Friday 15 November 2013

This week we held the first full council meeting in the newly refurbished chamber in the old County Hall building. It’s really impressive how technology has moved on since we vacated the building over a year ago - the chamber now has microphones that activate a camera and highlight who’s speaking on three large screens around the chamber, along with a clock that highlights how long each person is speaking. This new technology can do many things, and we will be using this more and more at future meetings, including possibly web streaming the meetings to make them more accessible and to hopefully engage a wider audience. I have to say though that it is slightly disconcerting seeing yourself on the big screens as you stand to make your contribution to the meeting and try to keep focused on the point your making and not on how you look that day! Full council was lively and long and we discussed a number of matters, including how we keep children safe in schools, whether there should be a levy on supermarkets for parking spaces, recommendations from an independent panel on members allowances, the allocation of seats on all the committees following the change in the number of Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, and responding to more than sixty questions asked by councillors ahead of the meeting.

On the subject of new technology and access to meetings; the three corporate directors and I met more than a thousand staff at forums in Chippenham and Salisbury this week, and whilst it’s always good to see people face to face, we need to look at these meetings being available on web cast and play back in the future, for those staff who are unable to attend the face to face sessions. I have always valued these forums as an opportunity to keep everyone updated on our future plans and what’s happening in the organisation, as well as to hear your views and comments on how you see things; it’s always a good sense check. It became clear during this round of forums that we need to continue to support our managers and teams to work as flexibly as they can in the main hubs, and to recognise what this means in terms of home working, attending meetings, parking and feeling connected to what’s happening. We really do have to make the best use of the new technology we have. We will also be visiting all the depots soon to meet the teams and see how they are. Following this round of forums, I really would welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve these in the future. We want to make sure that they are useful, informative and an opportunity to highlight the great work you all do; please do let me know your views and any ideas.

I mentioned last week a unique and moving exhibition in the atrium focusing on local Wiltshire soldiers who lost their lives in the Great War. The exhibition opened last Saturday (9 November) and in the first 4 hours more than 300 visitors walked through the “the Wiltshire trench”.  Next year marks 100 years since the start of the World War 1 in 1914 and Wiltshire lost more men in this terrible war than anywhere else in the country. Local historian and author Richard Broadhead has spent many years researching the impact that this war had on Wiltshire and he brings the history to life through exhibitions and films, including an award winning short film called Letters from a Small Town, which is based on the experiences of soldiers, their families and a nurse from Chippenham, who served their country in WW1. The exhibition, which has certainly set a benchmark for future exhibits in this atrium space, has been so popular that Richard has agreed to extend it for another week. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet and you’re in County Hall it’s well worth a look. Next year the commemoration of WW1 will impact on our local communities and we are discussing how we can support a range of appropriate events that will help us all to remember and realise the huge sacrifice that was made for our country and freedom.

This weekend I’m heading up to Chester with the three corporate directors for the County Council Network (CCN) annual conference. These events are always a good opportunity to hear how other authorities are managing the challenges we all face and to share ideas. Whilst we have a lot to do in the next four years and not all of it will be easy, as the peer review team said; “Wiltshire Council is in a good place and it is going in the right direction.”

Have a good weekend,

Jane

Wiltshire is unique

Has it really been a year since we moved out of the old County Hall offices whilst they underwent a refurbishment? I can’t believe how the time has flown and how much the way we work has changed as a result of changing the offices into open, airy, modern space. The days of musty corridors and closed cellular offices seems like a life time ago now! All our main hubs will be open plan, encouraging more flexible working, less paper and better working relationships. And, I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine how we managed without the atrium space and the great café and restaurant facilities that we now have. This space is always buzzing and with such a mix of people; young mums, toddlers, visitors, staff, elected members and partners using the space for meetings, events and refreshments. I have moved back to the old building and it is so different and I am really looking forward to hosting our first full council meeting in the chamber next week.

On the subject of new buildings, last week I attended the opening of the new Garrison Theatre in Tidworth, which can host up to 750 people. The facility, which is located in the heart of the community, to help integrate military personnel with the local community, will be the venue for the next Wiltshire Assembly (2 December) which will focus on Wiltshire as a military county and the impact that the growth in the number of military personnel that will be based in our county, both now and in the next few years, will have on the local economy and communities in the future.

