Chris Barnfather

 

About Chris

Chris has been a resident of Ravenshead in Nottinghamshire for 25 years where he lives with his wife Tracey and two teenage daughters, Lucie & Emily.

He retired from the Nottinghamshire Police in 2004, whilst holding the rank of Detective Superintendent, after more than 34 years with the Force and where he served all over the County. He is currently the Chairman of Governors at the Joseph Whitaker Foundation School & Specialist Sports College, Rainworth where he is in his second 4-year term as a governor. Chris has also been a governor for 12 years at Abbey Gates Primary School in Ravenshead where he was the Chair for 7 years, stepping down in 2008.

Chris has a long  track record of public service in his role as a Police Officer and School Governor and since his retirement has sought to extend this through his interest in national politics and involvement in local government. He was elected to Ravenshead Parish Council in May 2007 where he is currently the Vice Chair and was simultaneously elected as a district councillor representing Ravenshead Ward at Gedling Borough Council, where he is the Party Business Manager for the Conservative Group. He sits on the Planning and Audit committees.

Having been elected to the Nottinghamshire County Council in June 2009 Chris was appointed as the Conservative Group's Deputy Business Manager and is now Chairman of the Planning & Licensing Committee. Chris has a strong belief in the role and value of local government and the need for greater effectiveness and efficiency in local service delivery. He believes that ‘local decisions should be made by local people’ and that those decisions should be locally accountable. He believes that with his election to Nottinghamshire County Council he is able to provide a ‘One Stop Shop’ for residents to be able to access advice and assistance with local services and to give them continuity and consistency in the communication of their opinions and influence across all the local authorities.  

Chris' latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...

Each Nottinghamshire County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent. The Councillors' Divisional Fund aims to make use of each councillor's 'grass roots' knowledge to identify projects, events, people and clubs that work hard to benefit and promote their local area, but often lack access to resources. Even a small amount of funding can sometimes make a huge difference. 

If you know of a deserving initiative in the Newstead division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please contact me. You can click the following link to read the eligibility guidance criteria.   

Follow this link to the Councillors' Divisional Fund web page to see some of the latest projects I have been able to support.

Chris' latest news...

Freckland wood sculptures

Sculptures of mining tools have been unveiled in Freckland Wood near Newstead, thanks to funding from Nottinghamshire County Council's Local Improvement Scheme. A pick axe, a shovel and a sledge hammer depict the heritage of the area where the former colliery used to stand. A local artist worked closely with children from Newstead and Annesley Primary Schools and the Women’s Institute to come up with ideas that best reflected the area’s history.

Preserving our heritage is one of the core objectives of the Local Improvement Scheme and I'd like to congratulate everyone connected with this project as there has been a real community spirit on show.

(Posted 23/4/2012)

Japanese Water Gardens at Bestwood Country Park

One of Nottinghamshire’s latest tourist attractions has been unearthed in Bestwood Country Park. Japanese Gardens, dating back to Victorian times, have been carefully and painstakingly restored after receiving funding from Nottinghamshire County Council's Local Improvement Scheme (LIS).

I am delighted to have supported the £30,000 project, which has seen work carried out by conservation and archaeology experts and has included an archaeology dig, a landscape survey, ground clearance and the restoration of stone paths. Particular care has been taken to keep intact the plants, shrubs and trees at the gardens as they are the original plantings and date from the turn of the century.

The LIS funding also provided two interpretation boards detailing the history of the gardens and a map of Bestwood Country Park. A number of elements most commonly associated with Japanese Gardens are featured in Bestwood including stepping stones, rocks and stone arrangements and enclosures such as a hedge or fence of traditional character. Original bamboo and fern shrubs are also featured throughout the gardens.

The Friends of Bestwood Country Park (who keep an eye on such things as bird and wildlife sightings within the park, flora and fauna and reporting instances of anti-social behaviour) have welcomed the gardens as a wonderful asset and hope in time that they will attract visitors from across the county and beyond.

(Posted 20/4/2012)

Council plans to adopt a committee system

Pending approval at the Council’s Annual General Meeting on 17^th May 2012, Nottinghamshire County Council plans to exercise its new power under the Localism Act 2011 to adopt a committee system of decision-making. This will replace the current Leader and Cabinet model adopted under the Local Government Act 2000.

The rationale for a committee system is that it is the most democratic and transparent form of governance. It ensures all 67 democratically elected Councillors are able to fully participate in decision-making and shaping the policy of the Council. It ensures greater transparency in that all reports are publicly available prior to any decision being made, and all decision-making meetings are held in public.

Reports were taken to the Full Council meetings in January and March (Item 11), with final approval being sought, as stated above, in May.

