Update regarding the incident in Amesbury

It almost seems unbelievable that in my last blog I was recognising the progress in Salisbury’s recovery and the impending visit of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to mark their support for the city.

Salisbury four months on from the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal was getting back to normal and footfall was starting to improve.

So the shock of the tragic death of Dawn Sturgess has reverberated throughout the city and now in Amesbury, and our thoughts and sincere condolences are with her family and friends.

Her partner Charlie Rowley remains in Salisbury hospital in a critical condition. Our thoughts are also with him, his family and friends during what is clearly a difficult time for them all. 

Having a death occur in our local community; particularly in such extraordinary circumstances will have a huge impact on those who live and work there and our role is to do everything possible to support our partners whilst they carry out their investigation into this dreadful crime.

The incident is being investigated as a murder and is being led by the UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing Network supported by Wiltshire Police.

We are a vital link to the local communities and I will make sure that we continue to keep people informed and updated of the latest information. Last night a community meeting was held in Amesbury and more than 250 people attended to hear updates from a panel of local and national agency representatives. They were able to ask their questions and receive answers from those directly involved and leading this investigation. I gave my assurance that further community meetings will be arranged in both Amesbury and Salisbury to keep these communities up to date.

This is a fast-moving and changing situation, the like of which we have never experienced in Wiltshire before, and we understand that people are concerned; particularly those in Salisbury and Amesbury.

We will provide support to those directly affected and to those who are most vulnerable in our communities. Reassurance and calm needs to continue and the resilience of our local communities is being tested now – more than ever before.

The current advice from Public Health England is that “if you haven’t dropped it - don’t pick it up” - the wider risk to public health remains low and health advice can be accessed on a helpline set up to offer reassurance and advice on 0800 092 0410.

It is vital that we continue to assist local businesses to assess their needs and provide support where it is needed throughout this extremely difficult period. On Monday I announced that in Amesbury we have lifted the parking charges on our Central and Church Street car parks to reflect the situation in Salisbury and do what’s right for these communities.

We will continue to work with Amesbury and Salisbury to support them during this testing time. Since the first incident occurred in March Salisbury has shown just how resilient and determined it is in the face of an unprecedented challenge and I am sure that this will continue and that Amesbury will be just as stoic.

We will do all we can to help both these communities get back to normal and move forward.

Jane

Royal visit to Salisbury

Wiltshire has always welcomed the Royal Family and I look back with fondness to the many visits over the years that they have made to the county.

I can still vividly recall the sea of smiling faces, Union Jack flags, and what seemed like mile upon mile of bunting that greeted the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when they visited Salisbury in 2012, as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

These visits engage communities, and all ages turn out to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family members on days that create everlasting memories.

When The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit Salisbury tomorrow (Friday 22 June) I have no doubt that it will be another of those days and, personally, I can’t wait.

I’m delighted that Their Royal Highnesses are visiting to support the city’s recovery programme, which is making good progress. Amesbury ambulance station is the third site to be handed back this week and Salisbury is getting back to normal.

The city’s ongoing recovery has involved many people from many local and national organisations, and many will be personally thanked for their efforts by Their Royal Highnesses at a special reception at the Guildhall.

Their visit includes a walk through the city’s Market Place and it is hoped that hundreds of visitors will attend to give the Royal visitors a very warm welcome. It will be another day in Wiltshire’s history and a real milestone for the recovery programme. It will showcase Salisbury worldwide as more than forty media outlets will be in attendance, including Australian TV and will help to promote that the city is safe and that visitors and tourists are also very welcome.

This week there is another milestone – as the corporate team and others – including the Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, participate in a cycle of 130 miles around the county for the inaugural Bustard Ride and to raise money for Wiltshire Mind, a charity that does truly exceptional work for the people of our county.

This event will raise a lot of money, at the time of writing this blog £1,550 has been pledged – but perhaps more importantly it will help to raise awareness of the importance and understanding of the issue of mental health. With mental health affecting one in four of us – and loneliness being as damaging to physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day – this is a serious issue which needs to be openly discussed and supported.

