Back to work after my hols, and I'm pleased to report that the weather on the Costa-Frome was excellent. All the better too for not having to navigate Icelandic volcanic ash clouds and millions of people at airports...
This week I spent a morning with the Customer Care Unit management team at their team meeting. We went through much customer demand data that they have been collecting from their lean review and started to understand what it's telling us about how customers are contacting us and the problems they sometimes face. I love this stuff as it represents such an important way of learning about how to improve our work. I recommend this approach to everybody!
I have had the initial KPMG findings for our 2009-10 Use of Resources assessment. I met with the steering team earlier this week to review these findings and plan further work over the next two months in terms of additional case and evidence material which we will have to pull together for the auditors.
I went to Potterne yesterday to meet with senior staff at Wiltshire Fire & Rescue. We're exploring ways whereby we might be able to collaborate on things such as fleet management and maintenance, procurement, and support services. I think there are some very quick wins on the cards here, and it was great to meet colleagues from another part of the public sector who think so too. More on this anon.
Just for information, I have re-started my weekly tea & biscuits sessions for front line staff. Those of you new to DOR may not have heard about these, but it is an opportunity for 5 or 6 front line staff and I to get together over a cuppa to chat about anything at all, how things are going, how we might improve them too. If you'd like to attend, please email Jane or myself.
Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend, and chat again next week.
Carlton
Friday, 16 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Thursday 1 April
Well we made it! Our 1st birthday has arrived and I can't believe it's been a year since we formed. Happy birthday everybody.
And what a year it's been - busy and hectic doesn't begin to describe what we've been through and what we've all achieved together. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you very much. Thanks for your effort, hard work and unstinting commitment to making it all happen, in which ever part of the business you work.
I'm taking next week off for a rest - like many of you. I hope you all have a great Easter, and enjoy your break if you're taking one.
Thanks for reading. Talk again in a couple of weeks.
Carlton
And what a year it's been - busy and hectic doesn't begin to describe what we've been through and what we've all achieved together. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you very much. Thanks for your effort, hard work and unstinting commitment to making it all happen, in which ever part of the business you work.
I'm taking next week off for a rest - like many of you. I hope you all have a great Easter, and enjoy your break if you're taking one.
Thanks for reading. Talk again in a couple of weeks.
Carlton
Friday, 26 March 2010
Friday 26 March 2010
First of all my apologies for not writing last week. My parents were down from Essex so I took a day off to spend some time with them. I remembered my blog sometime after lunch (and maybe a beer or two) in the middle of Bath. No excuse though!
It's been a week of big decisions in DOR. On Tuesday, Cabinet took the decision to in-source ICT back to the council from Steria. This is hugely important. The council is going through huge change at the moment and this is likely to continue for many years. Work Place Transformation, service transformation, our work on lean, development of Area Boards and accelerating our work with communities, developing closer relationships with our public sector partners (Unitary Plus) mean the requirements from ICT are changing rapidly. We are better placed to improve and develop the service if we have complete responsibility for it. Deborah Farrow is working on the transfer plan and we'll share this with you as soon as possible.
Cabinet also received the draft Corporate Plan and Medium Term Financial Plan. These documents, available on the intranet are well worth a detailed read. They explain what we will be focusing on as an organisation over the next four years, what our priorities will be and how we will fund these. They explain how we will meet the financial pressures in the public sector too, although this work will be continually developed as the national picture becomes clearer after the election. The Corporate Plan will be formally approved by Council in May. My Service Directors and I will now be developing the DOR Business Plan that we will have to put in place to deliver the corporate objectives. We'll share this with you as we develop it during the next few months. Do please have a read and feedback your comments to me.
I'm also pleased to announce that Neil Ward has been appointed Head of Service for Property. Property joined DOR on March 1st, and as John Shorto is due to retire next month we needed to ensure a seamless transition to his successor. As this position will report directly to me, Members made the appointment on Tuesday. I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Neil every success in his new role.
Thanks for reading and we'll catch up again next week.
Carlton
It's been a week of big decisions in DOR. On Tuesday, Cabinet took the decision to in-source ICT back to the council from Steria. This is hugely important. The council is going through huge change at the moment and this is likely to continue for many years. Work Place Transformation, service transformation, our work on lean, development of Area Boards and accelerating our work with communities, developing closer relationships with our public sector partners (Unitary Plus) mean the requirements from ICT are changing rapidly. We are better placed to improve and develop the service if we have complete responsibility for it. Deborah Farrow is working on the transfer plan and we'll share this with you as soon as possible.
Cabinet also received the draft Corporate Plan and Medium Term Financial Plan. These documents, available on the intranet are well worth a detailed read. They explain what we will be focusing on as an organisation over the next four years, what our priorities will be and how we will fund these. They explain how we will meet the financial pressures in the public sector too, although this work will be continually developed as the national picture becomes clearer after the election. The Corporate Plan will be formally approved by Council in May. My Service Directors and I will now be developing the DOR Business Plan that we will have to put in place to deliver the corporate objectives. We'll share this with you as we develop it during the next few months. Do please have a read and feedback your comments to me.
