Just where has this year gone?

The past twelve months have raced by and I don’t know about you but I can’t quite believe that Christmas is upon us and it’s almost the end of another year.

I think this year has been both tough and challenging – in many ways. For me personally it’s been a year of change and some new opportunities. I became a Granny again following the birth of Harry so I am now proud Granny to William and Harry! And, I mustn’t forget my gorgeous granddaughter Flory... I also became a widow, losing my husband Ron the week after Harry was born. I think this is known as the circle of life…

This year, I also learnt lots regarding how the House of Lords works and how resilient I need to be to balance my role as leader of the council with my role as Baroness of Bybrook - not always easy – but, I’ve proved it can be done and I am pleased that I am now accessing ministers and decision makers and, as a result, delivering better outcomes for Wiltshire.

What I also had is that I work with some great people in Wiltshire and I am so appreciative and thankful for the support and good wishes that I have received. 

The year has been challenging for the council too. The demand for services; particularly those that help to protect the most vulnerable have increased, placing pressures on the budget, and this is set to continue. 

This issue isn’t one that just affects Wiltshire - it’s an issue that’s affecting the whole country. Yesterday, you may have heard, the government announcement that local authorities can set social care levy increases of up to 6% over the next two years to help fund this increased demand.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that it’s really positive that we are all living longer – and, that whilst we definitely can and do benefit from the wealth of experience and capacity that our aging population offers, there is also the real pressure to provide the funding and support required for social care services for older people. 

At this time of the year our focus is on the budget; both balancing this year’s and focusing on setting next year’s. The pressures and opportunities we face need to be weighed up. The announcement from the secretary of state for communities and local government, Sajid Javid on the social care levy to help meet social care costs needs careful consideration to make sure we do what’s right for Wiltshire, and this will be debated over the next few weeks.

Looking back - 2016 has been a year of delivery. One thing Wiltshire Council is good at is delivering - and this year has been no exception. Due to my personal situation, for the first time, I was unable to attend the recent staff forums. But, I have seen the short film that captured some of our successes and highlights from the past 12 months. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff and members, and for those of you that didn’t get the opportunity to see the film here it is – and, it’s well worth watching.

Next year we will continue to focus on our key priorities; protecting the vulnerable, boosting the economy, and building stronger communities and I am in no doubt that we will make Wiltshire an even better place to live, work and visit in 2017 and beyond.

On behalf of my cabinet colleagues and myself, I would like to say a very big thank you for all your hard work and commitment throughout this past year. We are extremely grateful for everything you do to make such a positive difference to the people of Wiltshire.

Finally, I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy 2017. However you are spending this special time, please do enjoy yourselves and have a well-earned break. A special thank you to those of you who will be working, or on call, over the festive period to ensure our services can continue – it is very much appreciated.

I look forward to working with you all in 2017 and fingers crossed that it brings us more opportunity than challenge!

Yours 

Jane 

An emotional time

Hello everyone

The last couple of weeks have been a very emotional time for my family and I.

As many of you may have heard, my daughter Fleur gave birth to a beautiful boy, Harry, and I have been providing her with some help and support while enjoying spending some time with my new grandson.

Unfortunately, it really has been a time of mixed emotions for all of us as, very sadly, my husband Ron passed away peacefully last weekend. 

Ron will be known to some of you. He was a strong, principled person with a real love for Wiltshire and a strong commitment to the work of the council. 

His passing coming so soon after the birth of Harry has been very hard for the whole family.
I’m extremely grateful to John Thomson for stepping in whilst I am away and for ensuring that the business of the council at meetings and events continues. 

John and I have been in close contact while I have been away with my family and he has kept me up to date with what’s been happening – and, as always, there’s been lot going on.

I was so disappointed not to be able to attend the staff forums in Trowbridge and Chippenham, and also the Achieving Excellence awards, but John has told me how much he enjoyed both, and how pleased he was to hear such a range of feedback and so many good questions from you at the forums.

As John, Carlton and Carolyn have said, and which I fully endorse; we are committed to acting on all the feedback received and all of the questions asked will be answered and publicised on the intranet. We will take action based on what you have told us needs to change, so that we have an organisation that can continue to move forward, adapt and be more open and transparent, as well as a great place to work.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Jane

Investment in our communities

Hello,

Working with local communities is key to everything we do and over the last couple of weeks I’ve been seeing first-hand the impact of the investment that we have made in communities across Wiltshire.