The EPIC staff engagement group have also joined in to try and beat the 130 miles, but on exercise bikes located in Trowbridge, Chippenham and Salisbury hubs. I wish everyone taking part – in whatever form – the very best of luck! Please do pledge your support by visiting the donation page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bustard-ride-wiltshire.

Jane

Maltings reopens and a personal achievement

Hello,

Last week saw a significant milestone achieved in the recovery of Salisbury. The walkway and shops in the Maltings shopping centre, reopened to the public over the Bank Holiday weekend and people can now access the city centre from Central Car Park through the Maltings, and support the shops and businesses that have started to reopen.

The site has been thoroughly cleaned following the incident almost three months ago, to ensure that any traces of nerve agent found have been removed by specialists. Working with Salisbury City Council and the Maltings Shopping Centre team we pulled out all the stops to make improvements to this site including brickwork repair, grass cutting, painting and routine maintenance so that it could reopen for the holiday weekend.

It has always been a priority to reopen this main economic thoroughfare, which takes visitors and shoppers from the main car parks to the city centre past the shops in the Maltings that have been directly affected. We hope that people will now visit and support the businesses that were affected and their patience and stoicism during the investigation and clean-up work has to be commended. This reopening reflects the hard work of all the local and national partner agencies who cleaned the site to enable it to reopen and is a big step forward in getting Salisbury back to normal.

On another milestone – but this time a personal one - I am a firm advocate for new challenges and for pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Last week I did just that and completed my first ever wing walk in aid of Hope for Tomorrow!
I’ll admit to being a little nervous beforehand – and, who wouldn’t be? – But I have to say being strapped to the wings of a plane and 1,000 feet in the air was the most exhilarating experience - and one I would love to do again and would recommend to anyone given the opportunity.

I’m told that more people have climbed Everest than done a wing walk - so I am delighted with my achievement. My thanks go to all of you who pledged support – if you would still like to do so, my fund-raising page can be found online.

So far my five friends and I from the Wings of Hope fundraising team raised more than £16,000, and there is still money coming in.

Hope for Tomorrow is a charity I have supported for many years, and I was pleased to be able to give back a little to an organisation that gives so much to others and to do something new and challenging and feel that sense of achievement.

There are a few pictures here, and you can also watch a short video.

Jane

Salisbury is recovering

I’m pleased to say that slowly but surely Salisbury is starting to recover. The clean-up of the nine sites potentially affected is well underway and it never ceases to amaze me how flexible and accommodating that people are when faced with the most challenging circumstance.  Wiltshire Police and council staff based at Bourne Hill relocated to vacate the new extension almost two weeks ago and the impact to service users was seamless. This was due to the positive attitude and flexible approach adopted by all concerned and I would like to say thank you. The demonstrable resilience is a credit to all of you and to both organisations. In the circumstances we had to displace some wedding parties and the patience shown by these parties reflected their understanding of what Salisbury has faced and the need to make sacrifices for the greater good and recovery of the city.   

This month – and it’s now May – is a month of events and celebrations – and in my view we all need a little of that right now!

Salisbury Live, which starts this Friday (4 May) and runs until 1 June, is a city-wide celebration of live music and offers five weekends of free live gigs in venues across Salisbury – in total there are more than 100 different acts in 20 venues. From pop,rock and blues to jam nights, there’s something to suit all tastes; download the full programme.

The Royal Wedding on 19 May, will see the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral turn red, white and blue as a free, fun-filled party to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The event, starts at 9am and is packed with activities and live entertainment for the whole family to enjoy including a chance to write good luck messages to the Royal couple, and children’s craft sessions with Salisbury Cathedral and CBBC. And, of course, the ceremony will be broadcast live on a 50-foot screen.

Throughout May and June, the Cathedral is also hosting a major art installation, Les Colombes by multimedia artist Michael Pendry, which carries a message of resilience, peace and hope. The installation features a flock of around 2,500 white origami doves that ‘fly’ the length of the Cathedral nave – definitely worth a visit. 

