607117 Boldly and Rightly

Boldly G N I D L and HO R Rightly O R MIR UP THE

Stories of public service in the

London Borough of Bexley

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Boldly and Rightly Stories of public service in the

London Borough of Bexley

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First paperback edition published in Great Britain in 2018 by the London Borough of Bexley.

Published by the London Borough of Bexley www.bexley.gov.uk Copyright Š Gill Steward 2018 The right of Gill Steward has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Design and layout: Bexley Graphics Curated by: Jemma Goode, Bethany Vella and Dawn Reeves

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To all the dedicated and inspiring public servants and, in particular to those at the London Borough of Bexley who contributed to this book.

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Foreword 9 Introduction 11 Acknowledgments 15 Chapter one: Impact

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The Carnegie resurrection – Luisa Baker 18 The incredibles – Rebecca Watson-Morse 20 From cycling champ to cycling officer – John Scripps 22 Winter starts in June – Dave Saunders 24 The ghost – Jane Goodrich 26 Life’s a lottery – Bethany Vella 28 Don’t give up – Sarah Nicholls 30 “When I was younger...” – Shannon Lidbury 32 Chapter two: Listening and Responding

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Kindred spirits – Dr Anjan Ghosh 36 The 15 and-a-half year old virgin – Robbie Currie 38 Percy’s last trip home – Will Cooban 40 The lollipop lady – Christine Gailer 42 New eyes – Claire Boothby 44 Library smörgåsbord – Josh Barnbrook 46 @whatsoninbexley – Teddy Cambridge 48 Chapter three: Innovation

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The plate over the mantelpiece – Ellen Care 52 Me and my Amstrad – Kate Price 54 ‘Kids do well if they can’ – Adrian Duffy 56 Everyone loves Star Wars – June Knowles 58 Merry Quizmas! – Paul Speller 60 Beast from the East – Kerry Worthington 61

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Doing our (fit)bit – Stuart Rowbotham 62

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Boldly and Rightly

Chapter four: Open and Accessible

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Let’s go play or make hay whilst the sun shines – Jacqui Leaver 66 Ali Baba and the Chief Exec – Michael Bate 68 Going green for the greater good – Natalie Forbes 70 Building bridges – Jacky Tiotto 72 Hold the front page! – Jane Parson 74 A day in the shoes of a front-liner – Jackie Marley 76 Chapter five: Collaboration

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Carrying a torch – Richard Kay 80 Mucking in – Jemma Goode 82 Culture shocks, shell ladies and discovering hidden beauty – Paul Moore 84 Breaking boundaries – Kerry Sidnell 86 Hans Solo of Bexley – Anita Eader 88 The power of community – Katrina Rattu 90 Chapter six: Leadership

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No Billy bullsh*t – Julie Hayward 94 The Newbie – Cheryl Jones 96 The uncertain accountant – Leigh Whitehouse 98 Anyone know a first aider? – Paul Holloway 100 Custodians of our green and pleasant land – Toni Ainge 102 The Bexley First story – Graham Ward 104 A bird’s-eye view – William Morris 106 What’s Next

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Bexley’s Collaboration with Shared Press

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FOREWORD

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I joined the London Borough of Bexley two years ago.

Over my career I have worked in many authorities but I have never worked anywhere that has so many brilliant and committed members of staff; staff who care deeply about the people and the place they serve; staff who every day go the extra mile to make a difference.

Like many public servants, their work often goes unnoticed and their stories often go untold. Here in Bexley we wanted to change this - to shine a light on their amazing stories.

Working with Dawn Reeves, we have been encouraging staff to write a short piece, as a process of reflecting on and celebrating the importance of their public service.

As ever, our staff engaged in this activity with huge enthusiasm. We had no shortage of people wanting to be involved - sharing their own story and celebrating the stories of others. We have pulled these works together and created a book, named Boldly and Rightly. This is the motto of our borough, as well as brilliantly summing up our staff.

They are bold, brave, committed and ambitious, and they always try to do the right thing - even when it’s harder to achieve.

Foreword

Boldly and Rightly

We have structured the chapters around our values values that we shaped together.

Being open and accessible; striving to innovate; always listening and responding; recognising that we are all leaders who can inspire and be a role model; collaborating - where we are always working together for the greatest good; and impact - striving to make a difference every day.

Each of the stories in every chapter make our values real.

I am incredibly proud of our staff and privileged to work with such committed people. They are what makes our organisation great and what makes Bexley brilliant.

Gill Steward Chief Executive

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INTRODUCTION

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Boldly and Rightly: these words are emblazoned at the bottom of our crest. It is a statement that is ingrained in the fabric of our organisation and part of everything we do.

Yet for people coming to work at the Council and for newly elected Members, it might not be immediately clear how these ideas translate to the services the Council provides and the decisions that are made. In this book, we are aiming to be specific, to set out what these words mean to us and to engage the readers with stories that show what happens in practice.

Why a collection of stories?

We recognise that personal stories are important. They invite us to walk in the shoes of others and to understand what it feels like to be doing a whole range of different public service jobs. Stories help us make sense of the world around us and the situations we - and the people we serve in our communities - find ourselves in. Our stories are based on concrete experiences; they provide information and a look behind the scenes. They show that far from being remote bureaucrats, people who work for the Council have a strong connection with the residents and the borough of Bexley as a place. A large number of our staff live locally.

We’re part of the community and we are with local people all the way. The stories show the pride that we take in our work and that we are proud to work here.

Introduction

Boldly and Rightly

You’ll read about the reality of life on the front-line; the challenges of dealing with long-term complex policy issues, such as caring for the elderly; and the difficulty of making a difference at the same time as changing the way we do

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INTRODUCTION

things in response to cuts. In an age of uncertainty, austerity and negative media about local authorities, it is vital that the positive aspects of what we do are equally heard and understood. This book includes stories that illustrate the brilliant work that’s being done on a daily basis, by good people working in a difficult environment. Our work makes a demonstrable impact.

The story format also allows staff to show their ambition, talent and creativity in a compelling and accessible way.

Our staff have written the stories, edited and designed this book. Being bold and doing the right thing is the key theme you’ll notice throughout them.

How to use this book Over the past decade, local authorities and public services more broadly have experienced significant change.

We have developed and adapted our values to reflect the different skills that are now required to be a 21st century public servant. The stories in this book have been divided into each of our new values: • Impact • Listening and Responding • Innovation • Open and Accessible • Collaboration • Leadership

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The Council wants all staff to live the values and to make sure that they influence the work that we do on a daily basis. The stories remind us that we have chosen to work for the Council for a reason – that the opportunity to make a difference to serve the public is important. We want you to think of examples when you have demonstrated these values and tell your story too.

The final section at the back of the book provides you with some reflection tools and a practical storytelling exercise.

The book will be used to support: • Induction for new Members and staff • Embedding Bexley’s public service values and behaviours

Introduction

Boldly and Rightly

• Supporting material for training courses • Helping individuals, teams and managers to identify and make improvements in their work There will be a free ebook available to all staff and Members. We hope that these stories are a source of inspiration and a reminder of the bold and fantastic people that work at the London Borough of Bexley.

Together we are at our best.

Jemma Goode and Bethany Vella May 2018

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Thank you to everyone who was part of this book: to the working group (Toni Ainge, Teddy Cambridge, Ellen Care, John Ferry, Natalie Forbes, Jane Parson, Sophie Keenleyside, Jackie Marley and Katrina Rattu) who supported others to write and edit their stories; to our colleagues who came to the storytelling workshops; to the Graphics team (Baljit Bhandal) and to our group of test readers.

Acknowledgements

Boldly and Rightly

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Impact

CHAPTER ONE

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Boldly and Rightly

Impact HEADINGS HEADINGS

• strive to make a genuine difference • be proud – celebrate our achievements • create a buzz • take pride in others’ success • share your learning • aim to make things better

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

The Carnegie resurrection

Luisa Baker

I’m high up on the scaffolding in Erith, where the wind is biting and the sky is desperate to snow. The tired Carnegie is transforming slowly behind the rigging and is starting to stand proud again.

This morning, we lifted the weathervane from its decaying axle. How it has survived this long, I’ll never know. But despite being worn, the detail remains exquisite, telling a story with every mark. Lowering it gently to the ground to be repaired by local artisans, excitement lingers in the air amongst the team. It feels like a monumental moment in the story of this building; the promise of a new future.

Inside, the building is starting to feel fresh and more habitable. Aging plaster is removed to unveil raw, authentic brickwork that provides the perfect backdrop to the many cultural and community activities that will occur here.

I find a joyous moment peeling back the layers and seeing what’s underneath.

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Boldly and Rightly

Down in the basement, the team are busy removing some of the partition walls, uncovering the parquet floor, and taking the rooms back to their original style and proportions.

I sigh; this is how the room was meant to be.

The unsightly light fittings and cables are finally stripped away and the spacious dimensions of the room are now obvious. I love the transitional moment within a project when you’re suddenly clear of the initial havoc and start to realise your vision, which for this historic Carnegie building, is one of creativity, learning and enterprise.

I can sense The Exchange, our future operators starting to relax as they too can see our shared vision materialise.

This place will be great again.

When a project is finished, I smile. This is what makes me turn up to work every day; that feeling I get when a project is accomplished. I know I will spend my time here, sipping a flat white with my children in tow. Knowing that I have left this behind for others to enjoy, I welcome a new project.

Luisa Baker Project Manager (Erith Regeneration)

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

The incredibles

Rebecca Watson-Morse

It was a very cold and snowy evening in March. Iris, a 97 year-old lady who lives alone, heard what she thought was rain, but was in fact a burst pipe. Water was pouring in through the ceiling. Not knowing what to do, she activated her telecare alarm, which is linked to a control centre and local team of responders.

The control centre at Medvivo arranged for the water and electrics to be turned off and for a neighbour to sit with Iris.

When the local response team arrived and realised that Iris couldn’t stay at home, they contacted the Council’s out of hours team, who found Iris an emergency hostel flat.

