Hello everyone and my sincere apologies that I literally ran out of time to write my blog last week! Last week was a really busy week as we delivered the first two budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes and staff forums for hundreds of staff in Trowbridge and Salisbury and the corporate awards event at Center Parcs.
The budget consultation forums are an opportunity for us to ask the public to make some tough decisions on where money should be allocated in next year’s budget. People attending were given a bag of balls (15 green and 15 red) each with a value of £100,000. The green balls they could spend on more or new services and the red where they would make savings from services to pay for the extra spend. The choices were interesting as we included offering free swimming for the under 16s in the school holidays, to reducing street lighting in community areas, to investing more into local projects or closing toilets. Participants were briefed to make sure that their spend and save had to balance. The initial results were interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this week’s forums in Chippenham and Salisbury. The feedback will be incorporated into the budget report for overview and scrutiny and full council on 9 and 15 February.
It was good to see so many of you at the staff forums and to discuss our plans and the focus for this year. The new leadership team and I were pleased to answer your questions and to hear some of your ideas for improving what we do. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the forums this week in Devizes and Chippenham.
The highlight of last week for me was the corporate awards evening. It was both uplifting and inspiring to spend an evening with so many staff who were being recognised for the outstanding work they do. The evening was supported by a number of sponsors and they were overwhelmed by the diversity of what we do and the stories about individuals and teams and the impact they have had on the local communities in Wiltshire.
Some people question the need for these awards, but I have to say that in times of challenge and change it is the drive and hard work of so many of you that really makes a difference. The monthly awards for 2012 will be launched this week and I would encourage you to nominate your colleagues and give them the recognition they deserve for their hard work and commitment to making Wiltshire a better place.
I would just like to say a big thank you from me for the outstanding work that you do.
Jane
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Tuesday 24 January
Last week was another interesting and varied week. You may have seen the media attention when we launched our online talent competition ‘Shine 4 Wiltshire’ and you are probably also aware that we decided the future of our Browfort and Bradley Road offices and Urchfont Manor.
The Shine 4 Wiltshire competition was launched with the help of a group of three year old ballerinas and talented gymnasts form the Melksham Gymnastics club and urban dancers. We had a lot of interest and to date 18 acts have been uploaded onto our YouTube channel. We will ask the community to vote on which of these acts they want to appear on stage at the 2012 Festival of Celebration, which takes place on July 11 at Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. It will be really interesting to see who gets chosen as they will support the headline act performing as part of the Olympic Torch evening event.
Exciting plans for 2012 continue to move forward - the 2012 year of celebration steering board, which I chair, also met last week and discussed plans for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event in early May in Salisbury. The theme will be the Magna Carter and democracy. All the communities in Wiltshire have been invited to participate and showcase what makes them unique and special.
As I mentioned previously, my cabinet met and made some tough decisions. It was good to see so many members of the public at the meeting, who attended to hear the debate on the future of Urchfont Manor and to share their views on adult education. Others were there to ask questions regarding the core strategy and future plans for growth in our market towns.
You may be aware that we decided to close the Bradley Road and Browfort offices and create a new customer access point in the centre of Devizes. This will obviously have an impact on some of you and we will make sure that those of you who are affected are provided with regular updates.
We also approved the draft Wiltshire Core Strategy - a document that sets out the council’s plans for the development of employment and housing for the future and manages how our communities will change and grow, ensuring they continue to be both vibrant and sustainable. This will now go to Full Council in February where I expect and welcome more debate.
We also agreed to plans for an enhanced service for older people to help them live independently in their homes for longer. These decisions have a real impact on the lives of many local people and are part of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.
The staff forums were also launched last week and it was good to talk and find out more about what’s important to you, to hear your ideas and to answer your questions. More staff forums will take place this week and I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there.
This week looks like being just as busy and varied as the last. I’ll be going to public budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes. We’ve made this an interactive meeting asking the public to make real and tough decisions about how they would spend an extra £1.5m on services in their areas, but also where they would save £1.5 m. Their feedback will help to influence next year’s budget.
And, on Thursday it’s the annual corporate staff awards ceremony. Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – this is your night. The event has been sponsored and it’s a real opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being carried out by so many dedicated staff. Well done!
