Sunday, August 30, 2009

The New Mayor of Doncaster

This has been published by the Mayors office. He started in June.

I think we would all like to see this sort of thing. so good luck to him.



Priorities

The Mayor is committed to improving the borough and ensuring residents are offered the best possible services.

Progress / Key decisions since taking office

  • Appointed a mixed Cabinet of committed Councillors

  • Cut Mayor's salary from around £73,000 to £30,000 per year

  • Axed Mayor's chauffeur driven car (approximately £6,000)

  • Stopped future funding for gay pride event (£3,000)

  • Stopped council newspaper Doncaster News

  • Directed that two children's social worker posts be reinstated at Doncaster Royal Infirmary to specifically assist children in hospital and to help detect abuse

  • Axed membership of Local Government Association and Local Government Information Unit (approximately £80,000)

  • Where possible, stopped funding for translation services and instead encourage people to learn English

  • Cut twinning ties with five towns saving approximately £4,000+

  • Written to the Electoral Commission to cut the number of Councillors from 63 to 21 which could save upwards of £1,000,000

Future priorities

  • Lower Council Tax by cutting extortionate levels of bureaucracy and other waste

  • End malpractice and mismanagement in the council

  • Hold a referendum on the Mayoral governance of Doncaster

  • Reduce the number of councillors from 63 to 21

  • Conduct a review of the A638 Quality Bus Corridor and the traffic mayhem around the Dome

  • Scrap politically correct non-jobs and encourage the former employees to seek meaningful employment

  • Encourage every school to opt out of local authority control – money should go directly to schools to raise deteriorating educational standards

  • Ensure police concentrate resources on catching criminals

  • Introduce zero tolerance of anti-social behaviour and impose penalties for such everyday practices as using foul language in public and spitting in the street

  • Halt the architectural vandalism of Doncaster and protect the town’s heritage