New Telford council chief executive already hard at work on authority's plans for the future
He has only just got his feet under the desk, but the new chief executive of Telford & Wrekin Council is already hard at work on the authority's plans for the future.
David Sidaway has returned to take the top job at Telford & Wrekin Council after five years as the chief executive of Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
He returns to a borough that is celebrating a number of success stories, but one also with big issues and ambitions for the future.
In his previous term at the council, Mr Sidaway was behind the creation of the authority's housing firm NuPlace, lobbying to secure the MoD's investment at Donnington and the development of Southwater.
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He explained that the council will be pushing hard to attract more big employers to the borough, and that it is a key part of the authority's plans.
He said: "It is a big part of our strategy. We will be clear about what we want to see in Telford and we will target those companies to relocate to Telford and we will be very commercial in our approach.
"We will continue to push hard. It is a well-run council and we have landed some really good investment and we will continue to do that."
Mr Sidaway said he had always believed in the potential of a council-run house building firm such as NuPlace, in terms of providing quality homes for residents and income for the authority.
He said: "Housing is a key theme for this administration with strong ambitions and it is so exciting to be part of that journey. A big part of your life and how you feel about things is driven by your home and your surrounding environment where you live.
"We started this six and a bit years ago. I always said, because we were right at the start of councils looking at a NuPlace type development, that if I can prove the concept works north of Watford then all the councils will look at this from a commercial point of view."
He said the business was vital at developing brown field sites where projects had stalled, and that the council would continue to build on its work so far.
He said: "We are not building for building's sake. It is controlled growth based around the local plan ensuring we deliver the infrastructure to go with any new development.
"It provides homes that are both market rent and affordable rent and we feel that it is driving up standards in the private landlord sector. I am really excited about the additional investment that we will make in new homes which will form part of the council’s budget for 2020/21, our new homes investment will receive a share of the additional £90m overall council investment."
One of the biggest issues facing Telford is the future of healthcare – particularly the town's Princess Royal Hospital – and Mr Sidaway said a sustainable solution has to be found that works the best for residents in Telford, and wider Shropshire.
He said that consensus over the plans was the best way to secure a successful outcome for the people living in the county.
He said: "I would like to see all interested stakeholders coming together as a collective to represent Telford & Wrekin residents and Shropshire's residents for the right solution."
Mr Sidaway also suggested that more could be done to reduce pressure on hospitals, through GPs and other community services, with investment in adult social care being the foundation of delivering the best services to residents, securing the best outcomes for residents, as well as being the most cost effective approach for UK PLC.
He said: "We need to provide additional focus on primary care if we are going to do the right thing and deflect people from the door of hospitals.
"We need to invest further around prescribing. People may have issues that can be better dealt with through the assets we have in our community.
"We need to be working much more closely with primary care, and respond to people's needs in a different way. It is a key part of the system we need to provide more focus and support with.
"It is all hospitals. Too many people are turning up to the front door of hospitals when that might not always be the best place to deal with their problem."
The council is also a key consultee on one of the biggest developments in the county at the former Ironbridge Power Station.
Shropshire Council will make the final decision on the project, but its residents will likely look towards Telford for services, and rely on those provided by the borough.
Mr Sidaway said they would use their role as a major stakeholder to ensure the development picks up the tab for the infrastructure needed in the residential-led project.
He said: "We are absolutely not against it in principle but there are risks associated with a development of that scale and we will be working with the developer and Shropshire to maximise the potential for the site.
"We will ensure the required infrastructure is in place, by that I mean school facilities, roads, the energy supply – that all that is delivered at no extra cost to this council.
"We will look to maximise the potential of linking in with the rail network, whether that is deliverable from a commercial perspective will have to be worked through."
