Canarian Weekly
23-11-2012, 13:30
FOLLOWING our front-page story last week about British Consul Maria Leng being axed, we are now told that there will be an extra member of staff for Tenerife.
The British Embassy this week announced that Steve Jones, the Consul inMalaga, is extending his role to cover the whole of southernSpain- and take over responsibility for theCanary Islands.
In addition, an extra casework officer will be recruited locally for the Consulate inTenerife, raising from eight to nine – including the Honorary Consul in Lanzarote – the total number of customer-facing staff who directly assist British nationals in the Canaries.
The moves are part of a continuing modernisation and investment that will deliver a total of eight extra frontline staff acrossSpain. The Consulates, including the Canaries, will have more caseworkers providing face-to-face assistance.
Meanwhile, Consuls will focus on strategic issues, such as new ways of preventing and tackling the most common and complex problems facing Brits abroad, from lost passports to serious criminal matters.
TheSpainnetwork is adopting the same model already used by the Foreign Office in many parts of the world, where Consuls often oversee more than one post.
Dave Thomas, Consular Regional Director for southernEurope, said: “It’s vital that we use our resources to the best possible effect.
“We are putting more caseworkers on the ground. They are the ones who actually provide the face-to-face assistance British nationals need.
“We are freeing up the Consuls to focus on consular policy, driving up standards of delivery and customer service, and overall management of our consular teams.”
Steve Jones succeeds Maria Leng, who has led the team in the islands for the past two years and contributed extensively to the modernisation of British consular services there.
He brings a wealth of experience in assisting British nationals, and in representing theUnited KingdominSpain. He has led the busy consular team inMalagafor three years, where he also oversees the Foreign Office’s consular contact centre for southernEurope.
Last year, he collected the Foreign Secretary’s Award for Service Delivery. He served as Consul in the Canaries between 2007 and 2009.
Previously, he worked in the travel industry in the Canaries, as Overseas Manager for Thomas Cook, based inFuerteventura.
Steve Jones said: “I am looking forward to my return to the Canaries. We have important posts with experienced and dedicated teams, and an excellent Honorary Consul in Lanzarote, who do an impressive job.
“They have first-class contacts with the Canarian authorities and British community organisations across the islands.
“I want to maintain the delivery of high-quality assistance that British nationals value, and to work closely with our valued partners, who I look forward to meeting again.
“It is a privilege to take over from Maria and join such a dedicated and hard-working group of people.”
The Canaries are among the most popular destinations worldwide for British nationals, with some 85,000 residents on the islands and 3.5 million visitors every year
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/extra-staff-consulate/)
The British Embassy this week announced that Steve Jones, the Consul inMalaga, is extending his role to cover the whole of southernSpain- and take over responsibility for theCanary Islands.
In addition, an extra casework officer will be recruited locally for the Consulate inTenerife, raising from eight to nine – including the Honorary Consul in Lanzarote – the total number of customer-facing staff who directly assist British nationals in the Canaries.
The moves are part of a continuing modernisation and investment that will deliver a total of eight extra frontline staff acrossSpain. The Consulates, including the Canaries, will have more caseworkers providing face-to-face assistance.
Meanwhile, Consuls will focus on strategic issues, such as new ways of preventing and tackling the most common and complex problems facing Brits abroad, from lost passports to serious criminal matters.
TheSpainnetwork is adopting the same model already used by the Foreign Office in many parts of the world, where Consuls often oversee more than one post.
Dave Thomas, Consular Regional Director for southernEurope, said: “It’s vital that we use our resources to the best possible effect.
“We are putting more caseworkers on the ground. They are the ones who actually provide the face-to-face assistance British nationals need.
“We are freeing up the Consuls to focus on consular policy, driving up standards of delivery and customer service, and overall management of our consular teams.”
Steve Jones succeeds Maria Leng, who has led the team in the islands for the past two years and contributed extensively to the modernisation of British consular services there.
He brings a wealth of experience in assisting British nationals, and in representing theUnited KingdominSpain. He has led the busy consular team inMalagafor three years, where he also oversees the Foreign Office’s consular contact centre for southernEurope.
Last year, he collected the Foreign Secretary’s Award for Service Delivery. He served as Consul in the Canaries between 2007 and 2009.
Previously, he worked in the travel industry in the Canaries, as Overseas Manager for Thomas Cook, based inFuerteventura.
Steve Jones said: “I am looking forward to my return to the Canaries. We have important posts with experienced and dedicated teams, and an excellent Honorary Consul in Lanzarote, who do an impressive job.
“They have first-class contacts with the Canarian authorities and British community organisations across the islands.
“I want to maintain the delivery of high-quality assistance that British nationals value, and to work closely with our valued partners, who I look forward to meeting again.
“It is a privilege to take over from Maria and join such a dedicated and hard-working group of people.”
The Canaries are among the most popular destinations worldwide for British nationals, with some 85,000 residents on the islands and 3.5 million visitors every year
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/extra-staff-consulate/)