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Aiming for
Customer Service Excellence
We are constantly looking for ways to improve our service and as  always the best
ideas are often the simple ones. One such improvement was made to the
telephone system by the Customer Service Team a couple of weeks ago...
Now if a customer misses a telephone call from Winchester City
Council and they ring 1471, the missed call will be identified
as 01962 848 500. If the customer then rings that number they
will hear this message:
"You were called today by Winchester
City Council, if you were not expecting a call from us you do not need to do
anything; if we need to, we will try to contact you again. If you were
expecting a call from us and know the name of the person or department you
are dealing with, please press 0 to be transferred to our switchboard
operator"
How do we know it's a good idea?
We asked customers what they thought and we got a very positive
response. Within 2 hours of the implementation we received a
compliment saying it was a great improvement, and since then we have had
several other customers compliment the system.
Other improvements...
You said. that as
Parish Councils when you call Customer Service you didn't want to be asked
lots of questions, and should just be put through to the person you were
calling to speak to.
We listened. when you
ring the Customer Service Centre on Parish business explain that you are a
Parish Council member and tell the advisor who you wish to speak to, your
call will be put straight through.
If you have any other ideas on how we can improve our service, let us know
using our online suggestions scheme.
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South
Wonston launches its Village Plan
Residents
of South Wonston have set out how they would like to  improve life in the
village by launching their Village Plan. The Plan has been produced
following more than two years of hard work and represents the views of many
residents, gathered through public meetings, questionnaires and discussions
with young people. More than 75 volunteers have helped in different ways
to make the Plan a reality. Winchester City Council and other voluntary
and statutory organisations will now focus their efforts on working with the
Parish Council to help achieve the aspirations set out in the Plan. Click here to view a copy of the plan.
The South
Wonston Village Plan is the seventh such plan completed in Winchester
District and the City Council is continuing to encourage all parishes a plan
of their own. For more information about parish or village plans, or to
discuss starting one in your own community, please contact Steve Lincoln,
Community Planning Manager, on 01962 848110 or by e-mail slincoln@winchester.gov.uk
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Call to Action for County's Villages
 Following the
success of Wickham in the 2008 awards, villages throughout Hampshire with a
population of 5,000 or under are being called to action as the
CALOR Hampshire Village of the Year 2009 competition gets underway.
The competition is organised by the Hampshire Association of Local Councils
with sponsorship provided by the UKGas Supplier, Calor. Basingstoke &
Deane Borough, Test Valley Borough, Winchester City and East Hampshire
District Councils are also sponsoring local competitions.
Villages that enter will be judged across four areas of rural village life
including community, business, sustainability and communications. The
competition is about recognising, rewarding and encouraging vibrant and
sustainable village communities which pull together to make the best of local
opportunities. The winners will net £500 prize money and will go on to
represent Hampshire in the 2010 UK competition. Deadline for entries is 10
April 2009. Entry forms can be requested from Steven Lugg - email steven.lugg@hants.gov.uk or call 01962
841699. They will also be available on the ALC website under the CALOR
Village of the Year button at www.hampshirealc.org
To find out more about Calor Village of the Year you can visit the
competition website at www.calorvillageoftheyear.org
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Winchester District Sustainable Community Strategy
The
Winchester District Sustainable Community Strategy has been refreshed - click here to read the new strategy. The new
strategy has a geographical focus, linking in with the emerging Local
Development Framework Core Strategy. It has also drawn on published and
developing parish plans, making the most of the wealth of consultation that
has been collated as part of these, and helping the Winchester District
Strategic Partnership focus on our residents' priorities for their local
areas. For more information on the Partnership's commitment to listening
to local communities visit the Listening to Local Communities page.
For further information contact Antonia Perkins by email -aperkins@winchester.gov.uk,
or visit the website www.wdsp.co.uk.
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An Older
People's Forum for the Meon Valley
At the
end of a hugely successful conference organised by Meon Valley Carers
Together on 'Dementia Care in a Rural Community', a number of people
expressed an interest in the development of an Older People's forum for
the area.
A forum will give older people a 'voice' and an opportunity to express
their views on issues of importance to them, and to tell local decision
makers what they think. It will also enable them to express their views about
services currently provided in the district, and to advise and influence
agencies to develop, shape and establish new services. It is
proposed that the initial development of the forum will be led by the
Community Wellbeing Team at Winchester City Council supported by members of
the Winchester District Older People's Partnership, particularly Hampshire
County Council Adult Services and Winchester Area Community
Action. The plan is to circulate an invitation to an
exploratory meeting shortly.
As a direct
result of the 'Over 55s Information Day' which was held towards the end of
last year at the Winchester Discovery Centre, the development of an Older
People's forum for the Winchester Town area is already underway. The
Meon Valley Forum will compliment this work and ensure that the views of
older people living in the rural parishes can be heard.
