Every month, Gloucester City Council Chief Executive, Julian Wain, will publish his thoughts on life in the City of Gloucester.

You can post your responses to Julian's comments by using our Have Your Say discussion Forum.

You can also send your comments to Julian using this Feedback Form.

July 28th, 2008

Blog No.14

Looking forward in hope - not looking back in anger

It’s worth some reflection that 12 months on from the floods that so disrupted the lives of people in Gloucester and across the county that there are still a number of households that are not yet back in their homes.

It would be very easy to get angry at the arbitrary nature of nature and the devastation it can wreak.

It was chilling to see our relatively comfortable modern 21st century lives completely disrupted by the severity of that freak period of weather and loss of the water supply.

But things have moved on since then. A huge amount of work has been done by ourselves and all of the other agencies. Click here for details of what the city council, its members and officers have been working on over the past year.

The Tall Ships Festival was held to show that the city was back on its feet. It was the most tremendous success and an example of successful partnership working. It has been nationally recognised and we are now working with our partners on plans for another maritime festival this autumn.

My two new senior directors – Martin Shields, Director of Services and Neighbourhoods and Peter Gillett, Director of Resources - have now joined the council. They complete our new senior management team.

Their arrival means that will be continuing with the work we have been doing on the internal restructuring within the council as part of our aim to become a top-performing organisation.

It also means that we can look forward to making progress with other major areas of our corporate plan.

One area of work is our community engagement strategy. This is a wide area and is aimed at helping residents to feel that they belong to their communities and can influence what happens to them in their lives.

It is about involving people of all faiths and of all ages so that we can really build strong and cohesive communities.

Passion is a word that we are using increasingly in our daily working lives. Our staff have told us that they want to be passionate about what they do to help the city and its residents.

We want that passion to spread to the way in which we all think about the city and what we have and what we want for its future.

We should be looking forward with anticipation, hope and eagerness for all of the great things that the city has to offer and what we hope to achieve for it.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

June 10th, 2008

Blog No.13

Jobs And Markets

I’d like to highlight two very different subjects which both demonstrate how Gloucester is on a massive upward curve.

While the regeneration of Gloucester is in full swing I am acutely aware that the rebirth of any City is about much more than buildings.

It is about people and how the changes in our landscape can be to the benefit, first and foremost, of its residents

We will only have fulfilled our commitment to move Gloucester forward if as many local people as possible secure the broad range of new jobs that are being created in the City.

We also want to ensure that individuals have the opportunity to progress, develop new skills and change to a career that can help them have a share in the future of Gloucester.

That is why I’m really excited about the City Employment and Skills Plan. It is the first time that all the key organisations responsible for helping people find employment, develop skills and gain qualifications have agreed to work together to deliver for Gloucester.

A £6 million investment plan has been drawn up to link local people to jobs in The Quays, the City Centre and other parts of the city. A key commitment is to make sure that local people will be in the best possible position to compete for these jobs.

Specialist advice and training, plus opportunities to develop skills relevant to jobs are just some of the support mechanisms which are being put in place.

We will be working with employers and other agencies to ensure that vacancies are opened up to people from all parts of the City - there will be no effort spared in giving Gloucester residents the chance to access these opportunities.

You will be able to start taking up these services from late August that will link in to the phased opening of The Quays. More information will be available later in the summer.

On a different note July 13th sees the opening of the next major project for the city – the council’s new open market site at Hempsted Meadows

Located  on the new bypass  this scheme has seen major investment by the council. It has space for 199 stalls and free parking for more than 400 cars.

There is a regular bus service to the site, and both cycle and motorcycle parking.

Across the road from the market is the new Gloucester Barn Owl Centre and over the next few months the Council will be extending the nature trail taking in previously inaccessible countryside. This makes a day out for all the family.

To celebrate the new market, a World War Two Hurricane fighter will fly over the site to kick things off in style!.

There has been huge interest from traders and car booters can’t wait to get there. It will ensure a high profile for Gloucester’s long market tradition.

