Council View: Working to support those who need us most

Cuts to drug and alcohol services and mental health services that are harder to access has resulted in the brutal reality of people sleeping in doorways and parks.

We will be working with partners and other agencies to try and tackle this and support those who, for whatever reason, have fallen through the net and ended up on the streets.

As a council we do a lot of work with partners and voluntary organisations and I’d like to pay tribute to all those who give up their time in support of others.

Last week we saw Rotarians from Worksop Rotary Club planting 5,000 crocus bulbs in Memorial Gardens as part of the End Polio Now campaign.

Thanks to the work of Rotary and other organisations, the number of children contracting polio has fallen in the last 25 years from 350,000 to just 74 last year.

To find out more about the campaign visit www.rotarycrocus.com

Another great example of the work of volunteers in the district is the huge undertaking of the annual Poppy Appeal and I know that British Legion branches in Retford and Worksop put a tremendous amount of work into this each year.

In 2015, more than £48 million was raised by the Poppy Appeal nationwide, providing vital funds to support our veterans.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate the neighbourhood planning groups in both Shireoaks and Tuxford who have both seen their Neighbourhood Plans endorsed by the electorate following local referendums.

These plans are now in place, along with ones in Elkesley, Harworth & Bircotes and Sturton Ward and will help to guide any kind of development in these locations, including the type, design and mix of development to ensure it is right for that particular area.