Hello everyone and my sincere apologies that I literally ran out of time to write my blog last week! Last week was a really busy week as we delivered the first two budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes and staff forums for hundreds of staff in Trowbridge and Salisbury and the corporate awards event at Center Parcs.
The budget consultation forums are an opportunity for us to ask the public to make some tough decisions on where money should be allocated in next year’s budget. People attending were given a bag of balls (15 green and 15 red) each with a value of £100,000. The green balls they could spend on more or new services and the red where they would make savings from services to pay for the extra spend. The choices were interesting as we included offering free swimming for the under 16s in the school holidays, to reducing street lighting in community areas, to investing more into local projects or closing toilets. Participants were briefed to make sure that their spend and save had to balance. The initial results were interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this week’s forums in Chippenham and Salisbury. The feedback will be incorporated into the budget report for overview and scrutiny and full council on 9 and 15 February.
It was good to see so many of you at the staff forums and to discuss our plans and the focus for this year. The new leadership team and I were pleased to answer your questions and to hear some of your ideas for improving what we do. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the forums this week in Devizes and Chippenham.
The highlight of last week for me was the corporate awards evening. It was both uplifting and inspiring to spend an evening with so many staff who were being recognised for the outstanding work they do. The evening was supported by a number of sponsors and they were overwhelmed by the diversity of what we do and the stories about individuals and teams and the impact they have had on the local communities in Wiltshire.
Some people question the need for these awards, but I have to say that in times of challenge and change it is the drive and hard work of so many of you that really makes a difference. The monthly awards for 2012 will be launched this week and I would encourage you to nominate your colleagues and give them the recognition they deserve for their hard work and commitment to making Wiltshire a better place.
I would just like to say a big thank you from me for the outstanding work that you do.
Jane
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Tuesday 24 January
Last week was another interesting and varied week. You may have seen the media attention when we launched our online talent competition ‘Shine 4 Wiltshire’ and you are probably also aware that we decided the future of our Browfort and Bradley Road offices and Urchfont Manor.
The Shine 4 Wiltshire competition was launched with the help of a group of three year old ballerinas and talented gymnasts form the Melksham Gymnastics club and urban dancers. We had a lot of interest and to date 18 acts have been uploaded onto our YouTube channel. We will ask the community to vote on which of these acts they want to appear on stage at the 2012 Festival of Celebration, which takes place on July 11 at Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. It will be really interesting to see who gets chosen as they will support the headline act performing as part of the Olympic Torch evening event.
Exciting plans for 2012 continue to move forward - the 2012 year of celebration steering board, which I chair, also met last week and discussed plans for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event in early May in Salisbury. The theme will be the Magna Carter and democracy. All the communities in Wiltshire have been invited to participate and showcase what makes them unique and special.
As I mentioned previously, my cabinet met and made some tough decisions. It was good to see so many members of the public at the meeting, who attended to hear the debate on the future of Urchfont Manor and to share their views on adult education. Others were there to ask questions regarding the core strategy and future plans for growth in our market towns.
You may be aware that we decided to close the Bradley Road and Browfort offices and create a new customer access point in the centre of Devizes. This will obviously have an impact on some of you and we will make sure that those of you who are affected are provided with regular updates.
We also approved the draft Wiltshire Core Strategy - a document that sets out the council’s plans for the development of employment and housing for the future and manages how our communities will change and grow, ensuring they continue to be both vibrant and sustainable. This will now go to Full Council in February where I expect and welcome more debate.
We also agreed to plans for an enhanced service for older people to help them live independently in their homes for longer. These decisions have a real impact on the lives of many local people and are part of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.
The staff forums were also launched last week and it was good to talk and find out more about what’s important to you, to hear your ideas and to answer your questions. More staff forums will take place this week and I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there.
This week looks like being just as busy and varied as the last. I’ll be going to public budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes. We’ve made this an interactive meeting asking the public to make real and tough decisions about how they would spend an extra £1.5m on services in their areas, but also where they would save £1.5 m. Their feedback will help to influence next year’s budget.
