This week has highlighted just what can be achieved by working in partnership. A new South Wiltshire University Technical College (UTC) will open in Salisbury, providing new education and training opportunities for young people (aged 13 -18 years). The UTC approached us, as the local education authority, regarding a possible site for a new college. We were aware that Wiltshire Police were looking to vacate their current police station site on Wilton Road in the next two years, which would tie in with the timing for the new community campus, and this presented an opportunity for a new college that would meet the needs for education for young people in the area.
All partners agreed that this was a good and pragmatic solution that would make best use of a public building, deliver opportunities for young people to gain skills for the workplace and re-provide police services in the city centre. The bid for a UTC was made to central government with a planned opening date for next September (2014). This meant a tight time frame for the police to relocate services and having had the opportunity to review the final arrangements the chief constable raised concern that they would not be able to continue to provide the level of police service that the public in Salisbury currently receive and asked all the partners to discuss the possibility of delaying the move out of Wilton Road Police Station.
Working with Salisbury MP John Glen, we have agreement from the government to open the UTC in September 2015. The revised date will allow extra time for Wiltshire Police to ensure robust plans are in place for future police services in the area. This will include a fully agreed plan for police custody arrangements to be in place before the police vacate the Wilton Road Police Station in autumn 2014. Whilst the delay will disappoint some of the students who were hoping to join the UTC in 2014, the UTC will work with them and their parents to ensure that their long-term ambitions can be supported. The partners all supported the chief constable recognising that public safety is a top priority and we are all pleased that the UTC will go ahead and provide vital training for young people in the field of science and engineering.
Today, I am pleased to announce that our child protection services have been rated as ‘adequate’ by Ofsted. This as a significant step on our journey of improvement after a similar inspection early last year rated our services as ‘inadequate’, but we are not, and will never be, complacent. We will continue to ensure that we improve so children in Wiltshire are as safe as they possibly can be. We would like to thank all staff involved in these services for their hard work; it’s your dedication that will continue to help us improve. To view the report visit the Ofsted website.
On Thursday I was pleased to launch a business sporting dinner that will take place in the atrium on 25 October. This unique event will link sport and businesses, which is part of our ‘A Legacy for Wiltshire’ programme. We were treated to a visit and demonstration from some of the county’s most successful athletes – Pole Vault 2012 South West Champion Hannah Grubb, Fencing former Junior World Champion Phillip Marsh and Judo British U20 Champion, Jemima Duxberry – who helped us launch the dinner. This event, which will host 250 business representatives and sports stars, will secure funding to support our Wiltshire athletes on their journey to Rio in 2016. Even a small amount of funding can make a huge difference.
The event itself is a Gala Dinner and will be hosted by former England Rugby Captain, Phil de Glanville and the special celebrity guest speaker is TV presenter, adventurer, journalist and double Olympic gold medallist and seven time world champion, James Cracknell OBE. I am so pleased that James has agreed to join us for the evening as he is a charismatic character with great stories from his time as an elite athlete as well as from his adventures since his retirement. I really am looking forward to hearing him speak.
I must just extend our congratulations to Stephanie Millward and Aaron Moore on their medal wins at the IPC World Swimming Championships this week.
Lastly, I’d like to say huge congratulations to all of Wiltshire’s young people who picked up their A Level results yesterday. More Wiltshire students have achieved the top grades of A* to B and 5 percent more students are achieving three or more A levels than in 2012. I know many of you will have been involved in supporting young people through these challenging times in your role as a parent or in your professional capacity and I’d like to congratulate you too for this great achievement.
Jane
Friday, 16 August 2013
Friday, 9 August 2013
Friday 9 August 2013
I seem to recall that some years ago August was always a quiet month when the council had a recess period with virtually no meetings arranged – how times have changed! We’re only a week into August and there’s a lot happening. I spent Tuesday morning in Salisbury with around thirty new staff attending the induction course. I always thoroughly enjoy these sessions and welcome the questions and comments about the council and how we work. This week’s session was really interesting as we discussed how services will be delivered in the future in community campuses and how we can integrate leisure, police services, health, youth and other key services to benefit local communities. It was good to have input from three police staff who transferred into the programme office in April and hear their views on how policing is about being part of the community. We know that co-locating with the police makes sense and we have seen the positive impact of this at our Monkton Park offices.
