Friday 15 November 2013

This week we held the first full council meeting in the newly refurbished chamber in the old County Hall building. It’s really impressive how technology has moved on since we vacated the building over a year ago - the chamber now has microphones that activate a camera and highlight who’s speaking on three large screens around the chamber, along with a clock that highlights how long each person is speaking. This new technology can do many things, and we will be using this more and more at future meetings, including possibly web streaming the meetings to make them more accessible and to hopefully engage a wider audience. I have to say though that it is slightly disconcerting seeing yourself on the big screens as you stand to make your contribution to the meeting and try to keep focused on the point your making and not on how you look that day! Full council was lively and long and we discussed a number of matters, including how we keep children safe in schools, whether there should be a levy on supermarkets for parking spaces, recommendations from an independent panel on members allowances, the allocation of seats on all the committees following the change in the number of Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, and responding to more than sixty questions asked by councillors ahead of the meeting.

On the subject of new technology and access to meetings; the three corporate directors and I met more than a thousand staff at forums in Chippenham and Salisbury this week, and whilst it’s always good to see people face to face, we need to look at these meetings being available on web cast and play back in the future, for those staff who are unable to attend the face to face sessions. I have always valued these forums as an opportunity to keep everyone updated on our future plans and what’s happening in the organisation, as well as to hear your views and comments on how you see things; it’s always a good sense check. It became clear during this round of forums that we need to continue to support our managers and teams to work as flexibly as they can in the main hubs, and to recognise what this means in terms of home working, attending meetings, parking and feeling connected to what’s happening. We really do have to make the best use of the new technology we have. We will also be visiting all the depots soon to meet the teams and see how they are. Following this round of forums, I really would welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve these in the future. We want to make sure that they are useful, informative and an opportunity to highlight the great work you all do; please do let me know your views and any ideas.

I mentioned last week a unique and moving exhibition in the atrium focusing on local Wiltshire soldiers who lost their lives in the Great War. The exhibition opened last Saturday (9 November) and in the first 4 hours more than 300 visitors walked through the “the Wiltshire trench”.  Next year marks 100 years since the start of the World War 1 in 1914 and Wiltshire lost more men in this terrible war than anywhere else in the country. Local historian and author Richard Broadhead has spent many years researching the impact that this war had on Wiltshire and he brings the history to life through exhibitions and films, including an award winning short film called Letters from a Small Town, which is based on the experiences of soldiers, their families and a nurse from Chippenham, who served their country in WW1. The exhibition, which has certainly set a benchmark for future exhibits in this atrium space, has been so popular that Richard has agreed to extend it for another week. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet and you’re in County Hall it’s well worth a look. Next year the commemoration of WW1 will impact on our local communities and we are discussing how we can support a range of appropriate events that will help us all to remember and realise the huge sacrifice that was made for our country and freedom.

This weekend I’m heading up to Chester with the three corporate directors for the County Council Network (CCN) annual conference. These events are always a good opportunity to hear how other authorities are managing the challenges we all face and to share ideas. Whilst we have a lot to do in the next four years and not all of it will be easy, as the peer review team said; “Wiltshire Council is in a good place and it is going in the right direction.”

Have a good weekend,

Jane

Wiltshire is unique

Has it really been a year since we moved out of the old County Hall offices whilst they underwent a refurbishment? I can’t believe how the time has flown and how much the way we work has changed as a result of changing the offices into open, airy, modern space. The days of musty corridors and closed cellular offices seems like a life time ago now! All our main hubs will be open plan, encouraging more flexible working, less paper and better working relationships. And, I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine how we managed without the atrium space and the great café and restaurant facilities that we now have. This space is always buzzing and with such a mix of people; young mums, toddlers, visitors, staff, elected members and partners using the space for meetings, events and refreshments. I have moved back to the old building and it is so different and I am really looking forward to hosting our first full council meeting in the chamber next week.

On the subject of new buildings, last week I attended the opening of the new Garrison Theatre in Tidworth, which can host up to 750 people. The facility, which is located in the heart of the community, to help integrate military personnel with the local community, will be the venue for the next Wiltshire Assembly (2 December) which will focus on Wiltshire as a military county and the impact that the growth in the number of military personnel that will be based in our county, both now and in the next few years, will have on the local economy and communities in the future.

