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The Civic Office
Chairman of the Council: County Councillor Steve Wilkinson
Vice Chairman of the Council: County Councillor Ken Oliver
Civic Office Officials
Civic Services Officer: Ann Ashton
Administrative Assistant: Joanne Buckley
Chairman's Secretary: Helen Miller
Chauffeur: John Broadhurst
The Civic Office is part of Member Services within the Policy and Resources Department.
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The Civic Office Aims and Objectives for 2008/2009
1 Chairman and Vice Chairman of the County Council
The Council, at its Annual Meeting in May elected County Councillor Steve Wilkinson as Chairman for the Year 2008/09. County Councillor Ken Oliver was elected as Vice Chairman.
2 Aims and Objectives for 2008/09
The Civic Office, through the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the County Council, will promote and enhance the high profile of Cheshire, the County Council and the area it serves. In performing its duties the Civic Office will have regard to the Corporate Plan emphasising and enhancing the Council's role of service to the Cheshire people.
The Authority is a key community leader, a provider of around 80% of Local Government Services in Cheshire and clearly is part of people’s every day lives. Within the Council's overall approach to effecting the Corporate Plan, the Civic Office will adopt the theme of promoting "Cheshire's Agriculture and Rural Economy".
The Civic Office has a key role in promoting the County Council as a robust strategic community leader and as an Authority that is locally responsive, visible and accessible to the public in view of the leading role it plays in developing the environmental, social and economic vitality of all its communities.
The aims and objectives for the current year are:
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To promote the profile and standing of the County Council as a robust strategic community leader and a provider of responsive, visible and accessible services to all parts of the community of Cheshire, ensuring the Authority's continued importance to the social and economic wellbeing of the County and its people.
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To help maintain and develop the relationship between Members of the County Council and staff by supporting them in their transition into the two new unitary Council.
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To promote Cheshire's Agriculture and Rural Economy by hosting events to raise the profile of Agriculture and the excellent work carried out by Cheshire's County Farms in their centenary year.
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To support and promote events which can help to demonstrate that the County Council is committed to embracing the diverse nature of the County and help as far as possible to reduce inequalities.
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To support and promote events connected with the delivery of the main four cross cutting themes outlined within the Corporate Plan, namely:
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children and young people
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safer and stronger communities
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healthier communities and older people
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sustainable communities and transport
6. To promote the County Council's role and its relationships with Partner Organisations and initiatives both at National and Local level which will support and underpin the delivery of services not only as part of the Corporate Plan, but the interrelated Community Strategy and Local Area Agreements. In particular, this year to promote Cheshire Year of Gardens events.
7. To fulfil an Ambassadorial role on behalf of the County Council with appropriate style and dignity.
The Civic Office will expect wholehearted support from all Departments and Services in the County Council in helping to meet these aims and objectives.
3 Support Mechanisms
Whilst the Civic Office has drawn up its own aims and objectives these have been selected wherever possible to enhance those themes within the Corporate Plan and ensure a seamless delivery and the existence of a "Golden Thread" between all parts of the County's activities.
Monitoring of progress will be carried out at various levels. Regular planning meetings with their advisers will enable the Chairman and Vice Chairman to map out the Civic Programme and to prepare for individual engagements against the background of the Civic Office aims and objectives and availability of resources. Wherever possible, the Civic Office holders will support key and major events and promotions organised by other parts of the organisation within their available resources.
Acknowledging that the Chairman and Vice Chairman are accountable to the County Council for the performance of their duties, the Council will continue to receive a report at each meeting on the Chairman’s and Vice Chairman's engagements.
4 Resources
As mentioned in previous years, every effort will be made to ensure that the Civic Programme is managed within the resources allocated for the Civic Programme, however past experience has demonstrated that the budget is extremely tight. In addition to this Members are aware of the other financial constraints placed on the Authority and the severe financial pressures in terms of the funding gap over coming years. Priority setting will be a key factor. The Office will continue to follow a policy of seeking to raise income from events to offset expenditure where this is appropriate.
County Councillor Steve Wilkinson
Chairman of the County Council
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