6 November 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter the final weekend of the firebreak period in Wales, I write to provide you with an update on the current situation in the Vale of Glamorgan and to look ahead to what next week will bring.

On Wednesday I wrote to all staff to inform you that the number of Covid-19 cases in the Vale of Glamorgan has been increasing rapidly over the past week. As a result, a mobile testing unit opened in Barry yesterday to make it as easy as possible for local residents to access a test if they develop symptoms. Please remember that Council staff are recognised as being key workers in the response to the pandemic. Should you require a test you can access this via the key worker portal administered by our Human Resources team. If you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19 – a new continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of taste or smell – you should speak to your line manager who can arrange a test for you or email the testing team via covid-19testing@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk. You should not book a test online. 

I would like to thank all colleagues who were involved in facilitating the setting up of the mobile testing unit. They worked at significant pace alongside colleagues from the Health Board to make it happen in a matter of a couple of days – hugely impressive.  Diolch yn fawr iawn.

During this final weekend of the firebreak period I must ask that you please continue to act as responsibly within our community and stick to the restrictions that we are currently adhering to:

• Please do not meet with anyone outside of your household
• Please only leave your house for essentials such as food, for medical reasons or exercise.

From Monday Council services which had been temporarily closed will re-open. This includes Schools (to all year groups), Libraries, Household Waste & Recycling Centres and Leisure Centres. A full list of services will be published on the Council’s website on Monday.

I would like to thank all staff who have been preparing for these changes over the past few days. I know that the ever-changing situation is challenging and I appreciate all of your efforts to keep this organisation moving forward and adapting to the times we live in.

The Local Government Association are encouraging local authorities to get involved with their #CouncilsCan campaign on Tuesday 10 November. As part of this, a series of tweets will be shared to highlight the excellent work that our staff have undertaken this year, during unprecedented times. If you have an example of your team going above and beyond under extraordinary circumstances, please send a brief description of their achievements and some pictures to social@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk Our communications team will share a selection of highlights of our work throughout the day to celebrate the breadth of the work that we do.

Once again, it is brilliant to see the work of our colleagues being recognised for the very real difference it is making. This week, S4C visited Ysgol Gwaun y Nant and Oakfield Primary School to see the ‘Big Bocs Bwyd’ initiative. This shop in a shipping container provides food for families that people can ‘pay as they can’ for. This is an excellent example of providing support to people who really need it. You can see the coverage on S4C's Facebook page. Very well done to all those involved in such a great initiative.  Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd!

Due to the current situation, the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan will be holding a small invite-only remembrance service at the Merchant Navy Memorial at the Civic Offices in Barry at 11am on Wednesday, November 11. This year we will be streaming the wreath-laying service live on the Council’s Facebook page for anyone that wants to watch it. 

The Royal British Legion are also encouraging people to follow Remembrance Day through television coverage and to observe the two-minute silence privately.  Arrangements have been made this year which will allow members of the public to participate in the National Service of Remembrance for Wales, safely in their own homes. For the first time, the service will be available to watch live on YouTube. Coverage will start from 10.50am on Sunday, November 8. To further mark the occasion, leading up to 11 November, the Western Shelter and Hood Road tunnel in Barry are lit up in red, the colour of poppies. 

Looking ahead to the easing of restrictions from Monday, and in light of the current data on the sharp rise in cases in the Vale of Glamorgan, I am appealing to you to please continue to be a role model within your community. The emphasis of the messages being shared by the Welsh Government and that we in turn will be sharing with residents in the Vale of Glamorgan is to please think about what you should and should not do, as opposed to what you can and cannot do. It is our responsibility to lead by example in doing everything we can to limit the spread of Covid-19.

I know it has been a difficult year for all of us, and the next few months will be a challenge. But, it is only by adhering to the simple steps of washing our hands as regularly as possible, wearing a mask when required, and maintaining a safe distance from anyone outside of our households at all times that we can keep ourselves and our families safe.

Thank you all for your continued commitment to our organisation and to the residents of the Vale of Glamorgan. 

Diolch yn fawr. Stay safe.

Rob