Councils Announce Five Year St Neots Vision
via Nick Clarke, Leader Of The Council
Council leaders have this morning announced plans for a five year vision to enhance St Neots and its town centre for current and future generations.
The announcement came at a special breakfast meeting before Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet which is being held in St Neots, today, Tuesday, October 2.
The County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council have agreed to use the meeting as a catalyst to cement their relationship with partners and push ahead with improvements to the area.
Business leaders heard today that a joint statement (attached below) has been agreed between the councils to work closely together to deliver improvements that will help boost the local economy.
This will build on existing work and aims to manage the growth in the town so the expansion of homes and jobs are planned in a way which enhances the town as a vibrant and attractive place in which to live, work and relax.
Cabinet members have come to St Neots as part of a commitment to bring open democracy to the county and hear the views and questions of local residents.
Cambridgeshire County Council Leader Nick Clarke, said: “I want this day to be a catalyst. We have all been working hard for many years on behalf of St Neots, but the only way that we are going to do the best for this town is through effective collaboration. That means the county council, the district council and the town council working together. Clearly we have already been doing that, but I do want today to be an important milestone in cementing that relationship. Both the County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council want to signal that intent strongly, so we have jointly authored a statement on where we want to go with St Neots Town Centre, and why this issue is so important to us.
“Equally it is vital that we councillors get out into the communities we serve so that residents can get directly involved in local democracy and help share their views. Cabinet members will be travelling about St Neots talking to residents and looking at local projects. This is particularly important at this time when we are setting budgets and asking communities their help in setting our priorities.”
Huntingdonshire District Council Leader Jason Ablewhite, said: “This is the start of a drive to help boost local business and jobs in St Neots. We want to work together with the Town Council to help St Neots, Cambridgeshire’s largest town, which is under huge growth pressure to continue to develop whilst safeguarding its own unique identity and offer. There is clear evidence that where Market towns do this, offering a range of leisure as well as retail facilities, they thrive. It is also increasingly the case that a key ingredient in achieving this is the active engagement of the public authorities working in partnership with the private sector. From today we will be working together with others to develop this vision and work unstintingly towards its delivery over the next five years and beyond.”