The response team supported Iris to gather her things and took her to the flat, where they found the window to be broken. It was 10pm and Iris was understandably feeling anxious, so the response team manager, Lucy, insisted that she would pay for a hotel for Iris, rather than seek an alternative flat at such short notice.

The next morning, the team arrived early to check in on Iris.

As it was still a couple of hours until the Social Care team were open for the day, Lucy invited Iris to her house, where she enjoyed a cup of tea and some entertainment from Lucy’s children.

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Boldly and Rightly

Later, the Social Care team found Iris a flat that she could immediately move in to until the insurance company fixed her home. Coincidentally, it was in the same building as Medvivo’s offices. The response team have therefore been able to keep an eye on Iris, who describes the staff at Medvivo as “lovely caring people who go further than necessary.”

This is just one of many stories that we hear about how our Telecare and Assistive Technology service supports people.

Over 2,000 residents currently benefit from this service. They are linked to a network of incredible people who work 24/7, and go above and beyond in finding solutions to problems, time and again.

Rebecca Watson-Morse Commissioning Programme Lead (Integrated Commissioning)

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

From Cycling Champ to Cycling Officer

John Scripps

My fingers are gripped around the hard rubber of the handlebars. I glance down at my hand-me-down cycling clothes. I see a flash of the Marriott hotel on my left and the old Woolwich building on my right. The wind wraps itself around me but the steel frame of my bike cuts through the air. My heart is pounding.

I was 15 and taking part in my first ever bike race in Bexleyheath town centre. Following that race, I was bitten by the cycling bug and knew that it would forever be a major part of my life.

I would love to get that race up and running again. It gave me my start in cycling and a few years later, I was competing at a national level, winning a silver medal at the British National Track Cycling championships in 2003. I went on to work on the Talent Development programme for the Great Britain Cycling team before managing the cycling programme at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

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Boldly and Rightly

I want to give people the chance to experience that feeling of achievement that comes with fulfilling a goal, whether it’s simply making it to the top of a steep, lengthy incline, or taking part in your first bike race. The great thing about cycling is that bikes are made for people of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities, so there’s no reason why we can’t all be champions of cycling.

Walking through the doors of the Civic Offices - in the borough where my love for cycling began - I hope that I can translate the love and passion that I have for the sport and make a difference in the same way that the race in Bexleyheath did for me.

John Scripps Cycling Development Officer

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

Winter starts in june

Dave Saunders

In the summer months, when most people’s thoughts are on grass cutting and BBQs, we’re planning for the wet and cold that winter inevitably brings.

We learn the lessons from previous years and prepare how we will battle storms that are yet to occur. This involves working closely with our colleagues at Serco, whose collection and cleaning crews switch to gritting when really bad weather sets in.

All year round, we also deal with our other work: from managing all the major highway works and maintenance repairs, to weed treatment and keeping everywhere as clean as possible.

We don’t just grit the roads when it snows, but also when they are icy. We start our gritting service around midOctober and it continues for six months. But most people don’t think about the gritting of the borough’s main roads and primary links until the first flakes of snow fall.

The thought of difficult journeys, disruption to public transport and school closures makes people anxious and grumpy, but it’s what we plan carefully for every year.

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Boldly and Rightly

When the white stuff does arrive in significant amounts, the comments we regularly hear are along the lines of: “I haven’t seen a gritter,” or “I can’t see any salt on the road,” or “They can’t have been out - what is the Council doing?”

Well, we and our Serco colleagues are working late into the night and from the early hours to put our plans into action.

Remember, rock salt dissolves in snow to form a solution, just as it does in water. So generally it can’t be seen even after we’ve gritted. People could always lick the road (after checking the traffic) and they’ll soon find out!

When the worst weather is over and April approaches, we take a deep breath and assess the year. We were pleased that, during the infamous ‘Beast from the East’ storm, there were no reports of any car accidents on our main roads.

Knowing that all our hard work has made an impact by helping to keep people safe and the traffic moving, is what makes it all worthwhile.

Dave Saunders Head of Street Scene Services

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

The ghost

Jane Goodrich

There is an urban myth that many youth centres are haunted. It’s probably because of the sudden eerie quietness after the high levels of noise, and the residual energy left behind when the young people go home.

One Friday evening, we were finishing up our session.

A few of the young people had stayed behind to help pack everything away. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I have to admit I had a faint feeling of unease as I did a final scan of each dark, empty room. Laughing and joking, we walked together down the long corridor towards the main exit to lock away the final remnants of the day and secure the building.

Suddenly, one of the team let out a short scream.

We stood there frozen.

In the gloom, a female figure glided past us across the lobby where we stood speechless. Then, she stopped.

We all burst into laughter. The cleaner who stood in front of us could not see what we had all found so funny.

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Boldly and Rightly

Our youth centres may be ‘haunted’ but they’re not as scary as what’s happening outside of them, so it’s important that we can remember to break the tension and have a laugh sometimes.

The recent increase in knife crime has left London reeling.

It’s a concern locally too. It’s easy to blame cuts to local authority funding; cuts to police funding; the ‘glamorising’ of gang culture through music and TV. Whatever the cause, this is a waste of young life – for the victims and the perpetrators.

I’ve been witness on many occasions to how much youth centres can positively affect the lives of young people.

These hubs are safe places; where our teenagers can escape some of the pressures or fears they’re dealing with and build relationships with other young people as part of a community.

If we can prevent someone from feeling alone, instil confidence, or even provide an alternative to a life of gangs and crime, then that is a job well done.

Jane Goodrich Youth Development Officer

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

Life’s a lottery

Bethany Vella

Blue- 385 Prize- Ladies hamper That was my ticket; I forgot I had entered a raffle, never mind knowing what cause it was for. I asked when I collected my prize, and found out that it was for the Bexley Winter Shelter. I signed up to volunteer there and then.

I arrived at Trinity Baptist Church in Bexleyheath at 7.15pm for my first shift. A couple of people were pumping up the airbeds and laying them in a row, accompanied with a pillow, sleeping bag and towel. I could smell spaghetti bolognaise cooking, which was to be served to the 12 men due to stay tonight. Other volunteers were laying the table whilst the team leader prepared the sign-in sheet.

We gathered together for a ‘pep talk’ before the doors opened; “don’t ask them personal questions,” “make sure you keep your belongings locked away,” “don’t let them drink alcohol,” “be careful, some might be inappropriate with women.”

I was anxious. I’m female, I’m young, I don’t know anybody, and I’ve never had a 3-course dinner with 12 homeless men. What would we talk about?

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Boldly and Rightly

We sat down for dinner and I sat by James. He was the youngest by far, maybe in his thirties, and he kept his jumper, coat, scarf and beanie hat on all night. He was reserved, unlike some of the others who openly shared their life stories. I don’t know where he is from, if he has a family or how he became homeless. But I know that he loves dogs, Harry Potter, reading the news and cooking.

We debated politics, religion and the Welsh language, where I even taught him how to say the longest name in Wales - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllanty siliogogogoch. We were never short of conversation.

Homelessness is one of the UK’s biggest crises and it’s not an issue that can be easily resolved. Housing Services for councils, particularly in London, are under huge pressures as they face increasing responsibilities with ever-limited resources.

Nevertheless, the current climate compels councils to adopt new and innovative solutions, such as Bexley’s newly established development company. I look forward to the opportunities for change that are being driven forward as I pursue my next graduate placement in Housing Services.

I wonder what luck my next raffle ticket will bring?

Bethany Vella National Graduate Management Trainee

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

Don’t give Up

Sarah Nicholls

“What have you got as a back-up?” The music producer crushed my dreams of being a singer in those seven words. I didn’t feel good enough; bullied at school for being too fat at 5ft tall, age (and size) 14 and spotty.

A change was painfully needed, so I consumed fitness like it was calories and became passionate about helping other people ‘stick it to the bullies’ by taking back control of their lives through exercise and healthy eating.

In several gyms as a Health and Fitness instructor, I had high hopes and dreams but encountered many obstacles along the way. I didn’t know how to listen properly. Those I wrote programmes for mostly didn’t follow them through.

I felt ineffective, deflated and de-motivated. I believed that I could make a more significant impact somewhere else - somewhere bigger; helping people who wanted to improve their quality of life.

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Boldly and Rightly

It was an evening in late August and we were welcoming a cross-section of participants from our Diabetes prevention project ‘Beat’ into the Revival café in Bexleyheath for a focus group (the first one I’d ever been part of running).

We listened to each person talk about how they felt and how resourceful they were when it came to keeping active.

They loved the free activities and had come to value the effects of the exercise enough to start paying for it.

A lady walked confidently through the door. “No sticks?!”

I asked. The woman managing multiple medical conditions was walking without her two support sticks for the first time in years. She had lost 20kg, felt healthier and was a different, much happier woman.

I had a lump in my throat as I choked my emotion down; I was finally part of something that was really making an impact – now that’s something to sing about!

Sarah Nicholls Active For Health Officer

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CHAPTER 1: Impact

“When I was younger...”

Shannon Lidbury

Good at listening, a super heart for unconditional love and an extendable circular arm that can hug 20 children at once; that’s what our ‘Superhero’ corporate parent looks like to the children and young people in our care. We know because we asked them.

I used to be a ‘Looked After’ child at Bexley. Now I’m back as the Young Director (I call Jacky Tiotto the ‘Old Director’, which makes me laugh – Jacky not so much.) It’s an apprenticeship role and I work directly with young people, getting their feedback and thoughts on their experiences in care and using this information to improve our service.

I feel lucky to have an opportunity to make an actual difference to the lives of our young people, as I was once where they are right now. My experience in care wasn’t always positive; I remember the feeling of being questioned by my social workers and I found it hard to trust them.

I needed a different approach.

When I first started as the Young Director, it took a while for young people to see me as a member of staff rather than their friend. It’s probably down to my approach. I think honesty is best and anyone who knows me will tell you that I say it how it is. I believe that honesty and building trust is what will break down those invisible barriers, the barriers that invite phrases such as “You don’t get it” or “You don’t understand.”

