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23 December 2007
Dear Everyone
I feel as though I'm breaking radio silence at last after a very demanding period. Firstly I wish to thank everyone for all their hard work, energy, ideas and commitment to our communities, customers and clients. Whatever the challenges you have risen to meet them and the council has had another year of success.
Yep: Successes like no computers for a whole week. Social Services refusing to help an 88 year old discharged from hospital having undergone a heart bypass. The list of successes seems endless. Other people call these successes disasters.
I hope everyone enjoys the well-deserved break in whatever way suits you best.
After such a time I have quite a lot to say, so please bear with me.
The management reorganisation has taken a fair amount of my time. Whilst looking for a quick resolution is tempting, I am more concerned about ensuring we get the process right and develop a sustainable structure which will help us address longer term challenges and opportunities.
We will soon have most of our key posts in place. Andrew Blake-Herbert and Denise Alder have been appointed to the roles of Strategic Director of Resources and Strategic Director of Green and Built Environment respectively, with effect from 1 January. Clair Pyper, our new Director of Education and Children, will take up her role on 11 February. Several of you may already have met her on her recent trips to meet us.
I hope an appointment can be made to the Improvement and Development role later in the month. The Community and Wellbeing role will be advertised early in the New Year.
The realignment of support services cannot progress until the Improvement and Development role is in place. Once this has happened we will agree a logical programme of work and it may be that final changes are not made until late summer.
At the same time there will be a council-wide change programme to enable everyone to understand, and I hope, own the ethos of One Council and to put in place the support systems which will help us get there.
I am aware that some staff may find this change unsettling. It's necessary to change if we are to continue to improve our performance and there will be benefits for many in new ways of working. If you have any concerns or questions please do raise them with me and I will try my best to respond.
In the last couple of months I've started on a series of team visits and have met so many of you in small groups. I have gained a terrific impression of people with a really strong commitment to their work and with high standards of service delivery. Overall the quality of what you do is outstanding. During the last couple of months that has been reinforced by our inspection outcomes and public awards. I know I have a few more visits in the pipeline and I'm happy to respond to invitations although it may take some time to get a date in the diary.
I've almost completed my series of Member ward visits, which are proving a great way of understanding the geography, population, critical issues and of course the politics of the borough plus picking up a few phrases of language.
I'm also delighted to continue to receive questions and suggestions about how we do things. I've tried to respond to them all with the help of service teams so, even though you may not always get the answer you are hoping for, please keep them coming.
Now we have an Internal Communications Officer in place I have asked the Communications team to conduct a review of internal communications in which I hope you will have participated. My aim is to improve the way we communicate and listen up, down and sideways in the Council and so improve the way we work together, learn from each other and share in each others successes.
In the New Year I'll be sending out another update about some of the significant pieces of work I've been involved in which will help to set the context for the long term direction of the Council.
Thank you again for your considerable achievements and thank you for the welcome you have all given me.
With best wishes for the holidays and the New Year
Ruth
Editor's note: Ruth Bagley is the new chief executive of Slough Unitary Authority.
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