Last week I visited our recently completed health and wellbeing centre – the Nadder Centre in Tisbury, which is a really impressive community facility. It’s a bright, airy, colourful building with first-class facilities for local businesses, library visitors, young children, parents, gym users and many more…it really does feel like there is something for everyone there and the feedback we’ve received so far from visitors and users has been so positive.

I have always advocated that all our public buildings should be for the community and, as such, have a range of uses. I am really pleased that following last week’s visit, it has been decided that the Nadder Centre will host this year’s Wiltshire Assembly event, which is scheduled for next month.

The assembly is one of the biggest events we run in the county, bringing together key stakeholders to tackle different issues that are affecting Wiltshire. This year it will focus on housing, with the aim of raising awareness of housing needs and the gaps in housing in local communities. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss and commit to action the delivery of the right type of housing across the county that will meet the needs for the future. It is anticipated that more than one hundred representatives from organisations and communities will attend and I look forward to hearing their views and implementing what’s needed to tackle the housing issues we face.

I also visited Salisbury to sign an historic agreement which will see the transfer of responsibility for a package of buildings, facilities, assets and services to the city council.

This includes services and assets which are really important and touch people’s lives, including the Market Place, property, a new CCTV system, shopmobility, children's play areas and maintenance services. This transfer is significant as it places the delivery of local services with local councils. We are working with other local councils across the county to discuss which services could be transferred to ensure their sustainability into the future.

We are all aware that keeping active helps us to improve our general health and wellbeing, so I was delighted this week to officially hand over the new all-weather sports pitch in Beversbrook to Calne Town Council. The artificial pitch is another really impressive facility, one which is already encouraging people of all ages to be much more active…whatever the weather!

The pitch, and the recently installed toucan crossing to improve pedestrian access, has been installed at a cost of around £600,000. This is a significant investment – but in my view a really worthwhile one that reflects our commitment to improving local community facilities across the county.

Many teams are using this new pitch and have made it their home including FC Calne, Derry Hill FC, and Calne Utd – sadly my team Manchester United haven’t visited yet, but maybe one day – and more than 900 hours of football have been played on the new facility since May. That’s fantastic and shows it’s a success.

Of course these highlights from Tisbury, Salisbury and Calne, are just some of the investments we’re making in communities and it’s great to see that investment paying off.

And, finally in this blog I would like to acknowledge and thank all our staff for their hard work; particularly in challenging times. In recognition of this hard work I have agreed that Friday 23 December 2016 will be a day’s leave and that the offices will be closed. Whilst I recognise that some staff will be providing critical front line services on this day I have asked that it is an additional annual leave day for all staff (to be taken, when appropriate) as a thank you for everything that you, our valued staff do.

Jane

Planning for the future

Hello,

It’s that time of the year where the main political parties hold their national conferences and there is a huge amount of focus on the various policy announcements coming out of them.

I’ve just returned from a few days at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, at which I was really pleased to be able to have the opportunity to speak on some topics of real importance to Wiltshire and some of the ways that we have tackled our challenges head on.

Of course, many of the challenges we face aren’t unique; for example, all local authorities are trying to find ways to deal with rising demand with reduced funding – however, it’s good to be able to talk to our counterparts across the country at events like these to share knowledge, understanding, and of course solutions.

One of the main topics that came out of the Conservative Party Conference was that of housing; which, incidentally, is one of the biggest challenges we face in Wiltshire. Interestingly, Council Leaders across the country regularly ask: ‘how do we build the homes that Britain needs?’ and I was fortunate enough to be able to speak on the subject at the conference.

Did you realise that by 2025 our population in Wiltshire will increase by 9 per cent– that’s an extra 42,000 people who will need somewhere to live!

Moreover, people are also living longer – by 2025, the amount of people aged over 75 will increase by 68%; this means that we will need more properties with adaptions for those with disabilities.

All in all it is clear to see that we need more homes, and lots of them at that. However, it is important that we ensure that these are the right homes, built in the right way and in the right places, with the right infrastructure surrounding them.

Our houses need to be built sustainably, in a way that builds strong communities and not in a manner that purely just puts a roof over people’s heads.

Personally, I don’t think there is a better example of this than our army basing programme, again which is something that I highlighted at the conference.

