I work at Dorset Council as a Business Solutions Analyst within ICT Operations in a great team, the Geographical Information System (GIS) team, who are responsible for the collection and maintenance of spatial and address data.

I am also responsible for maintaining the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and the street naming and numbering service. The LLPG is the official database of all addresses in the Dorset Council area and ensures that both routine and emergency services can find locations faster. It also increases efficiency by connecting services through the local authority and improves customer satisfaction by making it easier to access Dorset Council services. This means that one address exists for each property, which can stop both confusion and waste.

I know that addresses aren’t very exciting but accurate addressing is very important and we all need it. It is how you get your bins emptied, get a school place, connect to broadband and more. It is also how you order your online shopping and how Dorset Council collects revenue. The spatial data which we create provides that digital link between a location, people and activities that is vital to what we do within the Council.​

​I am also a Local Authority Liaison Officer. I work on a rota providing an emergency response on behalf of Dorset Council in the event of an emergency.

Every day, the work that I do brings me into contact with lots of different people, from colleagues in Dorset Council, to other local authorities, external organisations and the public.

The underlying reason why I work for the council is to make a difference in a community that I have a deep connection to. My colleagues have a great ‘can do’ attitude and it is a pleasure to work with people who want to do the best that they can for Dorset Council residents. I have always believed that people need to be happy. A good work/life balance is important. It helps me to produce good work and Dorset Council allows me to work in a way which suits my lifestyle and gives me the time to enjoy my hobbies outside of work. There are also a variety of learning and development opportunities and I am very lucky to work in such a fantastic county.