Shannon Lidbury Young Director

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Boldly and Rightly

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Listening and Responding

CHAPTER Two

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Boldly and Rightly

Listening and Responding HEADINGS HEADINGS

• create opportunities for feedback • be open • take time to understand and reflect • take action - do what you say you’ll do

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

Kindred Spirits

Dr Anjan Ghosh

I spent a large chunk of my formative years in India.

In residential neighbourhoods there, everybody knows everybody – sometimes a little too much! Aaarrggghhh!

But this makes for a vibrant, caring and connected community. So when I came to London, it was a culture shock of sorts to my system – to experience invisibility.

On a crowded tube packed full of sweaty people, you could shut your eyes and imagine you were the only person in the carriage (barring the body odours!) such was the heaviness of the silence. Speaking to a stranger in a public space made you feel like a stalker or serial killer.

Where I lived, I barely knew what my neighbours looked like, let alone what they did and how they were. Of course this is my experience – and many neighbourhoods are very different.

I was also struck by the way older people were viewed by many. In India, there is a natural respect that is accorded to elders; they are the holders of life experience and wisdom, and of customs and traditions, for which they are valued.

In England I’ve often felt that older people, who were no longer actively earning, were viewed as a burden to society instead of the asset that they really are.

Maybe they felt that same cloak of invisibility enveloping them…that creeping sense of ‘otherness.’

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Boldly and Rightly

So being in public health feels for me truly like a privilege – my life’s calling. I can actually make a difference to the lives of older people on loneliness and isolation, and many other issues of the heart and the mind.

A GP once told me how she came to be a public health doctor. She had this mum in her late-twenties repeatedly coming to her clinic with really minor ailments. So she decided to do a home visit. She found the place in a state of squalor, with one child eating a burger off the floor and sharing it with the pet dog. Her heart sank with the enormity of the realisation that unless the wider determinants were tackled – this woman would keep coming back to her surgery. So she left general practice and retrained in public health.

I share her story in mine because I feel this passionate commitment too – towards tackling wider issues that impact on health and well-being, like education, income, family and social support, housing and inequalities.

Dr Anjan Ghosh Director of Public Health and Deputy Director of Health and Well-being

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

The 15 and-a-half year old virgin

Robbie Currie

I care about making a positive impact in people’s lives, particulary in response to HIV. My story takes place in a traditional, ‘old-fashioned and in-need-of-a-makeover’ GP surgery. Whilst the floorboards are creaky, the GP is friendly. He has known the male patient who has just walked in for many years.

The consultation goes like this…

Dr: “Hello there, please come in and take a seat.

What can I do for you today?”

Patient: “Well, it’s a bit, um, [cough] embarrassing…

I’ve, um, I’ve got, um…”

Dr: “Whatever you tell me is completely confidential, so how can I help?”

Patient: “Ok, well, um… I’ve-got-spots-on-my-d**k… and I’m worried. Oh god, I’ve said it now!”

Dr: “Oh, I see. It’s good that you’ve come to see me today.

Try not to worry. The best thing to do is to pop into the Sexual Health clinic; they will be able to help. Here we go… here’s a card with the address and the clinic times. Now, don’t worry. Do come back if you need any further advice.”

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Patient: “Sexual Health clinic?! I… um… err… well… ok then, Doctor, if that’s what you think is best…”

And the boy put on his coat and left. Or, more to the point, the 15 and-a-half year old virgin stumbled out of the surgery, blinking… and more than a little scared.

Unfortunately, the time-constrained Doctor hadn’t examined his patient or asked about his sexual history.

He inadvertently sent a 15 year old virgin to a Sexual Health clinic.

The young man arrived at the clinic in a terrified state.

However, the clinic staff quickly realised the mistake and provided substantial reassurance and support.

They contacted the GP to talk through how they could support him in the future and rang me to talk through their actions to address the issue. I then got a letter from the young man saying what a brilliant service the clinic had provided!

This story has stayed with me for many reasons.

It shows how easy it is for people to make assumptions and to get things wrong, especially when we’re busy.

However, it also shows how easy mistakes can be resolved when a system is working well. The system in Bexley is working well, and the letter from the virgin proves it!

Robbie Currie Sexual Health Programme Lead

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

Percy’s last trip home

Will cooban

We in the Bexley Archives team think it’s vital to remind everyone that Bexley has a history, a valued heritage, and that bygone Bexley residents – our forbearers – lived lives full of promise, opportunity and possibilities.

But we’re also reminded that many of these local lives were cut short in their prime.

That’s why we’re so proud of all our WW1 research and commemorations – and here’s just one story which encapsulates this heritage, and reminds us that past and present are inextricably entwined.

We’ve recently been in touch with a gentleman, who sent us a book of his family history from their times in Bexleyheath and Welling. In passing, these memoirs mentioned a great uncle, Percy Nash, killed in the War, whose grave he had visited in Ypres.

Percy was the son of Albert and Emma Nash, of Trinity Place, Bexleyheath, and before the war he worked as a labourer at Reffell’s Brewery in Bexley.

By chance, we had just been researching Percy’s story, and found his picture in the local paper – a face that his family had never seen before. They were thrilled, yet emotional, to see his face for the first time.

We made contact with the family, sent them his photo, and received this in return:

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“Arriving home on leave in summer of 1917 in a dishevelled and unwashed manner and teaming with lice, the family refused to let Percy into the house until he was bathed and cleaned up in an outhouse in the garden; meanwhile, the family set to washing and cleaning his uniform…

Percy was a very kind, sensitive and gentle boy who would not harm a fly or kill a worm…

When his leave was up he told his father that he could not face going back to the hell-hole of Ypres…

But after much persuasion, his father took him to Bexleyheath station to catch the train back to London and his regiment. Percy got on the train, but got off again at the next station, Welling, and returned home.

With dire warnings ringing in his ear that he could be shot for desertion, Percy reluctantly returned to Ypres via Dover and Calais. Within a short period of time of returning to the Front, he was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele.”

Percy was 21.

For me, whenever I’m now on the train between Bexleyheath and Welling, I think of young Percy, his agonizing decision, and that last visit home.

Will Cooban Senior Librarian

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

The lollipop lady

Christine Gailer

I’m the lollipop lady on Hurst Road at the junction with Dorchester Avenue, and have been for 28 years.

My official title is ‘school crossing patrol’ but I still like to be called a ‘lollipop lady.’

Being outside, in the same position every day, allows you to see so much of the local community and to really be a part of it. It’s not just children we help – the law changed in 2001 so we could stop traffic for anyone wanting to cross the road. I have many elderly residents going to Hurst Community Centre that I assist regularly.

One day, an elderly lady who used to stop and talk to me came to me in a bit of a state; she’d locked herself out of her house just as she was leaving to go away for the weekend. She had no money and no way of getting back in – just her suitcase. Unusually, I had some cash on me, and so I lent it to her so she could continue with her weekend plans. I’ll never forget how grateful she was.

Another day, I placed my stop sign on the wall near to where I stand, whilst I walked up to put my flashing warning lights on. When I got back, it had totally disappeared.

I searched everywhere and while doing so, a resident came out to tell me a young man (with Downs Syndrome) who I knew - had made off with it! I eventually found it in the bushes near the community centre!

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There are a couple of mums with children, who cross with me each day. I remember the mums as little girls - and helping them. I can hardly believe they are grown up with children of their own.

It’s a joy to watch families grow and to play a part in keeping them safe. There are very few jobs out there where you become a fond part of hundreds of people’s childhood memories – but that’s what my job does for you!

Christine Gailer School Crossing Patrol

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

New eyes

Claire Boothby

On 22 June 1948, the Empire Windrush cruised up the Thames to Tilbury Dock London, disembarking 500 migrants from the Caribbean. How strange it must have felt to arrive on distant land, with diverse people in a different culture. 70 years later, I am helping to bring diverse and culturally rich communities together here in Bexley, through the Windrush Festival.

I remember when I first moved to Northumberland Heath - or ‘the Heath’ as I later realised was how it was locally known. For a year, I walked my double buggy up and down the high street, taking my twins out for a walk or a cheeky cupcake from Crumbs bakery. Whilst we were among everybody buzzing about their daily lives, I didn’t quite feel part of the community.

I was Head of Youth Work for a national charity before I went on maternity leave. I thought I was in my ‘dream job’ but after five years, I felt like I wasn’t achieving much.

This felt alien to me as I’d always been a career-driven person who set goals and knew how to achieve them.

On return from maternity leave, my post was to be removed and I had to find a different job, but I had no idea what I wanted to do.

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Fortunately, the new Community Partnerships team was being put together at Bexley - an innovative commitment to supporting communities to be stronger and more resilient. I secured a role as a Community Partnerships Officer. Little did I know the impact I would be able to have.

In moving from a senior manager role to someone on the front-line, I reconnected with the passion I have for making the world a better place.

The Windrush Festival provided an opportunity to engage with people from multiple backgrounds and cultures who have found a home in Bexley, as I have. I have rediscovered my talents as an enabler and facilitator for community cohesion and have found a whole new arena, to develop and share my skills in and to be and feel part of my own community.

I look at ‘the Heath’ now with new eyes. I can see connections between different groups of people and in our celebration of the Windrush generation, I take a moment to think about the migrants who found a home in London 70 years ago.

Claire Boothby Community Partnerships Officer

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

Library Smörgåsbord

josh Barnbrook

Despite the cold biting the back of my neck - and setting the intruder alarm off again - I love this job.

Previously, my daily commute routinely consisted of me wedged in a carriage filled to the brim; poorly sound proofed ABBA blaring through headphones and a cacophony of work colleagues. After spending 10 years as a sous chef, I saw the advertisement and happily swapped that chaos for a different challenge.

