THE public sector is going through an extensive period of change as we face falling budgets and rising demand. To cope with this, we are adapting from being a council whose job it is to provide things – the traditional model with which everyone is familiar - to being a local authority that works with partner organisations to get the best results for people.

This means in the future you may not get exactly the same service you had in the past; you may not receive it from a public sector employee; but you should still get an appropriate result.

You can see a good example of this new way of working at Sanford House in the town centre, which has just re-opened as Swindon Advice and Support Centre. Councillor Brian Mattock, the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, joined me at the official ceremony on Monday 30th June.

This new centre means the public can go to just one place in the town centre rather than have to traipse to different offices. It will be better for voluntary groups, which will spend less on office accommodation and be able to call on each other for expertise and assistance.

It will also make sure that more of every pound the Council gives in grants goes towards helping people and not paying for overheads.

Prior to the renovation, we used the former school as council offices. This means that we have found a sustainable use for one of the town centre’s historic buildings. I am particularly pleased that there is a future for the work of the architect Brightwen Binyon, who also designed, the old town hall in Regent Circus amongst other things.

The funding for the conversion came from both the Council and the Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group, which is part of the NHS. The voluntary groups that will use the centre have formed part of the project team so that the new centre provides the best possible environment for those that use it.

Moreover, instead of the Council managing the building, as was usually the case in the past, Voluntary Action Swindon will take the lead.

This success contains all the elements we will see in the future: the different parts of the public sector will pool resources, there will be close working with the voluntary and charitable sector, we will use innovative ways to make the best use of what we have.