Wiltshire is unique as we have the largest military settlement in the country and by 2020 we will host half of the British Army. This Sunday (10 November) is Remembrance Day and this will be extremely poignant for many of our local communities. I will be attending services in Wilton in the morning and Malmesbury in the afternoon to reflect and remember those who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom and help others to find theirs.

On Monday (11 November) it is Armistice Day and we will be hosting a unique and moving exhibition in the atrium that will focus on local Wiltshire soldiers who lost their lives in the Great War. Next year marks 100 years since the start of the World War 1 and Wiltshire lost more men in this terrible war than anywhere else in the country. The exhibition will officially open on Monday at 5pm with tea and Anzac cakes (baked to a recipe from 1914!), please join us, or take some time to view this extraordinary exhibition, which is the work of local historian and author Richard Broadhead.

This week saw the start of the staff forums and it was so good to see more than 700 of you at the Civic Hall yesterday (Thursday). It’s been a year since we hosted the last round of forums so there was a lot to discuss and to reflect on. It’s good to look back and just recall our achievements and successes; and we’ve had lots and this is testament to your hard work, enthusiasm and commitment. I look forward to seeing many of you next week in Chippenham and Salisbury and as always I welcome your views, ideas and questions.

Have a good weekend,

Jane

Friday 1 November 2013

I hope you weren't too affected by the weekend's storm. I am aware that many of you worked around the clock to clear hundreds of fallen trees and keep people updated on flooding, power cuts and other problems that the storm caused and I’d like to say a huge thank you for your hard work and commitment. We'll soon be moving into winter and this storm shows how our highways and streetscene teams deal with issues that adverse weather can cause. It also demonstrates how services across the council pull together to keep Wiltshire safe and minimising the impact in adverse conditions and emergencies.

Aside from the storm, last week was an interesting week, particularly for Trowbridge. The town saw its long-awaited cinema open on Friday. People often don't realise just how much behind-the-scenes work goes into securing investment and appropriate development in our communities. This is an example of how, again teams from across the council including economic development and planning, worked together so that Trowbridge, in this instance, benefited from major investment that has created jobs and will boost the local economy. I've spoken to lots of people who are delighted that the town now has an Odeon Cinema, and will soon have new restaurants and a hotel. Investment generates further investment and if this year is anything to go by Trowbridge's future is looking pretty good!

Speaking of investment and the economy Vince Cable MP – Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was the key note speaker at the Wessex Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast last Friday. He stressed that the time for investment is when the economic climate is not so buoyant and that there are lots of businesses looking to invest and help drive the future economy. He was particularly interested in Wiltshire as we are delivering significant investment across many of our towns and in Salisbury. Following the breakfast I discussed the future Science Park at Porton, which the government has agreed to support; recognising the impact and need for science and engineering skills and businesses in the national economy.

Continuing on the economy theme – I was on BBC Wiltshire on Wednesday morning discussing the Wilton Business Event that I attended. Some people perceive that there is less support for the economy and businesses in the south of the county compared with the north. I have to say I don't hold with this view although I was keen to hear the views of business representatives in Wilton. In the south we have recently opened Castledown Business Park and The Enterprise Network which is supporting start up and small businesses that are looking to grow, Salisbury's Market Place, the Maltings and Central Car Park in the city are currently being redeveloped, a new University Technical College providing training in science and engineering will open in 2015 and Porton Science Park, as I mentioned above – are just a few examples of investment and development that are taking place in the south of the county.  When it comes to the economy there are no geographical boundaries within Wiltshire. What matters to me is that the county as a whole benefits from entrepreneurs being supported to start-up companies, small businesses can grow and expand, large companies are attracted to invest in suitable areas and that we help to create and safeguard jobs to ensure we keep unemployment low and Wiltshire has a thriving and buoyant economy.

