Thursday 28 March 2013

Thursday 28 March 2013

Despite the wintry weather this week started in the spirit of Easter festivities with a Big Sing event at the Zion Baptist Church in Trowbridge. Run in partnership with St James Parish Church and the local Salvation Army this was a wonderful chance to mark the Baptist Church’s bicentenary. I was invited to deliver a reading at this special service and there was a real warm spring feeling in spite of the freezing cold outside.

On Monday I was on the interview panel to select a new Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) for Wiltshire. This is an important role that supports the leadership of Wiltshire’s police and helps to shape future services. I was delighted to be part of the interview process and the standard of candidates was extremely high, but the panel unanimously agreed to appoint Mike Veale, who has been the acting DCC for the last year. Mike impressed the entire panel with his leadership skills and his vision for managing the changes and challenges that public services face in the future. Mike will continue to work with us on sharing services, facilities and resources.     

On Tuesday morning the library at County Hall hosted the Gruffalo and lots of children arrived to meet him. It was the second time Julia Donaldson’s creation, the Gruffalo, has visited us and it was really good to see so many parents and children enjoying the library and the atrium which was buzzing.  I’m told that the Gruffalo also visited the staff floors which surprised a few of you!

In the afternoon, the Corsham community operational board (COB) invited me to attend an event to mark the start of work on the new Corsham campus. The event, which was hosted by the COB and the newly appointed contractor Midas, marked the start of work on the refurbishment and extension of the existing leisure building and the demolition of the existing community centre. This campus, the first of many, is part of the transformation programme where community campuses will be developed in consultation with local people, ensuring each campus is as individual as the community it serves. Work starts on site in the next month and is due to complete in October 2014.

In the evening I was delighted to be invited as the after dinner speaker at the Trowbridge Traditional Cricket Club. I felt honoured to join a list of past speakers including Charlie George, former Arsenal FC and England football player and Sir John Keegan OBE, a British military historian and former Telegraph correspondent. The evening was entertaining and provided an opportunity for me to talk about the council and answer some challenging questions. It is good to know that organisations like this club, with a long history, continue to be supported by local people.

On Wednesday morning we handed over the keys to Urchfont Manor to the new owners. The building will be restored to a family home and the local village will continue to access the cricket pitch and the adjacent woods. I am so pleased that this sale has been finalised and that this unique listed building will be restored within the community.

In the afternoon we hosted a visit from Bob Neil, a former government minister with special interest in local government. Bob was keen to see the newly refurbished County Hall and to hear about the new ways of working, our plans to reduce the number of offices and buildings and to see how we have created community space right at the heart of our council offices. He was extremely impressed. It’s always good to welcome government ministers and to let them see for themselves the great work that we are doing.
In the evening I attended the Trowbridge Chamber of Commerce for their Annual General Meeting. I was interested to hear a presentation by Lance Allan from Trowbridge Town Council on 2013 – a year of opportunity for Trowbridge – which focused on the major redevelopment including the new cinema and the former Bowyers site and the importance to see the opportunities ahead and how by working together we can continue to improve our county town.  

And finally, I hope you have a good Easter break. I can’t believe its Easter already! It has come round so quickly, but I am looking forward to a long weekend and the opportunity to catch up with family and to try and recharge a little so that I’m ready for the busy weeks ahead.

Whilst enjoying Easter eggs, spare a thought for those competing in the Devizes to Westminster canoe race. This year’s race will be the 65th and will be supported by over 300 volunteers who give up their time to support this community event. If you are competing in the race or you, or a family member is volunteering, I wish you all the best for a great race and I hope you stay warm!

More next week and let’s hope that spring arrives,

Jane

Friday 22 March 2013

Friday 22 March 2013

With the local elections only weeks away we are now in the pre-election period. It’s a busy time for all those intending to stand as candidates, but its business as usual for the council, and I am keen to keep you updated of the key activities throughout this period.

On that note; I mentioned in last week’s blog that I would be attending the Wiltshire Young People's STAR Awards in Salisbury’s City Hall on Friday evening, and that I would update on this event. The evening was an awards ceremony for looked after young people aged 11-18 years and it was inspirational hearing the heart warming stories about the achievements of our children in care. The event was attended by more than 40 children and featured a dancing exhibition put on by the Urban Dance Company. One of the most touching parts of the evening was the presentation of awards by two looked after children who now attend university and talked about what they have gone on to achieve. Their success is a true inspiration to others.

This week it was cabinet, which met on Tuesday at Monkton Park for the last time before the election on 2 May. We discussed the work following last year’s key events to create a lasting legacy for Wiltshire that builds on the success of 2012. Working with our partners on the legacy steering board, our focus is to continue to boost the local economy, bring communities together, encourage people to be more active and healthy and support future Wiltshire Olympians and Paralympians. The vast programme of events planned for this year across the county highlights the enthusiasm and energy in our local communities to keep this momentum going. 

