Encouraging vibrant communities

What a busy few weeks we’ve had; what with the General Election, Cycle Wiltshire, the 70^th anniversary of VE Day and the launch of this year’s Big Pledge, it’s no wonder that we’re almost in June and halfway through 2015!

The election night already feels like a long time ago, but these nights are always a real challenge and hundreds of council staff took on a variety of roles, from manning the polling stations to counting the ballots through the night, and I couldn’t be more proud of their professionalism and dedication and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who worked on the election.

An election count is such a precise and complex process, and I never fail to be amazed at the skills of the team who bring it all together so swiftly and calmly – despite the pressures of working through the night with the eyes of all those agents, journalists, tv cameras and politicians focused on their every move.

As is often the case after an election we wake up to a new Government.  As the Government takes shape and establishes its direction for the next few years, I’m confident that there will be lots of areas that will benefit and complement our work here in Wiltshire.

Of course there will be issues on which we will differ. Last year the council received £119 million from the Government – this year it will get £103.8 million. This was a cut of more than £15 million and we will be urging caution on the new administration when considering the impact of any further reductions in local authority grants.

 
On the rise of the election we turned our attention to the VE Day anniversary with a 1940s theme at our Cycle Wiltshire event. The weather was kind to us, and hundreds of people enjoyed taking part in the various Sportive events and exploring the Sportive Village on the Saturday, while hundreds more lined the streets of Salisbury and Wilton on the Sunday to witness the extraordinary spectacle of the elite riders battling it out in the Cycle Wiltshire Grand Prix race.

I had a wonderful time on both days, meeting people who had come from far and wide to enjoy the event, and I know both from chatting to them in the streets of Salisbury and Wilton and reading the positive feedback on social media that everyone had a great time.

We have another landmark event coming up in June with the Magna Carta pageant in Salisbury that will bring communities together from across the county to celebrate the 800^th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta.

The celebrations will take place on the evening of Monday 15 June, from 6 – 10 pm, eight centuries to the day since King John met the group of rebel barons at Runnymede and consented to a series of promises for new civic liberties ranging from the protection of church rights to access to swift and fair justice.

The spirits of the barons will be reborn in the guise of a series of larger-than-life 9 foot high puppets, representing the diverse communities that make up Wiltshire. The barons will be paraded through the city from the Market Square to the Cathedral, which itself plays host to the most intact copy of the Magna Carta in existence.

Each of the barons will lead a delegation from each of Wiltshire’s communities. Hundreds will participate in the pageant, and thousands are expected to line the streets of the city as the procession weaves its way to its destination, where dignitaries will take part in the signing of a new Magna Carta statement for Wiltshire in the 21st century.

We are coordinating and managing the event in partnership with Salisbury Cathedral and Salisbury City Council and a range of other partner organisations.

We are relying on the help of staff as volunteers to help marshal and assist with this major event and I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you who have volunteered already. These types of events promote great team spirit and relationship building and I am delighted you have signed up to get involved in this one-off major event.

Some of you may also recall the curry and quiz night we held last year. It was a really fun night and raised thousands for Hope for Tomorrow; a charity that provides mobile chemotherapy units that go to people living in rural areas helping them to avoid long journeys to their nearest hospital.

 
We’ve agreed to host another evening. This time it will be at City Hall, in Salisbury, on Wednesday 24 June, from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Hox Brasserie will be providing the curry and for those of you not familiar with this brasserie, I can honestly say the food is a real treat and the evening will be lots of fun. Tickets are now available and we would like as many teams as possible to take part and raise lots of money for this great charity.

Facilitating the election and delivering big community events like Cycle Wiltshire or the Magna Carta pageant are examples of the diverse work that we do and a perfect illustration of how we support and encourage vibrant communities. Long may that continue.

In the spirit of liberty

How quickly is this year passing – I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe we’re almost in May already!

I really like this time of year as we have the promise of the summer months with longer and - fingers crossed - brighter days ahead and there is a lot happening over the next few weeks. You will all be very much aware that we are now just weeks away from the General Election on 7 May. We will have more than 350 polling stations across the county and around 1,500 staff working on the election and the overnight count to see which five MPs will be elected to represent Wiltshire. More than 350,000 people are eligible to vote in Wiltshire and it will be interesting to see how many turn out to vote. I would encourage that you all to vote and have your say on who will govern the country for the next five years.

Whatever the outcome we have lots to do - on the rise of the election we will be setting up at Five Rivers Leisure Centre for the second Cycle Wiltshire weekend on the 9 and 10 May.  All of us have the opportunity to cycle 20, 64 or 100 miles on some of the most scenic and picturesque Wiltshire routes and this year there is also a 1k route for families and youngsters and keen cyclists like me!