Wiltshire is unique as we have the largest military settlement in the country and by 2020 we will host half of the British Army. This Sunday (10 November) is Remembrance Day and this will be extremely poignant for many of our local communities. I will be attending services in Wilton in the morning and Malmesbury in the afternoon to reflect and remember those who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom and help others to find theirs.

On Monday (11 November) it is Armistice Day and we will be hosting a unique and moving exhibition in the atrium that will focus on local Wiltshire soldiers who lost their lives in the Great War. Next year marks 100 years since the start of the World War 1 and Wiltshire lost more men in this terrible war than anywhere else in the country. The exhibition will officially open on Monday at 5pm with tea and Anzac cakes (baked to a recipe from 1914!), please join us, or take some time to view this extraordinary exhibition, which is the work of local historian and author Richard Broadhead.

This week saw the start of the staff forums and it was so good to see more than 700 of you at the Civic Hall yesterday (Thursday). It’s been a year since we hosted the last round of forums so there was a lot to discuss and to reflect on. It’s good to look back and just recall our achievements and successes; and we’ve had lots and this is testament to your hard work, enthusiasm and commitment. I look forward to seeing many of you next week in Chippenham and Salisbury and as always I welcome your views, ideas and questions.

Have a good weekend,

Jane

Friday 1 November 2013

I hope you weren't too affected by the weekend's storm. I am aware that many of you worked around the clock to clear hundreds of fallen trees and keep people updated on flooding, power cuts and other problems that the storm caused and I’d like to say a huge thank you for your hard work and commitment. We'll soon be moving into winter and this storm shows how our highways and streetscene teams deal with issues that adverse weather can cause. It also demonstrates how services across the council pull together to keep Wiltshire safe and minimising the impact in adverse conditions and emergencies.

Aside from the storm, last week was an interesting week, particularly for Trowbridge. The town saw its long-awaited cinema open on Friday. People often don't realise just how much behind-the-scenes work goes into securing investment and appropriate development in our communities. This is an example of how, again teams from across the council including economic development and planning, worked together so that Trowbridge, in this instance, benefited from major investment that has created jobs and will boost the local economy. I've spoken to lots of people who are delighted that the town now has an Odeon Cinema, and will soon have new restaurants and a hotel. Investment generates further investment and if this year is anything to go by Trowbridge's future is looking pretty good!

Speaking of investment and the economy Vince Cable MP – Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was the key note speaker at the Wessex Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast last Friday. He stressed that the time for investment is when the economic climate is not so buoyant and that there are lots of businesses looking to invest and help drive the future economy. He was particularly interested in Wiltshire as we are delivering significant investment across many of our towns and in Salisbury. Following the breakfast I discussed the future Science Park at Porton, which the government has agreed to support; recognising the impact and need for science and engineering skills and businesses in the national economy.

Continuing on the economy theme – I was on BBC Wiltshire on Wednesday morning discussing the Wilton Business Event that I attended. Some people perceive that there is less support for the economy and businesses in the south of the county compared with the north. I have to say I don't hold with this view although I was keen to hear the views of business representatives in Wilton. In the south we have recently opened Castledown Business Park and The Enterprise Network which is supporting start up and small businesses that are looking to grow, Salisbury's Market Place, the Maltings and Central Car Park in the city are currently being redeveloped, a new University Technical College providing training in science and engineering will open in 2015 and Porton Science Park, as I mentioned above – are just a few examples of investment and development that are taking place in the south of the county.  When it comes to the economy there are no geographical boundaries within Wiltshire. What matters to me is that the county as a whole benefits from entrepreneurs being supported to start-up companies, small businesses can grow and expand, large companies are attracted to invest in suitable areas and that we help to create and safeguard jobs to ensure we keep unemployment low and Wiltshire has a thriving and buoyant economy.

Yesterday (Thursday 31 October) and today I am on military duty; tomorrow I will be attending the welcome home parade in Malmesbury for the 9 Regiment RLC following their service in Afghanistan. It is always moving and emotional to see our troops come back home to Wiltshire and to recognise their challenging role in rebuilding and safeguarding people in war torn countries. On Friday I will be in Tidworth at the official opening of the new Tidworth Garrison Theatre, which replaces the old theatre that was located behind the wire in the garrison. The new facility is outside the wire and reflects the integration of the military and community. I am looking forward to seeing the new theatre, that I understand can host up to 700 people, and I am delighted that the first major event in this new building will be the Wiltshire Assembly on 2 December which will focus on military integration – more about this soon…

Jane