In the afternoon I met Bill Browne, the editor of the Salisbury Journal for a regular catch up and to talk through how we can continue to work together. We discussed Purple Flag week which takes place 21-27 September and marks the first anniversary of the flag being awarded to Salisbury for it’s safe and successful night time economy. The week will see us co-hosting a number of activities with the city council, including a vintage market in the newly refurbished Guildhall Square with live entertainment and a reception for local businesses. We also talked about the huge programme of activities and events scheduled as part of creating a legacy for Wiltshire. Bill was interested in the forthcoming business sports dinner and the elite cycle race that will take place in Wilton next May (2014). We agreed to look at how we can work together on new projects with local communities; more about this as we develop these...
On Wednesday, I met the High Sheriff, William Wyldebore-Smith and was pleased that he would like to use the atrium to host an event on his year’s including work with the public and voluntary sector how we can all best support disadvantaged children next February. He was impressed with the recent Wiltshire Assembly and how well the atrium space worked for this type of event. I have asked our events team to look at how we can support this event.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Jane
In the afternoon I met Bill Browne, the editor of the Salisbury Journal for a regular catch up and to talk through how we can continue to work together. We discussed Purple Flag week which takes place 21-27 September and marks the first anniversary of the flag being awarded to Salisbury for it’s safe and successful night time economy. The week will see us co-hosting a number of activities with the city council, including a vintage market in the newly refurbished Guildhall Square with live entertainment and a reception for local businesses. We also talked about the huge programme of activities and events scheduled as part of creating a legacy for Wiltshire. Bill was interested in the forthcoming business sports dinner and the elite cycle race that will take place in Wilton next May (2014). We agreed to look at how we can work together on new projects with local communities; more about this as we develop these...
On Wednesday, I met the High Sheriff, William Wyldebore-Smith and was pleased that he would like to use the atrium to host an event on his year’s including work with the public and voluntary sector how we can all best support disadvantaged children next February. He was impressed with the recent Wiltshire Assembly and how well the atrium space worked for this type of event. I have asked our events team to look at how we can support this event.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Jane
Friday, 2 August 2013
Friday 2 August 2013
Last week I mentioned that it was 1 year since the London Olympic Games opened and to mark this anniversary Gamesmakers across the country were invited to attend the Anniversary Games in recognition of the valuable role that they played as volunteers in making last year’s Games such a unique and extraordinary event. The focus nationally and here in Wiltshire is the ongoing impact since last year, and on Friday morning (last week) I was invited to talk about our legacy work on BBC radio as part of a panel with Swindon Borough Council and Swindon and Wiltshire Sports Partnership. It’s interesting and not surprising that in Wiltshire an additional 6000 people have volunteered to support events, activities and services in their local communities following the success of last year. We’ve always been fortunate to have a huge number of volunteers in the county; 109,000 people (28 per cent of our population) regularly support services but we need to make sure that this number continues to grow as their support and capacity will help to maintain the delivery of key front line services and make communities stronger in the future.
Last year demonstrated that when local communities are provided with a “hook”, people are only too eager to come together and resolve issues, deliver events and participate in activities in their local community and, we know that there is a strong correlation between people who feel a sense of belonging and connected to each other and how happy and healthy they are; so the more we can encourage communities to come together the better it is for everyone.
With this in mind, we know that next year (2014) marks the centenary of World War 1 and we are aware that many communities want to come together and actively commemorate this huge historical event. We are looking at how we can support them and assist with the education and living history, which is vital to remembering the sacrifice made by so many; particularly in Wiltshire which has immense military history. Today I am meeting with the Brigadier Piers Hankinson at Tidworth to discuss how we can work together and support communities with the commemoration which starts next year.
