To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The Leader announced to the Cabinet that the Appointments Committee had met this week and interviewed the shortlist candidates for the recruitment of a new Chief Executive. It unanimously selected the person it wished to recommend to Council for appointment and a conditional offer had been made. The Leader hoped to be in a position shortly to call an Extraordinary meeting of the Council to confirm the appointment.
The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments:
The grounds maintenance contract was brought back in-house at the beginning of July. The transfer went smoothly and normal service resumed during the first week of operation.
Training sessions have been held for staff on the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which come into effect in May next year.
The summer Bulletin is being delivered to residents from 15 July and includes articles about new local voluntary services, recycling changes and local summer events.
ICT are undertaking work to improve the protection of the Council’s computer networks from hackers and ransomware attacks. This involves a range of measures such as installing developers’ updates as they become available and educating staff about ways to reduce the risks.
Councillors now have the modern.gov app installed on their laptops which allows them to view, highlight and annotate committee agendas, reducing the need for printed copies.
The popular Laleham ‘Beach’ will be returning to Laleham Park for a second year with lots of activities on offer for children from 14 July until 31 August.
The Benwell Centre summer fete and open day was held on Friday 14 July to help raise funds and give residents the chance to look around the facilities.
Team Spelthorne celebrated a very successful weekend at the 21st annual Specsavers Surrey Youth Games in Guildford on 17 and 18 June. Spelthorne finished in third place overall for the second consecutive year, winning Gold medals in u9 girls football and u11 girls football; silver in u8 mixed tennis, u11 boys hockey, u12 table tennis and u12 girls rugby and bronze in u11 mixed badminton, u15 mixed lacrosse and individual judo.
A series of free open-air music events are being held in the Walled Garden in Sunbury and Lammas Park in Staines over the summer. Full details are on the website and in the Bulletin.
Spelthorne Sports Week is being held from 7-11 August for young people aged 8 – 16. Sports on offer include squash, tennis, hockey, table tennis, fencing and rowing. The cost is £10 per day or £40 for the week.
Night-time street lights have been switched back on in Spelthorne. The Council agreed to fund the service for an initial period of five years after Surrey County Council took the decision to turn off night-time street lighting across the whole of Surrey.
A spectacular flotilla of boats sailed from Sunbury to Staines-upon-Thames led by the Queen’s rowbarge, Gloriana, in celebration of the Mayor of Spelthorne’s River Day on Saturday 24 June. Gloriana was joined by the Impossible Dream, a specially adapted wheelchair friendly motorboat which has been chosen as one of the Mayor’s charities, the Jolly Brit, a former tender to the Royal Yacht Britannia, and several local rowing clubs and schools. Hundreds of residents lined the towpath to watch the flotilla, enjoy the entertainment and help raise money for local good causes.