“Good morning Jimmy, have you seen the Bexley ring neck parakeets this morning?” That’s Jimmy in the worn, check coat. He is an avid ornithologist and likes to be first in before we get busy. “Not this morning. I did see a squirrel eating an OXO cube though!” Jimmy chuckles. We both make our way to our respective posts, him to computer number 4 with the chair that randomly changes height, and me to my desk by the window. The computer screen is dotted with post-its, the desk has piles of paper recycling bags plopped everywhere and a jammy dodger with a note attached.

Before my computer has spluttered to life, I’ve already made myself and Jimmy a tea and Delores comes in humming her tune. Waddling behind her is a gaggle of children, holding hands in pairs and dragging their book

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bags along the floor. Delores leads our Rhyming Hour with the local children. By 10am you can hear ‘Wind the bobbin up’ being belted out with varying accuracy all the way to the police station. Oh that reminds me, Theresa the post lady is nipping in to collect the children’s letters to Santa and collect the shoe box donations for local families.

I spend the morning looking after all the visitors, unjamming paper from the loans machine, helping folks find that book: “Well, I don’t know the name of it but the cover was green.” That’s me, Bexley’s very own Miss Marple!

Fiction

Boldly and Rightly

It’s time for lunch and I have a date. I have a date every day and his name is Colin. He is the sweetest man you’ll ever meet but he’s been ever so lonely since his husband passed away. We sit together at the table in the window with the sun gently caressing the tuna sweetcorn sandwiches and Ribena. We talk about everything and nothing.

There’s no slacking and my day speeds along here at the Library. I am a volunteer in this smörgåsbord that is my community.

“Hello, have we met?”

Josh Barnbrook Library volunteer

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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Responding

@whatsoninbexley

Teddy cambridGe

LB Bexley@teddycambridge Writing posts, sharing stories and informing people about upcoming events is just a taste of what I do. Informing thousands of people about our work every day means we must be careful to keep our messages true and clear.

LB Bexley@teddycambridge Sometimes we have no choice but to release information that people may not like. I remember when severe weather hit and we had to let people know how the snow was affecting many things like services, roads and transport.

LB Bexley@teddycambridge Angry residents commented: “So what are they doing then?”

“Don’t make me swear... Things happen...

So should refunds!”

“Not seen any gritters at all, what are you doing?”

How do you respond to them?

LB Bexley@teddycambridge My manager said to me: “Right let’s do something about this.”

He rushed down to the gritting plant at Serco, took a load of footage on his phone and then gave me a script. A few hours later we released a short video named True Grit.

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LB Bexley@teddycambridge *The following day and 3,000 views later…* “Well done all of Bexley staff” “Well done guys keep up the good work doing us all proud” “You are doing a great job, thank you”

LB Bexley@teddycambridge I was happy to see the positive comments and endless ‘likes.’ It’s nice when people receive recognition for their hard work.

LB Bexley@teddycambridge That’s why communication through social media is powerful. If you publicise in the right way, it can instigate widespread positivity which spreads to hundreds of people almost instantly. However, it’s a double-edged sword that can create a negative reaction… Hello front page news.

LB Bexley@teddycambridge In my short tenure, I have seen our social media grow by the thousands. Our messages are reaching more people and having a bigger effect. It’s scary but exciting to imagine that this tool can be used to affect thousands of lives with the touch of a button.

Teddy Cambridge Communications Apprentice

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Innovation

CHAPTER THREE

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Innovation HEADINGS HEADINGS

• champion new ideas and ways of working • take time for creative thinking • embrace challenges • learn from mistakes • actively listen • share insights

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

The plate over the mantelpiece

Ellen Care

The plate over the mantelpiece is very similar to one at my Grandma’s house in Cornwall. In fact, the whole room reminds me of her. But here at John’s place, there are the sounds and movement of life, whilst Grandma’s house is still since she moved into residential care.

I’m at John’s to do a research interview about the homecare service his wife receives. The contract is up for renewal and we want to make sure the views of people who have experienced it are fed into the new service.

His wife, Mary, is upstairs in bed, where she spends all her time now. But we can hear her TV programme through the baby monitor John’s hooked up to save her having to call out and avoid lots of trips up the stairs. He’s not as young as he used to be either.

As he heads upstairs to check on her, I’m once again grateful for the chance to get so close to the people who really matter in local government. Going out to talk to real people and seeing a bit more of their lives helps put big

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strategic conversations in context. An ageing population is not just a bar-chart that puts a pressure on our budget in years to come, it’s real people like John and Mary.

Getting old doesn’t feel like a problem the Council can solve – and maybe society needs to stop seeing it as a problem at all. As I’m more aware of my grandparents and parents getting older, I want a more aspirational view of ageing. But there’s no doubt that there are things that would make Mary and John’s lives easier, that shouldn’t be beyond our reach. And I’m committed to finding innovative ways to make that happen.

A few weeks later the research is starting to shape a new iteration of the service. Checking back on John and Mary’s address to send a letter to let them know how their input has helped us, I’m told that Mary recently passed away.

Her story will stay with me for a long time, and help to change the service for the better.

Ellen Care Transformation and Change Officer

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

Me and my Amstrad

Kate Price

It’s 1991 and I’m driving my Mini to my new job, with my Amstrad in the back.

When I arrive at Erith Town Hall, I carry the Amstrad, disassembled into three parts – the keyboard and mouse, the monitor and base unit – in three trips, up three flights of stairs to the top floor to teach WordPerfect. New-fangled word processing is something I’ll have to teach my new boss and his secretary first, before then teaching managers who have had typists to do all their typing for them, and then the typists themselves.

The typing pools, or typing puddles as they shrank in size, were typically made up of ladies who had returned to work after having children and young women who left school with typing qualifications. Now with the advancement of technology, they had to learn Word Processing. At Bexley we set up an RSA exam centre on-site so our staff could gain qualifications; I didn’t know of any other councils doing that. We also taught IT to employees of Greenwich and Dartford, as they didn’t have IT training in-house, let alone an exam centre. We ran exams like RSA Word Processing, CLAIT (Computer Literature & Information Technology) and IBT2 & 3 (Integrated Business Technology) that helped the typing pool ladies move into new lines of work.

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I’m proud of the part that I played in helping people to develop professionally and increase their confidence.

Bexley helped me too, by sponsoring me to gain my Computer Science degree, which I previously had to stop studying when I had a baby.

Setting up an examination centre was innovative back then and today we are most definitely still innovating. I love that there’s always a challenge with new things to learn and courses to write. Now we deliver live courses online in an hour, from whizzy things in Excel and Word to skills for future leaders, helping council employees to realise their potential. Technology is constantly evolving and we, as people, evolve too.

None of us are quite the same person we were at the start of our career, or yesterday for that matter. No wonder Bexley’s online virtual learning environment is called Evolve.

This year, 27 years after starting a contract job teaching word processing, I am retiring. I didn’t think I would stay so long, or realise how much technology would have advanced by the time I left. I do know one thing though, you never stop learning!

Kate Price OD Consultant (ICT)

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

‘Kids do well if they can’

Adrian Duffy

Up until the age of 30, I was a painter and decorator.

Looking for a career change, I took up weekend work supervising young offenders serving community hours.

Listening to their stories of being in the care system convinced me that I could make a difference.

I qualified as a social worker in 1993 and for the past 25 years I’ve worked in children’s homes and fostering services.

In 2017, the Council gave its support to an innovative approach to dealing with challenging behaviour from children in care. Collaborative and Pro-active Solutions (CPS) originated in America around ten years ago and I’m proud to be part of the team that has helped introduce this approach in Bexley.

It’s well understood that many young people in care exhibit challenging behaviour that is testing to parents, teachers and foster carers. Adult responses to these challenges often presume that the child misbehaves because they want to, and so interventions usually focus on rewards such as star charts, and sanctions such as detentions.

However, the CPS approach assumes that every child wakes up wanting to succeed in the day ahead, shifting from ‘kids do well if they want to,’ to ‘kids do well if they can.’

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Michael, aged 10, had a troubled start in life. He entered care aged 8 and had six foster placements in just his first year, as carers struggled to manage his very difficult behaviour.

A year ago, Michael was placed with a family trained in Collaborative and Pro-active Solutions. Michael stayed with his CPS carers for a year. He is now in school and has recently been able to move to a permanent foster family.

Over the past year, 35 of our foster carers have been meeting weekly to learn this new way of understanding challenging behaviour. Being part of this approach is how I hope to make a real difference to the future of young people and their families in Bexley.

Adrian Duffy Fostering Team Manager

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

Everyone loves Star Wars

June Knowles

It was the run up to Christmas when Star Wars became common ground in a user research conversation with a young man with learning disabilities. It turned out that he and I shared a love of Star Wars, which sparked conversation about the films and our favourite characters. It felt like a real, authentic conversation where I got to know him as a person; who he is, his likes (Princess Leia), dislikes (Darth Vader) and his hopes for the future (to go to college).

Preparing for adulthood for anyone can be an extremely challenging time. My two kids have certainly not become adults just by turning 18, and neither do young people with learning disabilities who move from Children’s into Adult’s services. A much more personalised approach is what we want in Bexley, which started with stepping out of our Council bubble and into this young man’s planet.

The research was invaluable. Research informs and empowers social work professionals to challenge and change the way they do things. It’s the beginning of a journey to make the process one that builds space to

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get to know the young person and design our services accordingly. If we get this right, our young people will benefit from a personalised and tailored service, as individual as they are.

A few months ago, the impact of this work was played back to me. A mother told me how pleased she was to have received a letter outlining this new approach as she now felt more able to celebrate her son’s strengths rather than focusing on his needs.

At a personal level, these experiences encourage me to bring the whole of me into the workplace. I am now more confident to bring forward ideas and challenge the way we do things.

June Knowles Project Manager (Transformation and Change)

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

Merry Quizmas!

Paul Speller

“And the winner of the photo round for our festive quiz is the Polar Express!”

The team had bought Polo mints from the café and held them aloft, whilst sitting in a train formation – good work!

