Telford & Wrekin co-operative commission chooses key issues

The independent commission is an important initiative in the first steps that Telford & Wrekin is taking to becoming a co-operative council. Commissioners chose the range of issues that they will now consider and make recommendations to the Council on over the next few months.

Commissioners will now split into groups to look at the specific areas in more detail. Supported by council officers, each group will make recommendations early next year on ways that they think these issues can be addressed by the Council and its partners.

The topics the Commission has chosen to make recommendations on are:

- Co-operative values and improving ways to communicate and listen to the community
- Jobs and skills – ensuring people have the right skills for businesses in the borough
- How services are delivered and by which organisation
- How to get more people involved in volunteering to support the community
- Improving the image of Telford and the borough

Council leader Kuldip Sahota said that it was up to commissioners to decide the issues they wanted to look at and that he hoped they would be blunt and honest in their recommendations.

“This borough has some huge challenges ahead which will be compounded by the £40 million of savings that we as a Council have to find.

“We need to work with community if we are to tackle these challenges because we don’t have a monopoly on ideas and answers.”

Cllr Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Co-operative Council, said: “The Commission brings a breadth of talent and experience together that will generate radical and challenging ideas for ways we tackle these issues in totally new ways.

“We look forward to their recommendations which will be a genuine example of the Council working together with and listening to the community.”

Commissioner Patrick Devine said that the group would become the brain, mind and nerve system of Telford and would impact across the whole of the borough.