Yesterday (Thursday 31 October) and today I am on military duty; tomorrow I will be attending the welcome home parade in Malmesbury for the 9 Regiment RLC following their service in Afghanistan. It is always moving and emotional to see our troops come back home to Wiltshire and to recognise their challenging role in rebuilding and safeguarding people in war torn countries. On Friday I will be in Tidworth at the official opening of the new Tidworth Garrison Theatre, which replaces the old theatre that was located behind the wire in the garrison. The new facility is outside the wire and reflects the integration of the military and community. I am looking forward to seeing the new theatre, that I understand can host up to 700 people, and I am delighted that the first major event in this new building will be the Wiltshire Assembly on 2 December which will focus on military integration – more about this soon…

Jane

Wednesday 23 October 2013

It’s been a busy couple of weeks so my apologies for not updating my blog sooner. I spent some time out of the office last week as my husband Ron had an operation and my main priority was his care and recovery and I am pleased to say he’s on the mend, although now I need a break!

I did, however, manage to attend a round table discussion with other council leaders and representatives from the LGA to discuss how we rewire and reinvigorate local government. Everyone recognises the need to take action to make local democracy more interesting and important. After all the decisions we take directly impact on local communities and people’s lives and it’s vital that they can influence these and get involved.

I also attended the South West Wiltshire Area Board meeting and was invited to update on the council’s plans for the next four years. I focused on our priorities and key actions including the investment in highways which continues to be a local priority for all area boards and was a key matter for discussion at this week’s cabinet meeting. I also updated on plans to host the Elite Cycle Race in Wilton and the surrounding area next May. This will be a huge opportunity attracting visitors and boosting the local economy and we know these Elite events are supported by national TV. I will update more on this event over the coming months as work is underway to ensure all the key representatives are involved in its delivery. It’s always good to get out to the area boards and listen to what matters to communities. Over the next few months I’m hoping to attend all the board meetings to update on our work to deliver a legacy for Wiltshire.

On the matter of legacy, following consultation with our key sponsors we have decided to reschedule the Legacy Sporting Dinner to Thursday 13 March 2014. The decision to reschedule from the original date of 25 October (next week) allows more time for Wiltshire’s future sporting stars hoping to represent their country at the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio in 2016 to bid for support from the Future Funding scheme and attend this unique event that will connect them to local Wiltshire businesses. Several leading local businesses have already pledged their support through sponsorship and attendance at the dinner. The objective is to generate as much funding as possible to assist future sporting stars in their journey. Even the smallest amount can make a huge difference and the evening will feature rising stars and professional athletes as well as celebrity and motivational guest speakers. The revised date also provides the opportunity for businesses, which were precluded by the timing of the event in October, to attend the rescheduled dinner next March. The evening will take place in the Atrium at County Hall, Trowbridge and promises to be an exceptional event. One-off experiences will be auctioned, as part of the evening, including the opportunity to cycle with Paralympic Gold medallist Mark Colbourne MBE at the velodrome in London and a swimming session with Paralympic Gold medallist Stephanie Millward, plus many other experiences which you just can’t buy. I hope some of you may want to be part of this event and I know many of you will be involved in making it a real success.

From cycling to road improvements – I know how problematic damaged roads can be to cyclists and motorists alike which is why my cabinet and I are determined to ensure our roads are as safe as possible. At Tuesday's (October 22) cabinet meeting  we agreed to invest £52million over the next six years to tackle the backlog in highways maintenance. This is good news and it means we can repair the roads that need it the most. We will be working with communities through the area boards to ensure this funding is prioritised to the most damaged and well-used roads. This investment isn't about fixing individual potholes – that work will continue – along with the work we do to continually monitor and repair the roads throughout the year – it's about major repair works which will improve hundreds of miles of our highways network for the next thirty years.  

At Tuesday’s meeting we also agreed to sign the memorandum of understanding for the university technology college (UTC) in Salisbury. This an important step forward for us and our partners in moving this project forward. The plans would see the police station in Wilton Road relocating and the building transformed into  a UTC, which  would open in 2015 and  specialise in science and engineering. Again, good news for young people - this is a facility which would invest in the future of this county.

And, finally can I just take this opportunity to say thank you and good bye to those staff who are leaving the council having taken voluntary redundancy. Many of them have been with Wiltshire Council and with the former county or district councils for many years and will be missed. Can I just wish them all the very best for their futures and thank them for their hard work and commitment and the huge contribution they made to making Wiltshire a better place.


