Ever since Wiltshire Council became a Unitary Authority it has cut staffing levels year after year, resulting in the service delays, serious failures and decisions, resulting in injustice and court actions.

This is partly because of Central Government Cutback, but it is also because Wiltshire operates like Corporation, paying executives high salaries, bonuses and expenses while keeping care staff wages low.

As a result, most of its key community services are running at dangerous staffing levels, with little management support, making them 'Unfit for Purpose', which is considered a serious failing of a Local Authority.

This then means remaining staff are overworked and become stressed, ill and often leave because of serious health problems or dissatisfaction.

These staff are not replaced immediately and sometime never replaced.
In some critical instances the Authority employs expensive Agency Staff. This is because Wiltshire Council's reputation now precedes them and potential applicants for Professional post are wary of applying,

This creates a downward spiral of reducing staff levels, conditions of service, quality of line management, serious deterioration in all critical services and reluctance to pay out benefit entitlements, etc.

This leads to legal appeals against their decision that are often won in court, with additional cost to the Council. Sadly, many people do not have the will or knowledge of their entitlement for reconsideration & appeal.

In fact, this is one of the ways Wiltshire Council is failing. It does not properly disclose to people what their options are and their Advice and Complaints Teams have also been cut and fail in their responsibilities.

Another serious impact on these services is that the managers have to be drawn from a diminishing pool of often inexperienced professional, staff, or seek managers from elsewhere to fill the gaps.

Again, any good manager hearing of Wiltshire's failing would be reluctant to apply. However, those simply seeking a good career move with a good salary are more likely to compromise their work ethics to suit Wiltshire Councils 'self-protect' and 'risk averse' service strategies.

Hence the downward spiral of levels of service and diminishing reliability and quality of services, leading to serous failures to support those in desperate need and protect the most vulnerable.

There are no Wiltshire Council run Youth & Community Services in Wiltshire and the diminished Community Services have been cut further to the point where Community Outreach workers are now covering 2 or 3 patches.

How do I know all this?
I have been a Professional Social Worker and Community Worker in most specialist fields, from Youth work, Disability Services, Mental Health and Elderly support of all kinds. I have also been a manager in many of those fields.

I have lived in Wiltshire for many years. I have worked for Wiltshire Council as an Agency Worker and employed as a Community Worker, Social Worker, and a Mental Health Support worker. I have also been a Town Councillor and a District Councillor much of my time in Wiltshire.

Professional Teams were great but seriously overworked and we soon saw the staffing cutbacks year after year. I reported these 'shortfalls' to management and was bullied (twice). I successfully got that dealt with, but the management structure was becoming institutionally bullying.

I eventually 'Whistle blew' and was sacked. I was so pleased to get out that I did not challenge the unfair dismissal. I had meanwhile been doing voluntary work and helping run small charitable volunteer groups, looking to fill in the gaps left by Wiltshire Councils failing services.

I now run a Charity that provided support to the most vulnerable in the community and provided Music, Art & Craft opportunities for the community to help develop talents, skills, confidence and careers Calne in Tune (Calne Central Project). I get lost of feedback there.

I have been working as a Community Advocate and have won all the 12 cases I have taken against Wiltshire Council on behalf of my vulnerable clients. Other issues and cases I have managed to get sorted by direct negotiation. People of all ages come to me with their dreadful experiences.

I also get feedback for ex-staff of Wiltshire Council (some of them colleagues at some time), some confidential disclosures from a number of Wiltshire Staff and I am in a good position to see what is happening within most departments as a local politician. I can read between the lines also.

In fact, if you look at the state of the roads, pavements and the reduction of community infrastructure and facilities, you will see some of the serious impacts of Wiltshire Councils failings. Others of you will have experienced the lack of services in the most critical areas.

It is time to get Wiltshire Council Officers (Executives) and Wiltshire Council elected representatives (Councillors) to face up to the serious failing of Wiltshire Council. Yes, others are failing, but we live in Wiltshire and the Council is Tory run, bowing to a Tory Central Government.

This is not just a failing of duty in terms of the financial shortfalls, but the serious impact upon protecting the most vulnerable. Wiltshire Safeguarding Teams are one of the worst offenders and do not comply with its obligations or the Law. Vulnerable People are unsafe in Wiltshire.

It is a legal requirement upon the Authority to publicly acknowledge/admit to those evident 'Service Shortfalls', and how they arose. It is a Legal Requirement of them to report these shortfalls up the management hierarchy and then on to Central Government.

It is now my belief that Wiltshire Council is no longer fit to Manage it critical services and the council needs the interventions of an independent body to take over its management until its critical services are made fit for purpose.

Please sign the petition and help bring about this important change before more damage is done to our local communities. Please also pass it on to friends and family, especially if you are employed by Wiltshire Council (to protect yourself from their bullying).

Please Sign the Petition and Share with friends and family.

Terry Couchman - Tel/Text: 07910173336