“Growing the local economy and offering young people a better future were paramount for Herefordshire Council, members of the county’s Conservative Business Forum were told on November 16th at their breakfast meeting at the Harewood End Inn.

Guest speaker Jonathan Lester, leader of the council, said the younger generation must be encouraged to be engaged within their communities. 

“Youth needs to be informed; they are our future and will carry the torch in the future,” said Councillor Lester.

While many Councils are facing severe financial challenges, he said, these authorities had not made changes to reflect the reality of a reduction in Government budget support.

Government revenue to Herefordshire had dropped from £60 million to £620,000 expected in 2019. That would fall to zero in 2020. However, brave decisions had set Herefordshire Council on the financially successful pathway.

He said: “Re-engineering, resilience, growing communities and engaging communities achieved this success.”

Some 650 staff were lost through re-engineering waste collections to fortnightly collections. Investing in “Waste from Energy” had resulted in 90% of rubbish being burnt to produce electricity while slashing the quantity transported to landfill.

Creating more resilient communities and identifying ways to spend money more wisely were other key factors.

Herefordshire Council currently spent 75% of its £98 million budget on social service he said. Caring for people in their own homes was a priority for their own wellbeing.

“We all need to get smarter in looking after our communities,” he insisted.

Councillor Jenny Hyde gave the vote of thanks, saying she felt privileged to be part of Councillor Lester’s successful team that had created a transformation.

Forum Chairman Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, said: “As our employment spokesman in the European Parliament I was hugely encouraged by the emphasis Jonathan is placing on growth, jobs and strong communities. The three go together - and along with careful stewardship of taxpayers’ money, this is exactly what a council should be doing to serve its people well.”