Dear colleagues,
We all have an important role to play in achieving great things for Portsmouth and its residents and communities, and I wanted to start the new year with a look forward to some of what we have planned for 2023 as an organisation and to recognise the contribution you all make to everything we do.
Now entering my 17th year here at Portsmouth City Council, I continue to be inspired by the incredible scale, scope, and quality of the work that we do, demonstrated through the vital services you all provide every day and that have such an impact on the lives of local people.
I am confident that despite the challenges and pressures that we, like other councils, continue to face, our organisation is in a good place to continue to improve the city and the lives of our residents by delivering the priorities set out in the city vision and our council plan and I am looking forward to seeing the progress we make in 2023.
There is so much great work happening that it is impossible to include everything, so here's just a snapshot of the things happening across the council.
Directorates will continue to pull together as part of our response to the cost of living crisis, to get people to the help they need. I have been so impressed by your response to this work, as so many of you have signed up to take part in training so you are able to better support residents who are struggling financially.
In Adult Social Care, you are continuing to help people live independent, healthy lives, for example through improving support for our neuro-diverse and autistic residents, and in Public Health you are engaging with communities to help them live healthier and happy lives through our Live Well events. In Children, Families and Education, you have been working hard to improve outcomes for children and families, for example by securing priority education investment area funding, through the opening of Wymering School and by launching family hubs.
In Housing, Neighbourhoods and Building Services (HNBS), you are continuing to work hard to make sure local people have good quality places to live, right through from preventing homelessness to developing new affordable and council housing through projects like Somers Orchard. In Regeneration, you are continuing to work hard to make progress on major projects that will shape the city for the future, including developing the Portsmouth's city centre and the coastal defences that will protect the city, as well as working to improve our transports networks and keep the city moving in more sustainable ways. At the Port, you are working on delivering the impressive carbon neutral terminal extension that will open this summer.
You are also working across council directorates to address the climate crisis and deliver our climate change strategy in other ways. HNBS are rolling-out food waste collections across the city, you are delivering greener energy projects at Lakeside and the Port, and Public Health have bid for almost £250K of external funding for tree planting and will be working with partners to plant 2,400 trees on our estates. In Culture, Leisure and Regulatory Services, you are delivering a range of projects including supporting children and families through our libraries, museums, leisure and events offers, making improvements to Victoria Park, looking forward to 2023 offers including BookFest and the King's Coronation, and continuing to keep communities safe through your regulatory services work.
Across Finance and Resources and Corporate Services, you are leading on key pieces of work that shape the council for the future, from the council wide work around social value, to upgrading our technology to support the way we work. You are also working to provide the essential professional support that enables the rest of the organisation to focus on their own specialisms and develop new initiatives.
I recognise that you are doing all of this whilst working under great pressure as demand for our services increases and financial challenges continue. That's why we will do all we can in 2023 to support you, and to ensure the council is a great place to work. This includes developing our council values with you to help define and shape the kind of organisation you want the council to be, as well as how it should feel for you and your colleagues to work here and for our customers and partners when they engage with us.
I am confident that you will continue to achieve your very best and deliver for our residents. I look forward to seeing and sharing with you the progress that we make.
Finally, all my very best wishes and thank you for the work that you do and real difference that you make.
Kind regards
David
David Williams
Chief executive
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