Friday 14 September 2012

Hello everyone,

The last time I spoke to you it was at the end of a fantastic and extremely busy time for Wiltshire. Hopefully, you’ve all recovered from the excitement of this summer; the Olympics and Paralympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the events that we delivered here in Wiltshire to celebrate the Torch relay and the Jubilee.  We always said that this year would provide the opportunity to create a legacy and at Cabinet on Monday, we agreed that to keep the momentum of 2012 going, with a key focus on boosting the economy, encouraging healthy lifestyles, working with our local communities and continuing to build on the great relationships that were established this year both within teams here and with our partners. We agreed to establish a Legacy Steering Board. The Board will deliver a programme of events, activities and support to ensure a tangible legacy is delivered for future generations to come in Wiltshire.

Well we’ve now moved into the newly refurbished County Hall and more of you are set to move in throughout autumn. It’s been amazing to see it take shape and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s looking really impressive and definitely has the wow factor. I’m confident that all of you who have the opportunity to work in the new offices will enjoy the new environment – feedback so far has been excellent. It’s a modern office that promotes flexible working and an open and far more communicative environment. I see more of you now and so do my cabinet members and it’s great to catch up and find out what’s happening without having to arrange meetings. It really is a different atmosphere and way of working.

As part of transforming County Hall, we officially opened the brand new Trowbridge library this week. The new library, which is located adjacent to the bright, airy atrium and great cafe, provides thousands of new books, computers for people to use, new DVDs and a fun children’s section. I think it’s a real achievement that not only have we managed to keep all Wiltshire’s libraries open but we’re also opening new state-of-the art libraries, and I would encourage all of you to visit the library and see what it has on offer. Customers visiting this week were so positive and I think it will be a really busy library and my thanks go to the libraries’ team for all their hard work to make this new facility so welcoming and exciting.

I know it’s too early to focus on Christmas, especially as we’ve only just got over a busy summer, but would you believe there’s 15 weeks to go!   The reason I mention Christmas is that as a thank you to all of you, for your continued hard work, particularly throughout this year, when many of you took on other roles to support the events, or to keep services running in the offices, Christmas Eve will be an additional day of annual leave. I thought it would be useful to give you advanced warning, as I know many of you will already be thinking that far ahead already and will be planning  holidays and emergency cover for our front line services.

I still can’t quite believe this summer is over and so are the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our athletes have made us so proud and it’s great our own Wiltshire-based athletes have excelled. We've had confirmation already that Stephanie Millward, Paralympic five medal winning swimmer from Corsham, will be attending the official opening of County Hall on 1 November, along with Torch bearers who carried the torch through sixteen of our towns this summer. We are really hopeful, and are awaiting confirmation, that three other Olympic/Paralympic athlethes will be coming too. I will keep you all updated on what’s happening as this will be our next milestone in our major programme to transform the council and it will be a big event.

Jane

Friday 13 July 2012

Well what can I say about this week’s wonderful events?

It has been a time of real celebration for our county. The Olympic Torch revisited Wiltshire on Wednesday coming into Ludgershall and was carried through the south of the county arriving to a crowd of over 30,000 at Hudson’s Field in the evening where the 2012 Festival of Celebration was well underway. Yesterday morning at sunrise, I was fortunate enough to see a real moment in history when the world renowned Olympic 400m sprinter Michael Johnson held the Olympic Torch at the iconic Stonehenge monument.

Then there was real excitement and large crowds at Salisbury Cathedral to see Michael start the torch route through Salisbury as it made its way out of our county through Wilton and our beautiful villages of Barford St Martin, Fovant and Ludwell into Dorset.

The atmosphere over the two days was overwhelming as thousands of people in our  local communities gathered to celebrate and welcome the Torch and I felt so proud to be a part of this. It was a once in a lifetime event and we made it both memorable and successful.  I would also like to personally thank all of you who stayed in our offices and delivered excellent services while so many of your colleagues were taken out to work on these events.