Last Friday evening, I accompanied Maggie Rae, Keith Humphries and Jemima Milton on a visit to the renowned WOMAD festival, which is held at Charlton Park near Malmesbury. The event was in full flow and it was great to see so many families and all ages enjoying the music and atmosphere and we were all really impressed that the organisers had focused on making the event as accessible as possible and it was so great to see disabled and able-bodied people of all ages celebrate music from around the world. It’s a big event that helps to boost our local economy and bring thousands of visitors to Wiltshire.
This week I had three days in Kent undertaking “Gran Gran” duties babysitting which is always extremely satisfying albeit hard work! Yesterday I was back in the office and spent the day catching up with a number of people including meeting with the Police Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson and the Chief Constable, Patrick Geenty. These meetings are always really useful; particularly as we develop how we work together and consider the resources and buildings that we may share in the future. The need to work smarter and more efficiently has never been greater as the financial pressures continue to increase. We have do work differently and adopt a can-do approach to everything we do.
I mentioned earlier that I am in Tidworth today meeting the Brigadier to discuss next year, but we are also discussing the plans for the Army Basing project that will see 14,800 military personnel based in our county by 2016. It means Wiltshire will have the largest settlement of military personnel in the country and will house a quarter of the entire British Army. Not only does this make Wiltshire unique, but it means we have to plan to deliver services infrastructure and housing that will be needed and look at how we integrate the military and civilian communities to create a strong and vibrant local area around Salisbury Plain.
Finally, I’m looking forward to officially launching the Legacy business dinner next week. The dinner, which will be hosted by Phil De Glanville – former Bath and England Rugby Union Captain, takes place on 25 October in the Atrium will bring future Olympians and Paralympians together with businesses. More than 250 people will have a unique opportunity to hear from a celebrity speaker; to be announced next week at the launch, and to have the opportunity to “adopt” an athlete and support their journey to Rio in 2016.
Have a good weekend and hope the sunshine holds out...
Jane
Last year demonstrated that when local communities are provided with a “hook”, people are only too eager to come together and resolve issues, deliver events and participate in activities in their local community and, we know that there is a strong correlation between people who feel a sense of belonging and connected to each other and how happy and healthy they are; so the more we can encourage communities to come together the better it is for everyone.
With this in mind, we know that next year (2014) marks the centenary of World War 1 and we are aware that many communities want to come together and actively commemorate this huge historical event. We are looking at how we can support them and assist with the education and living history, which is vital to remembering the sacrifice made by so many; particularly in Wiltshire which has immense military history. Today I am meeting with the Brigadier Piers Hankinson at Tidworth to discuss how we can work together and support communities with the commemoration which starts next year.
Last Friday evening, I accompanied Maggie Rae, Keith Humphries and Jemima Milton on a visit to the renowned WOMAD festival, which is held at Charlton Park near Malmesbury. The event was in full flow and it was great to see so many families and all ages enjoying the music and atmosphere and we were all really impressed that the organisers had focused on making the event as accessible as possible and it was so great to see disabled and able-bodied people of all ages celebrate music from around the world. It’s a big event that helps to boost our local economy and bring thousands of visitors to Wiltshire.
This week I had three days in Kent undertaking “Gran Gran” duties babysitting which is always extremely satisfying albeit hard work! Yesterday I was back in the office and spent the day catching up with a number of people including meeting with the Police Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson and the Chief Constable, Patrick Geenty. These meetings are always really useful; particularly as we develop how we work together and consider the resources and buildings that we may share in the future. The need to work smarter and more efficiently has never been greater as the financial pressures continue to increase. We have do work differently and adopt a can-do approach to everything we do.
I mentioned earlier that I am in Tidworth today meeting the Brigadier to discuss next year, but we are also discussing the plans for the Army Basing project that will see 14,800 military personnel based in our county by 2016. It means Wiltshire will have the largest settlement of military personnel in the country and will house a quarter of the entire British Army. Not only does this make Wiltshire unique, but it means we have to plan to deliver services infrastructure and housing that will be needed and look at how we integrate the military and civilian communities to create a strong and vibrant local area around Salisbury Plain.
