We were delighted to welcome local Japanese government representatives from the Prefectures of Gifu, Wakayama, Kobe City, Yamanashi, Tokushima, Fukushima and from Tokyo Metropolitan Government at the Civic Centre on Wednesday 6 March.
The visit formed part of a UK tour of local authorities and government organisations organised by Japan Local Government Centre. JLGC aims to create a bridge between Europe and Japan and supports the development of international cooperation and economic exchange by Japanese local government in European countries.
The Mayor of Elmbridge Councillor Richard Williams, Leader of the Council Councillor Bruce McDonald, Chief Executive Adam Chalmers, and other members of the senior leadership team met with the delegation.
The delegation heard presentations from our various heads of services to highlight our work in service of the community. The presentations were followed by a walking tour in the Esher high street.
With the visit to Esher High Street, Esher Theatre and Sandown Racecourse, we highlighted our work with local businesses and community groups to support the local economy and encourage our high streets to be great places to live, work, shop and play, through our placemaking strategy. We also demonstrated our work towards becoming a carbon neutral borough by 2030 with local solar carports in public car parks and solar panels installed in our social housing units. These were highlights of the work we do towards achieving our vision of a sustainable, thriving Elmbridge driven by the power of our community.
The visit also included a nod to the borough’s strong local heritage with a short talk by Elmbridge Museum.
Cllr Bruce McDonald, Leader of the Council, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Japan Local Government Centre delegation to Elmbridge. We hope that their visit has given them an understanding of how we operate as an outward looking local authority in the South-East region of the UK. It was interesting to develop an awareness of how different Japanese local government organisations operate and what their strategic focus is".
The Mayor of Elmbridge, said, “We were proud to explain how our system of local government works and how important public service is in our communities. It was also a wonderful opportunity to showcase the great work being done in Elmbridge to deliver our vision for 2030”.