A challenging winter lies ahead

Winter is here

Well winter really is with us and we are getting some fantastic skies, this was the sky last Friday evening at sunset. With winter comes winter planning and work to ensure that the city keeps moving and the most vulnerable are supported. To this end, the Health and Wellbeing Board will receive a comprehensive report next week on the way in which the city is planning to cope with winter. In advance, let me thank everybody whose efforts will contribute to the wellbeing of our city and its residents over the colder and shorter days in the coming weeks and months.

Winter sunset last Friday

The heart and lungs of the city

On Monday morning I caught up with Jim Mayor and Emma Friedlander who took me through the plan for the redevelopment of the Valley Gardens. Over the next two and a half years, we will see the lungs of the city transformed with a changed traffic flow, landscaping and other developments to return this to become a key city park rather than a glorified traffic island. This is just one initiative among several which will contribute to the continuing evolution to the heart and lungs of our city.
 
The recent excellent news about heritage lottery funding alongside Arts Council funding , will allow the reimagining of the Dome and Royal Pavilion Estate, which will also play a significant part in these exciting developments. As you may know from recent publicity, we are also at an early stage of discussion and negotiations about extending Churchill Square down to the seafront and creating a state of the art conference centre and arena at Black Rock. All of these are future based plans, drawn up to continue to keep the city developing in a positive way for our residents as well as keeping us on the visitor map and one of the best loved places in the country.

Jim Mayor and Emma Friedlander

An evening of celebration and commemoration

On Monday evening it was an honour and pleasure to participate in the 40 years anniversary celebrations of the Brighton Women’s Centre and to hear its President, Baroness Joyce Gould speak of its history and the valuable work that the centre has done and continues to do in the city.

From this celebration, I walked swiftly down to New Steine Gardens where a substantial and moving crowd commemorated the lives lost to Aids. Monday was World Aids Day and I was one of the almost 30 speakers who read out the names of local victims of the Aids virus and held commemorative candles in their memory. The fight against this pernicious disease has made fantastic strides but there is no room for complacency nor should we forget.

At the council’s quarterly Health and Safety Committee this week, I noted again that acts of violence and aggression are the top cause of hazards to staff closely following trips and falls. I would like to remind everybody that we do have training and development to support staff who work in our more challenging areas of service. I would encourage everybody to report any incidents so that we can prevent, respond and learn.

The Aids memorial at New Steine Gardens

Planning for our future

On Tuesday evening, I addressed the city’s Economic Partnership, which had invited the business community to come and hear about the council's budget and to participate in a question and answer session. It was with no delight that I outlined the very challenging position that faces us in line with the wider family of local government and indeed all public services. I gave a high level outline of the scale of our challenge and the approach we are taking which is one of modernising, prioritising and adapting to become a council in the digital age. It seems to me that our key purpose, as a smaller organisation, is going to be one of providing civic leadership to the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens, to the environment in which we live and to the economy. Our approach is going to be one of collaborating with citizens and partners in all sectors and harnessing the power of the internet, social media and other developments.  During the evening, there was a very constructive discussion, and I was pleased to be supported by Geoff Raw, executive director Environment, Development and Housing and Nick Hibberd, head of City Regeneration, in answering the helpful incisive questions that were put. The event was televised by Latest TV. I had a real sense that the business community wants to play its positive part in supporting our quest to manage change in challenging times.

Seated at the table from left: Nick Hibberd, Penny Thompson and Geoff Raw answering questions from the business community.

Policy and Resources discussed the draft budget report yesterday evening (Thursday) and it will go to Full Council on the 11 December. Then the budget proposals enter the consultation phase which runs until Thursday 26 February 2015, when Full Budget Council should take a decision. This year we are publishing the draft corporate plan and medium term financial strategy at the same time as the budget, in a clear wish to ensure our financial and service planning are joined up and that we have a longer term horizon for  developing the finances of  the council. The Stop, Start, Change initiative continues and ideas have already fed into proposals and will continue to inform the consultation phase.

Great response from staff

I want to thank everyone who was involved in managing the effects of a fire that broke out at the Princess Royal Hospital yesterday afternoon.  Many staff worked tirelessly to arrange for patients to be discharged, and colleagues in the independent sector made a number of beds in nursing homes available to us. It was an outstanding example of public service and partnership working - going the extra mile and keeping people safe.  Special thanks to our staff Grace Hanley, Marion Joslin and Marcus Brooks. Also thanks to Paul Burns in the independent sector and one of his managers, Sharon McNamara.

Just this morning

Panel at the Adult Safeguarding conference from left to right: Claire Crawley, Senior Policy Manager at the Department of Health, Denise D'souza, and Penny Thompson

This morning (Friday) I opened the Annual Adult Safeguarding Conference. I was pleased to see so many colleagues across the city’s organisations who contribute to the safety and wellbeing of adults in Brighton & Hove. It was extremely encouraging to see the commitment to learning and improving our working together as we step up to the challenge of the new Care Act which will put adult safeguarding on a statuary basis.

