‘We can’t stop moving forward and being innovative because we are fearful of failure’ writes South Kesteven District Council leader Richard Cleaver

Ward walks in Grantham are the focus of the latest column by South Kesteven District Council leader Richard Cleaver. He writes:

Becoming a new leader of a council isn’t an end in itself – quite the opposite – it’s a new beginning.

That sounds obvious, but over the last two months I’ve been conscious of the fact that you don’t have all the answers when you become leader, but you are a lot better placed to pose all the questions, quickly get the answers, and then swiftly act upon them.

I have now completed three walks around wards in Grantham with their councillors and I’ve asked a lot of questions, heard a lot of hopes, frustrations, and aspirations – and most importantly I’ve learned a lot. And the enthusiasm of the people I’ve met has rubbed off on me.

I have also been impressed by just how much breadth and depth there is to this, the district’s largest town. Of course, that breadth and depth applies as much to the town’s positive attributes as it does to the town’s many challenges which need to be addressed.

But learning isn’t just about retaining facts and figures, it is also about acquiring wisdom and experience. Some of the most important questions are about our past performance – what did we do well and what did we do badly – and why? What are the lessons to be learned?

These are questions I’m constantly asking now, as we must ensure that we do our very best and we cannot afford to make any mistakes – and we can’t stop moving forward and being innovative because we are fearful of failure. Doing nothing is not an option!

So, lessons learned from the ward walks so far include: make sure the facilities promised with new housing developments are delivered on time and to a good standard; don’t leave any green open spaces under-utilised or even worse, empty and unused – let the public enjoy them to the full; listen to the concerns of council tenants, local business owners, and community support projects and act upon them; don’t shy away from confronting the obstacles which are preventing us from getting our projects for the town up and running; and, finally, don’t stop learning and moving forward!

I am confident from my ward walks so far that we have councillors across Grantham who will ensure that we deliver on promises and fulfil the requirements of the community in the town that they are so keen to represent.