We now need to focus on how we can bring people together
Published: 6 August 2020
![Leader Column](/media/1960/leade-column-jun-2020.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=730&height=383&rnd=132431029550000000)
As things start to return to something like normal and we start to enjoy the summer, it is very important that people continue to listen to the latest advice and stay safe. It is so important that we all continue to stick to the social distancing measures that are in place at all times, as the vast majority of people have been doing.
We are working with our partners on how our city centre recovers and how we can support the businesses that are based there.
We now need to focus on how we can bring people together. We have a Recovery Group which will be reporting back to Council soon. It comprises of businesses in the city centre, and organisations throughout the city who make up our Place Board, and we hope to be able to offer support however we can going forward.
When it comes to recovery, I do see a lot of good signs in Exeter. One example is the Ivy Restaurant, which recently completed its deal on the Jack Wills site in Exeter. This is a fantastic commitment to the city from a major restaurant group, and it tells us that people still want to be in Exeter.
Whereas the immediate future is fraught with difficulty - and we are continuing to work on that - in the longer term I am really confident that we can recover strongly in Exeter, and we can build back better.
Anyone who has visited the city centre recently will have noticed the new leisure centre and bus station being built. It is rapidly emerging and looking really great. We are pressing ahead at pace despite everything that has happened, and I couldn’t be more excited about this project. It has been a long time coming, and these brand new facilities will make such a difference to Exeter.
On the subject of leisure, I am also delighted to report that the council’s leisure services will be coming back under our control from September 1. I am so pleased that the City Council will be running our leisure centres again, with the aim of making sure they provide the best possible experience for the people of Exeter. It is a big challenge but also an exciting one.
A lot of work is now taking place to ensure all of our sites are ready and safe to reopen under the control of the Council, and there will be a phased reopening from September, as soon as it is safe to do so.
I am also so pleased to report that the Council has entered into a new 25 year lease with Exeter City Football Club to continue in its home at St James Park, which is owned by the City Council.
The football club is very important to the city, and I am delighted that we have been able to support the club in this way. The ground is looking fantastic - the stadium has improved such a lot over recent years and it has all been done while the club has been in the ownership of its supporters. It is a great achievement.
We will be right behind the club again next season in their bid for promotion - it’s going to happen sooner or later, and the club knows that the whole of the city is behind it.
I hope you can all find space to take a well-deserved break during August. From September there will be a number of important issues for the city to address, and as ever we will be looking forward to it and will be right up for the challenges ahead.