1) Approved/Implemented phases 1 and 2 of the 39 Services Restructuring Exercise. (Directors numbers reduced from 9 to 3. 2nd Tier Officer numbers reduced from 22 to 15. Significant savings generated. Other re-structurings ongoing, carefully.
2) Progressed Single Status Agreement (Equal Pay for Equal Work) towards completion by Autumn, 2012.
3) Completed, in March, 2012, the Council Housing Options Ballot, with a record turnout of tenant voters for Wales, at 71%, with 88% of them voting to remain with the Council as their landlord.
4) Vastly improved the Housing Repairs and Maintenance Service performance, along with similar improvements in the Voids control aspect.
5) Canton Depot relocation project now completed. Resulting in better conditions for staff, better use of the Flint Office and the release of the Canton location as a marketable asset for the future.
6) Rationalised the Housing Repairs Stores and supplies issue by outsourcing this function to Travis Perkins, thus obtaining better service and saving money.
7) Delivered 4 balanced Annual Budgets and adhered to them.
8) Stabilised Council Tax demands at the 3% range for all four years, thus taking less annual increase out of the pockets of residents than in the previous 5 years before the Coalition.
9) Schools Modernisation Programme. Successfully amalgamated 6 (3 x 2) Junior Schools and commenced a new build school at Custom House Lane on Deeside. Firmly progressed the Foundation Phase process for early years learning. Avoided closure of rural schools. Worked hard on progressing the 21st Century Schools policy out of Wales Government.
10) Empty Seats In Schools Problem. Commenced dialogue with all Stakeholders over the best way to reduce the 30% plus excess seats problem at Holywell High, John Summers High and at Elved High in Buckley. Assorted "Options" set out as a starting point. Many public meetings held and process rolling on, so that whenever any Firm Recommendations appear, they will have local support, be affordable and be in the best interests of students now and in the future.
11) Obtained Wales Government Grant Funding of £1Million per year for a 10 year programe of Urban Renewal along Deeside, in deprived areas of Shotton, Connah's Quay and Queensferry.
12) Leading the consortium of 5 North Wales local authorities engaged on the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project, for the purpose of keeping us safe from heavyweight EU Infraction Charges in future years.
13) Working in collaboration with Wrexham and Denbighshire on Food Waste collection and disposal via an Anaerobic Digestion facility, probably in the St. Asaph area, with Wales Governmnet support and financial backing. Good for the environment and good for saving each local authority from exceeding future landfill quota limits and infraction charges.
14) Successfully leading the MASS (Managed Agency Staff Scheme) process, designed to reduce numbers of Agency Staff employed, at high costs. Working with Wrexham and Denbighshire. Cconsiderable cash savings produced and numbrs of Agency Staff significantly reduced, along with the provision of full time, permanent jobs for a lot of Agency Workers.
15) Won Excellence Awards for Management Re-organisation and Social Services Delivery of Services..
16) Won two European level awards for Management of the Clwyd Pension fund.
17) Successfully incorporated A&D Waste into the main council structure.
18) Re-arranged refuse and recycling collection systems, thus obtaining better use of vehicle fleet, reducing landfilling by 720 tonnes per week. Good for environment. Providing cash savings.
19) Opened Llys Eleanor and one other Extra Care Facility for the elderly and vulnerable.
20) Rationalised the past muddle over Community Strategy, the Supporting People Process and the Sheltered Housing Wardens positions. Cash saved, service improved.
21) Established Flintshire Business Week as a major annual event for North Wales.
22) Established the Mold Food Fayre as a major annual event for the area on both sides of the border.
23) Rationalised and speeded up the application process for Disabled Facility Grants.
24) Progressed the Warren Hall Business Parc Scheme and road re-structuring associated with it.
25) Achieved recognition for parts of the Northern Gateway Project as "The Deeside Enterprise Zone" backed now by the Welsh Government. This has the potential now to attract serious commercial and industrial investors and includes the building of some 600+ new houses.
26) Achieved completion of the Connah's Quay New Medical Centre, initiated under the previous administration.
27) Achieved completion of the Mold New Medical Centre, initiated under the previous administration.
28) Finally Obtained funding and approval from Wales Government for the Buckley New Medical Centre.
29) Established and progressed the Local Service Board and Flintshire in Partnership arrangements, entailing:-
Community Safety Partnership
Health, Social Care & Wellbeing Partnership
Flintshire Housing Partnership (Private Sectore Housing Issues)
30) Firmly engaged with the Voluntary Sector via the Voluntary Sector Compact. (FLVC, CABx, Age Concern, Care & Repair, etc) and maintained our financial support.
31) Improved and revitalised Deeside Leisure Centre. Phases 1 and 2 complete. Phase 3 under way.
32) Planning Department improvements:- Third Party Repreentations now established. Enforcement Section strengthened. The long awaited UDP now finalised and the LDP process commenced.
33) Decriminalised Parking Process now well under way and should be in force, with luck, by the end of 2012.
34) Dog Fouling Bye-laws now established. A number fo offenders prosecuted. More work still to be done!
35) Street Scene framework now firmly in place, with the 01352 701234 telephone number now working well.
36) Flint Regeneration Scheme now firmly outlined and 7 other Town regeneration schemes progressing.
37) Agile and Flexible Wworking practices now ell established across all departments.
38) In collaboration with BCUHB and Wrexham CBC, established the North East Wales Community Equipment Service for Disabled/Vulnerable people.
39) In conjunction with other North Wales local authorities, established the North Wales Telecare Scheme (Galw Gofal), based in Conwy.
40) Social Services:- Established Regional Arrangements for Emergency Duty Teams, with Denbighshire and Wrexham, with Conwy also looking at joining in.
41) Major Data Cleansing exercise undertaken within HR Department in order to improve the accuracy of data on record. Update ongoing...
42) Commenced outline options proposals for the future of the County Hall and Theatre Clwyd complexes.
43) Working with Wrexham, created a combined Safeguarding Young Children Board.
44) Commenced the process of regenerating the Flint Pavilion.
45) Obtained £5Million of funding from the Wales Government for our Rural Partnership Developmental Work.
46) Assisted with the creation of the new factory for the A350 Airbus at Broughton. £26Million of investment funding and hundreds of new job opportunities.
47) Signed up to the "Compact for Transformation" put forward to all 22 local authorities in Wales by the Wales Government.
48) Signed and adhered to the Memorandum of Understanding between Wales Government, Unions and Local Authorities, designed to safeguard employment and services within the local government framework.
49) Re-vamped and modernised, as far as possible, the main council chamber, following a flooding episode in February of 2011.
50) Seriously re-appraised the control structures around fleet use, fuel use and fitted tracker systems to vehicles for better management, control and economy.
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