(Posted 17/4/2012)

Council tax frozen again in 2012/13 

At the Nottinghamshire County Council budget meeting on 23^rd February it was agreed to freeze county council tax for a third consecutive year. With public finances under strain across the country, the council has saved £87 million so far, £44 million of which has been reinvested directly into frontline services. In the coming financial year we will spend: -

• £2.8 million more safeguarding children;
• £5.2 million more on care for older people;
• £2.7 million more on adults with mental health & learning disabilities;
• £1.4 million more on adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more to support young carers.

 

 We are also committed to invest £289 million in capital over three years on:-

• Improving school buildings;
• Modernising day centres;
• New youth clubs;
• Improving libraries;
• Improved broadband services;
• Improved roads and pathways;
• New and improved bus stations.

 

Councillor Reg Adair is the council's Cabinet Member for Finance & Property. In his speech presenting the budget, he outlined the results of the council's budget consultation. In response to public feedback, we are: - 

• providing additional library opening hours at 15 locations across the county;
• holding Meals at Home charges at £3.95 for 2012/13; and
• not increasing charges for Blue Badge holders in 2012/13, unlike many other local authorities. 

 

(Posted 28/2/2012)  

Success!  The A453 gets the green light!

I am absolutely delighted by the Chancellor’s announcement that the Government is fast-tracking the widening of the A453. This is the best Christmas gift that businesses and residents in Nottinghamshire could have, bringing a £540m boost to the East Midlands economy.  

In May this year, Nottinghamshire County Council pledged £20m towards the scheme if it was bought forward. Since that pledge was made, the campaign to widen the road has garnered support from the local business community and other local councils, including a pledge of £500,000 towards the scheme from Rushcliffe Borough Council in October.

The A453 has been on the Council’s wishlist since the 1970s. At last it is going to happen and I am thrilled for local businesses and commuters alike. I want to particularly thank East Midlands Airport, Boots, RH Freight, Hardstaffs, the Nottingham Post newspaper and partner authorities for their support in this campaign.

In the five years up to October 2010, there were 185 accidents involving personal injury on just the Nottinghamshire part of the A453. The Nottinghamshire section of the road is the second most congested part of the national road network after a short section of the M25. This congestion has been costing larger businesses as much as £100,000 a year because of increased fuel usage, difficulty reaching customers, abandoned journeys and accident costs.

Finally, we can look forward to smoother and safer journeys on this vital road link through Nottinghamshire from the M1 and I am immensely pleased that the Government has listened to our determined campaign.  

(Posted 30/11/2011)

Traffic lights make A60 junction safer

After campaigning long and hard and holding numerous meetings with officers, I'm delighted to report that a potentially hazardous road junction will now have traffic lights installed. The Forest Lane junction with the A60 Nottingham to Mansfield road, near Papplewick, is one of the busiest junctions in the county. Traffic surveys recorded peak-time queues on Forest Lane of more than 60 vehicles. Driver frustration caused by the delays contributed to a higher than normal rate of accidents at the junction, with a total of 17 personal injury accidents recorded there in the period 2004 to 2010, most of them involving motorists turning right out of Forest Lane colliding with northbound vehicles on the A60.

Nottinghamshire County Council is spending £490,000 to improve the junction by installing traffic lights to control traffic. The Council has contributed £170,000 from its Local Transport Plan budget, while £320,000 has come from the Government’s Growth Point Initiative which is designed to provide support to local communities whilst assisting large-scale and sustainable growth, including new housing. The work is due to be completed by the end of January 2012.

(Posted 17/11/2011)

Budget Conversation underway

Nottinghamshire County Council has announced proposals for its 2012/13 budget. 

Nottinghamshire residents are invited to give feedback on the budget proposals and take part in our Budget Conversation, which is open until Friday 29^th January 2012. The results of last year's consultation led us to change some of our proposals and we will be listening very carefully once again. Please let us know your views.

(Posted 17/11/2011)

£2.5 million boost for Supporting People

Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.

Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.

However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.

These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30^th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-

• Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
• ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
• Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
• Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
• Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.

 

We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.

Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

More grass cuts

Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.

As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.

At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes. 

The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside.  They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges

(Posted 14/7/11)

Regional Spatial Strategy

I am pleased to note that the new Coalition Government has taken immediate steps to address the issue of the Regional Spatial Strategy and the micromanagement of housing targets and new-build locations imposed upon us by the previous Labour administration. As a vocal supporter of localism, within a broad strategic overview, I am delighted that decisions surrounding housing development will once again be returned to locally elected and locally accountable politicians. I await with interest the results of the current review and publication of the new Aligned Core Strategy for new residential development in the Ashfield, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe areas and will be working hard to ensure that parishes within the Gedling area are not disproportionately affected. 

