Interesting times

The past few weeks have been particularly busy as I have been settling into my new role at the House of Lords whilst continuing to focus on matters at Wiltshire Council.

Last week’s extraordinary Full Council meeting was truly extraordinary. Members had the opportunity to vote on a raft of recommendations on the Community Governance Review. This was a once in a half-century opportunity to discuss if the existing parish boundaries are best serving the needs of our local residents. The boundaries reflect a town or parish council area and the number of properties paying Council Tax and precepts to that particular town or parish. With the growth in housing this was an opportunity to review the boundaries and make adjustments, where needed.

It was an epic meeting - lasting for the best part of 11 hours - reflecting how important it was that each proposed change should be debated in full, prior to voting. The hard work of the officers and Working Party members - who put forward their recommended changes - was acknowledged a number of times throughout the meeting and I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the huge and challenging task that they achieved.

There is no doubt that interesting times will continue for local government. Like everyone else, I listened with interest to the Chancellor delivering his Spending Review last week. This was the first time a Chancellor combined the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) with a budget statement so he covered a significant amount of information and, more detail on what this will mean for the council, will follow in the coming weeks.

The review raised a number of areas that we need to consider in Wiltshire, including the proposed social care levy, the greater collaboration between public sector services, and the additional need for flooding prevention and highways investment. The government’s focus continues to be reducing the national deficit and taking the economy out of recession.

Public sector workers across the country were asked for their areas to reduce waste and deliver services more efficiently, as part of the Public Sector Efficiency Challenge. 22,000 ideas were put forward reflecting the dedication and support of those who work in the public sector. It just shows how resilient, innovative and determined we have become and in Wiltshire we have proven time and again that we can rise to the challenges put in front of us and do an excellent job. We will need these qualities in coming years as the clear message is that “austerity is not yet over” and to continue to provide the best possible service to our communities we will need lots more ideas and innovative thinking. I know this won’t be a problem for us - having listened to your thoughts and views at the staff forums there is certainly lots more we can do.

I do hope Wiltshire will get a better settlement on the schools funding formula and the proposals for delivering more affordable housing are certainly to be welcomed. There are many residents in Wiltshire who would like to own their own home but do not qualify for social housing and cannot afford to buy a house on the open market. We are committed to working with our partners to provide as many new affordable homes as we can and this additional government support is welcome. 

I’m not sure if you are aware but a new member will be joining the council following a by-election held last Thursday (26 November 2015) for the Salisbury St Edmund and Milford ward.  Atiqul Hoque won by a considerable margin and we look forward to welcoming him.

And, finally, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…last week’s Christmas Wealth of Wiltshire Fayre was a great success and so many local traders took part selling their produce and products. The local choirs were a joy to hear and the buzz in the atrium reminded me of what an excellent community and public space we have created. It made me realise that Christmas isn’t that far away and I was delighted to support the traders by bulk buying bottle holders and other gifts. The rest of my shopping will have to be squeezed in when my diary permits as life continues to be hectic in the run up to Christmas.

Next week it’s the Christmas Carol service and I am really looking forward to a time of reflection and to hearing our wonderful choir and seeing you if you’re able to attend.

Jane