The council’s updated Joint Strategic Assessment was also on the agenda. The JSA looks at the current and future needs of people in Wiltshire and is vital in helping to shape services and take action where it is needed. We also discussed the draft Wiltshire Police and Crime Plan and agreed the feedback on behalf of the council. The plan, which sets out the Police and Crime Commissioner’s focus for the future, covers key areas of work that we do in partnership with the police, such as community safety, combating anti-social behaviour and road safety matters.

On Wednesday, I attended the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Board’s (LEP) annual meeting, which was held at Longleat House, a beautiful location and an opportunity for us to look back at what the board has achieved. In the first year of this new partnership, we secured significant government funding for some key economic projects across the county including £10 million for the delivery of a science park at Porton Down that will create hundreds of new jobs and the City Deal that will provide opportunities for making better use of MoD land creating jobs and encouraging economic growth.

Looking to the future, the LEP is working with Swindon and Wiltshire local authorities and central government to finalise the City Deal 2 bid and it is considering how it will deliver the  recommendations set out in Lord Heseltine’s report – No Stone Unturned – delivering economic growth, that was approved by central government this week. The report focuses on devolving funding to local LEP’s and local authorities in partnership to boost economic growth.

Looking ahead, yesterday the corporate directors and I met with John Bush, the chair of the Wiltshire Assembly, to plan the next meeting, which will take place this summer. Our aim is to focus on young people, their employment and the economy and to do something a little different. More details on this will follow soon.

I’m sure you are all aware, but next year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1, and last night around 150 people attended a meeting at Devizes School to discuss how we will commemorate this anniversary in Wiltshire. This is likely to include a huge programme of education with schools that will bring history to life, work with theatre companies including the Salisbury Playhouse and a lot of research and information about those who served in the War and were from our county. Representatives came from across Wiltshire and there was lots of sharing of ideas and it was interesting to hear a speaker from the Imperial War Museum as nationally the commemoration is being seen as a 5 year programme of events and activities marking key milestones throughout this Great War. It will undoubtedly engage many of our communities and will form part of the work of the legacy board.

And to end another busy week, the declaration of the new High Sheriff for Wiltshire, William Wyldbore-Smith took place today in County Hall’s atrium at 11am. The The High Sheriff is the Sovereign’s representative in the county and plays an important role in ceremonial occasions across Wiltshire. This was another first for events in the atrium and was the first time a High Sheriff has been appointed in such a public space. It fills me with pride to see the atrium being used as a space that welcomes the public and brings the council closer to the community.

More next week,

Jane

Friday 15 March 2013

Friday 15 March 2013


Last week I talked about how much I was looking forward to our corporate staff awards and I wasn’t disappointed!

I hope all of you who attended the ceremony on Tuesday evening will be in no doubt of just how proud I am. Firstly, to hear about the work of so many worthy nominees reminded us of the many fantastic and inspiring people that work for the council and our partners. I’d like to congratulate everyone who was shortlisted and those who won an award. You should all be really proud as your work makes a huge difference to communities across our county. If you haven’t seen who won awards you can find out on the Wire .Secondly, holding this important event in our own building meant so much to me. It highlighted just how flexible the atrium space at County Hall is and how it can be transformed from a family friendly day-time cafe to a wonderful evening events venue.  I’d like to congratulate and thank all those who played a part in making the evening run so smoothly, including all our sponsors as without their support, the event could not have taken place.

I was overwhelmed and very surprised to receive an award in recognition of the work that took place last year to make it such a huge success for our county. Looking back the council did take a risk allocating resources to support the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee visit and to host the Olympic Torch in sixteen of our towns, villages and the city of Salisbury, particularly in the challenging economic climate. But we stayed focused on bringing communities together, showcasing this county and boosting the local economy and as a result of the hard work of many staff, our partners and communities we delivered an outstanding year that will provide many, many children with a lifetime of wonderful memories.
 
The next day (Wednesday) I attended the Wiltshire Health Improvement Partnership Awards at the Civic Centre in Trowbridge. I was invited to speak and present an award at this inspiring event which recognises groups and individuals who make a difference to people’s health and well being in our local communities. It was inspiring to hear the guest speakers; former Olympic skier and national legend Eddie “the eagle” Edwards and world champion and Olympic rower Debbie Flood talk about their personal achievements, how they built their personal resilience and how passionate they are that we need to encourage our communities to be more active and healthy. I was really pleased to announce the Army Primary Health Care Services as the winners of the “Improved sexual health and/or reduced teenage pregnancies award”.

