Friday 18 January

Hello

In last week’s blog I talked about the emergency planning day that I had been asked to open. It really hit home this week just how important it is to be prepared and trained in these matters when a disaster happens. Wednesday’s tragic helicopter crash in London could have happened in Wiltshire and we need to be prepared to respond to any incident or emergency.

On the matter of being prepared....I know the incident team has been planning and preparing for the snow forecast for today and BBC radio is reporting live from our incident room in County Hall. Dan the reporter has been there, with our duty team since 6 am this morning, providing updates to commuters, drivers and parents across the county about the road conditions and school closures; more than 200 across the county!  I know that teams will work hard to keep business as usual where possible to help those in need of our services, but please be sensible about travelling and listen to the updates on local radio.

I’m thrilled that the Municipal Journal (national local government journal) has published this week that Wiltshire is the fifth best place in the country for businesses to invest in. National publicity such as this could really help to attract new business into the county and is positive for those already based here. Our economic team is working hard to promote and secure inward investment and this article is a real boost.

And, what fantastic and fascinating news relating to Avebury - as a visitor experience it has been ranked second out of all the world heritage sites. It ranks higher than Peru’s Machu Pichu, the Egyptian pyramids and the Taj Mahal. It was only beaten by Monte Alban in Mexico. Once again Wiltshire is on the global map.

On Tuesday this week, Carolyn and I opened the early intervention conference. Over 200 partners and providers attended to discuss how we help children and families as early as possible when the need for support has been highlighted. We know prevention and timely support can make a huge difference for the lives of children and young people. It was really positive to see so many partners and agencies discussing how by working together we can provide support as early as possible and make a real difference.

On Tuesday evening I was invited to attend a dinner in London with representatives from several London borough councils, other large local authorities and ministers to discuss how we are meeting the financial challenges that we face. My input focused on the key facts and data that we have achieved in the first (almost) four years as a unitary and our achievements are impressive. We have saved over £100m and dramatically reduced our management and support functions whilst continuing to invest in the key front line services. Our short history is impressive and of great interest to others.

Yesterday was a day of back to back meetings, starting with a catch up with Bill Browne, editor of the Salisbury Journal to discuss how we continue to work with the Journal to provide news and updates on what’s happening in Salisbury; this year we have a lot happening in the city!  It was Bill’s first visit to the refurbished County Hall and he was extremely impressed.

I also chaired the Legacy Steering Board yesterday and there is a huge programme of work underway to keep the momentum of last year going. The focus is on keeping communities active and involved, boosting the local economy, keeping fit, healthy and active and promoting Wiltshire as a destination for future events and activities. The board is producing a calendar of events for this year and beyond; some of which will be hosted in the atrium at County Hall. We will be meeting with the local communities later this month to discuss how we can support them with events and activities this year.

We also talked about plans to mark Salisbury City Hall’s 50^th anniversary later this year. The City Hall is a war memorial and plans to commemorate and celebrate its history and significance to the city are underway.  I’ll keep you updated as these plans develop.

I was also pleased to welcome Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and his team yesterday. We are working with the RSA to explore how local communities can be involved in running the campuses. This will be new and radical project and will influence national and international policy in this area. The RSA works with organisations that are visionary in their approach and demonstrate a commitment to push the boundaries of current thinking; that is definitely us!

I’m mainly spending today catching up on a very busy week and planning for important events next week.

Starting on Monday we will be running consultation road shows in nine locations across the county to ask people their views on the first four years of the council – what’s good – what could be better, and, where would they spend more money and less money. The feedback will be collated to help influence our future plans and the 2013/14 budget setting. We’ve already made a commitment to our residents not to increase council tax in 2013/14 and to protect, wherever possible, our front line services, but it will be interesting to hear what people think about our services and where they consider we should spend more money and save more money. The budget proposals will be debated at council meeting on 26 February. You can find a full list of roadshows on the website.

On Tuesday, cabinet meets in Chippenham and will discuss a number of items including the Waste Sites local plan. The plan identifies suitable sites for managing waste. Following extensive consultation the number of sites has been reduced from 100 to 34. The development of state-of-the-art, modern facilities to process waste will help us reduce waste going to landfill and the cost of landfill tax that we pay. The updated Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) is also on the agenda and provides accurate data and evidence on our county and residents including the economy, health and population statistics and growth. The JSA is the foundation for service planning and delivery and focuses where our resources need to be allocated.

Next week we are also launching the stay safe, be seen campaign. Working with NHS Wiltshire, the police and the fire and rescue service we will help primary school children be safe as they walk to school. We’ll be giving out special high visibility flashing and reflective armbands.  This is part of a bigger campaign to help make Wiltshire’s road safer.

Stay safe, stay warm and stay put over the weekend...

Jane