The torch went through the county without delay or incident and the weather was amazing! The sun shone for us and so did our hundreds of marshals who were true ambassadors for the council supporting the towns and villages and keeping the spectators safe and ensuring they enjoyed the occasion. I really enjoyed the opportunity to speak to so many of you on the route.

The Festival of Celebration at Hudson’s Field started at 7am with a business breakfast for over 200 guests and ended at 10.30pm with the most spectacular firework display choreographed to music. The day was a huge success and I really cannot express my thanks enough to each and every one of you who had a role in making all of these events so successful.

I am aware many of you worked until very late on Wednesday night and were out on the route by 6am yesterday and I am very appreciative and hope that you will all rest this weekend and take a pride in being part of this extraordinary time and these unique and special events.

My heartfelt thanks,

Jane

Friday 25 May 2012

Hello everyone,

We’ve been waiting for this week for so long and it hasn’t disappointed! On Tuesday and Wednesday the Olympic Torch Relay passed through seven of our communities and it was an incredibly proud moment for us all.

From Southwick to Royal Wootton Bassett our communities shone, and I’d like to thank everyone who worked hard to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. From the start we knew marshalling the route was always going to be very important as this is such a high-profile event and millions of people across the world were watching as the torchbearers carried the torch through our county. I’d like to thank our extremely professional staff and volunteers who cleaned our towns, managed the parking issues, marshalled the route and supported the towns and schools to deliver the most incredible and memorable event.

I was delighted to be invited to be part of the lunchtime stop at Clarendon College in Trowbridge on Tuesday. So many young people will have great memories of playing a major part in the Olympic Torch Relay.

I still can’t quite believe the thousands of people who lined the streets to support the torch and were part of showcasing their towns. The weather this week has been beautiful and our towns and communities looked fantastic and each of them had an atmosphere I shall never forget.

We now know what to expect when the torch returns to our county on July 11 and 12.  It’ll be more of the same as communities really embrace the spirit and show quite literally the world just what a great county Wiltshire is and we have another major event with the 2012 Festival of Celebration in Hudson’s Field on July 11 to celebrate the torch’s overnight stay in Salisbury. This will be a fun-packed summer event for the whole family. More acts have been finalised and Bjorn Again is the headline act. If you’ve been watching the Torch Relay evening events you will be aware of the big crowds turning out to watch the LOCOG concerts. We have estimated around 20,000 people and seeing the reaction to the Torch we think this will be about right. We will need a lot of support from many of you for these two days as we want this event and the Torch relay route to be another huge success for Wiltshire.

Even though July 11 and 12 seems a long way off the time will go very quickly and there is still a huge amount of work and planning that needs to be done.  I hope all of you that have been involved in working the events this year have found the experience enjoyable and a good opportunity to work with colleagues in a different environment.

I visited almost all of the towns on the route and had the biggest sense of pride. I was quite choked at how County Hall looked with hundreds of children picnicking and enjoying the entertainment on the lawn. It was great to see the building and grounds being used for the public – that’s how it should be.

I for one am so excited to welcome the Torch back in July and I look forward to seeing many of you as you help to keep our towns safe whilst everyone enjoys this once in a lifetime event.

Jane

Friday 4 May 2012

It’s been a busy but hugely exciting time since I last managed to sit down and write my last blog.

2012 – A Year of Celebration is in full swing and started in style with the fantastic Diamond Jubilee Celebration Event in Salisbury on Tuesday.

The day was a great success. It brought all the community areas together. I was incredibly proud that Her Royal Highness the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited eight of the medieval-style tents each showcasing one of our community areas. They both saw just how interesting our county is as they viewed everything from Pewsey’s Wiltshire-horned sheep to Westbury’s prehistoric sea reptile fossil!

We were overwhelmed by the number of staff who wanted to be part of this historic day and helped to make it run as smoothly as possible. I have to say a huge thank you to all of you who braved the elements and were there on the day. It’s a testament to the great job you all did that as I walked around Cathedral Close I saw so many happy, smiley and contented people in the crowds.  It was a long day but all the hard work from everyone involved was really appreciated.