Jane
The Shine 4 Wiltshire competition was launched with the help of a group of three year old ballerinas and talented gymnasts form the Melksham Gymnastics club and urban dancers. We had a lot of interest and to date 18 acts have been uploaded onto our YouTube channel. We will ask the community to vote on which of these acts they want to appear on stage at the 2012 Festival of Celebration, which takes place on July 11 at Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. It will be really interesting to see who gets chosen as they will support the headline act performing as part of the Olympic Torch evening event.
Exciting plans for 2012 continue to move forward - the 2012 year of celebration steering board, which I chair, also met last week and discussed plans for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event in early May in Salisbury. The theme will be the Magna Carter and democracy. All the communities in Wiltshire have been invited to participate and showcase what makes them unique and special.
As I mentioned previously, my cabinet met and made some tough decisions. It was good to see so many members of the public at the meeting, who attended to hear the debate on the future of Urchfont Manor and to share their views on adult education. Others were there to ask questions regarding the core strategy and future plans for growth in our market towns.
You may be aware that we decided to close the Bradley Road and Browfort offices and create a new customer access point in the centre of Devizes. This will obviously have an impact on some of you and we will make sure that those of you who are affected are provided with regular updates.
We also approved the draft Wiltshire Core Strategy - a document that sets out the council’s plans for the development of employment and housing for the future and manages how our communities will change and grow, ensuring they continue to be both vibrant and sustainable. This will now go to Full Council in February where I expect and welcome more debate.
We also agreed to plans for an enhanced service for older people to help them live independently in their homes for longer. These decisions have a real impact on the lives of many local people and are part of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.
The staff forums were also launched last week and it was good to talk and find out more about what’s important to you, to hear your ideas and to answer your questions. More staff forums will take place this week and I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there.
This week looks like being just as busy and varied as the last. I’ll be going to public budget consultation forums in Trowbridge and Devizes. We’ve made this an interactive meeting asking the public to make real and tough decisions about how they would spend an extra £1.5m on services in their areas, but also where they would save £1.5 m. Their feedback will help to influence next year’s budget.
And, on Thursday it’s the annual corporate staff awards ceremony. Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – this is your night. The event has been sponsored and it’s a real opportunity to celebrate the excellent work being carried out by so many dedicated staff. Well done!
Jane
Monday, 16 January 2012
Monday 16 January 2012
A very Happy New Year to you all, although it almost seems too late to say that as it feels a long time since the New Year was rung in!
We always said that 2012 would be a busy and exciting year and even though we’re only 16 days into the year this certainly seems to be the case.
Just last week, we met with all the towns that will have the Olympic Torch visiting them in either May or July and we heard about their initial plans and ideas. We were overwhelmed by the volume of activity being planned and the enthusiasm to use both the Olympic Torch route and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as a real opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate and showcase what makes them unique and special. We are coordinating all these events and activities and it looks as though from May to August Wiltshire will be both celebrating in communities and together as a county at the big events planned in Salisbury.
This year is an opportunity for us to help these communities to celebrate, making it easy and safe and helping to showcase the talent and diversity that makes Wiltshire so special. Today we launch “Shine 4 Wiltshire”; where local bands, orchestras, choirs, entertainers and dance groups who live in Wiltshire have been invited to link to a YouTube video displaying their talent. The performance must be suitable for a family audience.
Entries will be placed on the council’s 2012 Celebration Facebook page, following the deadline of 26 February, for people to view and vote for their favorites. The act with the most votes will perform alongside a national headline that the Olympics Committee (LOCOG) will stage on the 11 July in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. The headline act will be announced on 14 February, so I will update you all as soon as we know!
Cabinet meets tomorrow (17 January) and we will be considering the proposal to open a new customer access centre in Devizes – similar to the one on Milford Street in Salisbury. This will be easier for our customers and will help to increase the footfall in the town centre and hopefully help to boost the local economy. We will also consider closing our offices at Browfort, Bradley Road and Urchfont Manor. These closures are part of a huge programme to reduce our number of buildings and offices and save £750,000 each year, which can be reinvested into our key front line services.
