South Kesteven District Council leader Ashley Baxter talks about councillors in new roles
Last month, I attended the annual meetings of two councils on consecutive days, writes South Kesteven District Council leader Ashley Baxter (Ind).
First the district; and then the county council. I am pleased that both gave me cause for optimism.
Several people have taken on new roles. The first was Coun Ian Selby who was voted unanimously as chairperson of the district council. Ian is the longest-serving councillor at South Kesteven having first been elected in 1995. Since then he has witnessed many different styles of chairmanship and will be able to imitate the best examples and hopefully avoid any mistakes of his many predecessors. He will put to good use his reputation and many years’ experience of fundraising for his chosen charity of Kesteven Rideability which neatly reflects his love for people and for horses.
Two other people with new roles are Coun Nikki Manterfield and Coun Sarah Trotter who are the leader and deputy respectively of the newly restored Conservative Group at South Kesteven. Grantham has a track record of producing formidable female Conservative leaders. My experience of working with Nikki and Sarah is that they are both principled and pragmatic. I am sure they will be constructive in their comments and criticism without unnecessary confrontation or political point-scoring.
Within the administration, my cabinet remains unchanged. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? At the annual council meeting, each portfolio holder spoke for a few minutes about the successes of the previous year and the challenges ahead. SKDC has won multiple awards recently and has been shortlisted for several more in the months ahead. Some significant projects have been completed including a new Customer Service Centre in Grantham and a new car park in Stamford, while others are in progress including a new depot to meet the challenge of emptying over 70,000 bins weekly across the district. Other current projects include mending the roofs of the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham and the Deepings Community Centre.
I arrived in Lincoln the following day with some trepidation. The county council is now controlled by Reform UK and most of their councillors are brand new to the role. Despite lacking political experience, Coun Sean Matthews, who was elected leader of the council during the meeting, displayed humility and integrity. He was also kind enough to meet me later the same day to discuss issues of common concern including the impending Local Government Re-organisation. I am sure we will disagree with each other vehemently on many issues in the months and years ahead; the first was his short-sighted decision to abolish the Flood and Water Management Committee. However, it is possible to disagree politely and I am optimistic the meetings won’t be as fractious as might be expected. Who knows, on some issues we might even find a consensus?