Jane

Thursday 10 October 2013

At the end of last week we celebrated the huge success of our Wiltshire Apprenticeship scheme.  Wiltshire apprentices and the businesses that provided them with the opportunity to kick-start or re-start their careers were invited to a special business breakfast in Salisbury. Former winner of The Apprentice, Tim Campbell was the key note speaker sharing his personal experiences. He was a real inspiration and great orator keeping over a hundred people engaged and captivated by sharing his vision and message that we need to invest in young people – all young people including those not in education, employment or training – as everyone has something to offer and can make a real difference to the local economy. I am passionate about helping young people to access training, work and the help they need to get them started and the apprenticeships have been key to helping with this. In July last year working with the National Apprenticeship Service, Wiltshire College and a number of other training providers and business representative groups, we pledged to create 1,000 new or additional apprenticeships in Wiltshire and I am delighted that we have surpassed this figure and show no sign of stopping! By 31st of July we had reached well over the 1,000 target with 1,130 apprenticeship starts.

Wiltshire is currently in the top five areas nationally for business investment and we want to ensure that we can offer the skills needed for current and future businesses so that they can grow and thrive.  We need to make sure that we have the right education and training in the county. The new university technology college, which will be located in Salisbury, will specialise in science and engineering helping to skill young people for work opportunities at places such as the new Porton Down science park.  The new college, which is due to open in 2015, will be discussed at this month’s cabinet meeting, when we are updated on its progress. Next Tuesday the local media are invited to a pre-cabinet briefing where I will talk through the reports that cabinet will consider on 22 October. As well as progress on the new university technical college, cabinet will discuss proposals for investment into our roads. This is one of 12 key actions in the new business plan and is always a key priority for local people.

Yesterday and today (9/10 October) I’m participating in a major incident training exercise, which aims to test our major incident plan and how we work with our partners should a major incident occur in Wiltshire.  These training days are always a good opportunity to see how we would respond in the event of a major incident and how we would manage the media and, in particular, social media. It’s frightening the speed that news becomes public these days. We all know that any incident is likely to hit the news literally minutes after it’s happened and that there is an expectation that we (all partners) will respond and update and know what’s happening!

Next week I’ve been invited to join a round table discussion with other council leaders and LGC to discuss how we rewire and reinvigorate local government to make it interesting and engaging to the public as well as sustainable into the future; the decreasing funding combined with the increasing demand makes this a big challenge! This is a huge topic and one that I am really keen to be involved in. We need to radically change how local democracy is seen and how we can build trust with local communities and tax payers. If we want communities to do more for themselves we have to build stronger relationships and work together to achieve this. We need to look at how we stimulate people to get involved and to care about what happens in their local area. Whilst we have built some strong foundations I’m keen to explore what more we can do and to hear how others view this. More on the round table discussion next week…

And finally, in my blog last week I talked about the 28 Wiltshire veterans who were invited to County Hall last Friday afternoon to recognise their service on the Arctic Convoys and those who served as aircrew of Bomber Command in World War Two to receive their Arctic Star medal or Bomber Command Clasp as a mark of their valour, gallantry and contribution to their country. I apologise if the way this was worded last week caused any confusion. The ceremony was long overdue and I was delighted to be part of honouring these brave and gallant gentlemen.

Chair of the council, Christine Crisp, presented medals to veterans

Jane

Thursday 3 October 2013

I had fully intended to update my blog last week, publishing it on Monday with a focus on the week ahead. My best laid plans, however, were totally derailed due to last week being one of the busiest I can recall in a while – I know every week is busy but last week really was an exception!

Early Monday morning we welcomed the peer review team to County Hall to assess how we do things and where we can continue to make improvements in the future. Their focus was on how we empower communities to do more for themselves; what more we can do working with our key partners and our plans to manage change and transformation over the next four years. I know many of you took part in meetings and forums to feedback your views on how we work now and what we plan to do in the future. I would just like to say thank you for your contribution as this really helped the team to build a picture of our organisation and our culture.  Whilst the final report will be sent shortly, which will help us to agree actions to deliver improvements, their initial feedback was very positive and the reviewers were struck by our can-do approach and how well we work with our partners and communities. I will talk more about their feedback in future blogs as there is a lot to cover and the whole process was extremely useful. It’s always good to gain an external view of how we’re doing.