Cabinet will also consider the Core Strategy at its meeting. This vital document sets out the council’s plans for development of housing and employment for the future and in particular sets out how our market towns will change and grow. I anticipate that we will have a lot of public attending for this discussion, including developers who have a vested interest in where we are planning future development.
I am really looking forward to seeing some of you this week, as we have the last managers' forum and the first of many staff forums that are scheduled for this month. The forums are an opportunity to meet the new leadership team and to hear the plans and priorities for the council both in the immediate future and longer term. Lots of questions and ideas were raised at the managers' forums which were held before Christmas, and I know that the team is looking at implementing some of the ideas. Your ideas are so important as we continually need to improve and deliver what’s right for the people of Wiltshire.
2012 will be busy, and it will be unique, as the two events; the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, are once in a lifetime occasions. I’m looking forward to us continuing to work with our communities to make sure that we do celebrate and reinvigorate that true sense of community spirit and that we leave a legacy and memories that people talk about for years to come about what a great year it was for Wiltshire.
Look forward to seeing you all soon,
Jane
We always said that 2012 would be a busy and exciting year and even though we’re only 16 days into the year this certainly seems to be the case.
Just last week, we met with all the towns that will have the Olympic Torch visiting them in either May or July and we heard about their initial plans and ideas. We were overwhelmed by the volume of activity being planned and the enthusiasm to use both the Olympic Torch route and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as a real opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate and showcase what makes them unique and special. We are coordinating all these events and activities and it looks as though from May to August Wiltshire will be both celebrating in communities and together as a county at the big events planned in Salisbury.
This year is an opportunity for us to help these communities to celebrate, making it easy and safe and helping to showcase the talent and diversity that makes Wiltshire so special. Today we launch “Shine 4 Wiltshire”; where local bands, orchestras, choirs, entertainers and dance groups who live in Wiltshire have been invited to link to a YouTube video displaying their talent. The performance must be suitable for a family audience.
Entries will be placed on the council’s 2012 Celebration Facebook page, following the deadline of 26 February, for people to view and vote for their favorites. The act with the most votes will perform alongside a national headline that the Olympics Committee (LOCOG) will stage on the 11 July in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. The headline act will be announced on 14 February, so I will update you all as soon as we know!
Cabinet meets tomorrow (17 January) and we will be considering the proposal to open a new customer access centre in Devizes – similar to the one on Milford Street in Salisbury. This will be easier for our customers and will help to increase the footfall in the town centre and hopefully help to boost the local economy. We will also consider closing our offices at Browfort, Bradley Road and Urchfont Manor. These closures are part of a huge programme to reduce our number of buildings and offices and save £750,000 each year, which can be reinvested into our key front line services.
Cabinet will also consider the Core Strategy at its meeting. This vital document sets out the council’s plans for development of housing and employment for the future and in particular sets out how our market towns will change and grow. I anticipate that we will have a lot of public attending for this discussion, including developers who have a vested interest in where we are planning future development.
I am really looking forward to seeing some of you this week, as we have the last managers' forum and the first of many staff forums that are scheduled for this month. The forums are an opportunity to meet the new leadership team and to hear the plans and priorities for the council both in the immediate future and longer term. Lots of questions and ideas were raised at the managers' forums which were held before Christmas, and I know that the team is looking at implementing some of the ideas. Your ideas are so important as we continually need to improve and deliver what’s right for the people of Wiltshire.
2012 will be busy, and it will be unique, as the two events; the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, are once in a lifetime occasions. I’m looking forward to us continuing to work with our communities to make sure that we do celebrate and reinvigorate that true sense of community spirit and that we leave a legacy and memories that people talk about for years to come about what a great year it was for Wiltshire.
Look forward to seeing you all soon,
Jane
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Wednesday 21 December
What a year 2011 has been. I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone and how much has happened. There is often little time for reflection when the pace is so fast, but I have taken some time to look back on what we have achieved this year.
We have done so much to be proud of and we have done this whilst we manage constant change.
We have managed our budget really well following the cuts in government grant funding and unlike many other local authorities we have minimised the impact on our front line services. It is your innovative and creative ideas and approach that has meant we can deliver our key services differently. Take our libraries as an example; we have managed to keep all of these open, and, in some cases for longer hours, as a result of recruiting local volunteers, we now have over 600 – which is outstanding!