This demonstrates the two aspects of modern Gloucester. The fruition of development proposals  - and action plans to make sure that our residents benefit from them in the future.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

May 8th, 2008

Blog No.12

Gloucester’s Summer of Fun

What a wonderful summer of events and activities we have to look forward to this year.

We recently had the excellent and enormously successful Living History weekend – ‘Gloucester Through the Ages Live’.

It provided a unique opportunity to step back through the city’s 2,000 years of history and witness the events that have helped shape Gloucester during that time.

It certainly set the standard for everything else that we have coming up for our residents and visitors over the coming months.

The variety of what the city has on offer is truly exceptional. For example on May 18 we have the annual Clic Sargant Dragonboat Regatta at Gloucester Docks.

This is an annual lively, colourful and noisy affair. Click here for more details.

I’ll be joining the crew of a city council team and I’m really looking forward to taking part.

On May 31 - June 1 we have the first-ever Antiques Fayre being run by the City Council and Gloucester Antiques Centre. More details can be found here.

Between May 30 - June 2 there is the Gloucester Cricket Festival staged by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club  at the Kings School ground - Archdeacon Meadow.

This year, as well as the main business of a four-day match against Warwickshire there will be entertainment, youth coaching and competition.

It will be launched with a business breakfast on Friday. Interested businesses should contact Helen Richardson at the club on 0117 910 8046 or email Helen.Richardson@glosccc.co.uk

No sooner has the cricket finished than we start looking forward to the medieval festival on June 14. Details can be found here.

Hot on the heels of the recent filming of Dr Who in the city we have our second Dr Who convention, ‘The Oncoming Storm’, at The Guildhall on June 14.

July 13 sees the opening of Hempsted Meadows the council's new outdoor market and car boot site. There's free parking for more than 400 cars. The opening will be marked with a flypast of a WW2 Hurricane.

Then in July and into August there are both the Gloucester Summer Festival  and the Blues Festival. The carnival procession and fireworks will both be particular features. Details can be found at Summer Festival and Blues Festival.

The summer festival will contain another first with plans for a Food Festival. Details are still being finalised but there will be local produce, boats selling food at The Docks and a ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ event with teams from all three armed forces.

The popular Heritage Open Days take place September 11 - 14 along with a second Antiques Fayre on September 27 - 28.

In October there’s the return of the Festival of Rugby - details here when they are available.

Plans are also being prepared for another maritime event in October at The Docks. Again details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.

This is an exceptional and varied programme. I hope residents and visitors will flock to support them.

It’s a summer of fun and it’s what is contributing to putting Gloucester on the local, national and international map.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

February 18th, 2008

Blog No.11

New Year - New Beginnings

The normally drab months of January and February have been lifted with more fantastic news for Gloucester.

The announcement by the University of Gloucestershire of their intent to build a brand new cultural campus on the Blackfriars site in the heart of Gloucester is another massive boost for the city.

For the cynics who have said in the past that they will believe the news about regeneration when they see it - well the evidence is everywhere you look.

None more so than the massive illuminated cranes that are dominating our skyline as work on the Gloucester Quays project advances at a terrific pace.

The proposals that have been outlined by the University are exciting and demonstrate the confidence that is being shown in Gloucester as the place to be in the 21st century.

I have to say our hearts were in our mouths at the very start of the year as the rain clouds beckoned once again. My staff responded very quickly and based on the information we had collected last July we were able to distribute sandbags to those properties we knew to be most at risk.

Fortunately the worst of the weather seemed to miss us - but we had our prevention in place just in case.  We will be putting out more communications explaining just how this works in the near future.

Soon afterwards the news from the University has given us all good cause to be more cheerful.

Our new three year plan has now been approved by the council.

That sets out a very clear and challenging path for what the council plans to achieve - and how it intends to do it.  It’s all about working for the city and Building a Better Gloucester.

