May 2016
Hello everyone,
The Leadership Forum is one of the main ways that the corporate management team work closely with senior managers in ensuring the priorities of the Council are shared, understood, promoted and developed across council services.
One of the biggest issues currently is how we engage with people on the Community Planning Partnership’s 10 year plan for Moray. At the most recent Leadership Forum we discussed how we can promote this to staff, as probably the majority of you are also members of the local community, but also on how to engage with you more specifically on the Council’s financial situation. We have a number of ways to do this and hope to create a dialogue that will involve you in this very important debate.
I am delighted to say that the council has received official confirmation that RAF Lossiemouth has been selected as the base for nine new Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft being procured by the MoD.
As a result an addition 200 or so personnel will arrive at Lossiemouth within the next four years, rising to some 400 once all the aircraft are in place.
I don’t have to tell anyone how important the presence of the armed forces is to Moray and its economy and confirmation of the arrival of these aircraft is excellent news for the area.
The person overseeing the acquisition of the planes for the MoD is someone I know well – Ian Gale, who was station commander at RAF Lossiemouth from 2011 to 2013. We met on several occasions during his time in charge of the station and it is reassuring to know that he is only a phone call away in terms of being kept updated as arrangements for the arrival of the Poseidons progress.
Still with the armed services, I had the pleasure of being invited to a meeting of the local Homes for Heroes committee at which the national chairman and chief executive were also present. They attended to give their personal thanks to Grenville Johnston on his retirement after 10 years of chairing the committee.
Help for Heroes has branches all over the country ensuring that housing is available for disabled ex-servicemen and women, many of whom have suffered life-changing injuries in combat.
Elsewhere, I had a very informative and productive meeting with the new principal of Moray College, David Paterson, who is settling into his post and whose leadership will, I am sure, ensure the continued academic excellence of the college.
The latest meeting of the Moray Community Partnership, at which I was present, saw the board sign off its updated 10-year plan, while the past few weeks have seen the integration of health and social care services, which involved a massive amount of lead-in work by Moray Council and NHS Grampian, finally go live.
On the entertainment front, I thoroughly enjoyed the St Giles Theatre Group’s production of Footloose at Elgin Town Hall. As I have said many times, I never cease to be amazed by the depth of talent that our young people have and at the pleasure they take in sharing it with the rest of us.
As the father of two teenagers, I suppose it was inevitable that I knew something of social media although, as I now realise, what I did know did not amount to a great deal. Along with a number of colleagues from across the council, I attended a very enlightening training session on the ins and outs, the pros and cons and the do’s and don’ts of social media.
I well remember the advent of e-mail and how, in no time, it revolutionised both the council’s internal and external communications. Social media too is fast becoming part of our everyday lives and it is something we will all need to embrace if we are to get the full benefit of what it has to offer.
Finally, returning to the subject of staff engagement I have been very pleased to hear about the very positive contributions made by the groups of employees in Direct Services who have taken part in the first Talking Shops as part of the work being done to create a positive workplace culture. One of the main themes coming out is the dedication and commitment which people still have. With the financial austerity set to continue for some time it is gratifying to know that despite the very difficult circumstances of having to do “more with much less”, people are managing to retain a strong sense of pride in serving the local community.