Chief Executive Vlog January 2024

Latest staff vlog from Tendring District Council Chief Executive Ian Davidson, for November 2023

Topics covered include the new Corporate Plan, employee wellbeing, and a look ahead to 2024.

Video Transcript

Hello and a Happy New Year to you all, and I hope you had a lovely and relaxing Christmas break, even if you were on call or working during our festive period. Thankfully it seems to have been a relatively quiet period for many on-call staff while conversely, the Princes Theatre team had a busy time smashing Box Office records yet again for the pantomime – oh yes they did! I know, sorry, that is the festive season just sort of leaning into my staff vlog.

As we move into the New Year, I would like to take a few moments to reflect upon 2023, and thank you all for your hard work and the work which has gone on over the last 12 months and what has been delivered; and thanks to your dedication we as a council have delivered and achieved an awful lot.

It would be impossible to reference everything we did last year, but particularly big projects include delivering all-out elections and welcoming 48 new councillors – some newer than others; Tendring4Growth Business Fortnight; completing building works such as the Starlings car park and the Sunspot – which has been already named as one of the top five buildings in the country this year – and many more, as I said I cannot name them all.

One thing that I think is often under-stated though is just how important it is that we get the basic services right, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your efforts in doing that. You may not have been part of a major project, but if you helped keep people safe – in a pool, at the beach or in a restaurant – if you help maintain our 3,000-odd council homes; if you support the system that empties the bins every week – just three examples – then you have played your part in helping our residents, which is hugely appreciated.

We will be recognising colleagues and teams who have gone over and above and beyond in the upcoming Tendring Stars staff awards. Nominations have now closed, but you have until the 19th January to vote for who you think should win in two of the categories, Young Achiever and Unsung Hero, so make sure to cast your vote.

So, as we step into a New Year, what will be in store for us in 2024? I do not doubt it will be a busy year as we continue to do our best to serve the residents in Tendring. We are due a General Election, which will put an ask on many of us to support the Elections service. We look forward to the 31st Clacton Airshow, another major event which pulls together so many teams from right across the council. Work will start on our replacement sheltered housing scheme at Honeycroft, while work continues on our temporary accommodation units at Spendells. We start work reviewing our Local Plan, a huge piece of work to ensure our planning policy is up to date. I am sure almost every service will be doing something exciting to improve what it delivers.

But we must not lose sight of the business as usual work we do; services to residents is one of the key six themes of our new Corporate Plan, which was formally adopted at the end of November. Called Our Vision, it sets out the overall direction of the council for the next four years – you will hopefully have seen the posters which have gone up in staff areas.

This theme, Pride in our Area and Services to our Residents, has a focus on getting the basics right. That is not to say that we don’t do this in many areas, but we will now be looking to ensure we do get simple things done, and done well – focusing on what really matters to our residents, rather than maybe stretching ourselves too thin and trying to do everything.

The other themes of Our Vision are: Championing Our Local Environment; Working with Partners to Improve Quality of Life; Raising aspirations and creating opportunities; Promoting our heritage offer, attracting visitors and encouraging them to stay longer; and Financial sustainability and openness. I won’t dwell too much on these, but Our Vision will be a topic in upcoming staff briefings, and I would encourage all staff to be aware of the Corporate Plan and how it relates to them. Specific targets and priorities will be based on Our Vision, which are currently being drawn up to give us an immediate focus for ‘24 to ‘25.

I’d like to finish on a note of reflection. 2024 will see the 50th anniversary of Tendring District Council, which was one of many local authorities born out of several smaller councils in 1974, as part of a huge Local Government re-organisation. But, I think that one of the things which we can hold onto and remember is what we are here for. We are here for the Good of all which is our motto, Pro Bono Omnium, for the good of all.

Before I go, please could I remind you to look at booking and taking any remaining leave you have for this holiday year, which runs until 31st March. Don’t forget to discuss with your line manager if you are looking to carry any forward – and remember, you may only carry forward a few days without it needing to be signed off. HR will be sending around some guidance about carry forward limits shortly.

And finally, I would like to highlight the partnership arrangements that the organisation has with Provide, to promote ‘Essex Working Well’. There are a range of resources available to staff to support their wellbeing, the first of which is a Self-Care January, which will be circulated with this vlog.

So, thank you for listening, please keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing many of you soon for the staff briefings. Take care, bye now.