Page 7 - City Life Magazine - Winter Edition

www.worcester.gov.uk
Dear residents
The last few months have been
a time of change for our country
and city with the passing of
our beloved monarch still very
fresh in our minds. The city and
Worcester City Council played our
parts during the national period
of mourning and in recognising
the beginning of a new reign. The
proclamation of the new King’s
reign was read from the steps of
the Guildhall, and the City Council
held an extraordinary meeting to
Marc Bayliss record both our profound sadness
at the passing of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II as well as our
support for our new King and
Queen Consort. We wish them
well as they take up their new
responsibilities, and the Faithful
City looks forward to welcoming
them in the future.
We have also recently observed
Remembrance Sunday, when the
city came together to pay our
enduring respect for all those who
served and gave their lives for
the freedoms we enjoy today. The
event was a great success with,
what certainly appeared to be,
even more people attending
than in previous years. I would
especially like to thank all those
who took part in organising such a
memorable and moving event.
On a less positive note, the City
Council has recently had to face a
serious service problem when the
failings of an external provider’s
software caused a major fault at
our car parks which resulted in
several thousand customers being
overcharged for parking. While
this was caused by a third-party
provider, I would nevertheless like
to personally apologise to all those
affected. Staff and councillors
recognise the difficulties this
incident caused residents and I
can assure you that lessons have
been learnt which will hopefully
prevent any reoccurrence.
Turning to the future, Christmas
is nearly upon us again and the
city is gearing up for this fabulous
time of year. The City Council is
playing its part in supporting the
festivities in a number of different
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7
JOINT LEADER’S MESSAGE
ways and, despite economic times
remaining uncertain, I do hope
you will get the opportunity to
spend time with your family and
loved ones.
Finally, this will be my last Leader’s
column as, by the time you read
this, I will have stood down from
my position as Joint Leader of
the City Council after nearly
five years in post. It has been a
huge honour to serve as Leader
during a period of such change
and development for our city. We
have seen major improvements
such as the initiatives in the
Cultural Development Fund
as well as projects associated
with both the Future High
Streets Fund and Towns Fund
proposals. Collectively, these
projects are funding £43 million
worth of regeneration in our city
and promise to make a lasting
difference to both the look of
Worcester and also to the lives
of residents. The work we have
done to bring greater political
stability to the council with a joint
City Plan designed and approved
by all political parties is also
something I will look back on with
pride. Perhaps most importantly,
the work councillors and council
officers did during the Covid
pandemic to support residents is
what I will remember most from
my five years at the helm. Covid
certainly posed us all challenges
but also brought out the very best
in public service.
While I am stepping away from
leading the City Council, I do
hope to continue to be able to
support Worcester in my new
role as Deputy Police and Crime
Commissioner by ensuring the
police and criminal justice system
are focused on reducing crime
and anti-social behaviour across
the city and beyond.
I wish my successor all the
very best.
Kind regards
Marc
Councillor Marc Bayliss
Joint Leader – Worcester
City Council
25/11/2022 12:36 pm
12:36 pm