Foreword from our Chief Executive, Anne-Marie Bond
Our people are, and will always be, our most important assets. Without them we cannot deliver vital services to our residents and our place. Ensuring therefore that we have the right environment for our people to thrive and achieve is critical to our success.
I know that I am who I am today, both personally and professionally, due to the support, development and opportunity that the Council has given to me over many years. Consequently, it is so important to me that I ensure that everyone has the support, development and opportunity to achieve their aspirations.
It is also really important to me that we engage and support one another in the best way possible. As a small unitary council, one of our advantages is our ability to create and maintain relationships, ensuring that issues are raised and resolved in a positive and supportive way. Whilst responsibility is hierarchical, relationships are not and it is relationships that set the foundation for an empowered, supportive culture. The ‘Torbay Way’ of being relational in our approach, to one another and our residents, is therefore a cornerstone of our strategy moving forward.
It is a really exciting time in the Council, we have been transforming and improving in so many ways, as was recognised by our peers when we won the LGC Most Improved Council Award in 2023. This strategy however is the next step in ensuring that we set our ambitions high for our people, and that we take the necessary action to deliver upon them.
We have made a lot of progress already, for example we have introduced the applicant tracking system to provide a modern efficient recruitment solution with consequent improvements in our onboarding and induction programme; we have designed new management and leadership training, and we are improving our wellbeing support all the time. All of this work to date has laid the foundation for what will come next, and will ensure that we do everything possible to support our people.
Anne-Marie Bond
Chief Executive