On Wednesday evening some of us attended the Local Government Chronicle awards in London where we’d been shortlisted for four national awards in the categories for ‘innovation’, ‘business transformation’, ‘health and social care’ and ‘energy and efficiency’. We didn’t win this year, but being shortlisted in so many categories proves just how many outstanding teams we have and the excellent work that we do and it’s always good to have national recognition for our work.
 
Some of you may be aware that the sale of Urchfont Manor was completed this week. This is a good outcome for the local community as the new owners intend to apply for permissions to convert the main house back to a private home and the sale contract allows the community to continue to use Oakfirth Wood and the cricket ground adjacent to the house. Urchfont Manor has been a great facility for us over many years and now the new owners will be able to enjoy the beautiful building and become part of Urchfont’s community.
This week a public exhibition in Lyneham displayed the plans for the new Defence College of Technical Training on the former RAF site. The exhibition provides local residents with the opportunity to find out more about the proposals and ask any questions and I understand that more than 450 people have attended. If you missed it but would like some information you can email the project team at lyneham.planning@amec.com or you can visit the website at www.mod.uk/lynehamplanning.    

This week also marks a significant milestone in the Castledown Incubation Centre project. The centre will be formally handed over to us today (Friday 15 March). It’s the first centre to be completed as part of the Enterprise Network and will be great for Wiltshire in developing business skills and supporting the set up and growth of small businesses. When the project is complete it will provide a range of innovative services and on-site technology that will provide a perfect environment for our entrepreneurs, young and old, to work in. This centre is a real asset to Wiltshire’s business community and will help to boost the local economy.

We have Cabinet next Tuesday and there is a varied agenda. One of the reports is focused on creating a legacy for Wiltshire – I’ll talk more about that next week, but rest assured the momentum and enthusiasm generated during 2012 is continuing and is very much alive in many communities. There are a lot of events planned for this year to encourage people to keep active and healthy, to boost the local economy, to support future sporting stars and to bring communities together. We will also be discussing the Wiltshire Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) and the actions that we have taken following last year’s JSA, as well as the draft Police and Crime Plan for Wiltshire.
 
I realise this week’s blog is quite long but there is just so much happening and I hope it’s helpful to be kept updated?
Have a good weekend.
Jane

Friday 8 March 2013

Friday 8 March 2013

I started last week’s blog hoping for some spring like weather and sunshine and it was so good to see some at the start of this week. Unfortunately though it didn’t last, and can you believe cold wintry weather is forecast for next week!
This week Wiltshire has truly been in the news, with the announcement on Tuesday by the defence secretary Philip Hammond that an extra 4,000 military personnel will be based at garrisons on the Salisbury Plain by 2020. This will mean that Wiltshire will be the largest military base in Britain and that the MoD will be investing more than £850million into the county. It is the largest employer in Wiltshire and the knock-on effect on our economy and local communities will be huge. We’ll be working with the MoD and our partners to ensure the houses, infrastructure and services that will be needed are in place to support this growth and to make sure that the troops, their families and local civilians live together in balanced communities. I’m very proud that we’re a military county and I look forward to welcoming lots of new families to Wiltshire.
Also announced this week has been the move of the police enquiry desk from Wood Lane in Chippenham to our Monkton Park offices. From March 25, police enquiry desk staff will join their colleagues from the neighbourhood policing team and the response teams to work alongside our staff. This is another example of the achievements of the transformation programme and how it continues to deliver by sharing buildings so that we can save money and protect our frontline services. I’d like to thank the team involved in assisting with this move for all their hard work.
On Wednesday, I was delighted to be invited to speak at the launch of this year’s Salisbury International Arts Festival at Salisbury Arts Centre. I’m pleased that we can still help to fund this major arts festival as it attracts people from across Britain and it always has a diverse and exciting programme. The event underlines Salisbury as a major player on the world’s cultural stage and is another lever for attracting visitors to our county. This year the programme includes authors like former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo to operatic performances.  It takes place from 24 May to 8 June – take a look at the programme of events.
We were in the news again on Wednesday when the Prime Minister responded to local MP Claire Perry regarding Wiltshire’s approach to tackling domestic violence. http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/todays-commons-debates/read/unknown/7/
He commended the police in Wiltshire and the council for the very good work we have done to bring all the agencies together to ensure that there is a joined-up approach to cracking this difficult problem. It was a huge accolade for partnership working and for the role our teams have had in combating this issue that is so often hidden from view.
Next week is an awards week!
Three separate ceremonies will be taking place. Firstly, there is the annual corporate staff awards ceremony on Tuesday evening, which I am really looking forward to as this event recognises the outstanding work being done by many of you and your teams across so many service areas; and, it will be the first time we have used the Atrium at County Hall to host such an event and I’m looking forward to seeing how this space can be fully utilised.
Secondly, on Wednesday afternoon the Health Improvement Partnership awards take place at the Civic Hall in Trowbridge and I have been invited to speak and present an award. I will be in the company of Debbie Flood, Olympic silver medallist and World Championship Gold medallist rower and the infamous Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards; who is probably now best known for his diving skills than slalom ski jumping. They will also be presenting awards to recognise the outstanding work that is being done to tackle health issues, to improve health inequalities and get us all healthy and active.  
And, finally on Wednesday evening, the Local Government Chronicle awards take place in London. We have been shortlisted for four national awards in the categories for ‘innovation’, ‘business transformation’, ‘health and social care’ and ‘energy and efficiency’.
I’d like to say well done to all those who are shortlisted for all the awards next week and I look forward to updating you all next week.  Recognising success and the unsung heroes who make Wiltshire such a great place is so important and something that is very close to my heart.
As ever, I welcome your comments on the content of my blog or any questions that you may have.
More next week,
Have a good weekend.
Jane

