A proud moment for the city

Hello everybody

My week began in London at the Public Health England marketing board. I sit on the board representing local government and helping Public Health England to ensure that their campaigns are locally driven, transparent and evidence led, providing opportunities for communities to engage, and are properly worked on in partnership. The strategy focuses on all of us having lives where we start well, live well and age well. One specific issue which we discussed on Monday’s meeting is a forthcoming campaign to develop a dementia friends campaign and an awareness of the needs and presence of people with dementia in all our communities. The campaign sounds as though it will be really exciting and effective and I look forward to its launch in May.

On the same day I spent the afternoon at the Ministry of Justice where again the theme was seeing the local impact of national policy, for example reoffending and the changes to probation. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and I are involved in a “buddying” scheme and I think that we are both benefiting from understanding national and local policy and delivery better by working together. We are seizing opportunities to share learning about running large, complex politically accountable organisations.

At Full Council last night I am pleased to say that our Corporate Plan was agreed by all members. As you know, the Corporate Plan has four priorities each of which have a number of key outcomes we want to achieve, and of course all this is being done within a finite and tight budget. I hope that you’ll find the Corporate Plan in its new presentation something that you can navigate easily and that it provides a good basis for service and team plans and indeed, your individual performance plan.

Finally let me end the blog this week reflecting on the delight I feel in Brighton & Hove being one of the first places to host a same sex marriage when it takes place at a minute past midnight tonight. What a proud moment for the city and for the country. When I celebrated my civil partnership three years ago it seemed impossible to imagine that gay marriage would be on the statute books in such a short time, or even ever. So thanks to all those from registrars, the Royal Pavilion, our civil contingencies team, our media relations team to name but a few who have made the high profile celebrations in Brighton & Hove possible, and will ensure that the night and the day tomorrow will go really well. And of course, huge congratulations to all of the couples who are getting married on the memorable 29 March 2014. Our good wishes go with them.

All the best
Penny