2017 was the first year we had organised a Christmas quiz for staff, as part of a wider effort to improve our work-life balance. As the Council continues to face the challenges of having less money, fewer staff and the same number of hours in the day, my colleagues’ working lives are more pressurised than ever. It’s important that we can still make time for fun, to meet new people in the organisation and to have a break from our daily routines – even if that’s by identifying the intros to festive songs to win a trophy in the shape of a Christmas tree!

Now, I must get on with planning our next event: a street party in the atrium!

Paul Speller Senior Web Development Officer

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Beast from the East

Kerry WorthinGton

The emails were mounting up in the e-learning inbox.

It’s not unusual to get several in a day, but this was several in the last half hour. I was getting worried – is the new module I uploaded last week crashing the system?

But it was all down to the Beast – the Beast from the East that is. Heavy snow had been falling all night. I was lucky to be working from home, as was more than half of the workforce. And they’d decided to take this opportunity to make sure they were up-to-date with their online learning.

Just three years ago, we were struggling to encourage people to embrace remote and agile ways of working.

It had been a challenge to get people out of face-to-face sessions and into a virtual classroom. Now, our network was struggling to cope with the high volume of users logging on from home. I love training people and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills and it was great to see how far we’ve come as an organisation in embracing virtual learning and development.

Kerry Worthington, ICT Officer (Organisational Development)

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CHAPTER 3: Innovation

Doing our (fit)bit

Stuart Rowbotham

I saw a recent national newspaper headline that bemoaned the nanny state because some new advice from Public Health England has revised the daily calorie intake to just 1,600 for both men and women (previously 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women). PHE has said the figure is only a guide but has been prompted to issue the guidance because, as a nation, the average person is consuming 300 calories per day more than they require. I may be up on that charge thanks to my appreciation for Mars Bars.

The nature of the relationship between the state and the citizen is a complex one. The consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle, whether through choice or circumstance, often leads eventually to a poor quality of life for the individual.

And it’s costly to the hard-pressed state. Inevitably there will be a greater proportion of health and social care money spent on those with multiple and complex long term conditions and, as we survive into older age, so our chances of acquiring conditions like coronary and respiratory disease and type II diabetes increases. But many of these illnesses are lifestyle related and avoidable.

So what has the Council got to do with a healthy lifestyle?

Look at the great strides in health and happiness that were brought about by the reforms of the 19th and 20th

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centuries. Local government took on sanitation, water and air cleanliness and, pulled down the slums and built houses fit for families. Today, councils are no longer the great municipal providers of services that they once were but have become enabling and enterprising, creating the circumstances that help people to thrive rather than offering a grey, one-size-fits-all solution. It’s abundantly clear that with diminishing resources and rising demographic demand, we need a new solution. And the new solution will mean the Council adopting a more facilitating role and all of us taking greater responsibility for our health and well-being.

We’ll make these changes with our residents and other stakeholders, co-producing and co-designing the solutions that will enhance the well-being of our residents.

And when we’ve finished all of that, it’s highly probable a robot will have taken my place. Until then, I’ll be obsessively checking my daily step count on my fitbit to make sure I’ve done more than my wife!

Stuart Rowbotham Director of Adult Social Care and Health

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Open and Accessible

CHAPTER FOUR

cbnnsty tyjety eyuety u

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Open and Accessible HEADINGS HEADINGS

• be honest and accountable • use straightforward language • be approachable • strive to understand needs and respond clearly

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

Let’s go play… or make hay whilst the sun shines

jacqui Leaver

“Come on everyone, let’s go and build a camp in our alleyway - I have the jam sandwiches and blankets!”

That was me, aged 8. My wonderful childhood was spent growing up in Bexley’s brilliant parks. When we moved to Pengarth Road, located on a leafy estate, from a high rise block of flats in Northumberland Heath, I remember playing outside all day. The streets were alive with picnics, skateboarding, ball games and squabbles. All parents took responsibility for supervision and discipline – we all knew ‘the look’ and people respected each other.

Play was a way of life.

I decided that I wanted to make ‘play’ central to my career, from working in parks and open spaces to deliver the children’s play programme, to working with young people in schools to decide what new play equipment we need. The mood boards we created were so good that they were chosen to be displayed in the Hall Place gallery.

They wanted fences around play grounds removed, water features, fitness equipment and rock sculptures to climb.

The play world for Bexley had changed for the better.

As the Children’s Fund manager in Bexley, I decided to host a National Play Day event in Danson Park, my childhood garden. We had donkeys, bouncy castles, ice creams and

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a range of stalls run by the voluntary sector. But wait for it- we had HAY, lots of bales of HAY, a mountain of HAY – YIPPEEEEE! Then 5,000 families showed up. In the midst of this frenzy, I found myself smothered in HAY. The children picnicked on the hay; built castles with the hay; climbed on the hay; fed the animals with hay and now it was time to play in the hay.

Hay was everywhere, but we laughed and laughed, with the warm sun on our faces and the gently falling hay in our hot, sticky hands.

Pure happiness.

I intend to travel far and wide to share my vast knowledge of play with children across the globe because I can’t seem to find it anymore. Outdoor play is lost. I hope that when I return to Bexley, they will have retained the beautiful parks and open spaces because that’s where a very large number of our social skills and life lessons are born.

We must find safe outside play again. Play with your children and be playful. It’s training for the unexpected and enables us to understand the world and each other.

Jacqui Leaver Head of SEND and Health Commissioning

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

Ali Baba and the Chief Exec

Michael Bate

Your first week working somewhere new can be quite daunting for anyone. Let’s be honest, just trying to remember people’s names is bad enough.

During my first week I was introduced to the Chief Executive. I wanted to make a good first impression and come across as professional. He walked over and my manager introduced me: “This is Michael Bate who’s just joined our team.” My head was whirling – what would he ask me?

“Hello Michael, didn’t I see you in Ali Baba?”

My face went various shades of beetroot and my throat went dry. “Yes” I responded - it sounded as though my voice hadn’t broken properly. We exchanged a few more pleasantries but my mind was racing – did I do anything embarrassing (apart from the make-up and dodgy costume). Three things raced through my mind: 1 My entrance to the stage was being lowered from 20 feet whilst hanging onto a rope 2 I spent most of the show talking to a monkey puppet 3 Every time I entered the stage I had to ask: “Has anyone seen my Cobras?”

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Aaaarrrgghhh!

The Chief glided onto the next person and apart from it taking a few hours for my face to return to its normal colour, I survived this encounter.

I should point out that I’ve been involved at Erith Playhouse in Bexley practically all my life both performing in and directing countless shows. It’s still unnerving when someone at work has seen you do something outside of work.

However, it always reminds me that the people who work for Bexley (both Members and officers) get involved in activities across the borough. This, to me, helps foster a great community spirit. Over the years I’ve had many colleagues approach me to discuss the shows I’ve been in.

One such encounter followed my performance in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. I passed someone on the stairs who was very complimentary about my performance (I do get embarrassed about this – but in a nice way).

As I continued up to the third floor there was one thought I couldn’t shake from my head: “Oh no, she’s seen me in my pants!”

Michael Bate Head of Finance

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

Going green for the greater good

Natalie Forbes

We had acquired hundreds of trees for free through a few local volunteer groups that had applied for the Mayor of London’s Greener City Fund. The trees were donated to Bexley and planted in a local park, with help from the children of a nearby primary school as part of a special community day.

As a Communications Officer, I was really looking forward to writing about this positive and heart-warming story.

Bexley was doing something good for the environment and its green spaces, and was setting an example to the young children who were invited to help. I felt confident that the local newspapers would run the story.

Just as I was finalising my comms work on the project, I heard the news that there was a petition from residents against the tree planting. Instead of the positive story we had planned, it looked like the press would be covering a mini protest organised by the residents. I started to worry that the tree planting wouldn’t go ahead.

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In local government, we have to make difficult decisions every day, and ones that not everyone will necessarily agree with. As a public service, we have to listen to the voices of our residents and appreciate their concerns, but we also have to recognise that there are wider benefits to what we are doing.

It’s my job to communicate those wider benefits, explain why we make decisions and to get the message across.

In the end, we planted the trees and I’m glad we did.

Having worked in local government for less than a year, I learned something valuable about my employer.

My colleagues chose to do something for the greater good of the whole borough, its people and our planet.

The press may not have covered the story in the way we had hoped but the new trees are there now and they will help to bring fresh, clean air to the borough for many to enjoy, for many years to come.

Natalie Forbes Communications Officer

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

Building bridges

Jacky Tiotto

It’s 7pm and I’m in a fairly non-descript Civic Office room with five people, four of whom are, or have been ‘looked after’. The fifth person is one of our dedicated elected members invited by the young people.

This is our new forum for young adults leaving care and I want them to help me trial a warm-up exercise to use at a future staff conference. I’m hoping they don’t think I’m another adult out of touch with their day-to-day lives.

I have several bags of brightly coloured magnetised sticks and metal balls that can be used to make models.

I share the instructions: “You need to get into pairs, one of you will be an instructor, the other a builder.” I specifically ask the youngest people to be the instructors. They are allowed to see a pre-built model but the builders are not.

They have to build an exact replica without seeing the original. Everything depends on the clarity and focus of the instructors.

Within minutes, the models take shape and we have a winner! The victors are excited, especially the instructor whose face is beaming with confidence and joy. The room is buoyant! I ask what was needed

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to complete the task. I hear words like ‘trust,’ ‘relationship,’ ‘focus,’ ‘clear directions,’ ‘encouragement’ and ‘checking understanding.’ Everyone has understood the importance of clear communication between two people, when one of them (usually a social worker) has all the information and the other (usually the young person) has to trust and rely on the advice of the other. I can proceed to our staff conference knowing that they too will learn the importance of respectful and clear communication with the people we are trying to help.

The young person in the winning team tells me animatedly that she used to play with these sticks and balls when she was little. She loved it and could make anything.

In that moment, she forgets how hard things have been for her. This memory that she shares with me builds a bridge between us. I am moved to tears but I hold them back.

I resolve that I will make more time to find and enjoy connections with those whose lives I would like to positively influence.