Finally, I’m looking forward to officially launching the Legacy business dinner next week. The dinner, which will be hosted by Phil De Glanville – former Bath and England Rugby Union Captain, takes place on 25 October in the Atrium will bring future Olympians and Paralympians together with businesses. More than 250 people will have a unique opportunity to hear from a celebrity speaker; to be announced next week at the launch, and to have the opportunity to “adopt” an athlete and support their journey to Rio in 2016.
Have a good weekend and hope the sunshine holds out...
Jane
Friday, 26 July 2013
Friday 26 July 2013
I have to start by saying it’s good to be back! I thoroughly enjoyed my family break on the Devon coast, which was hotter than abroad, and it was nice to spend time with my grandchildren and to be away from the office. Saying that, I was pleased to be back, to what has been a really busy week.
On Monday we hosted the Wiltshire Assembly in the atrium and it was a great event that focused on Wiltshire’s next generation and we discussed the opportunities for education, training or work. It was really good to see lots of young people attending and hear them talk about their experiences and what it has meant to have the opportunity to have apprenticeships and other initiatives to get into the work place. The feedback so far has been excellent and our partners and the businesses that attended were asked to pledge their commitment to what they can do to help young people.
On Tuesday my cabinet met and discussed a number of important items including our draft business plan for 2013-17. The plan had been considered by Overview and Scrutiny and its Select Committees, and the chairs of these committees provided us with some valuable feedback at the meeting, most of which we have agreed to incorporate. The revised draft incorporating this feedback is available on our website. This new business plan is vital as it sets out our priorities, vision and direction for the next four years and how we will manage the challenges of the significant reduction in central Government funding - which we know will be at least £120 million – and the increasing demand for many of our key services. We will have to do things differently and adopt an innovative and can-do approach to everything we do. We will continue to be flexible to adapt to an ever changing national picture. Along with the draft business plan we also discussed and agreed that the three corporate directors will review the senior management structure to reflect the new plan. The draft business plan will be discussed and agreed at full council on 3 September and will then be designed to ensure it’s easy to read and understand.
We also discussed a paper on our developing partnership with Wiltshire Police. The partnership will provide value for money as a result of us sharing resources and buildings and it will help us to cut out duplication and share vital information quickly and efficiently. Working together makes sense and the results so far have been really positive. The next stage will see us looking to merge support services which may include IT, HR, fleet, finance, payroll, property and estates, legal and communications. This approach is unique and ground breaking and we will be a model that others will be watching to see the outcomes we achieve. I think this is a great example of being innovative and doing things differently so that we can protect vital front line public services.
Our future waste service was also an agenda item and we agreed that officers should now test the market. Currently the service we provide is a mix of in-house and outsourced and we need to look at the best option for the future. We recognise that this is the one service that every household uses and is probably the service that most people associate with the council and what they pay council tax for. It’s important that we get this one right for the future; particularly as most people have very high satisfaction with the existing service.
On Wednesday I chaired the Legacy Steering Board and as ever was quite overwhelmed by the volume of activity and events that we and our communities have delivered, and what is planned to be delivered, since we formed the legacy board following last year’s events. It doesn’t seem like a year ago this week that we were watching the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games and that this would be the start of more people being inspired to get more active and take up sport and activities; an additional 6,000 people in Wiltshire have signed up to participate in sport and activities and the local economy continues to be boosted as a result of the wealth of Wiltshire markets and the recent Big Business and EXPO events.
I also attended a meeting with the military to discuss the future and the additional military personnel that be based in Wiltshire. By 2020 there will be 14,800 personnel based around Salisbury Plain, which is 25 percent of the British Army, making our county the largest settlement area for military personnel in the country. Discussions are focused on what will be needed to best manage this growth.
This week, I have had a further meeting with our health partners to discuss how we can deliver a joined up service for health and social care. This matter continues to be discussed nationally as the growth in the number of older people is a huge challenge across the whole country. More on this subject in the future.