This programme will bring 4,000 service personnel, along with 3,200 family members from Germany to Wiltshire by 2019, as Salisbury Plain becomes the largest military training area in the UK.

Indeed, while we welcome this as an opportunity to strengthen our connection with the military, it’s not without its challenges.

For example, we have worked very closely with the MoD to ensure that this programme is a success. I was really pleased that the recent peer review of our work on this programme was so positive and my thanks go to the many of you who I know were involved in this; your contribution should not be under-estimated. 

As part of the planning agreement for 917 army homes near Salisbury, there will be significant investment in community infrastructure – in schools, road improvements, community facilities, recreation, sports facilities, a medical facility and cycle paths across Salisbury Plain’s communities.

As you can see, this programme isn’t just about building the homes that Wiltshire needs, it’s about building a community for the future.

There wasn’t an off-the-shelf solution to this challenge; a unique situation required a unique solution and, of course, that is so true of many of the challenges we face.

One of the things I took home from the conference was that solutions to the problems we collectively face can be found in the same way – by getting the right people to come together and look creatively at what can be done.

I always like to say that every challenge has a solution.

Working together is the key; that is what has always worked for us in Wiltshire and I am certain that this will always continue to be the case.

Jane

A trip to Israel and looking to the future

Hello,

I hope you all had the opportunity to take some annual leave over the summer and like me were able to recharge your batteries a little... and, weren’t we lucky with such glorious weather?

I made the most of the sunshine spending time with my gorgeous grandchildren on the beach and a short break in Crete, followed by one of the most interesting and fascinating trips that I have taken in a long time. As I mentioned in my last blog I had the great pleasure of travelling to Israel and the West Bank, as part of a Parliamentary delegation. 

Israel is one of those countries that you have so many expectations about and the delegation had a packed schedule which enabled us to see this fascinating place. What you see in the media doesn’t actually reflect the reality and having the opportunity to spend five days meeting the Israeli and Palestinian people, you start to build a picture of the complexities. I saw a country that is diverse and multicultural, a world leader in technology and medicine, with a strong and developed democracy. Everyone that I met was vibrant and enthusiastic about the future. 

The visit included seeing the new Palestinian-planned city of Rawabi, and meeting the man behind it, which was especially illuminating. Rawabi plans to be an entertainment, commercial and business hub and a home for 35,000 Palestinians and 300 families have already relocated.  

In every way, the trip was informative and insightful, and came home having learnt so much and better equipped to take part when we debate this complex issue in the House of Lords. 

Now it’s back to work in Wiltshire, and as the summer months draw to a close it’s time to shift our focus to the second part of the year. Inevitably this is the time when we start in earnest to focus on setting the budget for next year and how we will manage the challenges ahead. It seems like only yesterday that we agreed this year’s budget – but I think that demonstrates that whilst time does seem to go quicker these days – budget planning is an all-year-round task that requires close monitoring, review and planning ahead. 

I don’t want to sound like I’m repeating the same messages every year but it is getting tougher and the challenge to maintain key front line services needs a lot of creative thinking and everyone’s input to make sure that we can deliver what people in Wiltshire need.

Working with the corporate leadership team we discuss the pressures that impact on the budget – this allows us to try and mitigate potential problems early. Whilst we have had to tighten our belts over the past few years, our good financial planning and management has stood us in good stead. 

Some local authorities get accused of shying away from explaining their financial decisions, but we feel it’s important to speak to our residents face to face and share what we face and our plans. Again this year we will be inviting members of the public to attend meetings in Trowbridge, Chippenham, Devizes and Salisbury to openly discuss the challenges ahead. Whilst people sometimes don’t agree with the decisions we make, I think they appreciate the opportunity to talk with us and understand the context in which we have to make those decisions. We view these meetings as a vital part of planning next year’s budget and we’re looking forward to hearing what they have to say. 

And it’s also important that we talk to all of you at the annual staff forums, which are scheduled to take place in the autumn. Just like the public meetings, the forums are an opportunity to discuss the direction of the council and our future plans.

It is unlikely to surprise you that we face the combination of increased demand for our services while having less money to spend. Our constant priority is to protect those vital front line services so it means we have to take a good look at everything we do and ensure we are being as efficient as possible. Despite the challenges, we have achieved so much over the years – it’s certainly not all doom and gloom – and we’ll be reflecting on some of these successes at the forthcoming meetings.