Jacky Tiotto Director of Children’s Services

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

Hold the front page!

Jane Parson

The news room was filled with cigar smoke and tension as we looked at the story just in. Should we run it?

Would we end up on the scrap heap? The gnarly faced editor looked around. “Start the presses” he growled…

John Ferry was, and always had been, the editor of the Bexley Magazine – but I badly wanted to take on the role.

In 2011, John handed it over. Finally, it was my job to put together the Autumn magazine. The main story was two sparkling new academies.

The mag takes a week to print and it goes through a number of proof reads by different people.

The day it comes back is always nerve wracking.

I grabbed a copy and John was pleased with how it looked. He had confidence in me - I had taken the lead and had one mag under my belt.

Only a week later did we receive a call from a magazine deliverer highlighting a typo on the front cover – or was there really a ‘Haberbashers Academy?’ The horror!

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I really enjoy what I do in the Comms team. It may sound corny but I genuinely think we work for a great borough with great people. My job allows me to make sure that we communicate with residents and businesses in a way that is timely, clear and concise.

There are times when we have to clear up misconceptions or tell people what they don’t want to hear and times when we can say nothing at all.

Public funds are scarce and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. In 2016, a local splash park suffered serious drainage problems that would have been too expensive to fix and maintain. An alternative was found but, while the investigations and different funding opportunities were explored, there was a barrage of negative feeling towards the Council.

Working with officers and Members, Comms did our best to fill the information void with regular updates and details of progress.

The park re-opened in 2017 in a different all-year-round water park format and it is extremely popular once again.

I would always say that by having a clear message and being open and honest, we can make more friends than enemies in the long run.

Jane Parson Communications Manager

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CHAPTER 4: Open and Accessible

A day in the shoes of a front-liner

Jackie Marley

There are people at Bexley who are quietly dealing with uncomfortable situations every day.

I was a few weeks into my new job as an administrator in Children’s Social Care, when a social worker asked me to accompany them on a home visit.

As I walked into the living room, three large Dobermans came bounding over. The dogs were jumping up at me as they could smell my lunch in my bag. The owners didn’t quite sense my discomfort and I waited nervously for the social worker to arrive. When she arrived, she quickly realised that I felt uneasy and politely asked the owners to put the dogs outside.

Social workers don’t know what they are walking into as they enter different homes. And in most instances, overexcited dogs are the least of their concerns.

This situation made me realise some of the slighter, more taken-for-granted challenges that our front-line staff face, notwithstanding the serious, social matters that they are addressing.

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Perhaps we should all take the time to move away from our desks and meetings and walk a day in the shoes of front-line staff.

Three years later, I am still full of admiration for my colleagues on the front-line who do a difficult job day in and day out.

Jackie Marley Communications Officer

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Collaboration

CHAPTER FIVE

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Collaboration HEADINGS HEADINGS

• work together for the greater good • value everyone’s contribution • share knowledge across teams • encourage clear, straightforward communication • contribute positively to the Bexley story

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

Carrying a torch

Richard Kay

On 22 July 2012 - one of the hottest days of the year the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic flame travelled through the London Borough of Bexley.

At that time, I was the Projects and Information Officer based in the Sport and Leisure team.

Although not a host borough (so not having the same kudos as some of our neighbours), we worked together to welcome the Torch in style, with colleagues across the Council and partners in the local community to create lasting memories for the borough.

Working with the organising committee for the Olympic Games, we planned the Torch’s route across Bexley - down to the minute, with the flame appropriately entering the borough on a fire boat across the Thames, to be greeted at the new Erith Yacht Club – a facility recognised for delivering a lasting Olympic legacy. Working with the London Fire Brigade, the flame was flanked by a flotilla of local sailors, creating an iconic image as we welcomed the Torch ashore.

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Despite the years of planning, there were, of course, unforeseen issues – the biggest of which saw Danson Park (the site for one of only five Evening Celebration Torch events in London) left as a muddy quagmire following the combination of the annual Danson Festival and torrential rain. In the three weeks that followed, a herculean effort

by Council staff and partners saw the event move site, with such a degree of competency that the thousands that came to support on the day would have known no different. Despite dashing across the borough to the different sites on the day, I managed to be at the end to see Lennox Lewis carry the flame into the evening celebration.

The success of that day was down to incredible teamwork, leadership and often bloody-mindedness, as well as the huge amount of faith in our team to deliver. Nearly half of Bexley’s population was estimated to have seen the Torch at some point along the route!

Richard Kay Contracts Manager (Sport and Leisure)

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

Mucking in

Jemma Goode

“After one s**t job comes another s**t job”.

That was my first manager’s favourite saying.

I started in the Elections team in the autumn of 2013 as a casual member of staff, each day just opening the mountain of post they were receiving during the canvass period. By January, we were gearing up for a double election and I was an established member of the team.

I moved on from just opening the post. One day, I spent a whole day assembling flat pack ballot boxes and dissembling them, just to check the zips worked properly.

I spent a Saturday sticking number labels to ballot books, so the Presiding Officers knew which order to use them in.

The ballot papers for the European election were really long so the ballot books were huge. There were hundreds of piles – enough to fill a large room and the corridor. I sat on the piles of books, lifting each book and sticking a number label to it, for more than 8 hours…

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Another day, we didn’t leave the office until gone 2am.

I remember it was really hot. We had all the desk fans going and the windows open, but nothing helped.

The white folders - a bible for Presiding Officers - hadn’t been done and were being picked up the next day.

We had a production line going in the sweltering office until the early hours with everyone placing various bits of paper into the folders, until they were ready.

My manager’s favourite saying was certainly accurate but, thanks to the people I worked with, even the boring jobs weren’t that bad. The team spirit was infectious - everyone mucked in and just got things done, in the face of lots of monotonous tasks and huge time pressures.

While these jobs could be tedious, the care and the attention we gave to the work played a vital part in delivering a fair election and bringing democracy to Bexley.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but the work taught me skills that would set me up for my career.

Jemma Goode Internal Communications Officer

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

Culture shocks, Shell ladies and discovering hidden beauty

Paul Moore

A wise man once said “Art divides...” But I’ve seen first-hand the power that art and culture has to unite communities.

In 2003, I was drawn to work eastwards to the furthest tip of Kent, the Isle of Thanet. It was the second most deprived community in the South East. A programme was forming for a new cultural attraction - the Turner Contemporary Gallery. The first gallery scheme was to look like a huge submarine conning tower emerging from the sea-side of Margate’s harbour arm. It was truly visionary.

That first scheme was also costly and hugely contentious, with many in the town asking whether it was a luxury in an area of huge social need. Needless to say, commitment to the scheme fell apart when the cost of building – literally in the sea-topped £70m.

Thankfully, the Margate people and various partners stuck with the vision. Work was done to re-invent the concept as a far simpler and less-costly land-based gallery. Today a beautiful white glass cube stands at the base of Margate’s harbour arm. It has already attracted over two million visitors. More importantly, Margate has found a new cultural presence, confidence and profile. Many artists

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and creatives have relocated, drawn by the light, the affordable house prices and rent, and the creative vibe helped by HS1 links, of course.

During Bexley’s bid to become the London Borough of Culture, we didn’t centre on a single building or place.

We have beautiful places and spaces in abundance, providing a strong cultural offer, where each town and village in our borough has a local identity steeped in tradition. We also have vast human capital and a rich heritage worth celebrating – ‘hidden beauty’ was a key message.

Whilst we didn’t win the bid for the London Borough of Culture, the opportunity has paved the way to celebrate our unique cultural gems and legacies. It connected people and galvanised a belief in Bexley’s cultural offer which we are harnessing to realise our Growth Strategy and in creating thriving, sustainable and vibrant communities.

Like the Shell Lady of Margate, our Cob, or our homage to a child playing with a toy, Vickers Vimy, the real lesson from the bid for London Borough of Culture is that strong cultural and artistic communities can transform a place - bringing colour, interest, value and fun.

Paul Moore Director of Place, Communities and Infrastructure

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

Breaking boundaries

Kerry Sidnell

When you look at a world map, you see lines that have been drawn across the world that separate countries.

When I look at London on the map, I see the same lines being drawn that separate boroughs. Of course, we can’t see these lines in real life. Our lives don’t stop at the boundary of Bexley, as we cross into Greenwich or Bromley, and neither do our problems.

Three years ago, I became part of a new project that was set to change lives.

I was one of a group of Council Officers who attended a workshop at the Mayor’s Office in City Hall in 2015, to look at the potential of using a Social Impact Bond to improve outcomes for young people at risk of going into care. There was a definite buzz in the room and the atmosphere was filled with energy and excitement. I sensed that I was going to be part of something good.

Out of this meeting came an innovative new partnership, designed to commission a service that would keep vulnerable families together and prevent young people from becoming ‘looked after.’

As work progressed, realisation about the scale of the project and commitment required meant that some boroughs dropped out.

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The remaining five boroughs decided to push ahead and, two years later, ‘Positive Families Partnership’ was jointly commissioned by the London borough councils of Bexley, Merton, Newham, Sutton and Tower Hamlets. Positive Families Partnership, the first programme of its type in London, is set to help more than 350 young people over the next three years. It will offer access to intensive, therapeutic interventions designed to help address the young person’s behaviour and improve family relationships.

The development of this service has been made possible thanks to a unique collaboration between the social sector, local government, social investors and the Big Lottery Fund.

It has been a real challenge and a privilege to work with the other four boroughs and related partners.

Due to the perseverance of those involved, support from our leadership teams and Members, the project was successfully launched in February 2018!

I’m proud to say that through this collaboration we have had the opportunity to cross the lines, break through the boundaries and develop something that will make a real difference.

Kerry Sidnell Policy and Strategy Officer

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

Hans Solo of Bexley

Anita Eader

In February 2018, Bexley saw its first modern day slavery conference take place. As the manager of Bexley’s Safeguarding Adults Board, I organised the conference with important keynote speakers and invited a range of key partners.