In preparation for that we continue with our internal reorganisations to make sure that we are in a fit and ready state to deliver that work programme - and that we can do it in the most efficient and effective way possible for everyone who lives, works and visits the city.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

January 15th, 2008

Blog No.10

Hope and expectation

As we entered the new year with a great deal of hope and expectation of better things to come it seems that the weather has once again conspired against us.

Many people across the city who have been working hard to get their lives back to normal following the summer floods are once again turning anxious eyes towards leaden skies.

The city council has responded swiftly to the weather warnings that have been coming in.

We set up our own mini control centre and were swiftly off the mark in distributing sandbags.

We have detailed records of the properties that were flooded in the summer and have clear priorities for how sandbags will be distributed around the city.

All flood related calls to do with watercourses, sandbags or other issues should be made to our contact centre on 01452 396396.

We will certainly be doing all we can to help local residents and stand ready if needed to assist the emergency services.

For the past few weeks the council has been consulting with residents about the budget for the new financial year that starts in April.

We have had a public meeting, met members of the Gloucester Youth Movement, had discussions with local business people and conducted road shows where we have been able to talk with residents in local shopping centres.

It is an opportunity to get some face to face responses from residents about their views on life in the city and provides valuable information for both councillors and officers.

Following the consultations we have carried out including residents focus groups the council is also finalising its corporate plan.

The council is very clear about involving residents and in making sure that decisions are based on the level of feedback that is provided.

The corporate plan sets out the council’s aims and ambitions for the coming years and it is important that this is based on a clear understanding of the views of local residents.

Internally the council is carrying out a major reorganisation of its senior management team. The result will be a smaller group of senior staff helping to advise councillors and manage the organisation.

It is a significant intention of our aim to be a more focussed and cost-effective organisation providing high quality and cost-effective services to residents.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

December 21st, 2007

Blog No.9

Festive Best Wishes

As we near the end of the year and move into the holiday period I think we all look back on a very eventful twelve months.

There is no doubt that the floods and the resulting water shortage was the dominant event of the year, and the effects are still with us. Our thoughts are with those who are still living in caravans, have limited use of their homes or are living away at the moment. The City Council has been doing everything it can to be of help and I would encourage anyone in need to get in touch with us

Sir Michael Pitt has recently produced a report for the government on the floods and he visited Gloucester as part of the announcement. There is much in this report to be welcomed; some of the things that the City Council has said he has taken on board and he agrees with things that are being put in place in Gloucester and the wider county. We will look at the detail carefully and continue to work with all our partners to improve our resilience in flooding and protect the city and its people.

Turning to Gloucester the City’s festive celebrations have been a resounding success and there is still time to enjoy the ice rink in Kings Square which has been attracting lots of visitors. For details and prices click here.

The lights, the ice rink, the markets and the entertainment all help to draw in visitors to the city. With the city centre crowded with shoppers that all has to be good news for the local economy.

I expect next year to be an exciting one for Gloucester but for now most of us have the opportunity for a festive break with family and friends to relax and recharge the batteries. However I must not forget to thank those from this City Council and all the others in the City who will be working over the holiday period

With that, on behalf of myself and the staff of Gloucester City Council may I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and successful new year.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

November 2nd, 2007

Blog No.8

Remembering, Rejoicing and Reorganising

It has been a busy and very mixed month.

I was very proud to be able to take part at the opening of an important exhibition in The Mall a short while ago.

The ‘We Were There’ exhibition commemorated the contribution made to our armed forces and the defence of this country from the ethnic minority communities. It also highlighted the part played by some of those people who are Gloucester residents.

This contribution - which dates back to the days of Nelson - has been enormous.

Our local MP, Parmjit Dhanda, whose grandfather is one of those who is highlighted for his contribution, helped arrange for the exhibition to be brought to Gloucester by the Ministry of Defence.

It was formally opened by the Mayor, Councillor Harjit Gill. Click here to see a selection of photos from the exhibition and the press release that was issued about it.

