News

The Archdeacon of Dorset, Alistair Magowan, learnt about the work of the Borough of Poole by spending the day with Chief Executive, John McBride.

As part of a work shadowing exercise, the Archdeacon joined John at various meetings to discuss the day to day business of running the authority as well as meeting Councillors, Officers and Trade Union representatives.

Archdeacon of Dorset, Alistair Magowan, said: "It has been a really enjoyable day. Both the Church and the Council are involved in doing the best they can to improve the quality of life for people in the area. However I think that both organisations have realised that they can only achieve greater support for the local community by working in partnership with others. I hope that during this visit many more seeds of joint working have been sown. Seeing John’s diary has reminded me of just how much good work is already going on which we can celebrate."

John McBride, Chief Executive, Borough of Poole, said: "I think this was a wonderful opportunity to share information about the range of work the Council does and also learn about the huge impact local Churches and faiths have in the community. There is a great deal of similarity and common ground in many of the issues local authorities and Churches are facing, many of which we cannot deal with on our own. By working with others we can come up with some innovative solutions and look at the longer term rather than quick fixes. It has certainly been an invaluable experience and I hope that we will be able to repeat it with a return visit in the future."

The Archdeacon’s area covers the whole of Dorset’s five Deaneries and 122 Parishes.