If you are
interested in joining a forum or want more information contact Lorraine
Mansfield, the Community Wellbeing Manager for Winchester City Council and
Hampshire PCT who will be happy to answer any initial
questions. Lorraine can be contacted by phone on 01962 848369 or by
e-mail at lmansfield@winchester.gov.uk
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Care is Changing
Hampshire County Council is leading the way in transforming adult social
care. A nationally acclaimed report by Hampshire's expert Commission of
Inquiry calls for the perceived unfairness and complexity of the care and
support system for older and disabled people to be tackled. The Commission
has looked at the impact of adult social care on people who use care
services, carers, communities, care providers, local authorities, organisations
such as health, and the wider public. The report 'Getting Personal: a fair
deal for better care and support' makes national recommendations for the
future of adult social care, and proposes a model for the future of adult
social care in Hampshire.
For further
details please visit the website:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/adult-services/getting-personal.htm
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Local
Action Group ready to roll with LEADER funding
 Following last year's submission of a bid to SEEDA for
LEADER funding, the Fieldfare Local Action Group is preparing to start
spending! The Local Action Group (LAG) covers the rural areas of Winchester
and East Hampshire districts and has just over £2 million to spend on
rural economic projects which meet both regional and local needs. The project
spend is to be concentrated on the agricultural and forestry sectors, but
there is also some funding available for wider community based projects.
A contract
with SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, was signed in December
2008, and a Programme Manager is now being recruited. The closing date
for applications for this post is 5th February 2009. Their job will be
to help local businesses, community groups and individuals develop project
proposals, and then apply for LEADER funding. The programme manager will
also support the volunteers on the LAG to deliver the business plan which
formed part of the bid to SEEDA.
If you know
of a project that would benefit from LEADER funding, or if you want to find
out more about the funding criteria, log onto www.winchester.gov.uk/leaderfunding.
Alternatively telephone your local economic development officer: Kate
Crawford for Winchester on 01962 848 563, or Mike Gibbs for East Hampshire on
01730 234 168.
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Historic
Environment Record to go online
The
Council's Historic Environment Team have been successful in obtaining a grant
from English Heritage to put information recorded on the Winchester
Historic Environment Record (HER) onto Heritage Gateway
- a national portal through which national datasets such as Images
of England and Listed Buildings, can be searched together with local datasets
including the Winchester HER. As a result information on
archaeological sites and historic buildings will be available on the Web.
Searches can be undertaken by period or monument type on a national basis or
you can undertake a search for records within your own parish.
The
Winchester HER is anticipated to go online towards the end of January/early
February 2009. Further information on the Heritage Gateway and datasets
already available can be obtained by accessing www.heritagegateway.org.uk
For more
information contact Tracy Matthews, Archaeology Officer on 01962 848 380 or
email tmatthews@winchester.gov.uk.
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Dates for your diary...
4th February 2009
Cabinet
- Walton Room, Guildhall, Winchester
10th February 2009
Cabinet (Traffic and Parking) - Walton Room, Guildhall,
Winchester
12th February 2009
Cabinet (Local Development Framework) - Walton Room, Guildhall,
Winchester
17th February 2009
Planning Development Control Committee - Walton Room, Guildhall,
Winchester
19th February 2009
Full Council - Conference Chamber, Guildhall, Winchester
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Latest News from Winchester City Council...
Citys Health Walks Scheme Wins National Accreditation
A Health Walks scheme run by Winchester City Council has been awarded
accreditation by Walking the Way to Health, a joint initiative
between Natural England and the British Heart Foundation.
Sunday Parking will Stay Free in Winchester
Sunday parking will remain free in Winchester following
consultation on a possible option to charge £1 to park all day in the city
centre car parks.
Local Development Framework Considers Future of
WInchester
The future of Winchester Town is the subject of the latest Local Development
Framework Report. The Report considers how the district can meet its
housing requirements over the next twenty years, and how to ensure that we
retain and diversify jobs, allowing local people to live and work in
Winchester
Planning for Winchester's Cultural Olympiad
Some of the most creative minds in the Winchester District will be
gathering at Winchester Discovery Centre on Wednesday 21 January for the
first 'culture conference' being held by Winchester City Council.
Unclaimed Child Tax Allowance
The year before Tax Credits were introduced there was a
different non-means tested allowance that was available and was never
advertised. You could be entitled to as much as £1,040 as long as you claim
before 31st January 2009.
Recession Advice
With the recession seemingly inevitable, the constant talk of the
'credit crunch' and the recent economic downturn you might feel it is time
to start making changes to aid your financial situation. Whatever your
circumstances at this time, Winchester Sity Council is
here to help, providing useful information and links to information
and organisations that can help.
Youth of Winchester Marks its First AGM
The first Youth of Winchester AGM was held in December celebrating a year
of the new Winchester District Youth Council. The Council is made up of
students from 5 of the Districts Secondary Schools with the aim to give all
young people in the Winchester District a voice.
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