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atnkThe magazine for NKDC staff

issue 1

Computer says ‘yes’

Why all the fuss over security? 4

January 2010

A day in the life...

Find out what your colleagues

are up to 6

Welcome to the

first edition of atnk, a new publication designed to keep you informed about the people and the issues at North Kesteven.

Every edition will focus on the big questions that matter to people, and we will feature people who work for and with NK.

The first atnk comes at a critical moment. The recession continues to dominate the headlines, and we are taking stock to ensure that the Council has the right focus to support residents and businesses as the economy moves forward in 2010.

We are finalising plans and budgets for the next three years, with a commitment to deliver on our priorities and improve services in a world where there is less money around.

Let us know what you think about atnk — tell us what you want to see in its pages, and we will do our best to make sure that it provides you with relevant up to date news about those who make a difference at NK.

IAN FYTCHEChief Executive, NKDC

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North Kesteven has recognised the long service of two members of staff.

As part of the last Full Council meeting of the year, Environmental Manager Nina Camm and Assistant Building Surveyor Stewart Noble were given certificates in recognition of their long service by Council Chairman Councillor Fred Ambridge.

On 14 January 1985, Nina joined North Kesteven District Council as a clerk dealing with refuse complaints within the Public Health Department.

From there she has progressed through training and self-motivation to a position overseeing waste collections and recycling.

Taking over the management of the waste collection service on the retirement of Keith Robinson, Nina was determined to lead by example and passed her Category C lorry test.

Cllr Ambridge described Nina as “one of the best-known members of staff at North Kesteven”.

Stewart Noble started at NKDC in 1984 with the DSO as a Joiner, rising to Temporary Clerk of Works in Housing and Development by November 1989 which became permanent in1992.

During his time as a Clerk of Works Stewart supervised a number of the Council’s major projects including the refurbishment of Cogglesford Mill.

News from NK

Get in touch with your spiritual side at an evening of clairvoyance.

See Beverley Sherman use her psychic abilities to connect with both spirits and the audience on Thursday 11 February in the Council’s Civic Suite.

The evening starts from 7pm, and tickets are £7 each. There will also be a raffle and light refreshments.

All money raised will be donated

to the Council Chairman’s chosen charities, St Andrew’s Hospice for Children and DEAFLinks.

To book your tickets for the Evening of Clairvoyance, please contact PAs to the Chairman and Members, Pam Lupton or Sandra Lea, ext 2220. Payments can only be made by cheque. Please make them payable to North Kesteven District Council.

Are you feeling spiritual?

Long service awards for staffFifty collective years of service are rewarded

Psychic set to pay North Kesteven charity visit

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Straw houses near completeSchool pupils visit site to bury time capsule

Did you know?51% of the District’s population aged over 16 are

married, compared to 44% in England (Census 2001)

North Kesteven’s pioneering project to build the country’s first council homes made of straw should be complete by late February, three weeks ahead of schedule.

Builders Taylor Pearson Construction are pressing on with internal fittings and plastering, as seen by the Eco Star pupils from All Saints Primary School, Waddington, recently.

The 15 students were all awestruck by the revolutionary design and build technology which includes sheep’s wool padding in the floor and roof for insulation, recycled glass bottles in a waterproofing membrane, recycled clay from power stations

and lime instead of cement in all aggregates.

While visiting the two semi-detached homes – where they were put to use in testing the sound proofing – they asked many questions about sustainability and eco issues.

The children even got chance to bury a time capsule they had prepared, including newspaper and magazines,

money, photos of the village and their own personal submissions, under the floorboards of what will become the kitchen area of one of the homes.

They are built with three times the insulation values of conventional homes and feature solar water heating, double and triple glazing and entirely chemical-free natural construction materials, wherever possible.

Waddington’s Eco stars and

Councillor Mrs Brighton, OBE,

visit the site

Computer says ‘yes’The Council’s IT function has been through some major changesNKDC staff may have noticed various changes around the Council offices recently, including the need to log onto the system with CryptoCards.

This is all part of a government scheme to improve security around data sharing between local authorities.

Government Connect is a project which will provide a more secure method of transferring data between different local authorities, and between local authorities and central government bodies. It is being funded by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP).

