www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Members Update –11th January 2008
The Department for Communities and Local Government have now received the final version of standing orders for One Council and these were put before Parliament on the 17th December. A number of debates on the orders will take place, with votes taken in the House of Commons, then a debate and then votes in the House of Lords. As soon as we are told whether the orders have been approved we will post the results on the extranet
The Judicial Review about One Council will take place on the 28th and 29th January 2008. Once we know the results of the orders and the Judicial Review there will be much more clarity about One Council issues.
George Batten
Transition Programme Director
Dates
- Implementation Executive 16th January 2008 4pm County Hall (Members briefing beforehand)
- Members seminar on Area Boards and Area Partnerships Monday 21st January 6pm-8.30pm The Corn Exchange, Devizes – An agenda will be published imminently
Parish and Town Council Meet and Greet Sessions
Plans for the next round of Parish and Town Council meet and greet sessions are now being finalised. They will take place across Wiltshire during April and May. More information will be available soon and will be sent in the next newsletter in two weeks time. Dates and times will also be posted on the One Council website. Information will go out to Town and Parish Councils directly in their next newsletter at the beginning of February.
If you have any questions that you would like answered at the Parish and Town Council meet and greet sessions, please e-mail us now at onecouncil@wiltshire.gov.uk
Workstream news…..
Resource workstream:
Service lead officers are now holding initial project team meetings and scoping meetings for their service area. They are also collating service discovery documents for the 15th January, for review by the board.
There is concern amongst staff regarding their location following April 2009, however initially staff movement is expected to be minimal.
Business Management Programme:
The BMP procurement process is now approaching the final stage, with tenders due back from Capgemini and Logica CMG by 21 January. This will be followed by an intense period of evaluation before announcing the preferred supplier in mid February, with a view tosigning a contract by the end of February.
January will see a number of BMP secondment opportunities being advertised so that we can get the relevant people in post during March, in good time for first major stage of the implementation- blueprint design -which willcommence in April.
Frontline Services Workstream:
The workstream held a board meeting on the 7 January, at which they considered what needs to be achieved and agreed the role of the board.
The following services were highlighted by the Joint Implementation Team as being priority services that need to be focused on first:
- Development Control and Building Control
- Planning Policy – Local Development Framework
- Waste and recycling collection
- Streetscene – litter picking, street cleaning, bin emptying etc
- Leisure Centres
- Housing – homelessness and choice based lettings
- Licensing, Trading Standards, Environmental Health
- Car Parking and Highways
This list of priority services has been passed to the Frontline Services Workstream Board. They will draft a project plan in the next two weeks, which will identify a schedule of activity.
Community Leadership and Governance (CL&G):
A seminar for members will be held on the 21 January.
At the Boundary Review Working Party on the 13 December Members considered a first draft of possible electoral arrangements for North Wiltshire, West Wiltshire and Kennet. A draft proposal for the rural areas of Salisbury District Council is also being worked on. Any proposal for the city of Salisbury will depend on the outcome of the District Council’s proposal to review the parishing of the city.
Customer Service
The Customer Focus Board met for the first time in late December and Terms of Reference have now been drafted.
Updates on workstream progress will be placed on the Towards One Council website as soon as possible.
Contact Details
Post
Programme Office
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email:
By Telephone:
01225 713017
Notes:This is a communication from the Towards One Council Joint Implementation Team on behalf of Kennet District Council, North Wiltshire District Council, Salisbury District Council, West Wiltshire District Council and Wiltshire County Council. Minutes of the Towards One Council Joint Implementation Board are available on the extranet or by contacting us at the Programme Office.
