That end of term feeling

This week has had a real end of term air about it.

Working across the region

Last Friday Becky Shaw, chief executive of East Sussex County Council and I followed Giles York, the chief constable, in addressing the annual Lieutenancy Conference.  Here, Lord Lieutenant Peter Field and his deputy lieutenants meet together to review the year and hear from leading partners. The Lieutenancy takes as its themes; helping individuals, helping communities, and helping industry. So Becky and I took these themes and updated the conference on the work that we are doing in the county, in the city and together on these topics. It ranges from work with establishing the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub to the progress with Greater Brighton and driving jobs and our economies. We all agreed that our challenges are shared ones and include helping people to help themselves while also managing public expectation; making more of collaboration as we face our shared financial challenges; making best use of the digital age; and responding to the vibrant politics.

Becky Shaw, Peter Field, Giles York amd me

Social work conference

On Tuesday, I had the honour of opening our Children & Young People’s Social Work conference. As someone who spent 12 years in children’s social work before becoming a manager, this conference held a particular importance for me. And I was truly moved to be able to listen to Jenny Molloy, also known as ‘Hackney Child’.

Jenny Molloy (@HackneyChild) 

Jenny Malloy

Jenny and I talking afterwards

Jenny and I follow each other on Twitter and she is someone who has become a passionate advocate of good social work. She gives powerful testimony to the vital role social workers played in her life, helping her to break the cycle that saw her parents in the care system and brought her and her brothers into the care system in turn. Jenny is a true expert by experience and she had the whole huge Amex Stadium conference room paying keen attention as she spoke of her life experiences. It was quite clear that her story was both inspiring and valuing of those in the room in equal measure.

Fiyaz Mughal from our One Voice programme also spoke at the conference. He talked about the radicalisation of young people and the importance of relationships in communities and between individuals.

Fiyaz Mughal

The job our social workers do is often poorly understood and I for one applaud them for what they do and am pleased to see their role as key to our whole purpose – providing civic leadership for the wellbeing and aspiration of Brighton & Hove.

Working as one organisation

The end of term theme is an appropriate one for the day we spent as a Corporate Management Team on Wednesday. Our purpose was to review the achievements from the last four years and to share the learning and to consider the staff survey as it relates to CMT in particular. We also considered how we tackle the cross-cutting issues that will face us over the coming years. It was a lively, positive day, where we recognised the value of working corporately as one organisation to tackle our challenges, both financial and strategic.

At the awayday

On the way to the session I marvelled at the beauty of the sculptural pier, its strength and yet its fragility. Perhaps this is a comparison for those of us leading in public service.



The beautiful West Pier



Final meetings

The final momentous end of term experience this week was Full Council last night. With a rich mix of public questions and petitions, approval of key plans and strategies including our Corporate Plan, Medium Term Financial Strategy, Local Transport Plan and Housing Strategy. The 54 councillors were taking some important decisions in preparation for a future, but many of them will not personally be part of. The evening was also marked by some moving and generous tributes paid to those standing down, including very long serving councillors from all parties and of course the leader of the Council, Jason Kitcat.

Full council last night

Earlier this week Councillor Kitcat chaired his final Corporate Parenting Board where we fulfil our obligations to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our children in care. He also chaired his final meeting of the Health & Wellbeing Board where tribute was paid to the vision and courage showed by councillors in moving to a more ambitious role for the board providing system leadership to health, social care and wellbeing in the city.

Preparing for election

So councillors will now be preparing themselves for the election. Our Elections Team are working hard in preparation. I am delighted that this year the whole of the Executive Leadership Team will be supporting me on the day and the night, to make sure we bring the best of our management to ensuring free, fair and transparent elections for both the parliamentary constituencies and the whole council. And it's worth reminding everyone that the Purdah period starts this Monday 30 March.

Personal impact

As well as having an end of term feel this week has made me think a good deal about personal impact. The impact of managers leading, like myself, who need to inspire confidence and promote working together while providing sound advice, challenge and listening. In summary being demonstrably an accountable officer. I have also witnessed the personal impact of Jenny Molloy, whose life experiences, learning and readiness to change have so much to teach us. And then there is the personal impact of our elected members whose public service is given in the interests of improving the lives of all citizens and ensuring the city continues to be a fabulous place in which to live, work and visit. Don’t let us underestimate the importance of personal impact and putting it to positive use in all we do.