Friday 1 March 2013

Friday 1 March 2013

Today is St David’s day and officially it’s the first day of spring so let’s hope we start to get some spring like weather soon and some sun!
This week the main event was full council, where the budget for next year (2013/14) was discussed and agreed.  There will be no increase in council tax and we will be investing more than £17 million revenue budget to support key frontline services including older people and children’s services and £143.6 million into capital schemes including the campus programme. To pay for this, and to manage the reduction of almost £10 million from our central government funding, we will need to save £27 million. Whilst this will be a challenge, I am confident that by working more efficiently and renegotiating with suppliers and contractors we will deliver these savings.
 You can read my full budget speech on the website which details the investments and savings. It also links to a video that was shown at full council that reflects on our achievements in the first four years as a new unitary council. I hope you find the video uplifting and feel the same sense of pride that I did at just how much we have delivered. This is a tribute to your hard work and it clearly highlights that even in difficult and tough times just what can be done to improve the lives of people in our local communities. 
The first four years have gone by so fast and we have made a lot of changes and we will continue to change and look at new and innovative ways to deliver improvements and save money. My aim has always been to protect our frontline services and focus on doing what we believe is best for the people of Wiltshire. Our business plan set out that we would;
  • invest in key frontline services
  • protect the most vulnerable in our communities, and;
  • save money to enable us to do this
And, we have done what we said we would. £85 million has been invested in frontline services, there has been no increase in council tax and we have protected key services including our libraries, youth centres and leisure centres and we have delivered £100 million of savings and managed the 22 per cent cut in central government funding.
However, we also recognise that there is work still to be done to improve our children’s services and ensure that children and young people are safeguarded. Much has been done since last year’s Ofsted inspection, but there is still more to do and that work will continue as a top priority.

In the first four years as a new unitary, I believe we have laid strong foundations that will be ready for the new council to continue to build upon.


On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting an eight year old boy called Joe Milton (a regional tennis player in the under 9’s), his parents and tennis coach, Ron (pictured with me).  Joe wrote to me recently setting out his plans and a design for the ultimate tennis centre for Wiltshire. He did this piece of work following last year’s Olympic Games. His motivation is that if we want to support potential national and international tennis players for the future, we need to look at the provision of indoor tennis courts in the county. The nearest indoor courts are in Swindon or Bath, which prohibits regular practice and coaching sessions during winter months for aspiring young tennis players living in Wiltshire. Joe’s enthusiasm and dedication, even at such a young age, was inspirational, and I have asked that we look at the potential usage and a business case for indoor provision as part of our campus programme. In the meantime, however, following Joe’s suggestion we are looking at hosting a soft tennis competition in the Atrium. Well we did say it was a flexible space for community use! And, there are great viewing galleries...

On Wednesday evening we held last of four community evening events to discuss creating a legacy for Wiltshire. These evenings have highlighted the enthusiasm in our local communities to continue to build on the success of last year. There are lots of community events planned and we will publish these in one events plan for Wiltshire. This will help us to provide support, if it’s needed, and share ideas and promote what’s happening this year. We know that communities that come together are stronger. People like to feel part of something and last year and the response to the community evenings has shown that people want to assist and be involved. We will also use the Our Matters community blog sites to promote local events and activities. All 18 blog sites are now live and whilst we need to raise awareness and increase the number of users they are proving to be extremely popular.
This evening I’m looking forward to seeing a production of West Side Story at Erlestoke Prison. The prison has been working in collaboration with Pimlico Opera and the cast is largely made up of prisoners who are trained over a five week period. Prisoners who volunteer to take part are given a role; whether it’s performing on stage, stage management, wardrobe, lighting or building the set. It’s a real challenge, but the outcome builds self-esteem, confidence, teamwork and positive thinking for those involved.  Maybe we could look at delivering a musical if we need some team building in the future – just joking!
I would love to hear from you and welcome your comments on my blog content, or any questions that you may have.
More next week…
Jane