And, on Thursday it’s the annual corporate staff awards ceremony. Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – this is your night. The event has been sponsored and it’s a real opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being carried out by so many dedicated staff. Well done!
Jane
The Shine 4 Wiltshire competition was launched with the help of a group of three year old ballerinas and talented gymnasts form the Melksham Gymnastics club and urban dancers. We had a lot of interest and to date 18 acts have been uploaded onto our YouTube channel. We will ask the community to vote on which of these acts they want to appear on stage at the 2012 Festival of Celebration, which takes place on July 11 at Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. It will be really interesting to see who gets chosen as they will support the headline act performing as part of the Olympic Torch evening event.
Exciting plans for 2012 continue to move forward - the 2012 year of celebration steering board, which I chair, also met last week and discussed plans for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event in early May in Salisbury. The theme will be the Magna Carter and democracy. All the communities in Wiltshire have been invited to participate and showcase what makes them unique and special.
As I mentioned previously, my cabinet met and made some tough decisions. It was good to see so many members of the public at the meeting, who attended to hear the debate on the future of Urchfont Manor and to share their views on adult education. Others were there to ask questions regarding the core strategy and future plans for growth in our market towns.
You may be aware that we decided to close the Bradley Road and Browfort offices and create a new customer access point in the centre of Devizes. This will obviously have an impact on some of you and we will make sure that those of you who are affected are provided with regular updates.
We also approved the draft Wiltshire Core Strategy - a document that sets out the council’s plans for the development of employment and housing for the future and manages how our communities will change and grow, ensuring they continue to be both vibrant and sustainable. This will now go to Full Council in February where I expect and welcome more debate.
We also agreed to plans for an enhanced service for older people to help them live independently in their homes for longer. These decisions have a real impact on the lives of many local people and are part of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.
The staff forums were also launched last week and it was good to talk and find out more about what’s important to you, to hear your ideas and to answer your questions. More staff forums will take place this week and I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there.
This week looks like being just as busy and varied as the last. I’ll be going to public budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes. We’ve made this an interactive meeting asking the public to make real and tough decisions about how they would spend an extra £1.5m on services in their areas, but also where they would save £1.5 m. Their feedback will help to influence next year’s budget.
And, on Thursday it’s the annual corporate staff awards ceremony. Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – this is your night. The event has been sponsored and it’s a real opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being carried out by so many dedicated staff. Well done!
Jane
Monday 16 January 2012
Monday 16 January 2012
A very Happy New Year to you all, although it almost seems too late to say that as it feels a long time since the New Year was rung in!
We always said that 2012 would be a busy and exciting year and even though we’re only 16 days into the year this certainly seems to be the case.
Just last week, we met with all the towns that will have the Olympic Torch visiting them in either May or July and we heard about their initial plans and ideas. We were overwhelmed by the volume of activity being planned and the enthusiasm to use both the Olympic Torch route and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as a real opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate and showcase what makes them unique and special. We are coordinating all these events and activities and it looks as though from May to August Wiltshire will be both celebrating in communities and together as a county at the big events planned in Salisbury.
This year is an opportunity for us to help these communities to celebrate, making it easy and safe and helping to showcase the talent and diversity that makes Wiltshire so special. Today we launch “Shine 4 Wiltshire”; where local bands, orchestras, choirs, entertainers and dance groups who live in Wiltshire have been invited to link to a YouTube video displaying their talent. The performance must be suitable for a family audience.
Entries will be placed on the council’s 2012 Celebration Facebook page, following the deadline of 26 February, for people to view and vote for their favorites. The act with the most votes will perform alongside a national headline that the Olympics Committee (LOCOG) will stage on the 11 July in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. The headline act will be announced on 14 February, so I will update you all as soon as we know!
