Update from Mark Wynn Interim Chief Executive Mark Wynn 24 September 2024

Hello everyone,

This is my first email as interim chief executive after Angie's departure last week. You can see her leaving message on staff news or the Team Lancashire Facebook page. It really highlighted how she helped Lancashire achieve some amazing things. I know you will join me in wishing her well in her new role at Hertfordshire.

About me and my vision

Here's a short video, giving you a bit of background about me and also what I hope to achieve over the next six months in this role.

I am genuinely excited about the next six months and, whilst local government is a challenging place to work at the moment, we can achieve so much in Lancashire to improve the lives of our residents.

The key priorities over the coming months are likely to be:

Devolution

We have had the recent announcement over a 'Devolution' deal for Lancashire. This is great news for us. This is not a reorganisation exercise but an opportunity for us to provide more services directly to the public and not through central government grants. This will give us more direct control over Lancashire's future.

Finances

Over the next six months, we are also likely to face some significant financial challenges, as most councils in the country are. I will be working with directors and senior managers to navigate our way through this period. It will be interesting to hear what the new government says about council finances in their budget statement at the end of October.

Workforce

I am very aware that the council, along with other public sector organisations, is still experiencing capacity issues and is dealing with increased demand for its services. Our People Services are continually working on initiatives to support staff and managers in these areas.

Given this backdrop, I am determined to create a council that continues to listen to its workforce, so that we can create an environment where everyone feels valued, able to influence and shape the delivery of their service area going forward.

I want to provide the training and support that everyone needs to deliver in their roles – this has already started with the Leading Lancashire framework. It sets out the skills and behaviours the organisation will support its managers to develop and demonstrate. You can find out more about the Leading Lancashire Framework on the intranet.

Government agenda

There are likely to be some significant new policies coming out from government and, as a council, we need to be ready to understand what these mean for us.

By working together with our partners we will ensure that Lancashire is the best council and employer of choice. Through the creation of our new Council Plan, we will establish a clear set of priorities that direct our focus and future work.

Getting out and about 

Over the next six months, I will be visiting as many of you as I can across the county. I would like to hear directly from you about the challenges you face, what you feel is important and any suggestions you may have. If you would like to arrange a visit, please email internal.communication@lancashire.gov.uk.

Going forward

I'm sure you are aware that each of our executive directors now produces a regular newsletter, which they share with colleagues to keep them up to date with what is happening in their directorate. This includes important updates and staff shout outs. If you don't currently receive your executive directors' newsletters, please email the contact below:

Copies of the newsletters can also be found on the about the council area of the intranet.

With the increase in newsletters and staff communication in general, I feel it is the right time to move my Chief Executive update to monthly. I will of course be updating on significant issues and achievements on a more regular basis.