Leader of Slough Borough Council hopes new Corporate Plan rebuilds resident trust

The leader of Slough Borough Council has said the authority will need to repair trust with the public as it sets out its vision for the future.

Councillors reviewed the borough’s corporate plan – which sets out the council’s vision and priorities through to 2025 – at the first public cabinet meeting under the new administration yesterday (Monday).

The revised corporate plan considers resident data collected by the Local Government Association (LGA) in the first two months of 2023 on behalf of the council.

Their survey asked Slough residents questions that have been compared with national resident satisfaction figures.

The survey highlighted key concerns regarding the public’s confidence and trust in the council, which will need to be addressed in the corporate plan.

The survey found that:

•  30 per cent of Slough respondents said they were very or fairly satisfied with the way SBC runs things. By comparison, 60 per cent of respondents nationally said they were satisfied with the way their local council runs things.

• 21 per cent of Slough respondents strongly agreed or tended to agree that SBC provides value for money compared to 46 per cent of national respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that their council provides value for money.

• 28 per cent of Slough respondents said that SBC acts on their concerns to a great deal or a fair amount compared to 52 per cent nationally.

• 25 per cent of Slough respondents said that they trust Slough Council a great deal or a fair amount. The figure stood at 59% nationally.

Cllr Dexter Smith, the leader of the council who also chaired the meeting, said: “I think [these figures] highlight quite clearly why we need a refresh of the corporate plan.

“A lot of repairing of trust is necessary here.”

At this stage, cabinet was only asked to consult on the new plan before it goes out to public consultation for six weeks in the summer months.

The consultation will focus on health and particularly children’s health concerns, such as obesity and mental health.

Cllr Christine Hulme (Lab, Herschel Park) asked whether it would be better to hold a 12-week consultation outside of the summer months – when many people will be away.

Her concern was that, because of the short period of public consultation happening during the summer, the results of it would not fairly display residents’ thoughts and concerns.

Cabinet members assured the consultation time would be enough and voted to accept the report and move forward with the public consultation.

The report will be reviewed after the consultation and a revised plan will be presented to cabinet and councillors in September.