(Updated 9/6/2010)

Police Authority question

At the Full Council meeting on 19^th May 2011 I questioned the Vice Chairman of Nottinghamshire Police Authority regarding the proposal to close the Ravenshead Contact Point and re-site the facility elsewhere. I pointed out that local residents in rural areas were feeling marginalised with an apparent two-tier service which appeared to favour the urban areas and the City of Nottingham in particular. I received an assurance that the Police Authority would not close the Ravenshead Contact Point unless and until a suitable alternative, accepted by local residents, had been identified.

(Posted 8/6/2011)

School buildings investment

I am delighted to report that Hawthorne Primary & Nursery in Newstead division (Bestwood Village) is one of the schools set to benefit from the first phase of Nottinghamshire County Council's new £100 million programme to refurbish and improve school buildings.

At the Annual General Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 19^th May, the Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services, Councillor Philip Owen set out the full Schools Capital Refurbishment Programme List, covering three years up to 2014.

In line with the "Three R's" set out by the Government for school building works (Refresh, Refurbish, Re-use), Nottinghamshire County Council has set the criteria to prioritise the schools most in need of improvements for the first year. The condition of roofs, external walls and windows, electrical arrangements and mechanical issues such as boilers have been considered. 

More in-depth surveys of the schools in the first year list will take place from June and works on a small number of schools will begin during the summer holidays. The Council started a review of school buildings across the county following the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The County Council will be funding around £30m of the programme with the remaining money coming from the authority’s Government grant for school maintenance.

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Support for the Cornwater Club

The Cornwater Club is a friendship group which meets at Ravens Lodge in Ravenshead and provides interaction and support for elderly people in the Ravenshead and Blidworth area. Members gather for art classes, movement to music exercises, flower arranging and quizzes, followed by a meal.

As reported recently in the local press, despite helping many hundreds of residents since it was formed, the club is currently facing a funding crisis after its support from the Lottery came to an end last year. The Big Lottery Fund provided £44,000 every year for the club, almost half of its overall funding. 

In a bid to find new sponsors, club organisers have launched a funding appeal, which I am pleased to have been able to support with a grant of £1,000 through my Councillors' Divisional Fund. The club will now be contacting every household in Ravenshead, and possibly Blidworth, to ask for support.

Anyone who can help the Cornwater Club should contact Mansfield 797673 and for more information visit www.ravensheaddaycentre.com

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Council Budget 2011/12   

At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24^th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.

With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -

• £15 million more for specialist foster care placements;
• £6.3 million more to look after adults with acute learning disabilities and mental health needs;

• £2.8 million more on children’s social workers;

• £2.8 million more on services for older people;
• £1.5 million more to care for adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more for young carers.

 

The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.

(Posted 28/2/2011)

Gritter Twitter

Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.

In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc

(Posted 11/11/2010)

Improvement Programme latest 

At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21^st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.  

He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council. 

Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.  

For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-

• more specialist foster placements for children

• more support to young carers
• more children’s social workers
• development of free school transport for secondary school children.

  

Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: - 

• the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
• more support for adults with physical disabilities
• more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
• extra resources for independent sector care.

 

I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.

(Posted 5/11/2010)

Chairman of the Planning & Licensing Committee

At the Full Council meeting on 25^th May 2010 I was formally confirmed as the Chairman of the Nottinghamshire County Council Planning & Licensing Committee. I sit on the Planning Committee at Gedling Borough Council, and while there are different areas of planning and licensing responsibility at a county level, I believe that my experience so far can only be of benefit to my role.

(Posted 4/6/2010)

Citizenship Ceremony

On Wednesday 2^nd June 2010 I was pleased to attend a Citizenship Ceremony at Mansfield Register Office, where I witnessed a number of individuals from different national backgrounds taking the Oath of Allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as they were formally granted British nationality. I found this to be a very humbling and heart-warming experience, to share the enormous sense of pride and excitement of these new citizens in being awarded something which many of us take so much for granted. It was a reminder of the pride that we should all take in our birthright of being British citizens.

(Posted 4/6/2010)   

Improvement Programme

Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.

At the County Council meeting on 25^th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.

The Improvement Programme will include: -

• a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement

• implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes

• rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working

• a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign

• departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and

• the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development. 

 

The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term. 

(Posted 8/3/10)

New Strategic Plan

Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.

This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.

Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.

(Posted 8/3/10)

Working with parish councils and the voluntary sector

I currently attend as many parish council meetings within the division as possible, recognising the need to strengthen the links between all three tiers of local government: county, district and parish. I believe that this has been to the benefit of all our residents, preventing unnecessary overlap and supporting the many 'unsung heroes' working hard on behalf of their communities at parish level.

I am pleased to be able to support and recognise the work of voluntary organisations such as the Newstead Women's Institute, the Cornwater Day Club for the elderly at Ravenshead and the Scouts and Guides movements which contribute tremendously to the fabric of our society, providing facilities which would otherwise be beyond the capacity of statutory bodies.

(Posted 21/10/09)