In my view we work best when we are challenged to think differently. As we have proven time and again, we are very adept at finding solutions and working with our local communities to encourage them to do more. I’m confident that this will be the case as we head into this important planning for the future.

Jane

Summer's finally here

Hello,

Now that the schools have broken up for the summer holidays, combined with the mini heat wave we saw last week, I think we can say that summer has arrived in the UK and that it’s that time of the year to enjoy some much needed annual leave.

I know just how busy it has been recently especially with everything that’s been happening post-referendum - and, dare I say it – but there does now appear to be a bit of relative calm in the national political arena. Well, perhaps calm is not quite the right word, but it does seem to have quietened down a little.

We now have a new Prime Minister and cabinet and a new minister for local government and I’m sure over the coming weeks and months we’ll gain more insight into what the future might start to look like post-Brexit; particularly for local government. Whatever happens, I know we’ll be ready in Wiltshire.

We’re used to challenges and change and to responding in a flexible way to meet the needs and demands of the people of Wiltshire. Working with cabinet and the corporate leadership team members we are looking ahead and shaping what we think will change, or need to change, over the next few years. Whilst this is partly driven by money, it’s also about the demand for services, particularly the support for those who are most vulnerable. But, it’s also about creating a strong, robust economy and making sure that we are doing all we can to help all our local communities become event stronger so that they can do more to improve their place and lives.

In the next few days the Rio Olympic Games will start and the publicity surrounding the Games reminded me of London 2012. I don’t know about you but I can’t believe it’s been four years since the Olympic torch came through Wiltshire. That was an extraordinary year and our local communities showed just what can be achieved when they come together. Since 2012, I have read and heard national reports that state that the promised legacy from the Games has failed and not come to fruition, as promoted. In fact the word legacy is seen as negative by many – but, that’s certainly not the case in this county. Since 2012, our communities have been even more engaged and active and the participation in sport and activity throughout the county has soared. This year’s Big Pledge - Road to Rio campaign has seen more than 18,000 people take part - many of these are young people and schools - all competing to travel the furthest to Rio by running, walking, rowing and/or cycling – and by all accounts we gone much further than Rio – I’ve been told that we’ve done enough kilometres to reach the moon! How incredible is that? Long may our communities continue to come together and showcase just how unique and wonderful they are, and long may we continue to work together to make them even stronger and ready for challenges and changes ahead.

The next six months will be busy and I’m looking forward to planning ahead; working on what will be another challenging budget and focusing on the big programmes of work that will make a difference in Wiltshire. I see the next few years as the time for innovation and ideas, and looking at new and better ways of doing things – we need to adapt and change and look to the future.

I hope you all enjoy the summer and a holiday from work and I would just like to say a huge heartfelt thank you for all you do – it is really appreciated. Whatever your plans are, enjoy spending some time with your loved ones, and fingers crossed that the sun continues to shine.

I’m off to enjoy some quality time with my grandchildren and then a trip to Israel – more about that in my next blog…

Jane

Looking to the future following the referendum result

Hello,

I’ve been involved in politics for many years and I’ve always found it interesting, but I could never have predicted the events of the last few weeks…

It’s not often that I feel sorry for political reporters but with the situation changing so frequently they must be struggling to keep up on the current news.

There has been an almost tangible sense from people - no matter which way they voted - of feeling unsettled about the uncharted territory we now find ourselves in. This is of course a natural reaction, as its clear there will be some big long-term changes ahead of us. We are keeping a watchful eye on proceedings in Westminster; particularly who will be elected as the next Prime Minister who will have to drive forward the process to exit the EU. And, we have yet to fully understand the impact this will have on local authorities and the public sector as a whole.

Our focus in Wiltshire Council remains the same; to provide high quality services and support for our local communities – this won’t change, in or out of the EU.

With what’s happening it was particularly timely that this week I attended the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Bournemouth – and you can guess what the hot topic was.

The conference is an opportunity for council leaders and senior officers to get together and discuss what’s ahead. What is evident – and it’s almost becoming a cliché – is that the next few years (and more likely beyond) local government will continue to face challenges both financial and from increasing service demands; particularly relating to adult social care. This means we have to continue to look at new and even more radical ways to deliver the services that are most needed.