In the meantime, for those of you just off on your annual break have a wonderful time and come back refreshed and raring to go!
Jane.
On Monday we hosted the Wiltshire Assembly in the atrium and it was a great event that focused on Wiltshire’s next generation and we discussed the opportunities for education, training or work. It was really good to see lots of young people attending and hear them talk about their experiences and what it has meant to have the opportunity to have apprenticeships and other initiatives to get into the work place. The feedback so far has been excellent and our partners and the businesses that attended were asked to pledge their commitment to what they can do to help young people.
On Tuesday my cabinet met and discussed a number of important items including our draft business plan for 2013-17. The plan had been considered by Overview and Scrutiny and its Select Committees, and the chairs of these committees provided us with some valuable feedback at the meeting, most of which we have agreed to incorporate. The revised draft incorporating this feedback is available on our website. This new business plan is vital as it sets out our priorities, vision and direction for the next four years and how we will manage the challenges of the significant reduction in central Government funding - which we know will be at least £120 million – and the increasing demand for many of our key services. We will have to do things differently and adopt an innovative and can-do approach to everything we do. We will continue to be flexible to adapt to an ever changing national picture. Along with the draft business plan we also discussed and agreed that the three corporate directors will review the senior management structure to reflect the new plan. The draft business plan will be discussed and agreed at full council on 3 September and will then be designed to ensure it’s easy to read and understand.
We also discussed a paper on our developing partnership with Wiltshire Police. The partnership will provide value for money as a result of us sharing resources and buildings and it will help us to cut out duplication and share vital information quickly and efficiently. Working together makes sense and the results so far have been really positive. The next stage will see us looking to merge support services which may include IT, HR, fleet, finance, payroll, property and estates, legal and communications. This approach is unique and ground breaking and we will be a model that others will be watching to see the outcomes we achieve. I think this is a great example of being innovative and doing things differently so that we can protect vital front line public services.
Our future waste service was also an agenda item and we agreed that officers should now test the market. Currently the service we provide is a mix of in-house and outsourced and we need to look at the best option for the future. We recognise that this is the one service that every household uses and is probably the service that most people associate with the council and what they pay council tax for. It’s important that we get this one right for the future; particularly as most people have very high satisfaction with the existing service.
On Wednesday I chaired the Legacy Steering Board and as ever was quite overwhelmed by the volume of activity and events that we and our communities have delivered, and what is planned to be delivered, since we formed the legacy board following last year’s events. It doesn’t seem like a year ago this week that we were watching the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games and that this would be the start of more people being inspired to get more active and take up sport and activities; an additional 6,000 people in Wiltshire have signed up to participate in sport and activities and the local economy continues to be boosted as a result of the wealth of Wiltshire markets and the recent Big Business and EXPO events.
I also attended a meeting with the military to discuss the future and the additional military personnel that be based in Wiltshire. By 2020 there will be 14,800 personnel based around Salisbury Plain, which is 25 percent of the British Army, making our county the largest settlement area for military personnel in the country. Discussions are focused on what will be needed to best manage this growth.
This week, I have had a further meeting with our health partners to discuss how we can deliver a joined up service for health and social care. This matter continues to be discussed nationally as the growth in the number of older people is a huge challenge across the whole country. More on this subject in the future.
In the meantime, for those of you just off on your annual break have a wonderful time and come back refreshed and raring to go!
Jane.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Friday 12 July 2013
Just to update that I’m on my hols and thoroughly enjoying some quality time with my gorgeous grandchildren on the very hot and sunny Devon coast. Makes you always want to holiday in this country when it’s like this. I was just remembering last summer and this time last year when we hosted the Olympic Torch and how lucky we were to avoid the constant rain (that saw many events being cancelled) and the thousands of people who came to Hudson’s Field to enjoy the atmosphere, the Torch arriving and the outdoor concert – was it really only a year ago? I just wonder if the weather had been like this, how many more people would of attended!