And on 31 May as part of the recovery programme, Salisbury will host cycling’s Grand Final of the OVO Energy Tour Series. Working with Salisbury City Council we are supporting Britain’s leading televised cycle race series which will take place in Wiltshire for the first time, and will showcase Salisbury. This is a free-to-attend event and the race action from the 1.2k Salisbury City Centre circuit will be shown in two hour-long highlight programmes on ITV4 in the UK, as well as in over 100 countries worldwide. Previous competitors include four-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny CBE, Ed Clancy OBE (three-time Olympic champion) and Dame Sarah Storey, Britain’s most successful female Paralympian. I know a call out has been made to encourage volunteers to get involved and to help to marshal the event and I hope you will get involved as this is a real one-off event for Wiltshire and will be a really exciting evening with the races starting in the Market Place at 6pm.

And finally, can you believe that on Monday 21 May, along with five friends from my Wings of Hope fundraising team, I will be taking off from Rendcome Airfield in Gloucestershire on the top wing of a bi-plane to swoop over the Cotswolds at speeds topping 130mph to raise money for Hope for Tomorrow, a charity I have supported for many years. Hope for Tomorrow does an excellent job helping to provide cancer care closer to patients’ homes in mobile cancer units across the country rather than in a hospital and this makes a real difference to people’s lives at a time when they really need it. This Wing Walk experience will be a slightly daunting experience for me and something totally different that I never thought I would do – but, it will be well worth it if it helps to raise funding to support this great cause. If any of you would like to support me in raising as much money as possible for Hope for Tomorrow please pledge your support.

Pictures to follow! 

Enjoy May and celebrate a little…

Update on Salisbury

Following my previous blog, I am pleased to update that the recovery of Salisbury is now well underway and this week plans to decontaminate and clean-up sites affected were revealed and will be discussed at a community meeting in the city this evening.

I have to say that the response from the local community has been so positive given the circumstance that it has faced. The tolerance and resilience shown by everyone will be tantamount to the city’s recovery.

Last weekend I attended the special service at St Thomas’s and was heartened at the energy and passion expressed by so many local people. The reclamation of their city was both cathartic and needed as we move into the clean-up phase of recovery. I was both proud and humbled when thanks were passed onto the council and its staff at the service, for the support and work that’s being undertaken to help Salisbury return to normal.

There is no doubt that it will take some time before things are fully back to normal, but it’s so encouraging to hear that many local businesses and community leaders have said that this is an opportunity to build on the incident and showcase what the city has to offer to a worldwide audience both now and in the future.

For a short period of time both Wiltshire Police and council staff will need to move out of the new building at Bourne Hill offices. This is to allow the clean-up team to carry out the work that’s needed. Services will be relocated during this time and staff were only informed yesterday and have been exemplary in their response; both understanding and can-do and reflecting the community of Salisbury in helping its recovery.

It’s at times such as this extraordinary event in Salisbury that you realise how people come together and respond to what’s needed.

This community bonding at every level whether that’s businesses, community groups, staff working with other teams, partners and national and local agencies that relationships are formed and common goals become the focus.

There is no doubt in my mind that the focus in Salisbury is to get back to normal and its getting there…

Wiltshire needs this beautiful city to thrive and continue to be an anchor for local, national and international visitors. I am totally confident that given the tangible unity and approach across the city that this is happening.

Salisbury is being reclaimed and returning to be even better.

The strength of local communities

I have often talked about how Wiltshire is unique – based on its strong communities that consistently come together to make a positive difference. This is based on the many willing volunteers that help to deliver local events and offer a helping hand to others; particularly those who are older and often less able to cope.

And, as I have also previously stated - if all of us could do a little or a small act; what a big difference we could make.

The shocking incident that happened one month ago today in the beautiful city of Salisbury has highlighted that even in the most difficult of circumstances, the local community has come together to support and help and demonstrate its outstanding resilience.

As I’m sure you are aware, the council is leading the programme to help Salisbury recover. This has meant working closely with local businesses and residents as well as a number of local and national agencies, to do all we can to help the city return to normal.

The health and wellbeing is the absolute priority and DEFRA’s recent message that Salisbury is safe for residents and visitors, outside of the cordoned areas, is extremely reassuring.   

