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This time next week we will be counting the votes in the four counting centres across the county. First unitary results should start to be announced at around noon with the final results known by around 3pm. You’ll be able to follow these on the web, our twitter account or BBC Wiltshire. Then we’ll move onto the town and parish counting and results which should all be declared by around 5pm. All very exciting, if like me you’re a bit of an election junky. With the simultaneous announcement of the General Election, the election team and many other staff are working flat out. Long 12 hour plus days, most weekends and the bank holidays too. Tomorrow we’re packing the ballot boxes for collection by the presiding officers and poll clerks next week. I would like to thank you all for your commitment and selflessness in supporting this important work.
In preparation for the Monday following the election, Carolyn and I have alternative draft business plans written (depending on who wins the election) for the new executive. This is together with a full programme of cabinet decisions and supporting papers that need to be taken to continue our work, development of the organisation and the services it delivers along with the major policy decisions that need to be taken affecting the county. The next four years are going to be very challenging for local government across the country but we’re well positioned to continue our journey of high performance service delivery, innovation, change and focusing on the priorities of the individuals, families, communities and businesses across Wiltshire.
Now back to the election… 33,000 postal votes received, opened, scanned and processed so far and they’re coming in at a rate of around 3,500 per day.
Speak again soon. For daily updates, discussion, personal opinion, comment or just to connect or keep in touch you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drcarltonbrand.
Carlton
Are you a manager with a passion for developing staff? You may have seen this in a recent Managers Wire. I fully support and actively encourage our senior leaders to provide mentoring for our less experienced managers and recognise the enormous benefits that this can bring for both parties. As Ralph Nader said, “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders not more followers”. Our job is to grown and nurture leadership and management at all levels throughout our organisation. If you feel you can develop our leaders of tomorrow please apply to become a mentor.
The next mentor development session is taking place on Friday 19 May, from 9.00 am-1.00 pm in the Lacock room, County Hall. If you are interested in finding out more, and how to apply, details can be found here Mentoring Guidance for Mentors Mentoring Guidance for Mentors 124kb or you can email amanda.collyer@wiltshire.gov.uk for further information.
Now for some well-deserved thank yous and congratulations.
HR & OD have been shortlisted for a number of external awards. The annual PPMA (Public Service People Managers Association) awards, which recognise excellence in people management, will take place in Bristol on 27 April during the PPMA annual conference, and the council’s team have been shortlisted as finalist in three of these awards. These are:
• The role of HR in innovation
• Transforming the working environment
• Sustainable transformation
Many congratulations to Jo Pitt and her team for this achievement. They were up against some stiff national competition and have done extremely well to be shortlisted and I am sure you will all join me in wishing them the best of luck at the awards in April.
Registration Service - The Registration Service, led by Alison Manning underwent an audit conducted by the General Register Office for England and Wales from 16 to 24 March inclusive. The final report has been received which states that the district has now achieved a high level of security around GRO certificate stock and registration records, this is a credit to all staff so very well done.
Award Winning Single View - The Council “Single View” programme, led by Ian Baker and Steve Vercella has just been awarded the National IESE (Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise) award for innovation (http://www.iese.org.uk/events/iese-awards-2017). Special thanks must also go to Paul Mills, Lisa McKeigue and Tamara Smith from the programme office for their contributions. The Single View Programme has been working to deliver information across organisational boundaries in the public sector to increase efficiency and decision making and improve outcomes for the public in Wiltshire. One of the early deliverables was the provision of care information to medical General Practitioners surgeries to improve the information they have on particular patients.
An important part of this programme was the technology to access and share the data which was developed by the Development Team within IT. Special thanks and congratulations go to Chris Sercombe, Chris Beavan and Samyukta Billakurthi from that team (and all others involved) for their valuable contribution to the programme.
Now back to the election…
Speak again soon. For daily updates, discussion, personal opinion, comment or just to connect or keep in touch you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drcarltonbrand.
Carlton
The election preparation is in full swing now and we are almost at the end of the nominations process. Nominations close at 4pm next Tuesday 4th April and by the same time a day later I have to publish the full list of candidates standing for election. At the same time those names will go straight to the printers where 65,000 postal votes will be printed and dispatched to electors across the county. The team have done a great job managing a large quantity of work and I thank them all very much.
Our Highways team have been recognised as performing and Band 3 level for asset management which means that we get an additional £1.4million per year for highways capital maintenance allocation. This is a super performance by the team, so very well done to the them all. The team had a very successful LGA peer review last year and the improvement programme to get to level 3 has been well delivered.
Our innovative community asset transfer to Salisbury City Council completed today. A wide ranging package of property assets, land and front line highway and environment services transfer to the city. This “double devolution” is the blue print for future such deals with our larger towns.
Speak again soon. For daily updates, discussion, personal opinion, comment or just to connect or keep in touch you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drcarltonbrand.
Carlton