It may have been torrential rain in the morning but as soon as the Queen arrived at Salisbury Train Station the sun came out and families from across the county attended and enjoyed everything from battle re-enactments to Morris dancing. It really was a very special occasion and one I, and I know thousands of others, will never forget.

This year is all about making memories and creating a legacy and this happened when Wiltshire communities came together to celebrate and showcase what they do so well. The event received huge media coverage and really put us in the spotlight.

There will be plenty more happening soon, as no doubt you are aware the Olympic Torch comes to Wiltshire in a little over two weeks and we have our festival of celebration taking place in Salisbury on July 11. There is so much still to plan and lots to look forward to.

We’re extremely privileged as the Olympic Torch is coming in and out of our county for two legs of its relay around the country. This will be another opportunity for us as a council to really showcase Wiltshire and all the great things it has to offer.

This week we were able to confirm Wretch 32 as LOCOG’s main headline act at the 2012 Festival of Celebration in Hudson’s Field. Now I can’t say I’m overly familiar with his music but I know a lot of people are really pleased he’ll be there.  You never know, after hearing his performance, I may be first in line to buy his new album! Already confirmed to perform at the festival are the Shine 4 Wiltshire winners the Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir and the bands These Days and City Stereo. We’ll be confirming lots more exciting acts soon so please keep checking the festival website www.wiltshire.gov.uk/festivalofcelebration

Finally I’d like to say thank you for all of your hard work during this busy and important time for the county and I look forward to updating you again very soon.

Jane

Thursday 5 April

I am very aware that I have not blogged for a while and can only apologise and put it down to finding the space to reflect on what’s been happening and translate this into something readable and hopefully interesting and informative!

I can’t believe that in less than four weeks the Diamond Jubilee event in Salisbury will take place. Block out your diary on 1 May as we know following a recent meeting with all the communities across Wiltshire that this is going to be an event to remember. We invited all the community areas to update on their plans for exhibiting at this event and how they will promote what makes them unique and special. I have to say I was overwhelmed by their response. People are brimming with ideas about how to showcase their communities at the medieval themed event in Cathedral Close which will be packed with jousting tents, entertainment and activities.

A senior member or members of the royal family will also be attending the event and I am just so proud that they will get the chance to see what makes Wiltshire so very special.

This year is a real opportunity to showcase everything our city, towns and villages have to offer, promoting businesses and showing visitors just how great this county is – I can’t thank everyone enough for seizing this opportunity with enthusiasm and creativity.

The Diamond Jubilee event and the Olympic Torch Relay Route, which will be travelling through the county in May and July, means we will be in the spotlight this year. The torch route has been announced along with the list of torch bearers and the towns are planning how they will bring the route to life.

And the Festival of Celebration at Hudson’s Field in Salisbury on July 11 will be the culmination of the torch route. I’m sure many of you will be aware that the Salisbury Military Wives won the Shine 4 Wiltshire competition and will perform alongside LOCOG’s act as part of the entertainment programme. We will be announcing all the full line up of acts soon and it promises to be a great event for Wiltshire.

To make sure all the events are a success, we need support with marshalling and other key roles. I understand that the corporate leadership team has asked all the service directors to nominate 8 or more staff to be involved in the events. This will be a great opportunity to work alongside people you don’t normally get the opportunity to work with and to build some lasting relationships. I know you will enjoy the experience and your help is most definitely needed and vital to making this year a success!

Without a doubt the next four months are going to be very busy and exciting but we need to all recognise the impact these events will have on the economy. In these tough times we all need to use every available opportunity, and what better way than making sure the millions of people from across the world who will be tuning in to watch the Olympic torch route and the royal visits can see for themselves just how beautiful and vibrant our communities are.