Cabinet met on Tuesday and launched the new Business Plan in a user friendly public version, and  a young people's version as well as a keepsake bookmark that sets out our vision, priorities and 12 key actions for the next four years. The bookmark will be inserted into Your Wiltshire magazine, which will be distributed to all households in November.  The Public Health Annual Report  was also presented at the meeting and for the first time the average life expectancy of men in Wiltshire is over 80 years and almost 83 years for women. This can present opportunities for our communities as many older people want to be active, either by volunteering or organising local events and activities, and we can help them to do this.

On the subject of volunteering, on Tuesday evening we hosted the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards in the atrium to recognise and celebrate the many volunteers who give their time to coach or run clubs helping to develop sporting skills across the county. The centre piece for this event was a round stage with runways up to it and a huge backdrop screen. The layout was perfect for demonstrations by Laura Halford the current British champion in rhythmic gymnastics. One of the highlights of the evening was the guest speaker Mark Colbourne, Silver and a Gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games for cycling.  Mark broke his back in a near fatal paragliding accident in 2009 and he took us on his rollercoaster ride to become the successful athlete that he is. His talk was one of the most inspirational and motivational that I have ever heard. He had  such a positive impact on everyone attending, especially our future Wiltshire Olympians and Paralympians, and I really hope that I have the opportunity to hear him speak again. At the end of the evening he presented me with a wonderful picture that will have pride of place in the atrium at County Hall for everyone to enjoy.

We certainly have a wealth of talent and people who actively contribute to make a difference to the communities in Wiltshire. Over the last few weeks we have celebrated and recognised those who give up their time and share their enthusiasm to make our county a better place. The adult care awards showcased the huge amount of work being carried out to support older people and to improve the quality of life for so many. Last night the community and voluntary awards celebrated local community groups which are taking action to improve where they live and both the volunteer and young volunteer of the year, who carry out amazing work insert link to find out more.

Back to updating you on the events of last week which was  National Purple Flag week. We’re very proud to have a purple flag in Salisbury, which was awarded to the city a year ago. The flag is in recognition of the safe night time economy and sends a positive message to visitors and tourists to the city. To celebrate we co-hosted with Salisbury City Council a vintage market on the newly refurbished Guildhall Square, which included live music into the evening, encouraging people to stay in the centre. The event was a huge success and highlighted the potential for making full use of the Market Place to boost tourism and the local economy by staging events.

And finally, 28 Wiltshire veterans who served on the arctic convoys Bomber Command 70 years ago were invited to County Hall last Friday afternoon to receive their Arctic Star medals as a mark of their valour, gallantry and contribution to their country. The journey they undertook demanded huge bravery and courage and Winston Churchill called it ‘the worst journey in the world’. Their resilience and determination is an example to us all and should never be forgotten and I was honoured to be part of this unique ceremony. The medals, which have been well publicised, were presented by the local Wiltshire MPs. The Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire and representative from the Russian Embassy also attended the event. Following the medal presentation, the veteran sailors were invited to splice the mainbrace with a tot of rum, which they all participated in!

By the end of last week I too was ready to splice the mainbrace!

On that note; I fully appreciate how busy this year has been – and it’s only October! You all continue to deliver a huge amount of work whilst staff structures are reviewed, and in some cases, reduced. Your commitment to making Wiltshire a better place is evident and has also been recognised by the peer review team. As a token of appreciation and as a thank you, I have agreed that the council offices will be closed all day on Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24 December 2013). I realise that some front line staff will be providing vital services over the Christmas period and it has been agreed that they will be able to take an alternative day off in recognition of their contribution. Thank you everyone for all that you do – it is very much appreciated.

Jane

Friday 13 September 2013

I mentioned last week that we had a familiarisation visit planned for the peer review team, who will be with us week commencing 23 September, to assess how we’re doing things and to advise where we can do things better. The team arrived early on Tuesday morning at County Hall for a tour of the building to see the open plan working environment, the library and the atrium. The building definitely has that wow factor and is quite unlike other local authority buildings. I was pleased that the fencing and hoardings had by pure coincidence been taken down from the front of the old County Hall building, revealing the refurbishment and renovation works – which I have to say from the outside the building looks great and I’m looking forward to seeing the inside very soon.