Fittingly the exhibition was a forerunner to Remembrance Sunday. I attended the parade at the Cenotaph in Gloucester and then later the service at the Cathedral.

These are both very moving affairs and give us an opportunity to reflect on the effort and sacrifice that have been made by so many people that enable us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today.

There was then a very definite change of mood with the official launch of the Christmas season. Our annual parade and light switch on was a very festive affair.

Thousands of people lined the city centre, the atmosphere was fantastic and our star Keith Chegwin proved to be a great hit. The lights make a wonderful spectacle and at night are complemented by the ice rink in Kings Square.

It is all giving Gloucester a wonderful feel and I am sure that in the approach to the festive season we will be busier than ever with visitors and shoppers. We certainly have a lot to offer. For what’s on at Christmas click here.

I am very pleased that Gloucester has become the first council in the region to have  signed up to a ‘sensible health and safety’ campaign being run by the Health and Safety Executive.

The intention  is to make sure that councils promote practices that protect the public and employees - but that are not ridiculous. Rules banning children from playing conkers spring to mind.

We will make sure though that while we want to adopt a sensible approach we rigorously enforce the rules where safety is a real issue.

Finally a word about the council’s own organisation.

We are in the process of reorganising our senior management team and the way we organise functions across the council. This will be followed by changes to our structure through the rest of the organisation. This is intended to reflect the differing ways in which we are now delivering services and to help deliver our ambitions and priorities for Gloucester.

We are, as an organisation, changing with the times. These changes will ensure that we provide the best possible service to our residents, businesses, visitors and city investors.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

November 2nd, 2007

Blog No.7

We’re Standing Tall

Universal acclaim has been the consistent compliment paid to Gloucester for its first ever Tall Ships Festival – and deservedly so.

It has been the most magnificent spectacle. In excess of 20,000 people visited the docks to be transported back in time by the sight of these wonderful sailing vessels.

When the ships arrived on the Friday – although there were no other attractions planned for that day – the docks were crammed. Such is the pulling power and the affection that they command.

Seeing the ships sail into the docks was a nostalgic sight and excited all of the onlookers of whatever age.

The decision to hold the festival was taken to help the city, its residents and businesses recover from our terrible summer. It was also to let everyone know that Gloucester is back on its feet.

I believe that we have done that remarkably well and the distance from which some of our visitors came is testament to how well we are getting that message out.

The festival was staged as a partnership effort between the City Council, the Heritage Urban Regeneration Company, British Waterways and the South West Regional Development Agency - which provided the bulk of the funding.

Between us our staff organised and finalised the arrangements, publicised and marketed the details in something like eight weeks. A truly outstanding team performance.

The ships, the range of events and the feel good factor of the weekend I am sure left everyone who came with no doubt that Gloucester is standing as tall as the ships that sailed into our historic docks.

Click here for images of the Tall Ships Festival.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

September 28th, 2007

Blog No.6

Gloucester’s Going Forward Again

Well, in the end it’s been a busy and eventful summer. Despite the floods Gloucester is going forward again.

It’s probably appropriate to thank one more time all those people from all the organisations and all the volunteers for all of the hard work during the emergency and since in helping to get the city back on track again.

The people of Gloucester also deserve a big well done for their patience and resilience.

Since then there have been some really good events and some great news. The Three Choirs Festival was described as one of the best ever and the fireworks in the park were truly spectacular.

The recent carnival parade was an exciting and colourful event and it was great to see crowds of people lining the route and enjoying the sunshine and the fair in the park.

The Docks have once again been chosen as a film location with a production for SKY television. David Jason was one of the stars filming scenes recently for ‘The Colour of Magic’ – a Terry Pratchett book.

Gloucester is popular with film-makers and the council encourages them to come to the city. This is the third major production in the past year or so – the others being ‘Outlaw’ and ‘Amazing Grace.’ These productions benefit the local economy and help promote tourism.

