Sarah Fortune's update
After a very busy first half of the year across East Lothian Council, I hope that you are looking forward to the summer and able to get a well-earned rest in the coming weeks.
It’s an exciting time ahead. I’ll very soon be travelling to Malaysia for the first time, where we will meet up with family members living in New Zealand, who we have not seen for several years, and it will be a great time to reconnect and have some new adventures. Also, my eldest daughter has just finished high school and is about to embark on a next chapter in her life. For me personally, it feels like a time of change and that a new chapter is beginning.
That is also the case in my role with the council. In recent months, we have of course welcomed Laurence aboard as our new Chief Executive and, together with the wider Council Management Team and other colleagues, I’ve enjoyed having a number of interesting and thought-provoking discussions about the challenges ahead as well as the opportunities for us as an organisation.
Exciting and varied
It’s a real privilege to be Executive Director for Council Resources and also hold the council’s Chief Financial Officer role. My role can be exciting, varied, challenging and demanding all in the space of a day. While Council Resources is often seen as the corporate centre of the organisation, I am hugely passionate that these services play a pivotal role in enabling things to happen across the wider council. It often feels like we are something of an engine room, at the very heart of the local authority, and to see these services in operation fully makes you understand that it genuinely takes a ‘one council’ approach to deliver services, and there is not one part of the council that can truly operate in isolation. We cannot support the frontline services we provide to our communities if we don’t employ people; have systems and digital IT to support how we deliver services; are able to procure and pay for goods and services, and of course ensure that we are spending taxpayers money appropriately. Collectively it takes us all to work together to provide the support we all need to provide vital services to our communities.
In the last year or so, my role as an Executive Director has been expanded to include wider strategic support within Infrastructure and Development services - following the retirement of our previous colleague Douglas Proudfoot - and work closely with the Heads of Services and elected members. Whereas previously my main focus was on corporate services and the critical requirements in relation to financial strategy and good governance, this wider remit has further opened my eyes as to what the council is all about, and what opportunities and ambition we have that will make long-lasting impact on our communities.
Development is key when looking at how we shape the county for the future and that goes hand in hand with Infrastructure and what we deliver on the ground.
It has been a very positive development for me personally. It has made me think differently about some aspects and really underlined that we exist to serve and support our communities. It has also provided different context as to how I can influence my role as Chief Financial Officer to ensure that we are not only managing a wide and growing range of financial demands and risks, but also promoting with the long-term opportunities that we have here in East Lothian.
Delivering a long-lasting impact
And it has been quite timely. It is really exciting at the moment in terms of the opportunities we have to make and shape initiatives which have a long-lasting impact on communities going forward. Significant developments such as Blindwells won’t happen overnight but will leave a long-lasting impact and legacy. It is hugely exciting but extremely challenging at the same time, and something we have never done before. The passion and commitment from staff involved to drive forward developments and new initiatives is genuinely impressive and truly embraces the council's values of Enabling, Leading and Caring at the same time.
It has made me think about how we all play our part and how we work together. While my role isn’t so much about the ins and outs of managing what we do operationally (as we have very strong Heads of Service and managers for this), I can play a part in joining up the strategic thinking as to how we are going to develop and deliver services and support our communities in a different way.
For example, this means joining up and making connections and strategic alignment between projects such as the Innovation Hub at QMU, Blindwells and redevelopment of the Cockenzie Power Station site right through to the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme and active travel corridor. Our place making project - looking at how ensure we have modern, fit for purpose buildings that deliver face-to-face services - is another big piece of work, as is bringing forward the next Local Development Plan.
There are real opportunities for us to join up how we shape our services - both for the here and now - to recognise where the future is. If we get our approach to growth correct, we can unlock jobs, opportunities, housing.
This has given me a deeper understanding of how we work together and made me realise how important our values are. I genuinely think we have got our values right and, when you see things for real, it opens your eyes.
I will, however, always continue to lead, champion and support (alongside colleagues and with support through our councillors) the national discussions on funding available to East Lothian. These are never easy conversations given the financial pressures on all parts of the public sector, but the national landscape is complex, and we can't lose sight of the opportunities to use the resources we have available in a joined up manner to make a genuine difference to our local communities, ensuring that East Lothian is receiving its fair share of national funding that supports the growing range of demands and obligations we face. This is something we should all aspire to and I will always continue to promote.
So, while the financial challenges are very real and pressing, there is fundamentally a big opportunity to unlock future opportunities and achieve a more prosperous East Lothian, for the benefit of all the communities we serve. With the participation and support of colleagues across the council, we have the foundations, talent, expertise and ingenuity to look forward with confidence and positivity.
Sarah Fortune, Executive Director (CFO)