About David
Councillor David Taylor is a former Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council (2009-10) and has been a County Councillor since 1989. He represents the Beauvale division which includes the borough wards of Brinsley and Greasley (Giltbrook & Newthorpe), and the Beauvale ward of Greasley Parish Council. He is a member of Brinsley Parish Council and Greasley Parish Council (first elected to the latter in May 1965) and Chairman of the Finance Committee on both. He was a member of Broxtowe Borough Council for 19 years, including a year as Mayor of Broxtowe in 1987/88.
He is married to Glenice with 4 grown-up children and 4 grandchildren. He qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in 1962 and embarked on a 37-year career in local government finance. He concluded this as Chief Internal Auditor at Rushcliffe Borough Council.
David famously describes himself as "an active opponent of political correctness". Apart from his political and professional life he is a keen cricket fan and has been a Member of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club since 1947.
David is available to meet constituents at any convenient time at a suitable venue. His contact details are displayed on the left of this page.
David's latest news...
Council AGM
At the Annual General Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on Thursday 20th May 2010 I completed my formal duties as Chairman of the Council, to be succeeded by my good friend and colleague Councillor Thomas Pettengell. I have had the pleasure of meeting many fantastic people in the course of my travels around Nottinghamshire, each of whom should be proud of the role they play in making this county such an inspiring place to live and work. I wish the new Chairman well as he begins his year in office and I am sure he will enjoy the role every bit as much as I have.
Chairman’s Charity
As reported in the local press, I can announce that my chosen Chairman’s Charity, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), will receive around £3,000 thanks to the fundraising efforts of colleagues and friends across Nottinghamshire.
Upon my election as Chairman last year I remarked that the RNLI may seem a strange choice of charity for the Chairman of a landlocked county many miles from the nearest coast. However, the simple fact is that I have always been in awe of the bravery displayed by our lifeboat crews and their readiness to put their own lives on the line to save others.
My year as Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council has been immensely enjoyable and I pass on my sincere best wishes to my successor, County Councillor Tom Pettengell.
Chairman's duties
I am continuing to enjoy my year as Chairman of the County Council, visiting all parts of Nottinghamshire and meeting some very interesting people, particularly young people. I am impressed with the work carried out by our own employees and I am looking forward to hosting a reception for those staff who pulled out all the stops to maintain road safety and deliver vital services during the recent spell of exceptionally cold weather. They deserve our heartfelt thanks and praise.
(Posted 8/3/10)
County Council Budget 2010/11
At the Nottinghamshire County Council Annual Budget meeting on Thursday 25th February 2010 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting for a freeze in council tax for the forthcoming financial year 2010/11.
My colleague Councillor Reg Adair, Cabinet Member for Finance & Property, presented the first budget of the new Conservative administration which included a range of management and efficiency measures to save £30 million. This money will be re-directed into front line services including key priority care services: -
In Councillor Adair's speech introducing the budget proposals he pointed out that even with a council tax freeze, Nottinghamshire County Council will still be spending £11 million more in 2010/11 than in the previous year.
(Posted 8/3/10)
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 25th 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: -
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a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement
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implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes
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rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working
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a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign
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departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and
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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)
Gritting
The exceptionally cold weather which affected Nottinghamshire and most other parts of the UK between December and February led to unprecedented pressures on local authority gritting supplies. Nottinghamshire County Council possessed stockpiles far exceeding Government recommendations and was able to keep its priority routes gritted even when other councils had exhausted their supplies. The biggest difficulty was obtaining replacement supplies, given the exceptional pressure on the two national companies who supply the country’s salt.
Taking these events into account, it was agreed at the recent County Council budget meeting to increase the gritting budget by £50,000 for 2010/11. It is also intended to use 6mm rather than 10mm salt, which will improve spread rate and increase our gritting capacity still further.
(Posted 8/3/10)
New school building for Greasley Beauvale Primary
I have actively supported the project to provide a new school building for Greasley Beauvale Primary School, which resulted the amalgamation of the Greasley Beauvale Junior School and Greasley Beauvale D H Lawrence Infant School in September 2008.
