Blog back from its summer break

Our blog is now back from its summer break. We hope as many of you as possible had a bit of time off to recharge your batteries.  Summer already feels like a distant memory but we’re looking forward to the rest of this year, which traditionally is the busiest and most challenging time for many of our services.

Planning at an uncertain time

Over the last few weeks we, just like millions across the country, have been keeping a very close eye on proceedings in Parliament. As a council we have a responsibility to plan and prepare to ensure Wiltshire is ready should the U.K exits the EU. At this stage we have to assume that’s going to be on 31 October but we are aware this is not a certainty, and are planning accordingly.
On top of that, we also have the possibility of a General Election and all that entails. We’ve begun to plan the logistics of organising the likely election but without a confirmed date there’s only so much preparation we can do. Clearly, it’s an uncertain time but that’s par for the course when working in local government and something we’re accustomed to. We’re staying focussed on our priorities and when the important decisions are made in London and Brussels, we’ll be ready.

Figuring out the forums

We’ve had initial planning meetings about our annual staff forums which get underway in a couple of months. We’ll be confirming all the dates very soon and they will be shared with you as soon as possible As usual, we will be making changes to the format of the sessions this year, we do this to ensure you are engaged in, are able to participate in the forums, and get the most out of the sessions. We’re very aware time is a precious commodity when everyone is so busy so we want people to come away feeling positive having taken a couple of hours out of their day to attend. Watch this space.

Cabinet, coaching and catching-up with peers

Speaking of time well spent, we’ve had some productive meetings ourselves this week. It was good to bring managers together for our regular forum which included a fascinating coaching-type session from a previous EPIC Talk presenter, Simon Tyler. Later in the week we also brought together senior officers to a business planning workshop to look ahead and focus on our future priorities.

The first cabinet of ‘the new term’ took place this week which included an interesting discussion on the council’s carbon neutral work as well as an update on the positive progress made on the future of outdoor education.

The South West Association of Directors of Children’s Services is also taking place this week and some shared discussions among our local authority peers is always welcome. 

Cycling for Jerry

Finally, we’re all looking forward to taking to our bikes next week for the second annual Bustard ride. It’s all in aid of raising money in memory of the late cabinet member Jerry Wickham and we’re privileged to be taking part.

Jerry was an avid cyclist himself so we can’t think of a better way to raise money for charities that were close to his heart; the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Dorothy House Hospice. Jerry’s son Ollie will also be joining us alongside representatives from Wiltshire Police and we’re expecting it be a poignant occasion, and as was always the case when Jerry was involved, with lots of laughter too. Staff will also be raising money on static bikes at County Hall and not that we’re bitter or competitive at all, but they will have it A LOT easier than us. If you can donate any money we’d really appreciate it, you can do so via the Just Giving page.