Big campaign to help clean up the county

Hello,

This year’s staff engagement forums, which take place in November, are now being advertised and please make sure you are booked on a session. The forums provide an important opportunity to have your say as we update on the direction of the organisation and the key priorities and expectations. 

We had a good meeting with managers this week. A key focus of the meeting was on the recently published Digital Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to provide residents with a 24/7 self-service, making it much more convenient for them, and helping us save money and be more efficient as an outcome. It’s a big piece of work and it will have a big impact. We are currently looking at the digital options and analysing customer behaviour to establish what will work. Managers have been asked to consider what digital services could be offered in their area. Digitisation and commercialisation are key elements of the 10 year Business Plan and will drive new ways of working to meet customer expectations and deliver increased income. 

This week we launched a major new countywide campaign on Wednesday. Incredibly as a council we could avoid spending £2.5m a year have to pick up litter that’s been dropped by people. As we all know, this expense is completely avoidable and it would be much better if it could be allocated to other vital services. The aim of the campaign is to change the culture and behaviour by launching #CleanUpWilts. The campaign has three phases; phase 1 focuses on flytipping, the second on fast food and food on the go littering; particularly litter thrown from vehicles and the last phase focuses on community litter picks – something that has previously been a great success. The launch event held in Tilshead had support from some very enthusiastic local school children who took part in a litter pick. Please take a look at the
#CleanUpWilts website and help to take action to clean up our beautiful county.

Pupils from St Thomas a Becket Primary joined in at the launch

We also welcomed the news that Dyson is investing significantly into the development of a battery electric vehicle. To have an innovative product like this developed in Wiltshire is great news for the local economy.

This week we concluded the series of public meetings where we discussed the challenges that the council faces. The meetings were well attended and a variety of questions and views were conveyed by attendees. It’s always useful to explain the context behind the decisions we make, as often their views are based on headlines in the media and not the full picture. The discussions provided food for thought.

Please don’t forget that you can book a free flu vaccination at a staff clinics, or at a local pharmacy, if that’s more convenient. Spaces are being taken up quickly so book today if you can.

Alison, Alistair, Carlton, Carolyn, and Terence