Also this morning you may have read in the media that our interim executive director of Finance and Resources has started and a thorough handover is underway. The next budget will be extremely challenging as we need to save up to £26 million pounds and this role is pivotal. Rachel Musson’s appointment was a cross party decision and the agency fee is the market rate for the expertise we need.  We would not have been able to fill this role at this level on a permanent basis immediately. Rachel is passionate about the wellbeing of this city and will be working hard with ELT to ensure we achieve the best possible outcomes for Brighton & Hove.

I should end by acknowledging that these are challenging times for staff, managers and citizens alike and I very much appreciate that the change that we are going through is not easy. That said, I am determined to approach our challenges as opportunities and to seek to continue to improve as a council and a city by working together. Thanks for all you do.

 

Best wishes,

 

Penny

A week of reflection

This week’s blog starts with a bang! On Saturday night I enjoyed the fantastic fireworks supported by booming music up at the Nevill Road playing fields to celebrate bonfire night. Well supported by the community and enjoyed by all despite damp conditions, this display has become an annual treat and I am rather proud of the pictures taken on my phone. 

Fireworks at Nevill Road

Fireworks at Nevill Road

Remembrance Sunday

Sunday saw the annual remembrance events around the city and for me the ceremony at the Old Steine was properly poignant, on this centenary anniversary of the start of the First World War. Particularly striking was the number of young people in the parade; the solemnity, and appreciation for the sacrifice of our forefathers and mothers, was moving.

Rememberance Sunday at the Steine. ©Tony Mould: My Brighton and Hove

Rememberance Sunday at the Steine. ©Tony Mould: My Brighton and Hove

Q and A with apprentices 

Monday morning started with an uplifting interview session with two of our council apprentices who are working in HR. They wanted to interview me about the role of coaching in management and leadership as part of a project they are doing for their college work. Their incisive questions and appreciation of the opportunities afforded them by their apprenticeship were really impressive. As you know, I do think coaching has an enormous part to play in delivering an effective learning organisation, which lives its values every day and achieves its purpose on behalf of citizens, business and visitors. I wish Kelly and Lucy really well in their careers as public servants.

Kelly Butler and Lucy Strutt with me

Kelly and Lucy 

One Voice

On Tuesday evening I chaired one the most moving and difficult meetings. This was our One Voice meeting with leading individuals from our Black and Minority Ethnic communities across the city. It was the third meeting of its kind and we came together to discuss how we can work to prevent young people going to Syria and meeting the same fate as three young men from Brighton & Hove have already done. 

There were senior colleagues from the council and our local police chiefs at the meeting, which was cordial, respectful and sad. The key point I took away was the extent of dislocation that some of our local people from BME communities feel as they grow up in the city. There are too many incidents of racism and bullying. We learnt that one of the drivers for radicalisation was the search for meaning and self-worth. 

The feedback from the meeting was positive. People were able to share their concerns and we agreed to move forward with some very practical actions supported by a colleague from a national organisation called Faith Matters. 

I must pay tribute to our community safety, the police and our children services, who have been working well together.  They have been identifing young people at risk and to support individuals and their families to prevent further harm. And also to learn from those instances where young people have gone abroad to Syria. Our One Voice meetings will continue. 

Participants in our One Voice meeting

Proud of our regeneration work

On Thursday, Sir Bob Kerslake, the Permanent Secretary for Department of Communities and Local Government came to visit the city. He came to see first hand some of the regeneration work that is underway and the plans that we have for the future. The well organised tour took in work around the Brighton Station gateway, plans for Circus Street and Preston Barracks, the i360 and the seafront. It was encouraging to be supported by colleagues from the universities, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and local businesses and we received some useful live feedback on our plans. 

Sir Bob Kerslake with Phil Jones from Wired Sussex

Julian Crampton, Nick Hibberd, Sir Bob Kerslake and Phil Jones 

Planning for our future

What these highlights from the week don’t include are the many management meetings and conversations that have taken place. We've been focussed on developing and delivering our challenging budget and our corporate plan for the coming years, and discussions with members about the least worst options for balancing our books. These will continue and you can still contribute to the #BHBudget Stop, Start, Change conversation online or in your team meetings.

From a roadshow

I have heard that one of the questions asked at a roadshow last month was: ‘What is the point of Penny’s blog?’ For me, the point is this.  As the chief executive of an organisation of almost 5000 people delivering over 800 services across the city, I can’t possibly connect with everybody on a face to face basis. So through the blog I share some highlights of my week and spotlight some of our work with our important partners. I try give just a flavour of local government and public service. I hope you find it interesting, I'm always keen to hear from colleagues, either through the Wave blog comments or by email.

Have a good and perhaps a drier weekend.

Penny