The recovery work needed to decontaminate and remediate the sites affected will take time, but it is essential that this is thorough and carefully planned work to ensure the sites are clean and safe for the future.

The free car parking in the centre car parks and the five park and ride sites was implemented to encourage visitors and shoppers to the city centre and its working!

Investment in marketing will encourage tour operators and visitors to choose Salisbury. We will host these visitors with pride reflecting what makes Wiltshire and the city of Salisbury great.

Strength comes from unity and a common cause; and resilience comes from standing up to what you believe in. Working with the local community we will help Salisbury to recover and go from strength to strength.

Jane

Tackling loneliness and isolation in older people

Having to make tough choices is part and parcel of life in local government these days and you would think that with all the difficult decisions we’ve had to make over the years that we’d get used to it.
Yet, the reality is that it gets tougher.

Deciding how we prioritise the services to fund and how we continue to protect those who are most vulnerable, with less money and rising demand, is a real challenge.

Last week we set the budget for 2018/19 and as I said at the Full Council meeting I’m really proud of what this council has achieved and continues to achieve in the toughest and most challenging of times.

The budget set out proposals to find savings and where investment will be made to provide new community facilities and improve services. The media coverage following the meeting largely focused on the increase in council tax (2.99%) and the social care levy (3%), and whilst we didn’t want to put up council tax, or have to charge the additional levy for social care services, the reality is that the extra money this generates won’t raise anywhere near enough to cover the demand and increasing costs.

So what’s the solution?

In my view the only solution is to be radical and we’re good at that - being radical.  

Nine years on from becoming a unitary council - can you believe that it’s almost ten years? - We’re more financially stable than many other local authorities across the country. But, there is no doubt that we still need to do more. We have to stem cost and look at prevention, early intervention and closer working with our partners; particularly health, if we are to reduce the pressure and rising costs in social care services.

Our recovery and transformation of children’s services (following the Ofsted inspection in 2012) was recognised by the LGA peer review team as an exemplar of cross council working.

The first phase integrated children’s services, bringing Early Help and Safeguarding and Assessment together. The next phase, which is underway, will engage staff, partners and service users in delivering integrated, family-focused provision and better outcomes for children.

The earlier we can intervene and provide the support that’s needed, the greater the benefits including a reduction in the escalating costs.  This approach is helping to guide the adult transformation programme, which is also well underway.

Across the whole country there are huge challenges in meeting the needs of the increasing number of older people. It’s a fact that we are living longer and that this brings with it a rise in the need for health and care services. Did you know that Wiltshire has the third largest older population in the country, with 100,000 of the 475,000 residents aged over 65, and this is set to increase?

A recent national study showed that more than 200,000 pensioners had not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month – I think that’s really shocking.

And, right now more than nine million people in the UK say they regularly feel lonely. The impact of loneliness and isolation is one of the biggest demands and costs to the health service and recent research has evidenced that loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So what can be done to help combat this really serious and costly issue?

Let’s face it – most tax payers want and expect the roads to be in good condition, to have their bins emptied and to live in safe and pleasant environments, with access to a good range of community facilities and shops. And, whilst some may not need health or social care services right now, it’s almost a certainty that they will in the future.

So, we have no choice other than to do things differently.

The transformation of adult social care sets out a vision to support independent lives in local communities and make our adult care the best in the country by 2020. And while this will save money - it’s not about cost-cutting. It’s about helping people to live for longer in their own homes and local community – which is their preferred option – so that they can benefit from support and stay in a place that’s familiar and safe.

The answer also lies in each of us doing what we can to help others. No one can do everything but, everyone can do something. Wiltshire benefits from communities that care and communities that are happy to take action. I’m sure that they will rise to this growing challenge and offer support to those who need it; whether that’s a cup of tea, an offer of transport to a club, or activity, or the shops, picking up a prescription, or a library book, or some shopping, or just time to chat and take an interest. All of us can all play a part to help combat loneliness and isolation and offer the warmth of being a good neighbour, to help people to stay in their local community and in the place that is their home.

By being radical and working together we will be able to continue to deliver the services that the people of Wiltshire deserve.

Jane