Cabinet meets tomorrow (17 January) and we will be considering the proposal to open a new customer access centre in Devizes – similar to the one on Milford Street in Salisbury. This will be easier for our customers and will help to increase the footfall in the town centre and hopefully help to boost the local economy. We will also consider closing our offices at Browfort, Bradley Road and Urchfont Manor. These closures are part of a huge programme to reduce our number of buildings and offices and save £750,000 each year, which can be reinvested into our key front line services.
Cabinet will also consider the Core Strategy at its meeting. This vital document sets out the council’s plans for development of housing and employment for the future and in particular sets out how our market towns will change and grow. I anticipate that we will have a lot of public attending for this discussion, including developers who have a vested interest in where we are planning future development.
I am really looking forward to seeing some of you this week, as we have the last managers' forum and the first of many staff forums that are scheduled for this month. The forums are an opportunity to meet the new leadership team and to hear the plans and priorities for the council both in the immediate future and longer term. Lots of questions and ideas were raised at the managers' forums which were held before Christmas, and I know that the team is looking at implementing some of the ideas. Your ideas are so important as we continually need to improve and deliver what’s right for the people of Wiltshire.
2012 will be busy, and it will be unique, as the two events; the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, are once in a lifetime occasions. I’m looking forward to us continuing to work with our communities to make sure that we do celebrate and reinvigorate that true sense of community spirit and that we leave a legacy and memories that people talk about for years to come about what a great year it was for Wiltshire.
Look forward to seeing you all soon,
Jane
We always said that 2012 would be a busy and exciting year and even though we’re only 16 days into the year this certainly seems to be the case.
Just last week, we met with all the towns that will have the Olympic Torch visiting them in either May or July and we heard about their initial plans and ideas. We were overwhelmed by the volume of activity being planned and the enthusiasm to use both the Olympic Torch route and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as a real opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate and showcase what makes them unique and special. We are coordinating all these events and activities and it looks as though from May to August Wiltshire will be both celebrating in communities and together as a county at the big events planned in Salisbury.
This year is an opportunity for us to help these communities to celebrate, making it easy and safe and helping to showcase the talent and diversity that makes Wiltshire so special. Today we launch “Shine 4 Wiltshire”; where local bands, orchestras, choirs, entertainers and dance groups who live in Wiltshire have been invited to link to a YouTube video displaying their talent. The performance must be suitable for a family audience.
Entries will be placed on the council’s 2012 Celebration Facebook page, following the deadline of 26 February, for people to view and vote for their favorites. The act with the most votes will perform alongside a national headline that the Olympics Committee (LOCOG) will stage on the 11 July in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. The headline act will be announced on 14 February, so I will update you all as soon as we know!
Cabinet meets tomorrow (17 January) and we will be considering the proposal to open a new customer access centre in Devizes – similar to the one on Milford Street in Salisbury. This will be easier for our customers and will help to increase the footfall in the town centre and hopefully help to boost the local economy. We will also consider closing our offices at Browfort, Bradley Road and Urchfont Manor. These closures are part of a huge programme to reduce our number of buildings and offices and save £750,000 each year, which can be reinvested into our key front line services.
Cabinet will also consider the Core Strategy at its meeting. This vital document sets out the council’s plans for development of housing and employment for the future and in particular sets out how our market towns will change and grow. I anticipate that we will have a lot of public attending for this discussion, including developers who have a vested interest in where we are planning future development.
I am really looking forward to seeing some of you this week, as we have the last managers' forum and the first of many staff forums that are scheduled for this month. The forums are an opportunity to meet the new leadership team and to hear the plans and priorities for the council both in the immediate future and longer term. Lots of questions and ideas were raised at the managers' forums which were held before Christmas, and I know that the team is looking at implementing some of the ideas. Your ideas are so important as we continually need to improve and deliver what’s right for the people of Wiltshire.
2012 will be busy, and it will be unique, as the two events; the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, are once in a lifetime occasions. I’m looking forward to us continuing to work with our communities to make sure that we do celebrate and reinvigorate that true sense of community spirit and that we leave a legacy and memories that people talk about for years to come about what a great year it was for Wiltshire.
Look forward to seeing you all soon,
Jane
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