On Monday 26th November 2007, Conservatives on Sutton Council launched their groundbreaking Policy Groups initiative. The first of its kind in local government, the project aims to throw open the debate on topics relevant to the everyday lives of Sutton's residents.
The five groups are made up of a mixture of political members (councillors) and non-political members who are experts in their fields. For example the Law and Order Policy Group will have two former policemen and a sitting Magistrate as non-political members.
The groups are set up to create debate, provide evidence through research, and conduct investigations in order to help shape the future of Sutton.
The five policy groups are:
- Law and Order Policy Group
- Education and Training Policy Group
- Quality of Life Policy Group
- Environment and Community Sustainability Policy Group
- Housing, Planning and Transport Policy Group
Paul Scully said: "Sutton is a great place to live, but we believe it can be so much better. This is why we are launching these Policy Groups. We think that local politicians are growing distant from the residents they serve.We want to address this imbalance.
"This is not for Conservatives to talk to each other. I want to hear from everyone regardless of party politics. We will be talking to frontline people that provide the services that we all use and looking at success stories from around the country to inspire new innovation in Sutton. We hope that residents seize this chance to tell us what they think and share their priorities. This is a great opportunity for residents to get involved in changing the future of Sutton for the better."
