Gloucester Conservative City Council Key Achievements Since 2004
- Re-opened the Folk Museum after it was closed by the previous administration.
- Repaid £10 million of debt inherited from Lib-Lab administration.
- Kept council tax rises down – an average of less than 3% a year against 10% a year average for the previous years when the other parties ran the Council.
- Recycling rate increased from 7% to 50%. Green box recycling extended across the whole city, plastic bottles and card now collected and separate food waste collection.
- Delivered on regeneration:
- St Oswalds Park
- Docks warehouses restored and new public spaces created
- Gloucester Park transformed
- Gloucester Quays phase one opened
- Interim works carried out in Kings Square
- Linkages work between Gloucester Quays and the city centre near completion
- Planning permission granted for supermarket and business units on the Railway Triangle
- Redevelopment of Kings Square and the Bus Station closer than ever before through the Council’s partnership with Stanhope plc
- Took on city centre assets from now defunct Regional Development Agency, including the Fleece Hotel, where urgent stabilisation works are now taking place.
- Project to provide a new viewing chamber for the Roman remains outside Boots now complete
- Gloucester City Homes 3-star rating and £40m of investment in “Decent Homes”.
- Level of new affordable housing units delivered consistently higher than the previous administration – 275 in 2008/9, 226 in 2009/10 against 50 in the last year of the previous administration.
- £1 million museum refurbishment project under way.
- Leadership through the floods of 2007 and over 60 flood alleviation schemes undertaken since.
- Tall Ships Festival held in 2007, 2009 and will be held in 2011.
- Christmas activities increased –new lights, switch-on procession, Victorian market.
- New outdoor market and car boot site opened at Hempsted Meadows, with more events now taking place there.
- Creation of Marketing Gloucester to promote the city.
- Car parking charges cut
- Programme of car park refurbishments now well under way
- Creation of Aspire Leisure Trust to manage GL1 and Tennis Centre.
- Funding and planning permission secured for improvements to the Blackbridge athletics track, due for completion in August 2012
- Helped Gloucester City Football Club to return home to the City. Planning application due to be determined shortly.
- Establishment of streetcare partnership with Enterprise.
- Five consecutive Heart of England in Bloom Gold Awards
- Britain’s first “Bee Guardian City”.
- Restructured the organisation to take out excessive management and reduce costs.
- Climate change strategy approved and being implemented – combined heat and power at GL1, electric car, plan for wind turbine at Alney Island.
- Restoration of historic buildings - 66 Westgate Street (former Teapots) with Council grant, Robert Raikes House, St Michael’s Tower, St Oswalds Priory. Blackfriars Priory opened as venue for events and exhibitions. Trust set up to manage and restore Llanthony Priory.
- Major investment in street furniture, new dog and litter bins.
- Major investment in play areas across the city – over £1 million spent on over 20 sites.
- Tough action taken to bring empty homes back into use – including the compulsory purchase of 193 Bristol Road
- New City Vision agreed after extensive consultation
- Believe in Gloucester campaign launched to generate pride in the city
