Celebrating success in the council and the city

Hello everybody

Customer Service week

Last week was Customer Service week and, last Friday I had the honour of handing out Institute of Customer Service award certificates to a number of our staff and managers. This was a really uplifting occasion and the group was addressed by Sally Duff, account director from ICS who opened the proceedings.

Jane Dowdell, housing customer services manager

The enthusiasm and commitment that colleagues have shown in undertaking this work and the support they gained from their coaches was really commendable. Janet Dowdell who is the housing customer services manager talked briefly to us about the difference that ICS had made to her and although she was battling with a cold she made a really impactful presentation. 

Around the housing centre

After the celebration I was able to do a tour of the housing centre and meet all of the teams there. The estates team showed me how they have saved money by washing dusters mop heads in their washing machine, saving four boxes of mops a month (300 mops). Here is a picture of Chris, Naomi, Chloe and Les. 

Chris, Naomi, Chloe and Les

I met the income services manager and heard something of the challenges experienced by many tenants in the light of welfare reform. I also met the resident involvement team. 

The resident involvement team

Whether I was talking about car spaces and garages, lettings or housing office management, sheltered housing or housing inclusion, performance or contract compliance, asset management, repairs and maintenance or mechanical and electrical teams, all of those I met were positive and enthusiastic about their work and it was good to meet and have these brief conversations.

Stop, Start and Change

This week the roadshows have been continuing and our initiative to get staff and residents thinking about what we should Stop, Start and Change in the light of our financial and improvement challenges is well underway. Please look on the Wave at the posts already there and do add to them if you would like to. All the good ideas generated at the roadshows will be assessed and analysed and I am grateful for the contribution that everybody is making. 

Our staff survey 2014

Can I also put in a plug for our annual staff survey and ask that you take the few minutes required to complete it. It really will help us and as you know we are acting on the results of last year’s survey. Just to jog your memory the key themes were management capability, communications and resilience. 

Big Difference Autumn award

While I am plugging things can I ask if you would consider the Big Difference Award nominations. We do the Chief Executive’s Big Difference Award three times a year and we are receiving submissions now. 

Greater Brighton 

This week I have been involved in three significant meetings in public. The first of these was the Greater Brighton Economic Board which took place in Lewes Town Hall on Tuesday. 

Greater Brighton Economic Board with Geoff Raw 

Chris Tomlinson with a colleague

Among the items discussed was the Rampion Wind Farm and we received a really interesting presentation from Chris Tomlinson of Eon who described the history and the scope of the 122 square kilometres wind farm whose planning for construction is well underway. The three year construction programme begins in 2016 and will mean around 300 jobs. It was impressive to see that the organisation is involving local people and businesses as well as local authorities. I was impressed to hear the commitment to local jobs and indeed apprentices. The board also took an update on the projects that are underway as a result of city deal and agreed the branding, see below, for the Greater Brighton Economic Board.

Branding for the Greater Brighton region

Already we have secured £92million of investment funding for the Greater Brighton City region and the progress that is being made is really encouraging.

Health and Wellbeing Board

Late on Tuesday, the Health and Wellbeing Board met and again a diverse agenda was before us.  It included proposals for the re-tender of Substance Misuse Services and the approval of annual reports of the Adult and Children Safeguarding Boards. We also agreed the new pharmaceutical needs assessment and Brighton & Hove dementia plan. 

We discussed cancer screening in Brighton and Hove and agreed that there should be a task and finish group to consider our take up rates and how we could be improve in those parts of the city where they are exceedingly low. This board is made up of members of the Clinical Commissioning Group, five leading councillors and the statutory officers in the local authority for children, adults and public health and me, as the Head of Paid Service. It conducts its business in an open and frank way seeking to achieve consensus and on those items were certainly the case. The re-tendering of the Drugs and Alcohol services was agreed after it went to a vote.

Health and Wellbeing board

Some of our Public Health colleagues

Last night's Policy and Resources committee 

The final significant meeting in public was the Policy and Resources Committee last night which agreed the City Plan. It's an important document, which we hope the planning inspector will approve and provide clarity about where in our area there can be development. 

Again, a packed agenda and a packed Hove Town Hall council chamber heard debates on the future of Drugs and Alcohol services and Integrated Community Equipment store. The latter item had to be adjourned for further work with the Clinical Commissioning Group and will come to a future meeting. 

Members did not agree on a proposal for a temporary travellers site next year, when the permanent and temporary sites at Horsdean are being developed.

The Queen's Award for Enterprise

Finally, it was gratifying on Thursday to be present at the presentation of the Queen's Award for Enterprise to the growing company in Portslade D3O Lab. 

Mostyn Thomas, D3O, Stewart Sawyer, D3O, Lord Lieutenant Peter Field and Deputy Lieutenant Hugh Burnett

 This growing business produces an amazing substance which hardens on impact and is playing an increasing role in sports and safety equipment. I even discovered that my own phone cover is made with it. It was a pleasure to meet the chair, chief executive and staff and to see the difference it has made to them by winning this prestigious award.

A demonstration about the product

Mayoress Nora Fitch testing out the product

So, another week of working in collaboration comes to a close. I'm hoping that the meetings with the Heritage Lottery Fundthis week and that the time the Executive Leadership Team spent taking stock on the budget and modernisation and improvement will all bear fruit.

Have a good weekend.

Penny