Cabinet Member for Culture
After a year as Cabinet Member for
Children and Families, in May 2006, I
was given joint responsibility for
Community Services. Working closely
with the Deputy Leader of the Council,
I was responsible for services to
older people, people with physical and
sensory disabilities, and those with
learning disabilities; the promotion of
good mental health; community planning
and libraries.
Heading up Community Services brought
many challenges, with local Primary
Care Trusts focussed on balancing their
budgets, an ageing population and an
increase in the number of people with
severe disabilities.
My aim was to help people to live as
independently as they can and to be an
integral part of the local community.
When the Pathways course at
Salisbury College was closed, I and
other senior members of the county
council met with the Partnership
Director of the Learning Skills Council
to see how we could work together to
meet the needs and aspirations of
people with learning disabilities.
I was also keen to strengthen the role
of the voluntary sector and to find
ways to enable older people to
contribute to our community their great
wealth of experience and wisdom.
This June, I have again been given a
new role!
I am to lead a new focus on
Culture, including libraries and
heritage, the arts, and sport. These
activities can make a real difference
to individuals and to communities,
building confidence and social skills
and bringing together people from
different backgrounds in a
way that nothing else can.
I am especially keen to see a
greater celebration of British
culture. There is a growing trend for
individuals to look into their family
history, and I would love to see us, as
a nation, do this too. Let’s explore
where we have come from, understand who
we are and why.
I am delighted with this new
opportunity,
and I look forward to promoting those
things which make life enjoyable…
click here to register your interest in participating in the community
