Introduction
Spelthorne occupies the northerly most corner of Surrey, and is tucked
just inside the M25, North of the M3. Here at Spelthorne Borough Council
we are rightly proud of our locale and our position as a forward looking,
community focussed authority. We’re highly regarded, both nationally
and locally, for our efforts and results in service delivery, and have
achieved Chartermarks, IIP, high ratings in our regular customer surveys
and an “excellent” rating following the comprehensive performance
assessment (CPA) in December 2003.
We’ve facilitated a £250 million redevelopment of Staines
town centre, expanding retail outlets by one third, increasing CCTV coverage
and introducing Community Wardens to help combat the fear of street crime.
We have established a Local Strategic Partnership and produced a Community
Strategy with partner organisations and community groups.
The next few years are set to be more exciting than most, with some significant
and testing challenges ahead. These include the possible third runway
at Heathrow, the provision of key worker housing, planning the future
of services for the young and the elderly as well as ensuring Spelthorne
remains an area where people will want to live and work and spend their
leisure time.
Undergoing a period of change with a newly appointed Chief Executive
and two new Strategic Directors, Spelthorne is most certainly an exciting
place to be for developing your career for the future.
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Our Key Priorities
Our corporate priority themes are:
Community Safety
Younger People
Environment
Housing
Independent Living
Economic Development
Healthy Community
Community Engagement
In order to achieve these we need to ensure success at:
Sustainable Financial Future
Value for Money
Effective Communications
Developing Staff and Councillors
The Council will continue to deliver improved services to the local
community and the process of identifying the new priorities has been one
of clarifying and focusing on issues that are important to the local community.
The Borough Council’s mission is to continually improve the well
being of the Spelthorne community and we are building upon our earlier
successes. Over the past few years the Council has been focusing on the
regeneration of Staines Town centre. We are currently looking at ways
of further developing our work with our partners in Surrey County Council
and the Primary Care Trust. So we will continue to develop and improve
while at the same time focusing on the new priorities residents have identified
as being important to them.
Our updated priorities and what we will be working towards in 2008/09
are:-
Community Safety
reduce theft of and from motor vehicles
tackle alcohol and related violent crime
crime prevention and reassurance
Young People
increase the level of satisfaction of young people living in Spelthorne
increase the number of hours/weeks young people spend in healthy
activities
increase the satisfaction of the general population with the facilities
available for younger people
Environment
improve local bio-diversity
encourage the early adoption of the Local Development Framework to
help deliver the social, economic and environmental need of the Borough
use the Home Energy Conservation Act provisions to tackle fuel poverty
issues, helping individuals improve the energy efficiency of their homes
boost our recycling rate to meet our statutory target
improve satisfaction with street scene issues
Housing
encourage the construction of sustainable new homes – particularly
affordable homes that meet family needs
introduce a choice-based lettings scheme
increase the number of households prevented from becoming homeless
encourage regeneration schemes to improve the quality of housing in
the Borough and to achieve integrated sustainable communities
Independent Living
supply meals on wheels to those that need it every day
provide a personal alarm service and telecare facilities to those
in need
increase the provision of extra care housing in the Borough
facilitate the provision of day care activities to the frailer, older
people in greatest need
ensure we have a concessionary fares scheme that is affordable and
attractive to users
Economic Development
undertake initiatives to improve our unemployment rate
make best use of Spelthorne’s natural geographical advantages
(close to London and major transport links) to improve our economic
competitiveness
undertake initiatives that improve the employability of Spelthorne’s
workforce
Healthy Community
encourage healthy lifestyles
promote positive mental health
Community Engagement
increase the level of influence local residents can have on decisions
made that affect them
revitalise Ashford, Shepperton and Sunbury Cross centres through regeneration
projects
Values
We will do our best to;
Operate with integrity, honesty and transparency,
Listen closely and communicate openly,
Strive for quality and excellence in all we do,
Provide equality of opportunity for all,
Treat our customers and staff with courtesy and fairness.
Employees
We currently employ approximately 350 staff, split between the Chief
Executive’s Department, Community Directorate and Support Directorate.
In addition we employ a number of occasional staff employed on a range
of services including Sport and Leisure development.
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The Borough Itself
With a population of around 90,000, our major centres are Ashford, Shepperton,
Stanwell, Sunbury and Staines. Around 20% of all Surrey’s commercial
and industrial properties are sited in Spelthorne, including international
HQs of companies such as BP Amoco, Courage, Taylor Woodrow and Chubb Security,
as well as Shepperton Film Studios. Heathrow has a major impact on commercial
and domestic life, employing 13% of the working population. Our role here
is to help exert appropriate pressure to maintain the delicate and challenging
commercial, economic and lifestyle balances the airport creates.
The River Thames is the focal point for most leisure and countryside
activity in the Borough, drawing visitors from far and wide to parks and
open spaces by the river and to events such as the annual ‘swan
upping’ ceremony and the annual Spelthorne Festival.
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Working at Spelthorne
With our commitment to training and development Spelthorne is a fantastic
place to learn and gain real breadth of experience in Local Government.
The relatively small size of the organisation means that effective, friendly
working relationships are developed, and there are lots of opportunities
for staff to build skills and experience to develop their careers.
Everyone is always busy in our offices in Staines, just a 10 minute
walk from the railway station. Our intranet and regular staff newsletter
help us all keep up to date with what’s going on, with both a serious
and social side to current events. A recent staff survey showed that staff
frequently comment on their enjoyment of their job, the value attributed
to working as part of an effective team and, for frontline staff, the
satisfaction derived from delivering a great service to the public.
The CPA inspection in December 2003 commented, “the Council have
a dedicated and committed workforce. The Council demonstrates a commitment
to staff welfare through its Human Resources practices and this supports
staff morale”. Overall they found Spelthorne to be “an improving,
forward-thinking Council” and that “good services are provided
to local people”.
We offer people a good range of benefits, including a final salary pension
scheme, flexible working arrangements and flex leave, a relocation package
with mortgage equalisation scheme (in approved cases), free parking at
the Council Offices and an active sports and social club.
Perhaps you’d like to know more about us? If so, click on the link
to our home page. Thanks for your interest in Spelthorne - we hope to
meet you some day!
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The Borough Itself
Working at Spelthorne
Our Key Priorities
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