One of Government Connect’s key features will be its secure extranet — similar to an intranet, but shared between a number of organisations. Access to the extranet will be via a dedicated, encrypted link, rather than over the public internet.

Information Services Manager at

NKDC, Anne Tyler, tells atnk: “There have been a number of highly publicised data losses from various Government organisations and partners, which has led to personal information about citizens entering the public domain.

“The initial use for the Government

Connect system is to transfer personal information about benefit claimants between councils and the DWP by a secure electronic link, and to give Benefits staff access to a secure DWP website.

“It is likely that it will develop into the

main channel for secure communication between all central Government departments and local authorities.”

Generally speaking, all local authorities will have to implement two factor authentication for logging onto the network. In the case of NKDC, this is CryptoCard one-time passwords, plus a general network password changed every 30 days. Security on remote links and mobile devices, such as laptops and BlackBerries will also be increased.

ICT Support Officer Gareth Kinton says: “There was a lot to do to comply with the guidelines. We had to encrypt every mobile device, hard drive, upgrade all laptops, add support for new wireless systems and set up a local firewall among other things.

“The deadline was September, but we managed to get everything sorted by the end of last April.”

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‘It gives Benefits staff access to a secure DWP website’ Anne Tyler

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MICK FOXPHOTOGRAPHER FOR ALL OCCASIONS

FOXTOGRAPHY> Press> PR & business> social> weddings & family pictures

Tel: 01522 752394Mob: 07889 799768

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‘What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at NKDC?

We asked...

‘I asked someone to describe themselves in three words’

“During a recruitment interview, I asked someone to describe themselves in three words: they said ‘Scorpio’ and ‘dog lover’! Not quite what I was looking for...”Jean PattisonFormer Human Resources Manager

“I was invited in to a client’s home. Several people were already there and continued with their conversation. Only after a few minutes did they address me with ‘cup of tea, vicar?’ I then realised I was too late visiting.”Sean JohnsonHousing Renewal Manager

‘My colleagues have never let me live it down’

‘I visited a client’s home and was invited in for tea’

“To celebrate the 20th birthday of the Tourist Information Centre last summer, staff invited local children to a Teddy Bear’s picnic. They took it in turns inside the bear suit and one of them — who shall remain nameless — led the children in a dance routine. I didn’t take a turn inside the suit!”Denise SpearmanVenue Services Manager

‘They took it in turns inside the bear suit’

“While I was visiting a couple in respect of a benefits review, Police in riot gear rammed in the doors to search the property. I was imagining all kinds of

scenarios such as my manager bailing me out of custody. However, I pulled out my ID badge and said: ‘I’m from the Council: may I leave?’

“There was an article in the Sleaford Target that week about a drugs raid in Metheringham — my colleagues have never let me live it down.”Donna Allbrook Housing Benefit Assistant

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The Communications Team rarely has a normal day.

In addition to dealing with responses to press queries, they produce all of the publications, marketing materials and graphics you see around the building — or land on your doormat.

In between all of that they try to get out and about to meet as many people as possible — whether it be Officers, Members, Stakeholders or the Media.

Press & Publications Assistant Chloe Butterick is usually first in the office and deals with all press calls, usually several at once and often at the end of the day. But that’s only half the job, as Chloe explains: “If one more person says ‘Don’t you just write press releases?’”

When she’s not doing that she’s writing copy for NewsNK, the Council’s quarterly newspaper for residents;

editing copy for all of NKDC’s publications and making sure they are not full of Council jargon.

The fact that Chloe reads pretty much all of the copy leaving the Council building means she has accumulated an almost scarily encyclopaedic knowledge of NKDC.

Press queries can take a number of channels – it could be a call from a reporter at the Lincolnshire Echo asking for a statement, or BBC Radio Lincolnshire wanting an interview.

Most media interest comes from the team working proactively across the Council to identify potentially newsworthy stories — or landmines: a court hearing for a Licensing issue, an item of interest on the Executive Board agenda, or the opening of a new park, for example.

Once a press release is written,

approved and sent out to the journalist the team suggest and organise interviews.

