Hello all, I'm writing my blog slightly earlier this week so that those of you about to depart for sunnier climes may get a chance to read it. Having said that, I shall make this the last blog until September as I am also off for a couple of weeks in August (jetting off to Dorset again).

The week started with the Cabinet Away Day at Urchfont. Cabinet were joined by the Corporate Leadership Team and we worked together on the strategic plans for reshaping the organisation in a post-coalition government world. This work will be refined as we move through the Autumn towards the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review on October 22. This is the date when we will find out formally the government's spending plans and priorities for local government for the next four years. However we've all read the press and we know that this will entail reductions in expenditure of 25-40%. The plans we are developing will deliver this coupled with the investment we need in some local services to deliver the priorities of our elected members. We will start communicating some of these plans over the coming weeks.

Tuesday was Cabinet which had some meaty items on the agenda, not least our plans to consult on the investment we plan to make in leisure provision across the county and the results of the consultation on our special educational needs provision. There were many speakers from the public at Cabinet and it was inspiring to see communities engaging and reshaping our plans through the process. Well done to all of those involved in this work.

Finally I am spending a lot of time this week writing and conducting my year end performance appraisals with my direct reports. I encourage you all to do this as it is a vital part of the role of management and leadership - feedback. If you haven't had such a session with your line manager then please request it - tell them I said so!

Thanks for reading and enjoy your summer holidays.

Talk again the first week in September.

Carlton