So when I looked out my window on the morning of the conference and saw nothing but snow, my heart sunk.

Ok, so it may not have been the deserted snow plains of Tauntaun where Hans Solo bravely saved the hero, Luke Skywalker, but it was still slippery and windy with limited visibility as the blizzard hailed down.

I wrapped up and braved the elements, slowly making my way to the Marriott Hotel. As I got closer, I saw my colleagues also making their way in and started to feel more elated. Amazingly, 93 attendees from partner and community organisations across Bexley and our neighbouring boroughs had battled through the snow to attend.

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We had a straightforward agenda. We wanted to communicate the importance of recognising modern day slavery. It is a rather taboo phenomenon that isn’t often talked about or made visible in the public eye, but we received more referrals last year than ever before.

Sadly, it very much exists in the lives of some of our residents through trafficking and forced marriages.

By informing our key partners of the warning signs, reporting procedures and simply providing a space to discuss this important issue, we’re raising knowledge and awareness in order to take action. You can now see posters about modern day slavery around the borough.

I am glad that the snow did not hinder the first of many steps we and our partners will take to tackle this issue.

Anita Eader Practice Review and Learning Manager (Bexley Safeguarding Adults Board)

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CHAPTER 5: Collaboration

The power of community

Katrina Rattu

A highlight of my placement was attending a community-led event on International Women’s Day. A local all-female community group brought together women from different faiths, nationalities and ethnicities to break the stigma around domestic violence and periods. It was the first step to them taking the lead.

Bexley has a plethora of cultures. From the hubbub of church halls to the bustle of libraries and community centres, I believe that communities will be in the driving seat for services in the years to come. It’s exciting to imagine all the opportunities this could bring to Bexley.

Katrina Rattu National Graduate Management Trainee

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CHAPTER 1: Listening and Responding

HEADINGS

Leadership

CHAPTER SIX

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Leadership HEADINGS HEADINGS

• recognise we’re all leaders • be confident • inspire others with your passion • nurture an open and inclusive environment • invite challenge • be there for others • facilitate innovation • be a role-model for workplace well-being

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

No Billy bullsh*t

Julie Hayward

I am a proud and passionate scouser. I believe in young people and how youth work can improve their lives.

Making a difference has always been very important to me.

In a previous role, I was part of the fight to win equal pay for work of equal value, which included making a presentation to the House of Lords. So you would think that giving a presentation at a Council cabinet meeting would be a piece of cake!

The fact that the outcome of the meeting would affect young people’s lives, made it anything but. Making savings was an urgent necessity at the time. I was asked to step in to make the presentation at the last minute. I had to keep my emotions in check and make the case for saving money and retaining a youth service.

Our service and I knew that taking away the support we provide to young people was not the right decision.

With the support of colleagues and others, I knew we could make a strong case for a more focused service.

Galvanising the community, thinking about the changes we would have to make and putting our case together was the easy bit. We needed to convince the Cabinet, who faced the unenviable job of balancing the books in the teeth of unprecedented financial challenges.

I hadn’t realised that it would fall to me to do it!

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As I stepped up to the podium to begin the most important presentation of my life, a picture of the young people who depend on us flashed through my mind. As I outlined our case and played the DVD that my team had made with the community, the passion was too much for me. I found myself saying: “I am not a Billy Bullsh*tter! These are real lives we are dealing with!” Mortified that I’d said this out loud, I quickly apologised. Imagine my relief when the Cabinet members laughed!

I am pleased that, after hearing our case, the Cabinet agreed to reverse the original proposal and supported the changes we presented. It was easily a match for that day in the House of Lords around 30 years earlier.

The experience convinced me that, if you know your subject, put a strong case together and tell your story honestly, you can make the impact that’s needed.

Sometimes you’ve just got to believe in what you are doing and stick your neck out to get the right result.

Julie Hayward Youth Service Manager

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

The Newbie

Cheryl Jones

Looking over the bridge in the atrium, I see a young face looking back up at me. Her black, patent shoes are shiny and the backpack is slightly too large on her small frame. I smile as memories of my own children on their first day of secondary school come back to me.

Apprentices are arriving now with talent in abundance – they know more than a lot of us about IT and social media.

They’re hungry to learn and want to experience as much as they can.

But skills don’t just happen. It’s our responsibility to nurture our young workforce. With uncertain times ahead, we need to teach our children to be strong, resilient and adaptable.

Moving a newbie from a state of bewilderment to a place where they’re aspiring leaders takes thoughtful leadership and commitment. We need to be creating an environment where they feel comfortable to challenge the norm and can learn from mistakes without judgement.

I think it’s the first two months that can make all the difference.

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I’m very proud of our apprenticeship scheme and news of our good reputation for growing our own staff is spreading fast; it’s often the apprentices themselves who become our best ambassadors. And too right - let’s take pride in having a culture that unlocks talent, grows potential and supports individuals to become great leaders of the future. That’s the kind of organisation we should all want to work for.

Fast forward a year and I’m sitting in a meeting where the young woman is presenting an idea to the Design and Innovation Board. She is confident and I look around at the senior managers in the room, fully engaged with her presentation. These moments are the best part of my job.

Cheryl Jones Talent Development Officer

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

The Uncertain accountant

LeiGh Whitehouse

Accountants like things to balance: every debit needs a corresponding credit. We feel a sense of elation when things reconcile. We are taught that neat and orderly is good.

So it is as difficult for us as it is for anyone to adjust to a world where uncertainty reigns, and change is a constant.

‘Uncertain’ can sometimes be used as a euphemism for bleak, but of course it doesn’t really mean that. Uncertainty can lead to opportunity as well as risk, but it needs vision, insight and skill to navigate it successfully.

I arrived in Bexley 10 months ago and I’ve been impressed by colleagues who possess these traits in abundance.

There is an optimism and energy about the place that will only serve us in good stead in coming years.

Over the past decade, all councils have dealt impressively with bucket-loads of uncertainty.

The financial crash of 2008 and the subsequent publication of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, shocked us deeply. Deficit reduction and austerity are still with us.

The Revenue Support Grant is almost gone and councils are still no nearer to the point at which funding for local government might level out, let alone start to reflect the increasing demands and pressures we face.

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During this time, we have trimmed the fat, we have nipped and tucked, we have even cut. We have rethought what it is we are about; focused on innovative and creative ways to grow our resources and to make sure that they go further in their impact.

We have recently seen from Northamptonshire what can happen when an authority spectacularly runs out of road.

It appears to be a tale of decisions made without evidence, of wholescale structural changes that lacked a narrative explaining how they would deliver and, more latterly, of tough decisions ducked.

It is vital that through all this uncertainty, we retain the great qualities that have delivered for us so far and that we navigate it together. We’ll need more pragmatism, but also more invention. We’ll need to be supportive of each other but also to push ourselves onwards to be more ambitious.

Our resilience, optimism and desire to do the best for Bexley and its residents will be at the fore. I can’t be certain that this will see us through, but I have seen enough of Bexley to give me confidence that it will.

Leigh Whitehouse Director of Finance and Corporate Services

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

Anyone know a first aider?

Paul Holloway

I was cleaning the Mayor’s car in the Mayoral garage at the old Civic Offices site. A man burst into the garage, hysterical. Someone had been knocked down by a car.

Two days before, I had been on my first aid course.

The Council had encouraged me to do it and covered the costs.

I ran out of the garage and saw about eight people gathered around a man lying on the ground. His face was covered in blood - he had suffered a heart attack and the injuries to his face were from his fall to the ground, not a car accident.

I prayed that someone else would know first aid, but nobody did. So, desperately trying to remember everything I had learnt a few days before, I began chest compressions.

When the ambulance arrived, I thought the paramedics would quickly take over, but she told me I was doing the right thing and to carry on compressions so as not to break the rhythm. It seemed to take an eternity for them to get out the defibrillator.

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Before they took the man away in an ambulance, one of the crew members took me to one side.

He explained that they would carry on working on him in the ambulance, but his chances were very slim.

He said that if I hadn’t started CPR on him when I did, he would have had no chance at all.

Over the next few weeks, I made a number of enquiries to Queen Mary’s Hospital but, because I wasn’t a family member, they couldn’t give me any information.

Then one day my phone rang.

“Hello, is this the Mayor’s driver?”

“Well, the Mayor’s chauffeur actually…”

“You saved my life.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Paul Holloway Macebearer and Chauffeur to the Mayor

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

Custodians of Our green and pleasant land

Toni AinGe

Pearls of green, environmental oases, within the wider monochrome, sometimes sepia, urban landscape.

Bexley’s many and varied parks provide relief from our manufactured townscapes. Our parks provide a shared community space, a place for everyone.

And they are a blank canvas for residents and visitors to paint as they wish: a coming together of disparate communities and individuals; a random pattern; a cross section of society; a microcosm of the wider world in which the parks reside.

I picture the scenes...

Focused joggers, carefree bloggers Football boots; (wo)men in suits Meanderers and philanderers The striding-outers and the hang-abouters Sausage dog, poodle; labradoodle Melting lollies – picnic jollies Park-time givers; park time-wasters Spacey dreamers; ice cream eaters

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Barking, shouting; roundabout-ing Motor car park-ers, after darkers Tree huggers and ‘hunt the bug’-ers Pond dippers, excited day-trippers Dog walking group; pick up poop Commuter-rush; green grass - lush Breath fresh air; lone wheel chair A world of folk; wizened Oak Park run; jog-sprint-fun Park sit; relax a bit Park chill; calm, still Creeping dark, empty park And with every setting sun, the canvas is wiped clean again, ready for the next sketch…

Toni Ainge Deputy Director, Communities

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

The Bexley First story

Graham Ward

“Don’t worry about your office… you won’t be here for very long.” How many Bexley staff must have heard that line over the years?

The plan to get around 1,500 council ‘core’ staff onto a single site had been a long-held prize. Prior to the final move to 2 Watling Street in 2014, staff had been spread out across thirteen sites. By 2008, the estate was costing around £4m each year to run, with a sizeable make-over needed to make it fit for purpose.

