Friday 8 February 2013

I never thought that any year could be as busy as last year but seven weeks into 2013 and I’m beginning to think that this one could be just as busy, if not more so! Is it a sign of age when the weeks go by so fast that you lose track of what month it is, or is it the pace of activity that makes time fly?  Perhaps it’s both.

Certainly this week has been an example of both... It started with the health fair in the atrium at County Hall that welcomed lots of visitors to participate in a variety of health checks including blood pressure, cholesterol and to find out more about keeping active, eating healthy foods, alcohol awareness and information and advice regarding mental health and managing stress. It was good to see so many people visiting and to host an interactive fair that helped to raise awareness of public health.

What I became aware of, as I had lunch in the cafe, is just how good the space in the atrium is for these types of events and fairs and how staff and visitors enjoy the interactive stands and exhibitions. I look forward to seeing this community space used for more events of this type throughout the year.

On Monday night I was a judge at the Young Voice of Trowbridge competition. This is a public speaking and debate competition organised by Trowbridge in Bloom, a local community organisation. Local schools had teams from years 8, 10 and 13 who had been successful in public speaking heats last year. The teams were extremely articulate and the topics included the importance of the new cinema in Trowbridge and the voice and influence of young people in their local communities. St. Augustine’s won the overall prize and John of Gaunt won two categories but I was really impressed with the competition and how it helps to build young people’s confidence in public speaking, which is such an important skill to have for life. I would like us to look at the possibility of a county-wide inter-schools public speaking competition as it highlighted to me the value of these skills.

On Tuesday I attended my first Local Safeguarding Children’s Board meeting which was extremely interesting and it was good to discuss with all the key agencies how we continue to deliver improvements to safeguard and support children and young people.

On Wednesday I met Police Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson and the Chief Constable, Patrick Geenty to discuss plans for sharing services and buildings in the future. Monkton Park is a prime example of where sharing office space and front of house with the police is working well. With the reduction in funding affecting all public sector organisations, sharing resources is a sensible and pragmatic solution that will help us all to avoid cuts to key front line services in the future.

Yesterday the first meeting to consider the budget proposals for 2013/14 took place. Overview and Scrutiny invited all council members to attend a meeting to review the draft Financial Plan which will also be discussed at next week’s cabinet meeting (12 February) and at full council on 26 February, when the final budget will be agreed and the Council Tax will be set. The plan sets out the council’s priorities; to protect vital frontline services, particularly those affecting the most vulnerable and to invest in key services. Despite the funding from central government being reduced by a further £9.8 million next year, we are planning to save

£27.656 million by continuing to deliver services more efficiently, renegotiate contracts and make better use of our assets. The proposal is to invest
£17.804 million into key front line services. This includes £5.7 million to support vulnerable adults; almost £3 million to support the increase in the number of children coming into care and ongoing demand for these services; almost £3 million into roads maintenance and more than half a million for car parks to support local towns and parishes with free parking days; and we will invest £2.4 million to support waste services to reduce the amount that we send to landfill. The Plan also focuses on a programme to invest to save that includes the campuses, which will deliver local services, in fit for purpose buildings, where local communities want them. Whilst other authorities are making significant cuts, we are better placed as a result of the efficiencies that we are delivering and as a result of doing things differently. We are protecting our vital services. Next week my cabinet will consider the plan and will agree the budget that it will propose to full council. The draft Financial Plan is available to view.

A key part of setting the budget is considering public feedback and views on what we should prioritise. The last two budget road shows were held this week in Salisbury and Marlborough. The roadshows have provided valuable feedback which we are collating and assessing and will use to inform the final budget setting. People were asked to say what we could improve and where they would spend more money and where they would save money. More than 600 feedback forms were completed and many more people attended the roadshows.

Last night the second of four community legacy meetings was held in Chippenham and I was really encouraged by the number of attendees representing communities, businesses, the churches and sport. There were lots of good ideas for keeping the momentum of last year going and I had three volunteers asking to join the Legacy Steering Board. A key factor is how we can keep local communities informed, updated and involved as there is a lot happening. We have two more events planned and following these the Steering Board will review the feedback and ideas and agree how to take this forward. The best thing is the palpable enthusiasm for this work and I have a feeling 2013 will be just as vibrant as 2012.

Next week, the latest copy of Your Wiltshire magazine will be delivered to households across the county. This edition reflects on what we’ve delivered in the past four years and what’s planned in local communities this year. I thought you may like to read this edition as it highlights some of the great work that you have delivered and the difference this is making to local people in Wiltshire. I would just like to express my thanks as when you look back at our first four years it is impressive just how much has been achieved, particularly in such tough financial times. It highlights how innovative we are and how the huge programme of transformation will deliver fit for purpose buildings and services that deliver what local communities want and need.

I mentioned last week that I would update on the appointment of the new chair of Healthwatch Wiltshire following the interviews that had taken place. I am pleased to update that Christine Graves has been appointed as the first chairman this new body that will become fully functional on 1 April 2013.  Healthwatch will help to improve health and social care services, being a voice for service users and it will provide information and signposting for services and support people to make informed choices in their lives. We know Christine is looking forward to serving the community in this new role and wish her every success. Her first task will to be to appoint four executive board members to support her as chair.

And, finally I am in County Hall today trying to deliver the clear desk policy as my desk is totally covered in files and papers – I’m hoping I will get home for the weekend!

Jane.