Speaking of the economy ...we have had some good news; we found out we were successful in a bid for up to £4m funding to help create and support up to 450 new businesses in Wiltshire and Swindon. It was announced as part of the government’s budget. Swindon and Wiltshire Local Economic Partnership will be part of a pilot to support local people to start up new businesses, with a focus on military personnel and their spouses – we are very proud of our close ties with the military and this scheme is great news.

This just goes to show there are all sorts of innovative ways in which we can boost our economy; from securing multi-million pound grants to showcasing communities as the Olympic Torch followed by the world’s media visits.

I would like to talk a bit about our services and the steps we take to continually improve. We are a listening council.  We talk to a lot of people, organisations and businesses in so many different ways and we act on what is said. Last month Ofsted inspected our safeguarding and looked after children services. Councils don’t often talk about inspections before reports are published but I want too. These inspections are tough but absolutely necessary and we are determined to learn from this. We are awaiting the official report which will highlight areas where we need to make improvements, as well as parts of the service that we are doing well. We are already taking action to make improvements.

And...the campus programme, which will totally transform how services are provided in local communities, took another step forward when the planning application for the new Corsham Campus was submitted. This is a radical programme which will see key services brought together reducing our need for out dated and inefficient buildings. This will save taxpayers millions as well as improving services. The programme is about finding out what communities want and need and then supporting them in delivering it. Each campus will be as individual as the community it serves – we are listening to local people and empowering them.

More soon....I promise...

In the meantime, have a good Easter break everyone!

Jane.

Thursday 16 February

Is it just me or does time seem to go so fast these days! I can’t believe it’s already mid-February and that we’re about to set next year’s budget and that we’re only 78 days away from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee big event at the Cathedral Close in Salisbury and now less than 100 days away from the Olympic Torch coming into Wiltshire on its trip around the country.

The last two weeks have been especially busy as we completed the staff forums. The corporate directors and I met and talked to over 2,500 of you about the council’s plans and priorities for this year. It was good to take some time to reflect on the many achievements and tangible outcomes that we have delivered over the past few months. As a result of our good management we are in a position to propose a budget for next year that continues to invest money into key front line services and protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t still have challenges and tough decisions to make, and that we will also need to continue to find efficiencies so that we can align resources where they are most needed.

Today my cabinet discussed and approved the proposed budget for next year (2012/13) and the key areas for investment. The proposals took into account the feedback from the recent budget consultation forums which we held across the county. Local people gave their views on where they would spend more money and make savings. A popular choice for additional spend was free swimming for the under 16s in the school holidays, and, as a result, I was pleased to propose at cabinet today proposals to reinstate this free swimming for the under 16s, particularly in light of the forthcoming Olympic Games and the need to continue to help combat obesity in Wiltshire children. We always regretted having to stop free swimming when the government withdrew this funding and I am delighted that we are in a position to reintroduce this vital service. The budget proposals will be considered by full council on February 28.

At cabinet today we also discussed and appointed a preferred bidder to develop the Central Car Park and Maltings site in Salisbury. This key redevelopment, which is located in the heart of the city centre, will totally reinvigorate the city and its local economy.

And...talking of Salisbury, we were also delighted to hear last week, from the Palace, that the Queen is planning to visit on the 1 or 2 May and the event we are planning for the 1st of May will be a huge opportunity for us to showcase all our communities and we look forward to welcoming her to Wiltshire. There will be a large event in the Cathedral grounds where all of our local areas have been invited to take part. The theme is democracy as the Magna Carta is held in the Cathedral and there will be a programme of entertainment reflecting medieval times and the wealth of Wiltshire.

With this event and the Olympic Torch Relay we are really going to be in the spotlight this year. We know the world’s media will be highlighting our county and we want to make sure that we use 2012 as a year of celebration and opportunity.

I just hope the time doesn’t keep going as fast as there is so much to do in the next 78 days! I am looking forward to working with some of you on this year’s events as we will need you to help in many roles to ensure we deliver the very best of Wiltshire.

Jane

Tuesday 31 January

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