Budget published and preparing for snow

Finalising the finances

Last week saw the culmination of a lot of planning and hard work with the publication of the budget proposals for 2019/20. Of course, this doesn’t mark the end of the process by any means, but it’s a significant milestone and we’d like to thank everyone involved.

The papers set out how we propose to deliver the savings of £27.29m, while still investing in services where the demand is increasing. The proposals also include investment in digitisation and commercialisation which, as we move away from a reliance on central government grant funding, will help us to sustain service provision in the long-term. There will be challenges and opportunities in the years ahead and as this year marks the tenth year since Wiltshire Council was formed, we are of the view that this budget puts us on a strong footing as we move towards the next decade.

Team ready to weather the storm

Our gritters ready for action

With weather taking a cold turn this week, our emergency and highways team are ready should things get worse than expected. At this stage snow is expected but we are hopeful we won’t be too badly affected by it. But our advice to motorists is to always drive to the conditions, particularly as there is a high risk of ice. We have 24 gritters and 8,000 tonnes of salt at our disposal should we need them and will keep a close eye on the forecast.




Improvements in support for adults

As well as the roads, winter is a challenging time for the vulnerable adults that we support. Last year we launched our Adult Care Transformation programme with the aim of getting quality joined up support for those who need it as quickly as possible. We’re pleased that we’re already seeing positive outcomes as a result of this major programme of work. For instance, compared to last year our Delayed Transfer of Care (DTOC) statistics have improved by 25% which means less people are having unnecessarily long stays in hospital. There are still challenges to overcome but we’re recruiting good staff to an already quality workforce who are all committed to supporting people.

Managers look at the causes of work-related stress

We recently held our regular Managers’ Forum. It was the first one of the year so it provided a good opportunity to focus on some of the major projects we’re working on. One of the topics we covered was workplace health, and, in particular the impact that stress can have on staff and our effectiveness. We’re discussed what more we can do as an organisation to support staff and help to alleviate the issues that can cause work-related stress. It’s something we take very seriously and we’ll continue to work with you and your managers to tackle work related stress.

The staff engagement survey will provide a good indication of how healthy the organisation is and where the pressure points are. Thank you all for providing your feedback. The feedback and results will be published in March.

Welcoming some new faces

One of the calendar items that’s always welcome is the corporate induction, which took place last week. This is where we get to welcome those of you who are new to Wiltshire Council and hopefully we hope that our new recruits are finding us a great place to work. It’s always good to hear fresh ideas and perspectives as it helps the organisation to move forward and be innovative in its approach.

The kids are alright

It was heartening to see that Wiltshire secondary school students are performing above the national average following the publication of the Government’s annual school league tables. Our teams work closely with schools to ensure they have all they need to provide their pupils the best opportunity to reach their potential. It was particularly pleasing to see good results in Maths and English GCSEs. It shows we have some hardworking young people in Wiltshire and that will put them in good stead as they move towards the next stage of their life.

Support to give athletes more than a sporting chance

A great night celebrating success

While we’re on the subject of talented young people, we had the pleasure of meeting some at the annual award of our Sports Scholarship Grants. For a number of years now we have supported Wiltshire’s young and aspiring  athletes to help realise their ambitions. We have seen people such as Aaron Moores and Stephanie Millward perform at the pinnacle of their sports and they have turned into very impressive ambassadors for Wiltshire Council and the county as a whole. The money, from the Funding Future Olympians and Paralympians Foundation, raised from businesses at the annual Business and Sports Gala Dinner, helps the athletes with their training and competitions and to buy equipment – and that could make a crucial difference.
Having heard some of the stories behind the ‘class of 2019’, Wiltshire’s sporting future is looking very bright indeed and we will be following their journeys closely.

Alistair, Carlton and Terence

A new year brings new challenges and opportunities

Hopefully it’s not too late to say Happy new year to you all.

It’s always a struggle following the Christmas break to get back into the swing of things, but we’re looking forward to the year ahead.

This week we’ve been finalising the draft budget with cabinet, in readiness for the committee meetings where the proposals will be presented and discussed. We will of course share the proposals and most importantly the context for them.

Maltings milestone

The proposed development

A great start to 2019 is the major milestone of the Salisbury Maltings regeneration plans. A planning application for an 86-bedroom hotel, new library space, gym and restaurant has been submitted for this first phase of a multi-million-pound development. This really exciting project investment demonstrates the confidence in Salisbury as a location that has so much to offer to visitors and tourists.





Cold weather preparation and primary school places keeping teams busy

We just wanted to recognise teams as they head into a particularly busy period. The highways teams have already been in action this week with Wiltshire as a result of the cold snap. They are gritting the roads to ensure that the county can keep moving. We would like to reinforce the advice that they regularly issue to motorists - please always drive to the conditions.

And, with the deadline to register your child’s primary school choices looming next week, our school admissions team will begin the allocation process. This is a huge piece of work that affects many families across the county but our team always do an excellent job.

More time to feedback


Finally, you will hopefully be aware that the deadline for you to respond to the Staff Engagement Survey has been extended. We are committed to listening to your feedback and to taking action to deliver improvements based on what you tell us. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes out to complete the survey. The deadline is now Monday 21 January.

Alistair, Carlton and Terence