In my last column I wrote about the unprecedented investment the Conservatives have made in libraries in Medway. Since then the LibDems have criticised the improvements we have made to Gillingham Library—saying that Gillingham should not have an improved library. Why not? Judge that one for yourselves!
One of our key 2003 election pledges was to make the Council more accessible to residents. For us this means making better and wider use of Council-owned properties, and putting an end to the old days of one building for one use.
It also means working more closely with partner organisations to deliver services in Medway. For example working with such organisations as Kent Police and mhs homes.
When we opened the Rainham Contact Point, in Station Road, Rainham, it was in conjunction with Kent Police. This means that residents can access Council services and the police under the same roof, which is recognised as a major step forward in delivering services locally.
The new Contact Point in Rochester is located in the Visitor Information Centre, Rochester High Street. It is an example of better use being made of a public building, which means that residents as well as visitors to Rochester are now using the centre.
The most recent of our Contact Points has been located in the refurbished Gillingham High Street library. This brings together varied Council services under one roof, and makes better use of a public building. It also helps to reinvigorate Gillingham High Street by bringing residents into the heart of the town.
There is still work to be done in terms of residents who contact the Council getting a fast and efficient response that meets their needs. But the investment in the Customer First programme is part of beefing up that response, and many improvements have been made as a result.
The Council continues to improve that part of its service, and it is essential that this happens if we are to deal effectively with queries raised by any one of our 250,000 residents.
Of crucial importance is the top priority of the Conservative administration, which is to put our customers—you, the residents—at the heart of everything we do. This will become increasingly obvious as time goes by, with a range of spending priorities to meet the needs of residents planned.