We are also looking at how we will deliver other services in a new and more responsive way. Our youth service is an example where young people want to influence the services where they live and be able to access facilities for young people. Working with young people and volunteers we won’t be closing any youth centres.
Our huge programme to reduce and transform our buildings and offices has had an impact on many of you and I recognise that whilst this is unsettling the end result will be worth it. The programme delivers savings for our tax payers, and new, modern offices that will be better for our customers and all of us. The recent opening of family resource centres in Devizes and Trowbridge highlight how buildings can be adapted for multipurpose use and are a wonderful place to help those who are the most vulnerable.
It is difficult for me to talk about all the things we have achieved as there really have been so many. This year we have introduced the new and improved waste collection service; we have managed the bad weather and looked after the most vulnerable in our communities. We have changed our approach to working with communities and our campus programme has seen us hand over the reins to community groups to discuss and decide what services they need, where they need them, and how these can be best provided. The first three campus developments have recently been approved by my cabinet. These will be in Melksham, Salisbury and Corsham and work will get underway on these soon.
Our area boards are going from strength to strength and communities are doing more for themselves. Our grants are helping to make things happen and we have had some highlights this year including seeing Cricklade win the Champion of Champions for Britain in Bloom and seeing Wootton Bassett awarded Royal status in recognition of the local community commemorating the many soldiers repatriated through the town centre.
I realise that we often focus on the front line service areas and that our support services do not always receive the recognition for the outstanding work that they do and a lot of what we do is successful because we have built good relationships with many of our partners. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of you for your hard work and commitment throughout this year.
Your contribution to making a real difference to all the people in our communities fills me with pride and I know that Wiltshire Council is a success because of you and the way we do things.
Next year will continue to be both challenging and exciting. We will continue to invest in our key services, protect the most vulnerable in our communities and make efficiencies of £36 million and 2012 will be a year of celebration and a very important year as Wiltshire will be in the worldwide spotlight and we can leave lasting and positive memories for all who live here.
The Olympic Torch relay and the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations provides us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to reinvigorate our local economy, showcase what makes Wiltshire so special and to reignite and grow our sense of real community spirit.
Next summer will see many events, activities and celebrations across the county and with your continued commitment, enthusiasm and support I know we can help to make 2012 a truly outstanding year.
I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year at the forthcoming staff forums. In the meantime, I wish you a very happy and peaceful seasonal break and a big thank you to all of you who will continue to provide the critical services for our communities during this festive break.
Jane
We have done so much to be proud of and we have done this whilst we manage constant change.
We have managed our budget really well following the cuts in government grant funding and unlike many other local authorities we have minimised the impact on our front line services. It is your innovative and creative ideas and approach that has meant we can deliver our key services differently. Take our libraries as an example; we have managed to keep all of these open, and, in some cases for longer hours, as a result of recruiting local volunteers, we now have over 600 – which is outstanding!
We are also looking at how we will deliver other services in a new and more responsive way. Our youth service is an example where young people want to influence the services where they live and be able to access facilities for young people. Working with young people and volunteers we won’t be closing any youth centres.
Our huge programme to reduce and transform our buildings and offices has had an impact on many of you and I recognise that whilst this is unsettling the end result will be worth it. The programme delivers savings for our tax payers, and new, modern offices that will be better for our customers and all of us. The recent opening of family resource centres in Devizes and Trowbridge highlight how buildings can be adapted for multipurpose use and are a wonderful place to help those who are the most vulnerable.
It is difficult for me to talk about all the things we have achieved as there really have been so many. This year we have introduced the new and improved waste collection service; we have managed the bad weather and looked after the most vulnerable in our communities. We have changed our approach to working with communities and our campus programme has seen us hand over the reins to community groups to discuss and decide what services they need, where they need them, and how these can be best provided. The first three campus developments have recently been approved by my cabinet. These will be in Melksham, Salisbury and Corsham and work will get underway on these soon.
