Council last night agreed its budget for the coming year following a huge amount of work by officers and Members in preparing the savings proposals, drafting and considering reports and much more.
We all know this has been a difficult few months for all staff and particularly those affected by proposals. The extent to which councils in Wales are finding their budget setting process difficult is highlighted by the fact that Powys recently failed to agree their budget and then the Vale of Glamorgan equally failed to agree. Both will have to return to this issue shortly as all councils are legally required to set a budget by mid-March.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t at Council last night as I was attending the funeral of a good friend and former colleague Paul Hopkins. Paul joined the estates team in the former city council in 1989 and retired in 2009. It was good to see many colleagues past and present at the funeral. Paul was a Marmite-type character perhaps best summed up in the eulogy given by his brother who referred to him as ‘Storm Paul’ because he hit you like a hurricane! Our thoughts are with Paul’s family, friends and former colleagues.
Since returning to the council a few weeks ago, a number of colleagues have asked me why I was asked to return during Phil’s absence. Firstly, it’s a short-term arrangement and staff may not be aware that the senior management team is facing capacity issues due to Phil’s absence and also the loss of Nick Williams, Chief Education Officer, who’s also on long-term absence. The other reason is about experience because you need both capacity and experience in these difficult times and our Corporate Management Team is a relatively new team.
It’s also worth highlighting that I have a few specific short-term goals which are leading the management of the senior team, ensuring advice to Members is fully thought through, a focus on delivering savings and transformation, and assessing the strengths of our corporate leadership. The other priority I have is ensuring we help deliver on our regional working, particularly emerging from the current review of the City Deal.
So my focus is pretty much on the here and now, but there’s a huge amount of work to do beyond my short-term goals. Adam Hill, our Deputy Chief Executive, is leading CMT colleagues in picking up the medium to long-term issues. Adam will also be covering much of the corporate activity such as Cabinet, Council and agenda planning to allow me to concentrate on my short-term goals. The Deputy role also leads in crucial partnership work with agencies such as Wales Audit Office, our Regional Partnership Board, police etc.
Finally, someone who was here during my previous spell is leaving us today – I’ve been assured it’s not because of my return. Lucy Hyde, PA to CMT, is leaving to start a new job at Swansea University. I’ve known Lucy for many years and I’d like to thank her for all the support she’s given CMT. We’ll miss her but wish her well for the future. Like many other posts, we won’t be filling this, but there will be a wider review of PA and business support to ensure the council’s needs are met.
Leave a Reply