Full planning permission has been granted for the designer outlet village in Gloucester Quays and work on this has started in earnest. The site is moving quickly and it can already be seen that this will be a large and exciting development.

The new Gloucestershire College opened its doors in September. Good luck to them. You can already see a hugely increased life and vibrancy in the area with all the students going back and forth.

The Cherry and White and Farmers Markets have been drawing in large numbers of residents and visitors. The increased tables and outside eating areas add significantly to the colour and life of the city centre and are very popular.

The next large event is the Tall Ships weekend at The Docks in October. It will be very impressive as tall ships are always a sight worth seeing. There will be lots of activities going on around the Docks for all the family and more details are available here.

While on the subject of The Docks we’re working with our partner organisations on an exhibition that will be on display  there about the regeneration of the city.

This will tell people about the ‘Magnificent Seven’ major sites around Gloucester earmarked for regeneration and will be on display at the end of October.

Autumn is with us and here, of course, that means rugby. We wish Gloucester all the best for the new season and good luck with the new grandstand.

And finally, I must mention David Clegg who retires this month. For 27 years David has been a hard working and distinguished part of the City Council. Although he will be missed he has earned his retirement. I am sure everyone will join with me in wishing him a long and happy retirement.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

July 30th, 2007

Blog No.5

Magnificent Effort

A great many people across the county and within the city have produced a magnificent team effort during the current crisis.

Foremost the emergency services and military personnel who protected and saved our key power supplies.

The threat of imminent floods from the River Severn in Gloucester have now receded and while residents struggle to cope without running water there is now a regular and plentiful supply of both bottled and bowser water.

My emergency planning team along with our partners and many volunteers have worked tirelessly. While we train for these eventualities we always hope that we never have to put that training into practice.

Our task now is to return Gloucester to normal working.

Refuse collection rounds have continued virtually uninterrupted. We are now carrying out the cleanup operations and continue to help organise the distribution of bottled water.
Our environmental health staff have been advising businesses in the city to help them continue to stay open and operate.

I would like to thank our residents for their fortitude.

These are difficult times but we are showing that we can work together look after each other and look forward to better days ahead.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

July 25th, 2007

Blog No.4

PULLING TOGETHER IN A CRISIS

As Gloucester and the rest of the county faces its biggest peacetime crisis I'd like to send a very clear message to our residents.

Please don't panic.

There is plenty of water. Supermarkets are well stocked and supplies of free bottled water are being given out from the supermarket car parks.

Severn Trent water company is working hard to make sure that more bowsers come into the city and that existing ones are replenished.

The city council's emergency response team has been working around the clock since the weekend to support the emergency services. Great work was done by staff and partners,including Accord, to protect The Quay.

Our rest centre at the GL1 leisure centre has provided a superb refuge and at one time was catering for nearly 700 people.

It  is now closed as a rest centre and is also closed to the general public as it can’t carry out its normal operation at this time. Instead we will be using it as a satellite council office for staff who can’t get to their usual place of work at our main offices.

Please check our flood information and regular updates on our website for the latest information.

If you have elderly or infirm neighbours please do check on them and see how you might be able to help.

Given the gravity of the situation I have been heartened to see and hear about the way in which our communities are rallying together and the way in which we are helping each other out. It is important in these difficult times that we look after each other.

Everyone is working very hard to get through this and I have no doubt that we will.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

July 16th, 2007

Blog No.3

The weather shouldn't dampen our enthusiasm

There is no doubt that the last few weeks have been miserable from a weather point of view.

Our thoughts go out to the residents in Longlevens who bore the brunt of what the local conditions had to throw at the city.

Around sixty or more properties were flooded and we can only begin to imagine what it must be like to see your home and possessions caught in the grip of rising water.

From the city council point of view we immediately opened a rest centre for anyone who might have needed temporary shelter. We arranged the clean up operation and provided temporary toilets. We publicised the availability of the charitable trust for those who might be eligible and we welcome the announcement that the government is giving the city £20,000 towards dealing with this local situation.