The sportive and elite race events last year were great and it wasn’t just about cycling – it was about a fun day out with lots of interesting stalls, exhibitors and entertainment outside of Five Rivers leisure centre and we had a day of watching the most elite cyclists race through Wilton at break neck speed past all the spectators gathered in the Market Place.

This year the sportive event will again start from Five Rivers on the Saturday and Wilton will host over 100 elite cyclists racing as teams on the Sunday. This year it’s the same weekend that the country is marking the 70^th anniversary of VE Day. It was on the 8 May 1945 that the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill broadcast that the Second World War in Europe had ended and when a wave of optimism and celebration swept across the nation.

It was a time when communities came together to celebrate a new-found hope after so many years of heartbreak, as well as rejoicing in the successful liberation of Europe and overcoming the threat of loss of liberty to our country.

How fitting that 70 years on the theme of the Cycle Wiltshire sportive event, which will see hundreds of people of all ages taking part, will have a 1940s theme to mark this significant anniversary.  We can all enjoy the music and dance of this time, and have the opportunity to participate in swing dance lessons and enjoy a cream tea or two!
 
I think a scone with jam and cream is a just reward for getting on your bike – even if it’s for cycling 1K!

I’m sure it will be a great weekend and I’m really looking forward to kicking off the summer events calendar in Salisbury and Wilton. Along with many other spectators, I will be supporting the less experienced cyclists and the elite ones as they ride through the beautiful Wilton area – what a treat and the first of many coming up this summer.

I’ve written in recent blogs about the importance of Magna Carta to our modern day freedom of speech and I’m look forward to events in June to mark the 800^th anniversary of the signing of the landmark document. I will update more on this in my next blog, but in the meantime, remember that 800 years ago a benchmark for freedom was set and today we can still vote for the candidates that will shape our country and how we live – don’t waste this freedom.

Happy Easter

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Easter. This is always such a lovely time of the year – a welcome break when the days are longer and lighter and I’m sure that like me you will be looking forward to having a few days off to recharge and spend some time with family and friends.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some warmer spring weather, especially following the high winds that we’ve had this week. Our highways team was out in force clearing around 40 trees off our roads – and that was just one night!
 

It’s thanks to this team that we keep people moving around the county and most importantly, keep them moving as safely as possible. Whilst I’m saying thank you, could I also say a huge well done to our adult care team for all their hard work that has resulted in us not keeping people in the three hospitals (RUH, GWH and Salisbury) for longer than is necessary. Their work to deliver the support and services that people need to help them recover in their own homes, has meant we currently have no one taking up a hospital bed when they are ready to be discharged.

This has been a huge national issue and one which has received a great deal of publicity. I am delighted that in Wiltshire we are clearly on top of this and providing the joined up care required.

And, I also want to mention all the teams and individuals who were involved in helping to make last week’s business and sports dinner such a success. My particular thanks go to the leisure and communication and events teams as we co-hosted, with the Wessex Chamber of Commerce, the second business and sports dinner in the Atrium.

I am really pleased to update that more than 230 business representatives helped to raise almost £30,000 for the Foundation Fund - set up following last year’s dinner - to support the next generation of Wiltshire’s Olympians and Paralympians. This money will provide grants for more local, elite athletes to assist with their training, attending competitions, equipment and transport to regional, national and international events.

The evening brought businesses and sports people together for mutual benefit and we were able to award grants of £1,000 to eleven Wiltshire athletes to help them on their journey to sports stardom…I’m looking forward to following them especially next year when some will represent the country at Rio.
 

Thankfully we don’t all have to be elite athletes to enjoy sport and activities. Perhaps the Easter break will provide an opportunity to get out and about and maybe start training for the cycle sportive – which is just over a month away (9/10 May) – or to go for a walk with friends or family in our wonderful countryside and burn off all the Easter eggs and hot cross buns...

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter, and can I just finally extend my thanks to all of you who are working, or on call, over the long weekend – it is very much appreciated.

Promise of spring

We are well into March and when the sun shines there is a real sense of spring in the air. The clocks will be going forward in a couple of weeks’ time and the evenings will be brighter and the days longer. I like this time of year – it’s a time of new beginnings and fresh hope – and it’s a time when I would normally be lambing and helping my ewes. This year it’s a new start for me too as my farming days are now behind me. After more than fifty years it’s quite a difference and I realise it will take some getting used to, but as I drive across Wiltshire and see the lambs bouncing in the fields I will enjoy my memories and the reality that spring has arrived. 

Now that the budget has been approved and we have a robust plan for making the savings we need and delivering the investment into services that we know matter to residents, we can focus on what’s happening in the coming weeks.

