Chief Executive Blog - August 2016
Hello everyone
The school holidays are nearing an end and so is summer - did it ever begin, I hear you asking – and I hope that most of managed to get some time to yourselves and with your families.
With the council in recess, things have been understandably quieter than normal but that will soon change as the momentum starts to build up again and we get down to tackling the financial challenges that lie ahead.
While there is nothing new in that, the savings that we will be required to make this time round are unprecedented and will inevitably involve many tough decisions. Because of the scale of the budgetary challenge that we are facing, it will be more important than ever to engage with the public and with staff and I know that many of you have already held sessions within your own departments and sections and come up with ideas about where savings can be made and how the council can close the ever-widening gap in its finances.
From the end of August until early October the public – and that includes staff who, after all, are also council taxpayers and service users – will have the opportunity to contribute to the debate through a variety of channels, including social media.
The result of the consultation will be analysed during the latter part of October and during November and by Christmas we should have a clearer idea of where we are prior to elected members setting the budget in February.
Despite the holiday season, things have been ticking over and we have had the very welcome announcement that Boeing is to invest £100million in a support and training facility at RAF Lossiemouth for the fleet of P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft which are to be based there.
Still on a military theme, I also had the pleasure of attending the recent Armed Forces Day service at St Giles Church in Elgin to give thanks for the contribution that our servicemen and women continue to make to the security of the nation and, in the case of Moray, to our local communities.
I had very useful and wide-ranging discussion with Kevin Stewart MSP, the minister for local government and housing, during his day-long visit to Moray which also took in the Planning For Real project at Aberlour and a meeting with some of the Syrian refugees who have been resettled in Moray. It was Mr Stewart’s first visit to Moray in his ministerial role and I hope it marks the start of a continuing dialogue.
The past month has also seen me hold one of my regular meetings with Moray College principal David Patterson and a teleconference with my Aberdeenshire Council counterpart Jim Savage to touch base and discuss issues of common interest.
Away from the office, I went along to a charity coffee morning being held by the Moray Chamber of Commerce at their offices as well as attending and very much enjoying a performance in St Giles Church by an orchestra from Cologne. On a similar note I also made my annual pilgrimage to Speyfest at Fochabers where, along with many other festival goers, I was once again impressed with the breadth and depth of the talent of many of the young musicians and performers.