I'm also pleased to announce that Neil Ward has been appointed Head of Service for Property. Property joined DOR on March 1st, and as John Shorto is due to retire next month we needed to ensure a seamless transition to his successor. As this position will report directly to me, Members made the appointment on Tuesday. I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Neil every success in his new role.
Thanks for reading and we'll catch up again next week.
Carlton
Friday, 12 March 2010
Friday 12 March 2010
Friday again and nearly the end of another busy week. Before I start, could I say thank you to everybody who emailed me with their thanks and positive comments about last weeks Team Day. It's so heartening to get positive feedback from so many different and diverse service areas. I really appreciate it.
I was in Salisbury on Wednesday morning with Andrew supporting his sessions meeting staff in the south of the county. I also led the hub meeting where we went through the March Team Wire. There were lots of great questions covering all sorts of topics, and I would encourage others to join these sessions. It's very important for us to discuss the hot issues of the day and answer queries and worries that staff may have, be they related to IT, Harmonisation, Bourne Hill or any other subject.
Yesterday I was in Taunton for most of the day at the RIEP - the Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership. This is a group of officers from all over the South West charged with developing innovative plans and projects for improving innovation, improvement and efficiency of our services. Key items on the agenda were Housing, Total Place and of course the financial challenges that all of our organisations face at the moment and over the next 3-4 years. Wiltshire needs to be fully engaged in this to share best practice between our authorities so we keep ahead of the game. So that's what we'll be doing!
On Wednesday I attended the second Heath & Wellbeing Awards Ceremony in Devizes. This was a celebration of many public, voluntary and private sector initiatives in Wiltshire that seek to support and help make our communities and individuals healthier - both physically and mentally. I have to say that I was blown away by some of the people I met, their stories and what they do to help and support others. It was a very humbling experience.
Thanks for reading; have a good weekend and talk again next week.
Carlton
I was in Salisbury on Wednesday morning with Andrew supporting his sessions meeting staff in the south of the county. I also led the hub meeting where we went through the March Team Wire. There were lots of great questions covering all sorts of topics, and I would encourage others to join these sessions. It's very important for us to discuss the hot issues of the day and answer queries and worries that staff may have, be they related to IT, Harmonisation, Bourne Hill or any other subject.
Yesterday I was in Taunton for most of the day at the RIEP - the Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership. This is a group of officers from all over the South West charged with developing innovative plans and projects for improving innovation, improvement and efficiency of our services. Key items on the agenda were Housing, Total Place and of course the financial challenges that all of our organisations face at the moment and over the next 3-4 years. Wiltshire needs to be fully engaged in this to share best practice between our authorities so we keep ahead of the game. So that's what we'll be doing!
On Wednesday I attended the second Heath & Wellbeing Awards Ceremony in Devizes. This was a celebration of many public, voluntary and private sector initiatives in Wiltshire that seek to support and help make our communities and individuals healthier - both physically and mentally. I have to say that I was blown away by some of the people I met, their stories and what they do to help and support others. It was a very humbling experience.
Thanks for reading; have a good weekend and talk again next week.
Carlton
Friday, 5 March 2010
Thursday 4 March 2010
Just a very short blog this week; it's been a manic week in DOR, but at least it's felt like spring which is great.
Firstly, I'd like to welcome all of the Property team to DOR. Led by John Shorto, they officially transferred on Monday, and it's great to have them on board and part of our team. This move will enable us to better establish a fully integrated approach to resource planning across the organisation; people resources, property resources and financial resources all in one place.
The spring Team Day was a great success yesterday. I'd like to thank all the presenters, stall holders, organisers - especially Jo Middleton and Jane Gray - and all of the 650 or so team members who attended. After such a stretching year, it was great to see everybody and to feel the buzz throughout the team, as well as having some time to discuss some of the ideas for future improvement within our team and business.
I attended the Council Tax team "lean review" presentation this morning in Browfort. It was excellent - the team have really understood their service as a system, and now have a great platform from which to begin their service redesign around the customer. Jeannette Young, Phil Ruddle and the whole team should be very proud of themselves.
Thanks for reading, and we'll catch up again next week.
Carlton
Firstly, I'd like to welcome all of the Property team to DOR. Led by John Shorto, they officially transferred on Monday, and it's great to have them on board and part of our team. This move will enable us to better establish a fully integrated approach to resource planning across the organisation; people resources, property resources and financial resources all in one place.
The spring Team Day was a great success yesterday. I'd like to thank all the presenters, stall holders, organisers - especially Jo Middleton and Jane Gray - and all of the 650 or so team members who attended. After such a stretching year, it was great to see everybody and to feel the buzz throughout the team, as well as having some time to discuss some of the ideas for future improvement within our team and business.
I attended the Council Tax team "lean review" presentation this morning in Browfort. It was excellent - the team have really understood their service as a system, and now have a great platform from which to begin their service redesign around the customer. Jeannette Young, Phil Ruddle and the whole team should be very proud of themselves.
Thanks for reading, and we'll catch up again next week.
Carlton
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