Hello everyone,
It’s been an incredibly busy and uplifting week this week. The first two manager forums were held in Chippenham and Salisbury and both were really well attended. The forums take a look back at many achievements that we have delivered this year and a look forward at what we will face, and, I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to hear that there are some challenges ahead. The forums bring a lot of what we are doing to life through the use of some great film footage, which acts as a reminder that whilst we continually work in a challenging and often tough environment, we can, and do, deliver outstanding work that is improving the quality of life for our Wiltshire residents and communities.
Talking of communities, this week I’ve also been continuing my presentations to area boards on the 2012 legacy. The enthusiasm and positive feedback from all those attending reaffirms the need to continue to work with our communities to keep the spirit and momentum that was so palpable this summer alive. All the communities have expressed an interest in keeping the legacy going, so I am looking forward to discussing how we can do this at the first Legacy Steering Board meeting next week.
I’m thrilled that our new customer centre in Snuff Street, Devizes opened this week and I’d like to personally thank all the teams involved in the smooth running of yet another part of the transformation programme.
As you may be aware we are undertaking a huge amount of work to address the concerns raised by Ofsted in relation to safeguarding children. On Tuesday I interviewed for a new chair of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The Board’s role in a nutshell is to make sure that all the key agencies work together to keep children safe and promote their welfare. The chair’s role is vital in ensuring that this work is coordinated. Hopefully I’ll be able to update you on the appointment in next week’s blog.
Last night (Thursday) I spoke at the Wessex Chamber of Commerce AGM about Wiltshire’s economy and the many things we are doing to help reinvigorate this in the current climate. I focused on the Wiltshire Apprenticeships Campaign, to help local businesses understand the benefits of apprenticeships; the support we continue to give to improving Trowbridge, Chippenham and Salisbury as part of delivering a vision for these towns and city, as well as the support our economic development team provides for small and local businesses. I also mentioned all the work we do with the newly established Local Enterprise Partnership and the Action for Wiltshire (A4W) programme, which has already supported businesses and communities in the recession with programmes to assist with re-skilling, long term unemployment, loans to businesses, personal debt and help and advice for those experiencing difficulty.
And, finally this morning (Friday) I was asked to be on a panel for a question time style business breakfast where I was put under the spotlight responding to questions from business representatives – more on my experience of this next week...
Look forward to seeing some of you at next week’s forums,
Jane
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