Our area boards are going from strength to strength and communities are doing more for themselves. Our grants are helping to make things happen and we have had some highlights this year including seeing Cricklade win the Champion of Champions for Britain in Bloom and seeing Wootton Bassett awarded Royal status in recognition of the local community commemorating the many soldiers repatriated through the town centre.
I realise that we often focus on the front line service areas and that our support services do not always receive the recognition for the outstanding work that they do and a lot of what we do is successful because we have built good relationships with many of our partners. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of you for your hard work and commitment throughout this year.
Your contribution to making a real difference to all the people in our communities fills me with pride and I know that Wiltshire Council is a success because of you and the way we do things.
Next year will continue to be both challenging and exciting. We will continue to invest in our key services, protect the most vulnerable in our communities and make efficiencies of £36 million and 2012 will be a year of celebration and a very important year as Wiltshire will be in the worldwide spotlight and we can leave lasting and positive memories for all who live here.
The Olympic Torch relay and the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations provides us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to reinvigorate our local economy, showcase what makes Wiltshire so special and to reignite and grow our sense of real community spirit.
Next summer will see many events, activities and celebrations across the county and with your continued commitment, enthusiasm and support I know we can help to make 2012 a truly outstanding year.
I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year at the forthcoming staff forums. In the meantime, I wish you a very happy and peaceful seasonal break and a big thank you to all of you who will continue to provide the critical services for our communities during this festive break.
Jane
Friday, 9 December 2011
Friday 9 December
Can I start by apologising for not updating my blog before now - I really don’t know where the time goes and I often feel like there are not enough hours in a day to do all the things that need doing.
Since my last blog a lot has happened. The new leadership team is in place and working well together focusing on the key priorities for their first 90 days and next year. They have been working closely with me and my cabinet on next year’s budget, and as you may be aware next year we need to make efficiencies of £36 million. Whilst this is a challenge, the team is focused on delivering savings that minimise the impact on our front line services and makes the savings through reviewing many of our service areas including our administrative and business support.
The team has also been presenting with me to all our managers at forums in Salisbury and Chippenham. So far we have met over 500 managers and the forums have had really positive feedback. These events have included an update on where the council is heading, the key priorities and how we will be working together to deliver these. We have welcomed questions and ideas on how we improve in some areas, and the team is already working on some of the ideas. In January we will be meeting staff at a number of forums and I’m looking forward to hearing your views on how we’re doing.
Last week I attended the Wiltshire Assembly, which brings together private and public sector organisations to look at the issues affecting Wiltshire. The event, which was held in Salisbury, was one of the best assemblies so far. The key note speaker, Cormack Russell was really inspiring and talked about how we can really work with communities and get them involved in what we do and help them to do more to help themselves. I was particularly impressed with his view that we should stop focusing on issues and problems and what’s negative in local areas, but instead focus on the positive and assess the strengths and skills that are in abundance in our communities and look at how we use these to do more and improve life in Wiltshire. He also has a theory that if you want to get communities together to inspire them and to take actions then don’t arrange a meeting, hold a party as more people will come to a party and get involved!
Certainly, this is food for thought for next year. 2012 will be a year of celebration and we are talking to all our local communities to encourage them to do something to celebrate and mark the events happening in 2012. Plans are starting to come together for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and for the Olympic Torch Relay. Now that the relay route has been announced we are working with communities to encourage participation in their towns to animate the route as the torch bearers run through and to select their local talent to perform on a stage, which will be erected in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. We are also working closely with the Lord Lieutenant on a big event at Salisbury Cathedral in early May, where all our communities will be invited to promote what makes them unique.
We really want to showcase Wiltshire next year and there will be many opportunities for communities to do this. I am really positive that 2012 will provide the opportunity to reinvigorate our local areas and communities and already the enthusiasm is spreading and lots of ideas are being generated. Many area boards are committing funding to support community groups and we will be offering help to make hosting an event or street party easy.
Next year will be busy, and I envisage a big community party where people come together to make Wiltshire a better and stronger place. I promise to try and blog more often as there is so much to keep you updated on!