We took the team on a coach tour to showcase the county; its geography, communities and challenges. We visited the Monkton Park offices to discuss and demonstrate how we are sharing buildings and resources with the police and the integration of Chippenham Police Station in these offices. This arrangement is still unique nationally and generated a lot of interest from the reviewers. We also visited the new business incubation units at Ludgershall where a number of start up businesses met the team to hear how we are actively supporting ex army personnel to make the transition into the civilian workplace and retain their skills in Wiltshire.  Brigadier Piers Hankinson of 43 Brigade at Tidworth Barracks hosted lunch for the team and representatives from the Wiltshire 100 businesses. He provided a good overview of the military in the county and the challenges and opportunities that this brings. By 2020 we will have the largest army settlement in the country based in Wiltshire and this will mean a programme of integration and providing the infrastructure to support this growth around Salisbury Plain.

In the afternoon we visited Salisbury to highlight the regeneration work taking place in the Market Place; which although the work is not complete, what has been done looks fantastic and there is huge potential for this space to be used to boost the local economy and deliver events and entertainment making it a better offer for visitors to the city. We have a good working relationship with the city council and this was evident to the reviewers. Our journey back to Trowbridge went past the Stonehenge and the new visitor centre, which is still under construction. Visitor numbers to the stones has increased by almost 30 per cent following last year’s Olympic Torch events; the iconic shots of Michael Johnson running with the Torch around the monument, being broadcast worldwide have clearly had an impact!

I would just like to say a huge thank you to all those involved with the familiarisation visit. The review team was impressed and found the day extremely useful providing a perspective on the county, its geography and challenges. I’m looking forward to their visit in two weeks as it’s good to have an external opinion on our work and what more we can do to work with our partners and communities.

On Tuesday evening, following the day with the peer review team, I attended Chippenham area board, not as leader of the council, but as the local member representing the views of the local people that I represent. The well publicised matter of a skatepark for the town was on the agenda. This matter has been discussed and debated for many years and has generated a lot of interest and polarised views. The issue has been where to locate the park; I have supported and promoted Monkton Park; a large, open community space, as an obvious location. I am pleased to say that following a good discussion, the decision was made that the area board would support a skatepark located in Monkton Park, as part of the planning process.

As a local member, I also attended a planning meeting this week to discuss plans for solar panels to be located on land in my local ward. Solar energy is highly topical and again there are mixed views on this. The challenge is balancing this with the impact on local communities. In my view we need to consider modern methods to generate energy and solar farms are my preferred option and one that has less impact on the local landscape and communities.  But, we must make sure that they are sited in areas that do not have a negative impact on our beautiful countryside.  As a local council we have to promote energy efficiency and support local initiatives, wherever possible. I think we have the balance right on this matter but it will get tougher as the expectation for generating natural energy grows.

And finally, I chaired the first Health and Well Being board at Salisbury Hospital yesterday.  The Board is made up of representatives from the new Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which replaces the old PCT, NHS Wiltshire and England, the council, Police and Crime Commissioner, Healthwatch (the patients voice) and the local hospitals. This new Board recognises the benefits of working closely together and we discussed and agreed a joint strategy that promotes health and well being; based on public feedback and opinion. It’s focus will be to help people live healthier and more independently for longer, look at early intervention to prevent ill health, safeguard those who are most vulnerable and ensure that children get the best start in life, eat well, get enough exercise and have positive emotional well being. This is a great start and we agreed to publish our plan and priorities in a user friendly, easy to read version.

Next week I’m looking forward to recognising the exceptional work of those delivering adults care services and welcoming everyone to the Adult Care Awards ceremony in the atrium at County Hall. More about the winners next week. And, we will also be hosting a ministerial visit; Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice Damian Green is visiting Monkton Park in Chippenham on Wednesday 18 September to see firsthand how we are working with Wiltshire Police in a shared building.

Have a great weekend,

Jane