Contact
Information
e- mail:
info@babergh.gov.uk
Telephone: 01473 822801
Website:
http://www.babergh.gov.uk
All About Us!
BABERGH’S VISION
To provide community leadership which recognises
that everybody matters and which encourages and supports strong and
inclusive communities. Whilst respecting and protecting our
heritage and environment, Babergh will willingly embrace change
where that is of benefit to its residents and the district.
THE HEADQUARTERS
Babergh’s Headquarters are in modern award
winning offices in the medieval market town of Hadleigh – the
geographical centre of the District. The town itself has excellent
amenities including swimming pool, library, two primary schools, a
high school and shopping facilities.
THE DISTRICT
Babergh is a largely attractive and prosperous
District in the southern part of Suffolk and has a long border with
the county of Essex. Whilst it remains very rural, it is within
close and convenient distance of London and the Continent. The
District has a population of approximately 84,000. It covers an
area of 230 square miles and contains several small towns and
villages which still retain much of their original outstanding
character and appearance including the nationally known towns of
Lavenham and Long Melford. For instance, there are 29 conservation
areas and approximately 4,000 listed buildings within the District.
The largest town in Babergh is Sudbury which, along with its
neighbouring village of Great Cornard, has a population of
approximately 20,000. The other market town – Hadleigh – where the
Council’s offices are located, has a population of approximately
7,000. Ipswich (10 miles from Hadleigh) is now spilling over into
the District, and has a population of 130,000 people.
The countryside is also exceptionally
attractive. The District is covered by parts of two Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty. The character changes from deep
countryside in the west to the River Estuaries of the Orwell and
the Stour, internationally renowned for birds, in the east.
London Liverpool Street Station is 55 minutes by
rail from Colchester, which is 15 miles from Hadleigh. The ports of
Felixstowe and Harwich provide excellent communication links to
Germany, Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia. Major road improvements
have also taken place in recent years and the A12 passing through
the eastern part of the District offers easy access to the M25 and
London, with the A14 to the west accessing the M1, M6 and Midlands.
Ease of communications, the many seaside resorts along the east
coast and the attractiveness of Suffolk generally make South
Suffolk a very popular place to live and work.
THE COUNCIL
The Council consists of 43 elected Members
representing 76 parishes. The political composition is at present
11 Conservative, 7 Independents, 18 Liberal Democrats, 6 Labour and
1 other. As can be seen there is no political party with an overall
majority. Babergh tends to operate largely on a non-political
basis.
The Council and Committee meetings are held
during the daytime and are held in the Council Offices at Hadleigh.
In addition Member and Officer Task Groups meet as and when
necessary.
STAFFING
Babergh employs about 370 employees of whom
around 130 are part-time. The majority of employees are based at
our Hadleigh Headquarters.
The make-up of our workforce changed
significantly in the early 90’s. This was largely due to
contractors being engaged to carry out work traditionally
undertaken by our own workforce.
The following work is now undertaken on behalf
of the Council by Contractors:
- Refuse Collection
- Street Cleansing
- Pest Control
- Building Maintenance
- Grounds Maintenance i.e. parks and open spaces
- Leisure Centre and Swimming Pools
Babergh’s staffing levels are low when compared
to other authorities of a similar population size. We pride
ourselves on this achievement which is a direct reflection of our
cost conscious approach to deliver services, and the high
productivity we expect and achieve from our staff.
FINANCIAL SITUATION
The Council has a financial strategy which is an
integral part of the overall approach to Service and Financial
Planning. This is reviewed annually and underpins the formulation
of annual budgets, capital programmes and Council Tax levels. The
Council has committed to doing its best to achieve Council Tax
increases that do not exceed the rate of inflation. To help support
this, there are on-going reviews of changing levels, flexibility of
resources used by Divisions and of any potential savings and
efficiencies that can be achieved. Additionally, there is a formal
plan in place to make use of reserves in the coming years.
CUSTOMER CARE
In common with many other authorities Babergh
has, over the last few years given considerable attention to
customer care. Early in 1991, the Council undertook a comprehensive
review of how it should orientate its services towards the
customer. This gave increasing emphasis to not only the efficiency
of our services but also to their effectiveness. A wide range of
initiatives have been introduced including adoption of a Customer
Care Code, market research, complaints procedure, A-Z of Council
Services, better access to our offices, customer friendly staff
techniques and improvements to the Council’s image.
In addition to this we took the lead on an
initiative to open an Advice Centre in Sudbury, in partnership with
the Town and County Councils. The Centre, which is unique in
Suffolk, is a positive attempt to get closer to our customers and
breakdown the confusion of the 2/3-tier system of Local
Government.
You can expect customer care to be an increasing
part of your role at Babergh as the Council gives greater attention
to the qualities of its services over the coming years.
BEST VALUE
Babergh has adopted a strategic framework to
deal with the Government's Best Value regime. Some extracts from
the strategy are detailed below:-
A robust, flexible and pragmatic approach will
be taken to suit Babergh's specific circumstances and needs;
The scale and public perception of our service
will help to determine the extent and resources allocated to the
Best Value assessment;
There is a need to ensure that the Best Value
programme is not over bureaucratic but ensures effective review of
services;
Babergh recognises that its employees are key
stakeholders in the Best Value process. It therefore seeks to have
a partnership approach with the workforce and trade union by
involving them fully in the process. Staff-side representatives
will be invited onto the Best Value Task Groups and Working
Groups;
Babergh will provide a fair and reasonable
approach to employment protection and fully recognise, respect and
honour employees' basic rights.
A range of measures has been put in place to
deliver Best Value. These include:-
- Corporate Officer Working Group
- Benchmarking Clubs
- Communication and consultation arrangements
- Member/Officer Task Group
- Trade Union involvement
- Review
Teams