I hope you all have the opportunity to enjoy this glorious weather and the forecast says it’s set to continue...
I will be back a week on Monday and look forward to seeing you all then.
Friday, 5 July 2013
Friday 5 July 2013
This week I’ve been based in Manchester – not to see my revered Man United team this time, but to network and talk to the great and good in local government at the Local Government Association (LGA) annual conference. I was pleased to be invited to speak at the opening of the conference and was part of a panel with Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA, Graham Allen MP for Nottingham North and Michael Burton, the editor of the MJ . We were asked to voice our thoughts on a new publication and campaign launched by the LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockrell called ‘Rewiring Public Services’.
'Rewiring Public Services' sets out 10 big ideas to improve public services, save money and boost Britain's economy. To find out more about you can visit the LGA’s dedicated webpage or watch the campaign video.
I focused on how we have been rewiring public services since 2009 when we became a unitary council, and how we grasped the opportunities to work differently and make significant savings by working more efficiently. I advocated that it’s about being brave, taking risk and embracing innovation and that working differently with communities is the key. Local authorities need to let go of the control and enable communities to do more influencing the services they need, where they want them and how they will be delivered; in other words, our campus programme.
The clear message is that the next few years will continue to be challenging for local government and we have no choice other than to rewire our thinking and delivery. It certainly stimulated debate as did a session later in the afternoon on the future role of chief executives in local government. I was asked to comment and this was covered the next day (Wednesday) in the Guardian . I stated that councils are politically led; politicians should lead and the officers should deliver what the politicians want and that’s what makes a successful partnership.
Economic growth was also the subject of Lord Heseltine's speech on Wednesday afternoon, in which he challenged local authorities to seize the opportunities written into his 'No stone unturned' review, where we are featured as an example that unitary councils lead to significant savings and efficiencies.
The problems inherent in the existing disconnect between health and social care and the growth in demand for services for older people was a key feature of the conference. On Thursday the RSA launched the LGA’s Demand Management Publication - which included a case study from us which features our Help to Live at Home Programme and how this is taking an innovative approach to managing this increasing demand.
It was a week of networking and profiling our council and I was pleased that we are gaining recognition for our innovative approach to meeting service demand and doing things in a different way with our partners and communities.
Jane
'Rewiring Public Services' sets out 10 big ideas to improve public services, save money and boost Britain's economy. To find out more about you can visit the LGA’s dedicated webpage or watch the campaign video.
I focused on how we have been rewiring public services since 2009 when we became a unitary council, and how we grasped the opportunities to work differently and make significant savings by working more efficiently. I advocated that it’s about being brave, taking risk and embracing innovation and that working differently with communities is the key. Local authorities need to let go of the control and enable communities to do more influencing the services they need, where they want them and how they will be delivered; in other words, our campus programme.
The clear message is that the next few years will continue to be challenging for local government and we have no choice other than to rewire our thinking and delivery. It certainly stimulated debate as did a session later in the afternoon on the future role of chief executives in local government. I was asked to comment and this was covered the next day (Wednesday) in the Guardian . I stated that councils are politically led; politicians should lead and the officers should deliver what the politicians want and that’s what makes a successful partnership.
Economic growth was also the subject of Lord Heseltine's speech on Wednesday afternoon, in which he challenged local authorities to seize the opportunities written into his 'No stone unturned' review, where we are featured as an example that unitary councils lead to significant savings and efficiencies.
The problems inherent in the existing disconnect between health and social care and the growth in demand for services for older people was a key feature of the conference. On Thursday the RSA launched the LGA’s Demand Management Publication - which included a case study from us which features our Help to Live at Home Programme and how this is taking an innovative approach to managing this increasing demand.
It was a week of networking and profiling our council and I was pleased that we are gaining recognition for our innovative approach to meeting service demand and doing things in a different way with our partners and communities.