I was pleased to be involved in discussions on topics that are very close to my heart. I spoke about devolution, which is a way of working that we are familiar with in Wiltshire. I was able to draw upon our first hand experiences of working closely with parish, town and city councils to talk about some of the challenges we have faced, but more importantly, the opportunities it has created. As the financial challenges continue into the future we will be looking for local communities to take on more responsibility to help ensure that the services that matter in local areas are sustainable for the future.

I also chaired a panel discussion which prompted serious thought and challenge. The Falklands Veteran Simon Weston was one of three speakers and he spoke with passion and force about how military personnel and their families are treated and viewed by society and potential employers. He challenged us to look at how support and advice is provided and how we maximise the potential of these people to add value in our communities. The theme was the importance of the relationship between communities and the military and the value of the Military Covenant that was established to provide support to armed forces personnel particularly when they leave the military and make the transition into civilian life. Whilst I’m proud of Wiltshire’s historic, and future, ties to the military and the strong relationship we have with our military partners, there is more that we can and will do. I would ask all our services and teams to continue to look at the covenant and to check that we are doing all we can for not only serving soldiers and their families but also the many veterans that live in the county. We must make sure that the thousands of soldiers and their families who will be based here in the coming years receive a real Wiltshire welcome and are supported so that they can settle in Wiltshire and become part of the local community.

After a rather tumultuous couple of weeks it was a real tonic to meet up with colleagues across the country and talk about the future. Of course, we’re no strangers to uncharted territories ourselves and when we became a unitary council just over seven years ago we too faced an uncertain future as we took a step into the unknown. We met that challenge head on and I am being asked to support other authorities who now recognise that combined local authorities make sense.

Wiltshire thrives on positivity and new ideas. We are passionate about what we do and that’s what makes us resilient in the face of any challenge. So whilst the horizon isn’t quite as clear as it once was, we must never lose sight of our vision and direction and with our resilience and drive, I know we’ll be just fine.

Jane

Royal birthday celebrations

We recognise that when communities come together it has a powerful impact. Not just on improving people’s health and wellbeing but also because it gets things done.

Since Wiltshire Council was formed seven years ago our vision has been to support local communities to become stronger and more resilient so that they can do more for themselves.

We quickly realised that if you provide a hook or reason for a local community to engage it results it a lot of creative energy and that in turn sees people - of all ages – coming together and getting involved.

We’ve seen this time and time again in recent years – the fantastic summer in 2012 when the Olympic Torch came through Wiltshire, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in that same year, the Magna Carta celebrations last year, and this year we have the Queen’s 90^th birthday and the clean-up in readiness for this.

We are always overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and excitement of communities to get involved and to participate. And, whilst it’s nice to look back, it’s more important to look ahead. This year is no exception - we know Wiltshire residents are patriotic. More than 1,500 volunteers got involved in March to Clean for the Queen, a campaign to make sure that Wiltshire was beautiful and ready to celebrate Her Majesty’s birthday.

Wiltshire was second only to London in carrying out the most registered litter picks in the country over the Clean for the Queen weekend – a huge achievement! The county really does look wonderful as a result and I’m pleased to say that I know many communities continue to organise litter picks to keep their local areas clean and beautiful.

This weekend, I suspect that bunting will be in short supply as so many communities have organised celebrations to mark the Queen’s special birthday. We wanted to encourage communities to use their imaginations and we’ve provided support and advice to more than 80 communities organising street parties and events through a handy tool kit and “how to” guide. I know one thing for sure and that is Wiltshire will celebrate in style.

Next Thursday (16 June) we will be hosting afternoon tea at County Hall to bring the old and young people in our communities together to mark the occasion. This invitation is extended to all of you to join us for some great entertainment and tea and cake. The cakes will be provided as a result of a bake-off for the Queen’s birthday competition and I am not just looking forward to judging the cakes but also to sampling them!

 ‘Community’ is a word often associated with days gone by, but I think it’s actually quite forward-thinking. 

We know as a council that we cannot do everything, and empowering communities to do more for themselves is the future. If events such as Clean for the Queen, and the Queen’s birthday celebrations can inspire people to come together and work together, then that’s a real achievement.

I hope however you are celebrating, you have a wonderful time and I look forward to welcoming you to County Hall next week – hopefully with a winning cake! On that note -  I’m off to find that recipe and get baking!

Jane