You may remember last year’s Cycle Wiltshire, which was a great success.  Some of you took part cycling around the beautiful countryside in the Salisbury area.  Well I’m pleased to say we are hosting another Cycle Wiltshire weekend this year.  The Sportive event is on Saturday 9 May starting from Five Rivers Community Campus. All cycling abilities can take part choosing from three distances; 20 miles for the beginners and 64 miles or 100 miles for enthusiasts and those looking for an extra challenge.  There is also a planned one mile route for youngsters and their families ….mmm one for me to consider!

On Sunday (10 May) the Cycle Wiltshire Grand Prix elite cycle race will take place starting from Five Rivers cycling through Salisbury city Centre and out to Wilton. 100 elite riders from top professional teams will take part and I hope lots of local people will again line the route to see and support the best riders in Britain.

When it comes to supporting the next generation of sports stars, I think we do pretty well here in Wiltshire. Later this month we will co-host with the Wessex Chambers of Commerce the second Business and Sports Gala Dinner in the atrium. This event, which we launched last year, raised £30,000 to support our elite athletes and help them on their journey to Rio or future Olympic and Paralympic Games. This year’s dinner has sold out, which is great news, and highlights local business enthusiasm to support our up and coming athletes. As a result of their commitment, the foundation fund set up last year will be topped so that our aspiring and elite sports people can receive the funds they need for travel, coaching and equipment.

I am proud to support our future sporting stars and hope that we can follow their journey to Rio next year as their success puts Wiltshire on the international map. It’s always good to see the top businesses in the county working with us to achieve a shared goal. I’m looking forward to the evening and would be delighted if we can top last year’s success and raise more than £30,000.

I’ve focused a lot on sport but there’s so much more happening this year. The anniversary of the Magna Carta takes place in June and every community in Wiltshire is invited to participate and showcase how they see justice and democracy today. 

A pageant, which promises to be a real spectacle, will take place on 15 June. I look forward to seeing our communities across the county come together to celebrate what makes them unique.

In the midst of the challenges we face we need to stay focused on our priorities; bringing local communities together is one of these and this year’s events and activities provide an opportunity for involvement, participation and the promise of something new – just like spring!

Rising to challenges together

A recent trip to London, reminded me of the importance of democracy and how tough choices need to be made if we are to live in a healthy society. My trip to the capital was to see the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, which are placed together in the British Library – our “own” copy, the one which normally resides at Salisbury Cathedral, was by far the most splendidly intact.

To see these four relics, in this the 800^th year since Magna Carta was written, really brought home its significance and made me feel rather proud of our national record when it comes to living in a democratic society. Magna Carta marked a watershed for ordinary British subjects and ultimately it sparked our parliamentary democracy and rule of law, but maybe most importantly, it also stands out as the first time the people of this nation had their voices heard.

Our voice has been heard ever since, and that’s just as important today as it was 800 years ago.

As you will know I am proud to promote openness and transparency and local views are both helpful and influential in helping the council to make the tough choices. Over the last few weeks we held a series of public meetings to discuss the challenges we face and to set out our budget proposals, ahead of them being discussed and approved by full council on 24 February. More than 250 people attended these meetings to hear how we plan to save £30 million over the next year, and it was an opportunity to hear people’s views and to answer their questions.

Let me be clear – we weren’t just there to be seen to be listening. We were genuinely listening, and I was impressed with what we heard. Yes, of course there was criticism of the council – we all know you can’t please all of the people all of the time – but there was also truly constructive community energy; a sense that we’re all in this together and people were aware of the financial challenges that we have to address. The majority of people seem to understand the difficult financial situation we’re in. As I explained in my last blog, Wiltshire Council currently spends around £900 million each year on more than 350 services. Changing demographics, such as people living longer coupled with inflation and further severe cuts in funding from central government means we have to find more savings.

The Budget presentation and details of the Budget Q&A are available online for those who couldn’t make it to one of the events, but may be interested in finding out more.

We have identified more than 100 areas where savings can be made and we want to do what’s best for the people of Wiltshire, and we recognise that to suggest an increase on council tax – whilst acceptable to some – would put huge pressure on many households.

One of the criticisms raised at the meetings is our proposal to charge for garden waste.  We have resisted bringing in a charge until now, despite many other authorities having gone down this route. It is unfortunate that we need to propose charging for this service; particularly after we asked people about changes to garden waste collections last year, and charging was not their preferred option. The reality is that we now know the budget situation is more challenging than when we carried out the consultation.  I have publically apologised to everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation and I’m genuinely sorry that the preferred option – to only collect in the summer months - is no longer viable.

But it’s not all been doom and gloom  - a Growth Deal package of Government money of £11.5m has been unveiled for Wiltshire - which will fund improvements to the busy Yarnbrook junction near Trowbridge and encourage innovative start-up businesses as part of the Digital Corsham project. This funding is in addition to the £129.3 million committed by the Government on 7 July 2014.
 