Jane
Since my last blog a lot has happened. The new leadership team is in place and working well together focusing on the key priorities for their first 90 days and next year. They have been working closely with me and my cabinet on next year’s budget, and as you may be aware next year we need to make efficiencies of £36 million. Whilst this is a challenge, the team is focused on delivering savings that minimise the impact on our front line services and makes the savings through reviewing many of our service areas including our administrative and business support.
The team has also been presenting with me to all our managers at forums in Salisbury and Chippenham. So far we have met over 500 managers and the forums have had really positive feedback. These events have included an update on where the council is heading, the key priorities and how we will be working together to deliver these. We have welcomed questions and ideas on how we improve in some areas, and the team is already working on some of the ideas. In January we will be meeting staff at a number of forums and I’m looking forward to hearing your views on how we’re doing.
Last week I attended the Wiltshire Assembly, which brings together private and public sector organisations to look at the issues affecting Wiltshire. The event, which was held in Salisbury, was one of the best assemblies so far. The key note speaker, Cormack Russell was really inspiring and talked about how we can really work with communities and get them involved in what we do and help them to do more to help themselves. I was particularly impressed with his view that we should stop focusing on issues and problems and what’s negative in local areas, but instead focus on the positive and assess the strengths and skills that are in abundance in our communities and look at how we use these to do more and improve life in Wiltshire. He also has a theory that if you want to get communities together to inspire them and to take actions then don’t arrange a meeting, hold a party as more people will come to a party and get involved!
Certainly, this is food for thought for next year. 2012 will be a year of celebration and we are talking to all our local communities to encourage them to do something to celebrate and mark the events happening in 2012. Plans are starting to come together for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and for the Olympic Torch Relay. Now that the relay route has been announced we are working with communities to encourage participation in their towns to animate the route as the torch bearers run through and to select their local talent to perform on a stage, which will be erected in Hudson’s Field in Salisbury. We are also working closely with the Lord Lieutenant on a big event at Salisbury Cathedral in early May, where all our communities will be invited to promote what makes them unique.
We really want to showcase Wiltshire next year and there will be many opportunities for communities to do this. I am really positive that 2012 will provide the opportunity to reinvigorate our local areas and communities and already the enthusiasm is spreading and lots of ideas are being generated. Many area boards are committing funding to support community groups and we will be offering help to make hosting an event or street party easy.
Next year will be busy, and I envisage a big community party where people come together to make Wiltshire a better and stronger place. I promise to try and blog more often as there is so much to keep you updated on!
Jane
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Following John Thomson’s update last week on the decision of the Officer Appointments Committee to appoint Sue, Carolyn and Carlton as the three corporate directors, I thought it may be helpful to update on decisions made by full council yesterday (8 November).
Members of Wiltshire Council agreed to remove the post of chief executive. Andrew Kerr’s application for voluntary redundancy was considered and agreed. The terms of his dismissal and redundancy were approved in line with the council’s redundancy policy.
Members also agreed to appoint the service director for human resources, Barry Pirie as the head of paid service and to appoint corporate director, Carlton Brand as the council’s Returning Officer.
The terms of Andrew Kerr’s redundancy were not disclosed as this is personal information and due to data protection cannot be published at this time without Andrew’s consent. The information will be made public when the council’s end of year accounts are published next June.
The three newly appointed corporate directors, Sue, Carolyn and Carlton will jointly provide leadership to council staff, working closely with me and my cabinet members.
They are currently looking at the reporting lines and areas of responsibility and will take into account the comments and views that you put forward during the consultation period on the structure proposals.
As I mentioned in my last blog we are planning a series of manager and staff forums starting on 25 November, and you will all be expected to attend one of the forums. This will be an opportunity for all of you to meet the new team and find out more about the direction of the council and our plans for the future, and how the new team will work with you to deliver these plans. I look forward to seeing you all at these forums.
In the meantime, I am so pleased that Wiltshire will be in the spotlight next year following the announcement this week that the Olympic Torch will be visiting sixteen of our towns and villages, including a lunchtime stop in Trowbridge and an evening event in Salisbury.
This is a real opportunity for us to work with our communities to showcase what makes Wiltshire unique and special, to reinvigorate our local economy and encourage and inspire communities to come together in celebration.
