Have your say on your Council’s next five years

The Council, which is marking fifty years of serving the local community this year, is putting forward a vision for a healthy, sustainable borough; and a resilient Council that enables its communities to thrive and provides support for those in need.

The draft plan describes how the Council will need to focus its limited resources in order to contribute towards achieving this vision. It identifies a number of priorities, explaining why they are important and how they will shape the work of the Council over the next five years.

People living, working or spending time regularly in the borough are encouraged to give their views on whether they agree with the proposed ambitions and priorities.

Cllr Richard Biggs, Leader of the Council says: “It’s vital that our plan for the next five years reflects the needs of the whole borough, so we want as many people as possible to let us know what they think.

“Over the past five years I’ve been incredibly proud of how the borough and the Council have responded to the challenges we met, from the pandemic and the cost of living to the discovery of RAAC in the Harlequin theatre. Looking forward, I expect we’ll continue to face challenging times, including an uncertain economic environment and climate change.

“Importantly, this draft plan commits us to being both environmentally and financially sustainable so we can remain a resilient Council that helps to improve local people’s health and wellbeing. We accept that we must use our public funds carefully and balance financial and other considerations, but we will concentrate on providing the quality core services we all rely on and be ready with the additional support that people in the most difficult circumstances may need.

“I understand that many people will be concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Harlequin Theatre. Facilitating cultural opportunities and activities for residents is one of our priorities and we’ll be updating the final plan as we know more.”

Managing Director of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Mari Roberts-Wood adds: “Our dedicated teams are responsible for a huge range of public services in the borough. These include ones you may use regularly, such as collecting your bins and looking after your local park; to those you would hope never to need, such as preventing and tackling homelessness. We also work closely with Surrey County Council and other public sector organisations who provide valuable local services.

“We know we cannot achieve our vision for the borough alone. We will need to work with all our partners, including our amazing voluntary and business organisations and, most importantly, our local communities.

“Many of our partners have helped us to develop this draft plan, but it can be even better with your feedback and I encourage you to have your say.”

The full draft Reigate & Banstead 2030 plan can be viewed on the Council’s website at www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/rbbc2030 and comments submitted via an online survey. For those without internet access, paper copies of the plan are available. Comments can also be made in writing or via email.

The public consultation runs from 23 September to 5pm on 20 November 2024.

Following the consultation comments made will be taken into account as the Council finalises its Reigate & Banstead 2030 plan for the next five years. It is anticipated that the final plan will be adopted by the end of March 2025.