Chief Executive Blog - June 2013

Dear Colleagues,

Hello again.  I would like to start with a bit of good news this month.   The Council has a positive Best Value external inspection report with 23 out of 24 indicators now green.  This means that there will be much less external inspection of the Council in the future which will hopefully help the Council being seen in a more positive light.    The previous inspection report had, out of 24 indicators, 5 amber and 2 red.  This is an excellent achievement that is the result of the efforts of many different people and I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment.

As you would expect, the Area Based Review continues to dominate the agenda for myself and the other Corporate Directors along with the Elected Members and senior officers through the Area Based Review Working Party.  However, along with this work, I have also been working closely with the Community Planning Partnership Board on setting out how together we are going to achieve the outcomes set out in the Single Outcome Agreement.

For a quick round up of meetings I’ve attended recently, these included the Highlands and Islands Conveners’ Group meeting and an Early Years Collaborative event in Glasgow.  The Early Years Collaborative is about helping children, families and communities secure the best possible outcomes for themselves by working with them at the earliest opportunity that is from pre-birth to one month; 1 month to 3 years and 3 to 5 years to give children in particular, the best start in life.

Over the coming weeks I am particularly looking forward to attending the Youth Awards Ceremony in Elgin.   This is a great occasion to celebrate the achievements of young people who have enthusiastically grasped the opportunity of working f or the good of their communities in so many ways.  I am also looking forward to the RAF Lossiemouth Annual Reception.

Well, as I sit writing the sky is blue and the sun is shining so although it’s been a long time coming it finally looks as though summer is on the way.   My training for the 10k in Glasgow in October is now officially underway - I’m gradually building up a mesh of dignified pace as befits someone of my age!