More about next year at the forums…
Jane
Members of Wiltshire Council agreed to remove the post of chief executive. Andrew Kerr’s application for voluntary redundancy was considered and agreed. The terms of his dismissal and redundancy were approved in line with the council’s redundancy policy.
Members also agreed to appoint the service director for human resources, Barry Pirie as the head of paid service and to appoint corporate director, Carlton Brand as the council’s Returning Officer.
The terms of Andrew Kerr’s redundancy were not disclosed as this is personal information and due to data protection cannot be published at this time without Andrew’s consent. The information will be made public when the council’s end of year accounts are published next June.
The three newly appointed corporate directors, Sue, Carolyn and Carlton will jointly provide leadership to council staff, working closely with me and my cabinet members.
They are currently looking at the reporting lines and areas of responsibility and will take into account the comments and views that you put forward during the consultation period on the structure proposals.
As I mentioned in my last blog we are planning a series of manager and staff forums starting on 25 November, and you will all be expected to attend one of the forums. This will be an opportunity for all of you to meet the new team and find out more about the direction of the council and our plans for the future, and how the new team will work with you to deliver these plans. I look forward to seeing you all at these forums.
In the meantime, I am so pleased that Wiltshire will be in the spotlight next year following the announcement this week that the Olympic Torch will be visiting sixteen of our towns and villages, including a lunchtime stop in Trowbridge and an evening event in Salisbury.
This is a real opportunity for us to work with our communities to showcase what makes Wiltshire unique and special, to reinvigorate our local economy and encourage and inspire communities to come together in celebration.
More about next year at the forums…
Jane
Monday, 24 October 2011
24 October 2011
Hello everyone
I thought it may be useful to update you following the decision at cabinet on Thursday 6 October to implement a new senior management model. The implementation of the new model is progressing well. Andrew Kerr has taken the option to apply for voluntary redundancy. Any recommendation concerning his dismissal on the grounds of redundancy will be subject to confirmation by Council when it meets on 8 November.
The cabinet also agreed to recommend Council to agree that the service director human resources will be designated the head of paid service. Other necessary changes to the constitution and the appointment of Returning Officer, as a result of the new model, will also be considered by Council on 8 November. None of the four corporate directors have applied for voluntary redundancy. The officer appointments panel will, therefore, meet on 31 October and 1 November to determine appointments to the three corporate director posts.
It is anticipated that the new leadership team will be in place by the end of November. One of their first tasks will be to review the comments submitted by some of you during the consultation process and to agree the reporting lines and areas of responsibility for each director.The appointed corporate directors and I are planning a series of manager and staff forums starting in late November. This will provide an opportunity for all of you to meet the new team and hear more about the direction of the council and the key priorities that we will be focusing on.
In the meantime, it has been business as usual and I would like to thank you all for your hard work and commitment during this period. And, whilst I’ve said it’s been business as usual, there has been some extraordinary business too!
I was fortunate enough to be invited to two historical events in Wiltshire that took place recently.
The first, on Saturday 15 October, was the inauguration of the new Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Reverend Nicholas Roderick Holtam, who was enthroned and commenced his public ministry in the Diocese. Young people from Wiltshire played a large part singing at his enthronement. The formal cathedral ceremony was a ticket-only event and I was delighted to attend along with representatives from the 200 Church of England schools within the Diocese.
The second event was on Sunday 16 October, and many of you may have seen the media coverage on Wootton Bassett receiving the letters patent on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and becoming Royal Wootton Bassett. This made the town the first in more than 100 years to be given the title of "Royal" in recognition of its efforts to honour the UK's war dead.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal presented the award at the official ceremony, which was also attended by Prime Minister David Cameron and Philip Hammond, the new Defence Secretary, making his first public appearance in the role following the resignation of Liam Fox. Gen Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff and professional head of the Army, also attended. As Princess Anne took the stand a Royal Air Force C-17 transport roared low overhead, following the route taken by the corteges. A minute's silence followed.
Princess Anne stated that “This community has come together in the most extraordinary way. I am privileged to be allowed to add my thanks to those of Her Majesty and the whole country for the example you set in respecting with dignity the losses that this country's operational responsibilities have forced upon us.”