A crack team went to work – the favoured scheme agreed by the Council was to partner with the (then) owners of the Broadway Shopping Centre. They had been awarded the brief to extend the shopping centre out onto the former Civic Centre site in return for relocating the Magistrates Court and providing the Council with a new Civic Office.

The scheme fell victim to the loss of confidence that followed the 2007/8 investment crash.

The story might well have ended there, with staff strung-out across costly, failing buildings. Thankfully, leading Members believed in the strength of the Business Case and the inherent value in Bexley’s estate. The officer team re-formed and went to work on a new plan – straddling the Borough Elections of 2010.

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A full option appraisal showed that the purchase and refurbishment of the former HQ of the Woolwich Building Society could be achieved without any Council borrowing.

A viable scheme was still possible and the overall plan was endorsed by the Council in 2012. From that point on, it was all hands to the pump. Saying that ‘everyone had a part to play’ would be an understatement – most people had several parts to play.

Some bought property, some sold property. Some led on design, some designed ICT and policies that helped us to work remotely. Some managed change and many manged the business whilst also working out how to manage in new ways and in new space. In short, it was a huge collective Council-wide challenge.

The Council set its heart on a big change and committed, starting work at 2 Watling Street, the day after Borough Elections in May 2014. Everyone did their bit - and more.

We had good luck and bad luck – but we stuck with it.

Finally earning the right to pack our bags and move in to 2WS… together.

Graham Ward Deputy Director for Major Projects, Infrastructure and Delivery

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CHAPTER 6: Leadership

A bird’s-eye view

William Morris

You will all, doubtless, be aware of the magnificent Clock Tower in Bexleyheath town centre. Many of you, I venture to hope, will also have cast your eyes upwards to view me – William Morris - in all my bearded splendour. What you passers-by below will almost certainly not be cognizant of, however, is that I am actually watching you, too.

From my lofty vantage-point I have a splendid bird’s-eye view over the broad environs below. Although I actually dislike the phrase ‘bird’s-eye’, bedevilled as I am by members of the pigeon fraternity.

I lived in the town in the 1860s, in the Red House - “the beautifullest place on Earth.” From my new vantage point, I have ample time to absorb, ponder and ruminate upon all the changes evident since I once dwelt here.

Long gone, alas are “the rosehung lanes of woody Kent,” which I so delighted in whilst driving in my horse-drawn wagonette from Abbey Wood station. I am delighted to note, however, that Bexley still retains much greenery, parkland, and sylvan sanctuary for its denizens.

The weekends I spent here were used for artfully decorating the house and for fun and games, bowls in the garden and bear fights among us men. I would act as perfect host,

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coming up from my cellars with arms full of wine bottles.

At night, our guests would play hide and seek or gather around the piano to sing old English songs.

Weekend evenings in Bexleyheath seem, on occasions, to be marked somewhat less decorously in these more modern times. Nonetheless, I see great improvements and advances: a vast array of retailers, selling provisions and merchandise undreamt of in my time; food and refreshment establishments from all-known quarters of the globe; broad, wide pedestrianised environs (now thankfully untainted by any residues of equine manuring); revolutionary means of public transportation by omnibus or railway locomotive; and a contented, comfortable and cosmopolitan citizenry going about their daily business without fear of plague, pestilence or polluted water.

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Fortunate indeed are they to be living in Bexley at such times!

My only regret is that the ladies no longer appear to sport elegant bonnets or parasols. Oh, and of course the fact that I have to share my vantage point with these infernal pigeons!

William Morris Founder of Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain (As told by Will Cooban, Senior Librarian) www.bexley.gov.uk/sites/bexley-cms/files/ The-story-of-William-Morris-and-the-Red-House.pdf

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WHAT’S NEXT

Read and reflection exercise

What’s Next

We hope the stories in this book will help everyone who lives and works in Bexley understand what public service means in our Borough. Understanding what the Council’s values mean in practice is critical to making sense of our working world, the opportunities and challenges ahead. These questions should help you to think through what’s important about how you play your part in meeting the aspirations and outcomes for all Bexley’s communities.

This book isn’t about making heroes of the contributors to the book – and we definitely don’t want to suggest that all you need to do is be like them. We are clear; we can all be like this and work in these ways.

We hope you’ll consider the questions and give any feedback via the Communications team at feedback@bexley.gov.uk

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• What are the key themes in the book?

What inspires you?

• What stories stand out or are most surprising?

Notice your own reactions to the pieces – which ones resonate, which ones make you think I/ we do that (or could do more of that)?

• Which values most reflect how you see yourself and others at the Council?

• Where are your strengths? Where might you need to make a shift to fully live and breathe the values?

• What are the stories you tell yourself about your work, how you do it and why is it important?

• What stories could you tell your colleagues, friends, family and communities that build momentum towards a positive future for Bexley?

• What next steps do you want to take?

What, if anything, is stopping you from being the best public servant you can be? What can you do to change this?

To find out more about any of the stories, email feedback@bexley.gov.uk

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WHAT’S NEXT

Invitation to write or tell your own story

What’s Next

We need more stories of public service in Bexley.

Stories like these have a vital role in illustrating how we are overcoming challenges and making a difference.

In developing the stories in this book, we used simple creative writing and storytelling techniques that anyone can use. And like the stories in this book, the stories can be written from your own point of view or fictionalised if they contain sensitive issues. You can interview a colleague and write it up using the interview questions below.

Stories come in all shapes and sizes. Some are best told out loud, others are for reading, enjoying and reflecting on.

We hope you’ll share your stories with colleagues and email them to feedback@bexley.gov.uk Story exercise Work in pairs. Interview your partner. Take it in turns and don’t rush. Give yourselves around 20 minutes each.

1. Introduce yourselves

Share a few small personal details (why you are like you are, something that’s big for you in life, maybe something outside of work? Please say why you choose to work in local government).

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2. Share a significant story of something that’s happened while you’ve been working at Bexley.

Where does your story take place? Place it somewhere/ give us a distinctive image or detail, something that’s visual, unusual, interesting or important to you.

3. What’s the heart of the story?

Who did it involve? What happened? What was the obstacle you had to overcome – a challenge or struggle (note: this is really important in any story)?

4. Give us a personal reflection or a bit of learning that came out of this story?

Something small, something that stayed with you.

5. Why did you choose this story?

Why is it important? What does it show?

Relate your story to one of the Council’s values.

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WHAT’S NEXT

For teams

What’s Next

The stories in this book have implications for all teams in all departments, for front-line delivery, for long-term strategy and specific policy development. By sharing and discussing the stories collectively, you’ll be able to see where there is most potential to make improvements, to strengthen and embed the values and behaviours and to do things the Bexley way.

We invite managers and team leaders to put aside some time to discuss the stories in one of your regular meetings.

Use the questions below as a prompt to facilitate the conversations.

• What sits behind these stories that impacts – positively or negatively – on people’s ability to live the values?

What are your team’s most important mindsets, behaviours or culture? Can you identify them?

How honest and open are you about this?

• Is everyone proud of what we do and committed to develop ourselves for the good of the organisation and the communities we serve? And how can we support each other to do this?

• Is your team clear about what makes the difference and what great public service looks like? Where does it want to get to and how does it intend to get there?

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• How could you tap into the creativity in your team, build skills of creative thinking and story-telling to change conversations and generate new solutions?

• What are the stories about the challenges and opportunities in your team? How do they compare with the stories in this book? What conversations take place about financial challenges and the ethos of public service?

• How creative and courageous is your team?

If you work with partners, how do you collaborate, commission, influence and consult?

• How could you use the idea of story-telling to help communicate better?

We would be grateful for feedback on your conversations – the detail of the conversations in teams are for you, but we are keen to collect any themes arising to help us plan support and training in the future.

Please send any feedback to feedback@bexley.gov.uk

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BEXLEY’S COLLABORATION WITH SHARED PRESS

Bexley’s collaboration with Shared Press

Shared Press

The Council has been supported by Shared Press to produce this book. Shared Press is an independent publisher (a social enterprise) with a remit to share stories that engage with the sharp edges and messy boundaries of modern life; to give voice to new writers who care about ideas and innovation; and to inspire new creative conversations with readers.

About Dawn Reeves – Director of Shared Press and story activist Dawn is a successful facilitator, creativity and leadership trainer and writer. A former director in a Council, she now works with a range of clients looking for creative approaches to making change happen. Her energy and enthusiasm for this work come from a deep curiosity about the world and a drive to collaborate with the people she works with. For this book, Dawn ran a creative thinking and writing workshop, collaborated on creative conversations and supported the team at Bexley to curate this publication.

Contact Dawn via dawn@dawnreeves.com For updates on new projects and titles, see sharedpress.co.uk

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Boldly and Rightly Stories about public service in the London Borough of Bexley In this inspiring collection of micro-stories, public servants share the challenges they face, their proudest moments, hopes, fears and ideas for the future. In an environment where all councils face uncertainty and reducing resources, these stories illustrate the complex realities of working in the public sector and show the positive impact that council staff have on the communities in the Borough.

These stories – imaginative, innovative, celebratory, pragmatic and passionate – all have an important message about public service in Bexley. This is how we are now and also what we want to see more of in the future.

“This book is a great read, full of creative and inspiring people.

It’s a view of public service that many of us never get to see; a chance to walk in the shoes of those who choose to work in public service because they want to make a difference.

And we get to see how they do it in practice!”

Gill Steward, Chief Executive, London Borough of Bexley “Organisations need stories to help people make sense of their working world. Stories connect the head and the heart, what we do in practice with why we care about it, and critically why we’re prepared to go the extra mile.”

Dawn Reeves, Author, writer for The Guardian and story activist Ali Baba and the Chief Exec * Beast from the East * The Carnegie resurrection * From cycling champ to cycling officer * Doing our (fit)bit * Breaking boundaries * Hans Solo of Bexley * Life’s a lottery * The lollipop lady * Library smörgåsbord

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