The new school building is planned to open in 2010 at a cost of around £6 million. Until this time the school will operate on two sites known as the 'Lawrence Site' (previously the infant school) and the 'New Site' (previously the junior school). The new primary school building will be on the 'New Site'. In an excellent example of cross-council co-operation, Greasley Parish Council have helped Nottinghamshire County Council to deliver this exciting project by leasing an area of land at a peppercorn rent to ensure the necessary recreational facilities are provided in the form of Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) for the school and the wider community.
(Posted 31.12.09)
A608 pedestrian crossing
Further to the opening of the new Brinsley Play Area (see below) I asked the Cabinet Member for Transport & Highways to examine the possibility of installing a pedestrian crossing on the A608 through Brinsley. All of the recreational facilities in Brinsley, like the park and the football pitch and the village hall, are on one side of the road, and all the residents are on the other.
The Cabinet Member has now been out to view the location and agrees that a crossing is required. I expect further developments regarding this in the near future.
(Posted 2/11/09)
New Brinsley play area now open
I was delighted to take part in the opening of a new £135,000 recreation area on Church Lane in Brinsley. It features small climbing equipment for young children and a series of multi-movement and activity equipment for older children.
The work took two months to complete and was funded by Nottinghamshire County Council's Building Better Communities Programme together with the Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF) and Brinsley Parish Council. The recreation ground was selected as a high priority for improvement in Broxtowe Borough Council's Play Strategy last year, thanks to the determined work of the Friends of Brinsley Play Area, who were a key driving force behind the scheme and organised the opening ceremony.
(Posted 2/11/09)
David's latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...
Following a decision taken by Cabinet on 8th July 2009, each County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent.
CDF 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 Beauvale division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please contact me.
Here are some of the projects I've been able to help so far: -
Literacy Volunteers
A donation from my CDF to the Literacy Volunteers has helped to buy books and support materials for children in the local area with reading difficulties.
Brinsley & District Arts Group
I am pleased to have been able to provide some CDF support to help meet the running costs of the Brinsley & District Art Group.
Newthorpe Free Family Festival
I was pleased once again to provide some CDF support to organisers of the Newthorpe Free Family Festival.
Brinsley Women's Fellowship
A grant from my CDF has helped towards the running costs of the Brinsley Women's Fellowship group.
Moorgreen Country Show
I was pleased to make a contribution from my CDF to ensure mobility access provision and supply new banners for the Moorgreen Country Show.
Dora Phillips Hall
A grant from my CDF is helping to cover the cost of replacing old cupboards at the Dora Phillips Hall in Eastwood.
Brinsley Carnival
A grant from my CDF is helping the Brinsley Carnival Team with arrangements for this year's carnival.
1st Greasley Cub Scouts
I have been able to help towards the running costs of the 1st Greasley Cub Scout group.
Brinsley pre-school playgroup
I am delighted to have been able to help Brinsley Pre-school Playgroup to purchase new equipment.
Events for Brinsley pensioners
I have been able to help fund some of the events programmed for the Brinsley Pensioners' Club.
Benches at Eastwood cricket ground
Eastwood Town Cricket Club have been able to purchase and install bench seating at Eastwood cricket ground with assistance from my CDF.
Ripples of Hope
I have assisted the Greasley Christian Aid Group to undertake their 'Ripples of Hope' educational work with school pupils, teaching about the plight of children in the poorest countries of the world.
Promoting Brinsley Senior Citizens' Tote
I am pleased to have been able to help the Brinsley Senior Citizens' Tote with the cost of advertising to attract new members.
Christmas events in Brinsley
A CDF grant to Brinsley Parish Council will help towards this year's Christmas celebrations in the village.
Friends of Brinsley Headstocks
Those of you who read my web page before the last election will know about the excellent ongoing work being done by the Friends of Brinsley Headstocks group. I am pleased to continue to assist them with their running costs.
