2.0 The local context
2.1 The Council
Our Chief Executive is responsible for making sure decisions made by Councillors are carried out and that services are well run. They are supported in this work by two Executive Directors, each responsible for a group of Council services.
These are:
- People - responsible for a wide range of services including adults’ and children’s social care, education, libraries, and public health.
- Place - leads the services delivering highways, transportation, waste and street services, planning, inward investment, and regeneration.
This directorate is also leading the Kickstart programme, which has delivered a new Council office building “Friargate” and in addition leading on the development of a new business district for the city centre.
The Council has a Cabinet and Scrutiny system. Each of the 10 Cabinet Members are responsible for one part of the Council’s services.
Cabinet meets monthly and Members hold individual meetings throughout the year. These meetings are held in public. The current council members can be found in Appendix 2.
2.2 The community
With central Coventry only 5km away and Rugby, Hinckley, and the Birmingham conurbation nearby, Coombe is within easy reach of large numbers of people. A previous survey revealed that Coventry residents make up 50% of visitor numbers, Coombe Abbey Park being one of the largest public open spaces locally available. Former surveys have revealed that most visitors came by car. While some visitors come to the estate to enjoy specific facilities such as Coombe Abbey Hotel or the Visitor Centre, many visitors come for passive recreation - e.g., walking, dog walking, family picnics, enjoying the landscape and its history and wildlife.
The park is open dawn until dusk, 365 days a year.
| VISITOR NUMBERS | 2021/2022 | 2022/2023 | 2023/2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 72,646 | 59,725 | 56,093 |
| May | 43,738 | 53,315 | 59,677 |
| June | 54,781 | 57,725 | 56,890 |
| July | 51,917 | 64,278 | 51,872 |
| August | 71,779 | 85,994 | 86,224 |
| September | 45,808 | 41,085 | 47,024 |
| October | 42,320 | 46,634 | 46,307 |
| November | 28,214 | 24,861 | 25,987 |
| December | 25,002 | 23,872 | TBC |
| January | 41,718 | 35,146 | TBC |
| February | 31,171 | 46,986 | TBC |
| March | 47,251 | 30,573 | TBC |
| Luminate | 43,000 | 52,000 | TBC |
| Year Total | 599,346* | 622,192* | 430,074* |
* Does not include annual car park season ticket holders