Finally, on a personal note can I say thank you and great good fortune to Jenny Hughes who retires from the council and the role of PA to chief executive after almost 26 years. Thank you Jenny for all you have done and enjoy more time for running, horse-riding and gardening, you’ve earned it!

Goodbye to Jenny

Best wishes
Penny

The Christmas season gets underway

Well winter is truly upon us and I don’t think you have to be religious to appreciate the advent beach huts. 

Hove seafront

Last Sunday night, our dog Merry and I took a look at the display for the 7th and found the Holly and the Ivy. 

Beach Huts advent calendar

Primary school Christmas concert

Staying on the Christmas theme, I along with a number of colleagues, many councillors and a Brighton Centre full of parents and children, enjoyed the annual primary school Christmas concert. Yet again, Peter Chivers and his team pulled off a stunning show where literally hundreds of young people from all of our primary schools across the city came together as one city children’s choir.

Primary school concert at the Brighton Centre

They entertained us with songs that we knew and songs that were being played in public for the first time. We heard two original singing compositions and one original percussion piece. As ever, the children were enthusiastic and singing heartily while behaving impeccably. A wonderful night was had by all.

Another beautiful sky

Walking to an early meeting

The next day the morning sky, as I walked to an early meeting in Brighton, was fantastic. Not for the first time I reflected  on how lucky I am to live in this beautiful city and enjoy  the visions of the sea and the sky as the sun came up. 

The West Pier

City Management Board

The City Management Board I was chairing that day is attended by the most senior managers at both universities, the police, hospital, CCG, probation and the fire service. We had a valuable meeting reflecting on the performance of the city and the ways in which we can work together better to improve the lives and wellbeing of our citizens. The board’s annual report will be shared with Brighton & Hove Connected next week. 

Health and Wellbeing Board

At the Health & Wellbeing Board on Tuesday, we agreed with health partners on the commissioning intensions of the Clinical Commissioning Group; our crisis care concordat, outlining an effective response to those with a mental health crisis; and we discussed the important issue of access to GPs and the role of primary care. 

Health and Wellbeing Board

Our commitment to personalisation and prevention is written through our Better Care Fund plan which was reported as approved by the Department of Health. 

Health and Wellbeing board

Goodbye to Catherine

Straight after the meeting we hot footed it to Catherine Vaughan’s leaving do where her 13 years’ service to the council and the city was celebrated and recognised in good style. We wish her every bit of luck and success for the future.

Catherine saying goodbye

Catherine's leaving do

Discussed by ELT

On Wednesday, at our weekly ELT (Executive Leadership Team) meeting, I was pleased to have an extensive discussion about Our Business Strategy for a Digital Age. I hope that we will soon be making very explicit some of the developments underway to improve access to services for our citizens and their ability to do much of their business with us online, if that suits them. I very much hope we will be able to pull together our contact centre arrangements and I look forward to all of us who live in the city being able to have a ‘My Account’ making dealing with the council easier. Also, at ELT, we discussed the results of the staff survey. We are working hard both to make sense of the key messages and more importantly to firm up on actions that need to be prioritised and communicated clearly, just as we did last year.

Christmas Trees

Finally for those in Kings House, you may have seen the rather strange construction that is our Christmas tree, made from rubbish found on the beach. It rather took me by surprise as I thought we were doing a Christmas tree based on a theme of moving away from paper files as part of our Workstyles initiative. Indeed I gather such a construction will be at Barts House on Monday. It’s always the little things that attract attention and become talking points. Let’s try to focus on recycling, anti-littering and working smartly in a digital age.

Kings House christmas tree

Beach rubbish being reused

 

Sharing learning

This morning I am speaking at Brighton & Hove’s Policing Leadership Forum sharing some of my learning and my approach to managerial leadership. This afternoon, Jason Kitcat the leader, and I will be in public scrutiny on the council’s budget proposals. 



Penny with colleagues from the police

Keep warm and keep well over these chilly days.

Best wishes
Penny

Edited 12 December at 1.15pm to add picture from Policing Leadership Forum