Statement by Ray Dawe following his election as leader of the Conservative group on Horsham District Council.
I’m very grateful to my Conservative colleagues for showing their confidence in me by electing me their leader. I’m determined to show that I’m worthy of that trust.
My name will now go forward for election as Leader of Horsham District Council at our February meeting. I’m conscious of the great responsibilities that this job entails and I will work hard to represent the interests of all our residents.
I’m unashamedly ambitious for our district. I want Horsham district – with Horsham town at its heart – to continue to be known as an excellent place to live and work, with a quality of life that is among the best in the country.
My predecessor Robert Nye had a dynamic vision for Horsham District: an enterprising approach to balancing the budget while continuing to provide our citizens with first-class services. I share his vision. I want to build a positive, optimistic and entrepreneurial agenda that balances the savings we certainly have to make with business-savvy and politically sensitive creativity to generate additional resources and income.
I’m under no illusions about the financial challenges that lie ahead. There will be hard choices to make and difficult decisions to take. We will also need to ensure that we extract maximum value for every pound that the council spends. This makes it all the more important that we discharge our duties with the greatest care and humanity.
I want to ensure that our customers‘ experience of dealing with their council is a positive one and the environment for our hard-working staff is rewarding.
One of my early priorities will be to ensure we complete a fundamental review of the options for Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre and to identify solutions, which work for the whole community and command wide public confidence.
Under my leadership our decision-making will at all times be open, evidence-based and inclusive.