Over the lifetime of this new deal (2016-2021) the Local Enterprise Partnership estimates that up to 2,500 new jobs could be created and 2,100 new homes built.  The new commitments in this deal also have the potential to generate up to £80 million public and private investment.

So looking on the bright side – those “green shoots” that television reporters like to talk about - are pushing through in our county.

This takes me back to the thoughts that I had when I stood before those extraordinary 800-year-old documents in the British Library. Confronting a medieval king and demanding greater rights can’t have been easy for the barons in 1215. But having a voice and speaking out, particularly at times when tough choices need to be made can result in our proudest moments.

 You can find out more about Magna Carta 800-themed events here in Wiltshire at www.visitwiltshire.co.uk or explore the subject further by downloading a copy of the Magna Carta 800 trails leaflet

Facing tough decisions

It was Abraham Lincoln who famously said: “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” These words ring true for me today.

In my last blog I talked about the challenges and the opportunities that we face over the coming year, but now, as we prepare to set our budget next month, this is a real area of focus.

As you know, we currently spend around £900 million each year on more than 350 services. 

Changing demographics, such as people living longer (fortunately!) coupled with inflation and the cuts in funding from central government means we have to find more savings.

 I consider it my responsibility to spell out the facts of what this means. Last year we received £119m from the Government – this year we will get £103.8m. This cut of more than £15m, combined with the rise in demand for some of our key front line services and inflation costs, means we need to find a further £30m of savings this coming financial year.

That’s a tall order – but we’re getting used to those! Last year we saved £25.5m by reviewing all our services and looking at what we could deliver more efficiently and by sharing resources.

Let’s be clear - we remain absolutely committed to our three main priorities – to protect those who are most vulnerable in our communities, to boost the local economy; creating new jobs and safeguarding existing jobs, and to support and empower communities to do more for themselves – making them stronger, more resilient and able to cope with the pressures and problems that they face.

And we’ll continue to invest in the areas that we know matter to our residents, and into projects that will save money in the future.

£84m will be spent on resurfacing roads for the next two years, along with £33m on road maintenance including potholes.

£65m is being invested in providing infrastructure and jobs to keep the economy in Wiltshire buoyant. This includes building a new Science Park in Porton, dualling the A350 at Chippenham and a major refurbishment of the town’s railway station.

We all know that we need more affordable homes and we will be investing £45m to provide new homes, extra care and sheltered housing and £46m will be spent on improving council housing.

We have also allocated £66m to provide community campuses and hubs across the county. These new campuses will rationalise a range of buildings (often scattered across a community area in various states of disrepair) into a location that is more accessible, can be ran more efficiently and will save money, as well as providing local communities with the range of services, facilities and activities that they need and want.

Both national and local media have well publicised the ‘cut-backs’ and the pressures facing public services and the health service has hardly been out of the news for the past two weeks. The cuts are real – and so is the growing demand for the services that we provide.

We know we have more older people living for longer in Wiltshire (currently 15% higher number than the rest of the country) and this places huge demand on our social care and health services. And, we also know that more children need safeguarding and more are in need of our support and care.

These key services don’t have a cut-off or ceiling on spend or numbers.

We also have a growing number of households (2,000 each year) – which means there’s more demand for services, such as waste and recycling collections.

Wiltshire Council was formed almost 6 years ago and in this time we have seen major change. I know these changes have impacted on all of you. We need your ideas and thoughts on how we can continue to do things differently and be more innovative in our approach. I would like to thank you all for your support and overwhelming commitment to do what’s best for the people of Wiltshire. This has helped us to deliver excellent services to residents in difficult and challenges times.

The savings we need to find; both this coming year and beyond means that tough choices have to be made. We need to ask questions about whether there are ways we could do things better – or whether we should be doing them at all.

Starting today (Monday 26 January), we will be holding a series of public meetings so we can talk to residents directly about the challenges we face, and we’ll be asking for their views.

So far, as part of looking at next year’s budget, we have identified more than 100 areas where we are proposing to find savings. These include:

•      Charging for garden waste collections

•      Finding office efficiencies in support services

•      Encouraging efficiencies in voluntary sector services

•      Changing street lighting times

•      Reviewing the Household Recycling Centres opening times

I’ve no doubt that some of these proposals will be covered in the local media over the next few weeks, before council decides its budget for next year. But it’s not about ‘cut-backs’. As I said in my last column, the key to making sustained savings will be through innovation. We have got to continue to be smart. We need to continue to find ways and new opportunities to do more for less. I know it’s a big ask.

Perhaps there is some reassurance in Abraham Lincoln’s words that: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

Jane