Budget to be discussed at full council meeting

Budget to be discussed at full council

Next week the budget proposals for 19/20 will be discussed and debated at full council and by the end of that meeting an agreement should be in place. There’s still time for there to be changes and councillors will discuss it in great detail. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the budget process, it’s always a busy time of year and we appreciate everyone’s help and support. We’ll update you on the outcome next week.


Supporting Swindon 

We were concerned to hear the announcement that Honda plan to shut their factory in 2021. Although this is in the Swindon local authority area, it will have ramifications across the county, and we are already working with Government, Swindon Borough Council and the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership on this.

Consultation on special schools nearing conclusion

We are now approaching the final week of the consultation into our vision for special needs schools. The consultation closes on 1 March and before the deadline we are holding an additional public session in Melksham on 25 February to get people’s views. We have engaged with as many people as possible throughout this work and the discussions on our proposals continue to be very worthwhile and important. The cabinet will be meeting this spring to consider the proposals in the light of the responses to the consultation.

Our team don’t waste their time

There was a BBC story published recently which said that in 2018 there was more than 1.8m complaints received by councils from people about their waste not being collected. This is of course one of our ‘bread and butter’ services and often the very thing people think of when they are asked what does a local council do. We’re pleased to say we weren’t on the named
and shamed list and we have an excellent record of collecting bins on schedule. It only tends to be issues like the recent snow that causes any major disruption.

Having read that news story, a member of the public took time out of their day to email us to say that in 20 years of living in Wiltshire they had only had one missed collection and that was due to van parked inconveniently – the bin was promptly collected the next day. It’s always nice to get feedback and support like this and it’s a testament to our great waste team.

Convenience at a click of the mouse

With waste and recycling being one of our most visible services, their pages tend to be the most visited on the council website. This week we have launched a new waste digital system which offers huge benefits to residents, as previously people could only report a missed bin collection or pay for garden waste. There are lots of things you can now do – all with one sign-in. These features are also available on My Wiltshire app, but as that system is changing soon, we are guiding people towards our website. Other benefits now include being able to report missed bin collections as soon as they happen; and, crucially, people can get updates from the system at their request. Our aim is to make the online service simpler, quicker and better and we’re sure residents will agree that we’ve achieved it.

If you are a Wiltshire resident, it is also now easier to access and manage your council tax account online. We’re asking you to sign up and log in to access your council tax account online before the new system is made available to the public in March. You can sign up here.
Once signed up, you can see your account and payment history, change your details, set up or amend your Direct Debit, change your address and view documents sent to you.

This new facility is just one of the many ways our customers can obtain the information they need simply, quickly and easily. For further details about the system or to report any issues, please contact Sally.Kimber@wiltshire.gov.uk.

A bid for funding that we hope will be streets ahead

We recently announced plans to submit an expression of interest to bid for investment from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. If we are successful we intend to use the money to support the improvement of Salisbury for its residents, businesses and visitors. The city has had a tough time over the last year so we hope any additional funding will help to compliment and support our ambitions. We’ve launched a survey to get people’s thoughts on what changes they’d like to see in the city. More recently, Government has allowed larger authorities more bidding opportunities and

Wiltshire is asking our other towns, who face their own issues, to express their interest in bringing forward two more bids for this fund. High streets are facing challenges across the country and people’s expectations from what they get from their high streets are ever-changing and it’s important we recognise that and strive to evolve alongside them.

Alistair, Carlton and Terence

Hard work from committed staff

Snow joke – our teams responded brilliantly

For many the sight of snow is greeted with excitement and joy , but for us our immediate thoughts are ‘how will this adverse weather affects our services’? Because of the professional and fantastic work of our committed staff, we’re pleased to say the answer to that particular question is there was very little impact.

It’s fair to say we had more snow than forecast but our emergency and highways team stepped into action, working day and night to keep Wiltshire’s roads as safe as possible. From dealing with snow and then the inevitable ice, the team gritted the roads time and time again. Indeed, officers from so many departments put plans in place to ensure their services weren’t affected– from adult care workers checking on the vulnerable to library assistants determined to get to work so that they could continue to serve the the local community – so many of you went the extra mile and we thank you for your support, it doesn’t go unnoticed and it is really appreciated.

Flag flying high for equality and inclusivity

As a council we were proud to raise the LGBT flag outside of County Hall earlier this week. It’s a symbol that we are an open, welcoming and inclusive organisation. Many staff and members attended  to witness the flag being hoisted and it was a really positive start to the week. It’s LGBT History Month and if you pay a visit to the atrium at County Hall you will see an eye-opening display which just goes to show how far we’ve come as a society over a short period of time. It’s quite shocking to see how much attitudes have changed in the past 20 years. Please do take a look if you can.

Draft budget considered by cabinet

Cabinet took place this week and it was the latest meeting which saw the draft 2019/20 financial plan on its agenda. Rightfully so, the budget goes through a rigorous process before the council’s 98 councillors debate it on 26 February. We are an organisation that spends almost £1bn per year and every penny has to be accounted for. Cabinet endorsed the plan that focuses on delivering savings and managing the growth and services pressures. Each year the budget increases by around £10m from additional council tax, but the demand in some services including adult social care and children and families means there is a need to continue to find savings and efficiencies.

Just the job – achieving excellence

It really has been a week of hearing about the fantastic work that you all do. We were pleased to host  the latest Achieving Excellence Awards and as always it was an  inspiration. The awards highlight the variety of work that we deliver and how our staff often go beyond the call of duty. We heard a number of stories of staff looking out for vulnerable people, dealing with a major incident and a manager going above and beyond to be there for a seriously ill member of staff. The awards presentation is a highlight in our diaries and we hope all the nominees and winners also had a good time. Recognition from your colleagues and an award for a  job well done, really can make a difference and it’s a thank you from us too

Alistair, Carlton and Terence