financial plan identified in February this year that we could expect a deficit of £8million in 2024/25, which would rise to £17million the following year. This situation is even more challenging, given the depletion of the Council’s budget risk reserve. This stood at £36million when we were last in administration but had been reduced by the previous administration.
These forecasts have worsened due to the impact of rising inflation, alongside the demands we face each day, and trying to protect our most vulnerable in our city. This meant that we reported a forecast £6million overspend at our quarter 1 position in July 2023. If this overspend is not reduced, it will see a further reduction in the Council’s reserves, and going into the 2024/25 financial year, will only increase the pressure to make further cuts in services.
Further budget cuts would be on top of over £200million of cuts to services the Council has had to make since 2010 under a Conservative Government, whilst dealing with £45million of inflationary increases, and £155million of service pressures. The Government has significantly reduced funding to all local authorities, and like Derby, many other local authorities are finding it extremely difficult to meet these demands leaving depleted levels of reserves, and an overreliance on temporary funding.
Despite this, during our first 100 days, my administration has worked with officers to address some of our key concerns for the city.
Our schools are the fabric of our local communities and closing one would impact the lives of parents, create anxiety for children and potentially harm their prospects, as well as the affecting the local community. That’s why we made it our priority to ensure Ashgate Nursey School was not closed as previously planned, and instead we are working closely with the school, parents and pupils to improve it.
A warm place to meet when you can’t afford to heat your home, access to computers and the internet to write a job application or pay a bill, getting a storybook for a child. While their roles might have changed, our libraries are just as important to our communities now as they have ever been. Ten of our much-valued community libraries had been on a turbulent path to closure thanks to the previous administration, but now, thanks to our intervention, they are back under Council operation, and we’ve initiated plans to ensure their long-term survival.
Pride in where we live is important to us all. The sight of broken washing machines, fridges and old mattresses in front of homes or in back gardens diminishes our sense of place and pride. Not all of us have the means or ability to dispose of these ourselves or the financial resources for them to be taken away. This is especially important during a cost-of-living crisis, when some residents are making the tough decision between heating and eating. That’s why a free bulky waste service will be in place by the end of the year, to lend a helping hand and to bring back pride to our streets, and the places we call home.
One of our key priorities is our city centre, the beating heart of Derby. And while the world is constantly changing, the sight of boarded up shop fronts is an all too familiar one. These should be bustling vibrant places where people meet, work and socialise. And while I truly believe that Derby has all the ingredients to flourish, success is certainly not guaranteed.
Bringing the right people together to make the right decisions is essential, so to take this next step we’ve established a City Centre Taskforce, composed of local businesses, organisations and residents. The Taskforce will help guide development, ensure the right decisions are made at the right times and to help transform our city centre to become a vibrant place that we all want to be in. We know that we can’t do this alone. We’ve taken big steps towards cementing our partnerships with people and stakeholders who share a vision for Derby, with meetings and conversations going on since May.
We know that working with key public, private and voluntary sector partners, alongside our communities, is the best way to deal with the challenges faced by the city. This is my commitment to Team Derby, and I want us to continue developing strong relationships with our partners and stakeholders across the city. Only with your support will we truly be able to create a Derby we can all be proud of.
I also want to take this moment to thank the hard work of the Council’s officers, who put in endless effort, day in and day out across the city, to make all this achievable.
These are just a few of the key actions that our administration has successfully delivered in our first 100 days. It’s been busy, but this is just the beginning of a long road. Some of the decisions we face will be tough, particularly with the constraints of our budget, but I will ensure that my administration can report back after 365 days in office and show that Derby residents were right to put their trust in us.”
The first 100 days at a glance:
- Review of our Council budget
- Saving our Community Libraries
- Stopping the closure of Ashgate Nursery School
- Hosted the first GBR Transition Team Board in the city
- Preparation for the introduction of the bulky waste scheme
- Supporting the most vulnerable in Derby with the Cost of Living crisis
- Dedicated Cabinet Members leading on the City Centre, Cost of Living and inequalities facing Derby
- Developed a climate impact assessment tool to guide decision making
- Preparing for the Derby Promise
- Keynote speaker at the Derby Property summit
- Bringing one of the largest Darley Park Weekenders to the city
- Working on a refreshed Council plan and delivery plan
- Ground breaking ceremonies for key city centre projects
What we expect to bring in the next 100 days and beyond:
- Preparing the financial budget for the next year
- Planning for the decarbonisation of our city with the creation of a ‘Green’ Sustainability Board
- Raynesway Household Waste Recycling Centre to offer bookable appointments and open sessions
- Working with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to understand the demands of adult social care that are facing us over the next few years
- Plans to create a Good Landlord charter
- Moving forward with key regeneration projects, like the Market Hall, to bring vibrancy back into our city centre
- Improving international relations with our partner cities across the world
You can read more about what we have coming up next on our Newsroom.