Press & Publications Officer Jason Hippisley recently joined NKDC from the Market Rasen Mail, where he was Editor. His challenge is to put together the Council’s Annual Report and Corporate Statement, as well as a several other publications and reports — while ensuring the rest of the team have enough doughnuts on a Friday afternoon.

“The job really appealed to me because it was very clear the Council was looking to change the way it communicates,” says Jason.

Graphics Manager Steve Wallhead heads up the GraphicsNK team, which consists of himself and Graphic Designer Rachel Thirde.

A day in the lifeThere’s rarely a dull day in the Communications Office...

Spreading the Good News: the team’s winning

Christmas Office Decorations entry

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“We design and arrange printing for the entire council, as well as some external clients,” Steve says. “We make sure the corporate brand is adhered to, and produce some pretty eye-catching stuff. After all, if a document is unattractive and full of text, no one will read it!”

He adds: “I’ve really enjoyed working on the Swine Flu material to promote handwashing among NKDC staff. Our advice stickers around the building were so popular we were asked to produce versions for South Kesteven DC and Lincolnshire CC!”

Rachel was responsible for the DistrictNK corporate branding: the slightly controversial orange logo — affectionately known as the ‘NK Blip’ by the team. She has been at the Council for six years.

Rachel says: “I enjoy design and its possibilities, so I love my job. However, it is a challenge due to the various budgets and subject matter. I especially love the customers and people I work with.”

Communications & Media Manager Pip joined NKDC in February this year, tasked with bringing a more strategic direction for the team and revamping the District’s many publications.

“I feel like I’m in meetings all the time though!” she says. “I joined NKDC from a magazine called Local Government Chronicle, so it’s a big change for me.

“Trying to get out and about as much as possible can be quite difficult, especially when we’ve got a big story on the go — but it’s amazing how much better coverage you can get just by being on good terms with the local press, even if it’s as simple as going for a quick coffee with a reporter after work, which is no great hardship! Contrary to public belief most journalists are not a bad lot really…”

Despite the pressures of the job, the team insist they love their jobs. But what is their favourite bit?

Pip says: “I love turning a potentially negative story around into being a positive one. I also like getting out and meeting people around the District — no two days are ever the same.”

The downside of the job is that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t guarantee the press or public will be on

your side. “The Tesco planning decision was a good example of this,” says Chloe. “You just have to be professional and get on with it.

Jason adds: “Councils invariably get it in the neck despite all the great things they do. Our job is to ensure residents hear the good things we do, so that we’re not just fire-fighting contentious planning decisions. If we can raise awareness that we do more than collect the bins, then that’s great — we go home happy at the end of the day.”

‘No, I don’t just write press releases!’ Chloe Butterick

Did you know?“Kesteven” is derived from two words: the Celtic ‘coed’ meaning

wood and the Old English ‘stefna’, a meeting place

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?1. Which broadcaster signed off his regular BBC weekday show during

December?

2. Who was the 2009 X-Factor winner?

3. Who is controversially returning to ITV from Channel 4?

4. You, me, the polar bears and what are all in peril if Earth warms by 2C, warns

WWFsColinButfield?

5. The UN has urged England fans to recycle what at the World Cup to reduce

their carbon footprint?

6. According to recent research, which restaurant is said to be the favourite of

Mr & Mrs “Made-it”?

7. Which UK air carrier went into administration in December leaving thousands

stranded abroad?

8. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has been brought in to advise

which city?

9. The Prune People are the top sellers at which Christmas market?

10. WhowasthevillaininarecentrepublicofIrelandworldcupqualifier?

Answer the questions below to win a family train ticket valid for travel on

any East Midlands Trains Service until 1 May 2010

atnk is your magazineAtNK is produced by the NKDC Communications Team for all North Kesteven District Council staff.

Email: Communications@n-kesteven.gov.uk

Printed by: DPS Design

The views and advertisements within this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of their employing authority or their organisation.

If you or your team would like to appear in the next edition please contact Communications & Media Manager Pip Batty: Pip_Batty@n-kesteven.gov.uk

The with

Quiz...

Email your answers by 15 February to:

Communications@n-kesteven.gov.uk