Things don’t just happen in Staffordshire!

Our county is better placed than much of the UK for jobs, growth, stability and public services…

But is that a coincidence; is it just national policies or are decisions in County Council driving things?

Let’s look at the evidence. Two years ago Conservatives won a majority in County Council for the first time in nearly 30 years. During that time we’ve ’lived’ first hand just how much County Council affects the prospects for Staffordshire’s future.

The majority of council tax is set by County. Over 350 services, many of them so  basic to everyday life people don’t give them a second thought, are County’s responsibility. With annual spend of over £1.3billion, assets worth more billions and as the biggest employer in Staffordshire it means economic prosperity and employment is directly affected negatively or positively by the political approach… as is the delivery, effectiveness and resilience of so many public services.

Politics matters in Staffordshire because it has a direct influence on all those things. It is about decision making, competance, ambition for our county and the approach taken…

Setting council tax as high as possible… or as low as is needed?

Closing services because it’s the easy option… or keeping them going by doing things differently and more efficiently?

Planning for just tomorrow… or for the next 10 years?

Making people dependent on the State… or encouraging people to aim high and take personal responsibility for their prospects?

Watching jobs decline and hoping for the best… or actively supporting business growth and employment?  

Little of ambition for Staffordshire and happy with mediocrity… or strong ambition for Staffordshire and wanting it to be recognised nationally and internationally?

Things don’t just happen. The fact that Staffordshire as a place is widely recognised as having significantly better prospects than most of the rest of the country is not only factual, it’s an entirely different picture to the last decade. And it’s the approach of the political party running County Council which significantly determines the prospects for Staffordshire, its people and its future. Or is it just coincidence?… I think not.

By the way, as if I need say, in my list of examples earlier we always go with the latter options!! 

You can read more here about the way decisions are made, the check and balance of the Cabinet’s power and the way County Councillors hold individual decision makers to account.

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