Young and old equipped themselves with Union Flags for the two-hour ceremony, culminating in a march-past led by the band of the Royal Marines, complete with a second flypast by a C-130 Hercules and then later in the day a display by Britain's last airworthy Vulcan.
The day was poignant, emotional and a wonderful example of a community that came together to honour the high price paid by our Armed Forces. Paul Heaphy, the town's mayor said "This is not a day for celebration but one for commemoration, one of recognition, and one to mark the beginning of a new chapter for our town. We did not ask for recognition and we find the attention rather humbling."
From my point of view, the town did the most wonderful job and the day was history in the making. All ages gathered to watch and remember the reason why such an honour was being bestowed. I was so proud to be part of such an occasion and have said well done to all those who made it both special and extraordinary.
I will keep you all updated over the next couple of weeks of the corporate director appointments.
Jane
I thought it may be useful to update you following the decision at cabinet on Thursday 6 October to implement a new senior management model. The implementation of the new model is progressing well. Andrew Kerr has taken the option to apply for voluntary redundancy. Any recommendation concerning his dismissal on the grounds of redundancy will be subject to confirmation by Council when it meets on 8 November.
The cabinet also agreed to recommend Council to agree that the service director human resources will be designated the head of paid service. Other necessary changes to the constitution and the appointment of Returning Officer, as a result of the new model, will also be considered by Council on 8 November. None of the four corporate directors have applied for voluntary redundancy. The officer appointments panel will, therefore, meet on 31 October and 1 November to determine appointments to the three corporate director posts.
It is anticipated that the new leadership team will be in place by the end of November. One of their first tasks will be to review the comments submitted by some of you during the consultation process and to agree the reporting lines and areas of responsibility for each director.The appointed corporate directors and I are planning a series of manager and staff forums starting in late November. This will provide an opportunity for all of you to meet the new team and hear more about the direction of the council and the key priorities that we will be focusing on.
In the meantime, it has been business as usual and I would like to thank you all for your hard work and commitment during this period. And, whilst I’ve said it’s been business as usual, there has been some extraordinary business too!
I was fortunate enough to be invited to two historical events in Wiltshire that took place recently.
The first, on Saturday 15 October, was the inauguration of the new Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Reverend Nicholas Roderick Holtam, who was enthroned and commenced his public ministry in the Diocese. Young people from Wiltshire played a large part singing at his enthronement. The formal cathedral ceremony was a ticket-only event and I was delighted to attend along with representatives from the 200 Church of England schools within the Diocese.
The second event was on Sunday 16 October, and many of you may have seen the media coverage on Wootton Bassett receiving the letters patent on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and becoming Royal Wootton Bassett. This made the town the first in more than 100 years to be given the title of "Royal" in recognition of its efforts to honour the UK's war dead.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal presented the award at the official ceremony, which was also attended by Prime Minister David Cameron and Philip Hammond, the new Defence Secretary, making his first public appearance in the role following the resignation of Liam Fox. Gen Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff and professional head of the Army, also attended. As Princess Anne took the stand a Royal Air Force C-17 transport roared low overhead, following the route taken by the corteges. A minute's silence followed.
Princess Anne stated that “This community has come together in the most extraordinary way. I am privileged to be allowed to add my thanks to those of Her Majesty and the whole country for the example you set in respecting with dignity the losses that this country's operational responsibilities have forced upon us.”
Young and old equipped themselves with Union Flags for the two-hour ceremony, culminating in a march-past led by the band of the Royal Marines, complete with a second flypast by a C-130 Hercules and then later in the day a display by Britain's last airworthy Vulcan.
The day was poignant, emotional and a wonderful example of a community that came together to honour the high price paid by our Armed Forces. Paul Heaphy, the town's mayor said "This is not a day for celebration but one for commemoration, one of recognition, and one to mark the beginning of a new chapter for our town. We did not ask for recognition and we find the attention rather humbling."
From my point of view, the town did the most wonderful job and the day was history in the making. All ages gathered to watch and remember the reason why such an honour was being bestowed. I was so proud to be part of such an occasion and have said well done to all those who made it both special and extraordinary.
I will keep you all updated over the next couple of weeks of the corporate director appointments.
Jane
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