Jane
Friday, 28 June 2013
Friday 28 June 2013
This week has been exceptionally busy with a lot happening across the county. On Monday we announced an exciting partnership project that will deliver a new South Wiltshire University Technical College (UTC) in Salisbury in September 2014. The project, which is subject to planning permission and agreement of heads of terms, will mean the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC) granting a lease to Wiltshire Council - as the local education authority - for the use of the current Salisbury Police Station, at Wilton Road as a new UTC. The council will then sub-let the building to the UTC, for a minimal (peppercorn) rent. If agreed the UTC will take on the lease from this November (2013). It is proposed that the current police presence in Salisbury will be relocated to Wiltshire Council premises at the Bourne Hill offices, and they will also look at setting up a public access police point in Salisbury library. This would open ahead of Salisbury Police Station closing to ensure a smooth transition of this service. The UTC would provide specialist technical education in Science and Engineering for more than 600 14-18 year-olds, in a permanent fully refurbished building located in the city centre, avoiding the need to re-locate in temporary accommodation whilst a new facility is built, saving more than £3million. Given the current economic challenges that all public sector organisations face we have to look at how we can work differently and share buildings, facilities and resources to deliver improved services and make efficiencies and savings.
On Wednesday the Chancellor announced the spending review which takes effect from 2015. For us this will mean a further 10 percent reduction in the funding we will receive. Whilst this news was not a surprise for us, it does highlight the need to work more innovatively and with others to deliver services in a different way. It will mean that we need to continue to make some difficult decisions over the next four years and to continue to have clear priorities. Overview and Scrutiny committee met this week to discuss the first draft business plan for the next four years. Their input, particularly in relation to the key priorities and actions, will help to inform the plan and ensure that we are focusing on the right areas. The plan is not that different to the previous one and continues to focus on protecting the most vulnerable, boosting the local economy and really involving and empowering local communities so we can help them do more for themselves. It also promotes innovation and creating an environment where we embrace ideas and different approaches that deliver improved services and cost savings.
Talking of boosting the local economy, this week work started on Phase 2 of the Castledown Business Park in Ludgershall. More units will be developed at the park which will provide support for up-and-coming businesses creating jobs in the area. Working with the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade and MoD’s Career Transition Partnership, with the support of the Swindon and Wiltshire Enterprise Partnership and Swindon Borough Council we also hosted a Living and Working in Wiltshire and Swindon jobs fair at Tidworth Leisure Centre on Wednesday to promote future career options for personnel who are leaving the military.
It was great to see the hundreds of people who visited the event and how the council, our partners and businesses all work together to support the many military leavers who want to remain in Wiltshire with their families. It’s vital that we offer the support they need.
On Wednesday afternoon I had the great pleasure of officially closing this year’s Chippenham Games Legacy Event. More than 500 children enjoyed the many activities which included blind football, a mini-marathon, indo-boarding (although I’m not entirely sure what indo-boarding is) and tri-golf. I was thrilled to take part in the Big Dance and I have to say that I am full of admiration for the energy and inspirational leadership of Young Leaders. They really are motivational. It’s fantastic to see events like this that build on the success of last year. It’s these events and the contribution and support of the leaders that is helping to ensure that the spirit of the London 2012 Olympic Games continues and that we build a lasting legacy here in Wiltshire. Well done to the Chippenham Partnership for organising such an inspirational event and to all the children for taking part and making it such an outstanding success.
At the end of the week I attended meetings in London. On Thursday I met Nick Clegg and Greg Clark at Whitehall to discuss ideas and proposals on the city deal programme. We were asked to share our views on the negotiation and process for securing a deal, and; to discuss the ‘Heseltine’ single growth fund, its link with city deals and our thoughts on how the fund should be distributed and today I am attending a Systems Leadership - Local Vision Programme with Maggie, which is focusing on sharing best practice and experiences in both local government and public health. Leaders and senior staff will be encouraged to talk about their innovative approach to service challenges. Maggie and I are planning to talk about how we are managing the growth in demand for services for older people in Wiltshire and the help to live at home programme.
