We
are pleased to confirm that we have appointed two new Directors following
completion of a recent recruitment process. Helean Hughes has been appointed to
the role of Director Education & Skills and will join us on Monday 5
November. Helean is currently working at South Gloucestershire Council where
she is the Head of Education, Learning & Skills. Claire Edgar has been
appointed to Director, Learning Disabilities & Mental Health and will join
us on Wednesday 14 November. Claire is currently working at Barnsley
Metropolitan Borough Council where is the Head of Service for Mental Health
& Learning Disabilities. We are really looking forward to welcoming them
both to Wiltshire.
We
mentioned last week that the annual canvass is underway, which helps ensure
that the electoral register is up to date. We’re pleased to say we’ve had a
really positive response, with people clearly receiving the message to respond
via text or online. Only one-third of returns are arriving by post, which is
good news. It saves taxpayers’ money and staff time. The canvass runs until the
autumn and we’ll continue to encourage people to respond digitally.
Earlier
this week it was confirmed that The Mill pub in Salisbury is now safe following
a thorough clean by specialist teams after the Novichok incident in March. The
site has been handed back to its owners, who aim to re-open in the autumn
following some refurbishment. This marks another significant step forward in
the recovery programme and it will be good to see the centrally located pub
reopen for business. Slowly business is returning to normal and we need to
focus on the longer term and getting visitors and tourists back into the city
centre. Working with Visit Wiltshire and Visit
England we are looking at how Salisbury is promoted to rebuild confidence and
allay any concerns.
We
were really pleased that Ofsted recognised the improvements made by our family
learning team for their work to reconnect adults with education. The inspectors
carried out a monitoring visit and awarded a Good Progress grade in four areas
that were highlighted in a previous inspection. Well done to the team for their
hard work, which puts the service in great shape ahead of another inspection in
the autumn.
We
have been communicating the message as wide as we can to encourage people to
dispose of their waste correctly. Unfortunately, we are spending more on
picking up waste dropped in our communities – money which would be better spent
on front-line services. Our campaign was supported by magistrates who imposed
penalties totalling £1,230 on a Swindon man for fly-tipping in Broad Hinton. He
claimed to have paid someone to dispose of his rubbish but didn’t check they
had the correct licence to do so. The message is that we won’t tolerate fly
tipping and we will work hard to prosecute offenders.
We’re
sure that A-Level results will have dominated many households this week. Don’t
forget if you’re one of these households - whatever the results were - there
are lots of opportunities for young people in Wiltshire. That goes the same for
those getting their GCSE results next week. Fingers crossed for everyone who
has an interest in those.
Alistair,
Carlton and Terence
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