Agenda item - Chair's Communications

46.1       The Chair gave the following communications:

“Welcome to the first meeting of the Policy, Resources & Growth Committee in this refurbished Hove Town Hall. Can I thank all of the staff involved over the past two years in getting this massive project to near completion with such professionalism and determination alongside their normal work commitments? I don’t think it’s too much to say that this is an historic step for the City Council marking a new way of working both for staff and for members with some significant investment in new and modern ways of working. Taken together with the move and sale of King’s House it will save the City Council over £1 million/ year. Can I also take this opportunity to congratulate Nick Hibberd on his new role as an Executive Director and to look forward to Larissa Reed and Rob Persey joining the streamlined Executive Leadership Team early in the New Year. I’d like to thank all of those Members from each of the parties who took part in the three interview panels in September.

We are now the Policy, Resources & Growth Committee and one of our key priorities must be to grow our economy, grow our partnerships, grow our communities and grow our influence nationally and internationally. Many of the reports we have here today; Greater Brighton, Better Brighton and Hove, Seafront Investment, Workforce Equalities and more all contribute towards those goals. It’s the job of all of us; Councillors, partners, media and public to be proud of our city and to be sure we present it to the outside world in a positive way. We need investors like John Lewis to bring their business here. We need tourist and conferences, students and new residents who add value to our city to keep coming here. Where we get it wrong we have to make it right, not give up. Where we have challenges we should face up to them and not give in. The world is changing quickly and we owe it to our residents not to delay and not to get left behind.”