Other parts of Gloucester we know flooded too and while it was bad for some of our residents we do feel for those around the country who fared so much worse.

Very much nearer to home the council has just said goodbye to a team of external assessors from other local councils around the country. They had spent a few days with us to see what we do well as a council and to suggest areas in which they felt we had room for improvement.

This was a voluntary review by a team of our 'peers.'  They met and spoke with politicians, staff, local business people and others with whom we work. We've had some interesting initial  feedback and look forward to getting their detailed report later in the summer.

We need to be a learning organisation so that we can change and get better and provide the services that local people want in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Let's not forget that we have a great summer programme of events to look forward to and we mustn't let the weather dampen our enthusiasm.

Gloucester has the potential to be a really great city. Our 'peer' team echoed exactly those same sentiments.

Now we just have to make sure that we keep telling everyone else.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

June 5th, 2007

Blog No.2

A thrilling summer ahead

What a wonderful City this is for locals and visitors alike!

We really are spoilt for choice.

We've got great historic attractions.  Our magnificent Cathedral is a draw in itself - and its use as a location for the Harry Potter films adds to its interest.  The Docks is another amazing place and that too was used as a film set for the recently released 'Amazing Grace'.  And, of course, the river and the water are crowd magnets in themselves.

There's great leisure and sporting opportunities including Gloucester Rugby, GL1 Leisure Centre and Oxstalls Indoor Tennis Centre. Good entertainment at the Guildhall and an opportunity to browse the City Centre Museums.

Great shopping too, and this year we're also bringing the fun back to shopping with our Summer in the City late night opening events. We'll be laying on a range of entertainment to help make Thursday evening fun for the whole family and at the same time supporting our local shops and stores.

You'll find that Gloucester deserves its growing reputation for 'café society' with the increasing number of places in the city centre where you can enjoy some refreshment at a street side table.

This year in particular, there are a number of exciting events.  We are proud to take our turn in hosting the Three Choirs Festival- an event that dates back almost three hundred years.

Our own summer carnival and festival is a huge attraction and there will be a wealth of events to enjoy.

The rhythm and blues festival is firmly established. The sight of visitors enjoying the music and dancing in the open air on a sunny summer day is one to look forward to.

The medieval fayre transports Gloucester back to enjoy a bygone era and is always very popular.

Take the opportunity to enjoy all these events and facilities.  Encourage your friends, relations and neighbours to do the same - and together tell people the length and breadth of the country.

This is a great City - let's promote it and tell the world how good it is.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive

April 19th, 2007

Blog No.1

City of Opportunity

I am delighted to have taken up my post with the city council after what feels like a very long notice period with Solihull.

The warmth of welcome from councillors, staff and residents has been outstanding and I am grateful. Thank you.

I look forward to meeting many more people in the coming days and weeks.

Joining Gloucester at a time of great change - both for the city and the city council - is very exciting.

The city is now firmly on the 'regeneration road.' We will be working with our partners to bring to life the exhilarating schemes that form part of the £1 billion worth of investment that will be coming into the city over the next 10 years.

There is growing interest in Gloucester. The number of people shopping in the city is increasing every year. It is stronger than in most of the rest of the country. The number of shops opening, or looking to open in the city, has also increased dramatically.

These are all signs of a vibrant local economy and add to the air of excitement and anticipation that is tangible in Gloucester. This is a city with huge potential and it's going places.

Supporting this the city council has been  making a number of fundamental changes to the way in which we provide services and this will continue as we aim to provide top quality services and deliver value for money in all that we do.

We shall be working hard with our contractors and our local authority colleagues to make sure that you get the best performing services.

And it's important to remember that our partnerships are not just with other agencies and commercial companies - they are also with local residents. We need to hear your views and I hope that you will write to me and let me know what you think.

These are times of great progress for Gloucester and I look forward to meeting the many challenges and taking the opportunities that lie ahead for the city.

Julian Wain
Chief Executive