I’m looking forward to attending the curry and quiz event this evening in the atrium to raise funds to assist looked after children to take part in a world challenge. In August 2014 Kingdown Academy is sending 40 students to Tanzania to help build better communities as well as schools and houses. As a corporate parent we have agreed to support this fundraising and the more we can raise the better as it will provide a life changing opportunity for our looked after children. The evening promises to be a couple of hours of great fun and good food, and I’m really looking forward to taking part and testing my general knowledge!
Next week is the Local Government Association’s annual conference and the theme is Rewiring Local Government and what we need to do to involve people and keep democracy vibrant and meaningful...more on this next week...
Jane
On Wednesday the Chancellor announced the spending review which takes effect from 2015. For us this will mean a further 10 percent reduction in the funding we will receive. Whilst this news was not a surprise for us, it does highlight the need to work more innovatively and with others to deliver services in a different way. It will mean that we need to continue to make some difficult decisions over the next four years and to continue to have clear priorities. Overview and Scrutiny committee met this week to discuss the first draft business plan for the next four years. Their input, particularly in relation to the key priorities and actions, will help to inform the plan and ensure that we are focusing on the right areas. The plan is not that different to the previous one and continues to focus on protecting the most vulnerable, boosting the local economy and really involving and empowering local communities so we can help them do more for themselves. It also promotes innovation and creating an environment where we embrace ideas and different approaches that deliver improved services and cost savings.
Talking of boosting the local economy, this week work started on Phase 2 of the Castledown Business Park in Ludgershall. More units will be developed at the park which will provide support for up-and-coming businesses creating jobs in the area. Working with the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade and MoD’s Career Transition Partnership, with the support of the Swindon and Wiltshire Enterprise Partnership and Swindon Borough Council we also hosted a Living and Working in Wiltshire and Swindon jobs fair at Tidworth Leisure Centre on Wednesday to promote future career options for personnel who are leaving the military.
It was great to see the hundreds of people who visited the event and how the council, our partners and businesses all work together to support the many military leavers who want to remain in Wiltshire with their families. It’s vital that we offer the support they need.
On Wednesday afternoon I had the great pleasure of officially closing this year’s Chippenham Games Legacy Event. More than 500 children enjoyed the many activities which included blind football, a mini-marathon, indo-boarding (although I’m not entirely sure what indo-boarding is) and tri-golf. I was thrilled to take part in the Big Dance and I have to say that I am full of admiration for the energy and inspirational leadership of Young Leaders. They really are motivational. It’s fantastic to see events like this that build on the success of last year. It’s these events and the contribution and support of the leaders that is helping to ensure that the spirit of the London 2012 Olympic Games continues and that we build a lasting legacy here in Wiltshire. Well done to the Chippenham Partnership for organising such an inspirational event and to all the children for taking part and making it such an outstanding success.
At the end of the week I attended meetings in London. On Thursday I met Nick Clegg and Greg Clark at Whitehall to discuss ideas and proposals on the city deal programme. We were asked to share our views on the negotiation and process for securing a deal, and; to discuss the ‘Heseltine’ single growth fund, its link with city deals and our thoughts on how the fund should be distributed and today I am attending a Systems Leadership - Local Vision Programme with Maggie, which is focusing on sharing best practice and experiences in both local government and public health. Leaders and senior staff will be encouraged to talk about their innovative approach to service challenges. Maggie and I are planning to talk about how we are managing the growth in demand for services for older people in Wiltshire and the help to live at home programme.
I’m looking forward to attending the curry and quiz event this evening in the atrium to raise funds to assist looked after children to take part in a world challenge. In August 2014 Kingdown Academy is sending 40 students to Tanzania to help build better communities as well as schools and houses. As a corporate parent we have agreed to support this fundraising and the more we can raise the better as it will provide a life changing opportunity for our looked after children. The evening promises to be a couple of hours of great fun and good food, and I’m really looking forward to taking part and testing my general knowledge!
Next week is the Local Government Association’s annual conference and the theme is Rewiring Local Government and what we need to do to involve people and keep democracy vibrant and meaningful...more on this next week...
Jane
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