Covid-19: Responding in Partnership 

Throughout the pandemic Council staff have worked tirelessly to keep services in the Vale running.  

24 March

Our colleagues have ensured that valued services that are delivered to all residents, such as waste collection have kept running, alongside those that bring people a better quality of life such as parks and libraries, and those that may be less visible but of vital importance to the most vulnerable in our communities such as those provided by adult and children’s services.  

As well as this work to support our own services, many of our colleagues have also been heavily involved in establishing new services at a regional and national level as part of the wider public sector response. 
While this work may not have carried the Council logo it has often showcased the best of what we do here in the Vale.  

Typically, the services the Council has been supporting simply did not exist at this time last year and moved from the planning stage to being fully operational in a matter of weeks at key points during the pandemic.  

By way of example, the Vale is one of the key partners in the regional Incident Management Team that is working to monitor levels of Covid-19 across Cardiff and the Vale, advise Welsh Government on the implementation and lifting of restrictions and make arrangements for testing and enforcing the Covid regulations. The Council is a key partner in the Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) service that has since June 2020 processed tens of thousands of potential cases. 

Colleagues from across the Council have played many roles in making this happen. A number of staff have been redeployed into roles as TTP advisors and tracers. While many more have been working tirelessly behind the scenes.  

Members of our HR and Emergency Planning teams have been at the centre of the regional testing team, making sure those working in care home and schools could get their tests and results processed as a priority.  

Some in our Shared Regulatory Services team have been providing vital support to businesses and workplaces to make them safe for the public and their employees. While others are now working in partnership with South Wales Police as part of Joint Enforcement Teams.  

Our Communications Team have been heavily involved, coordinating important public health messaging, helping those with symptoms to easily access testing, and more recently encouraging take up of the vaccine. 

Also, our colleagues in Property Services and Neighbourhood Services worked together at the height of the pandemic to help build first a temporary and then a longer-term testing facility in Barry. These same teams then worked at incredible pace to support the opening of the first mass vaccination centre in the Vale, also in Barry.   

And right now, we have many colleagues working to support the rollout of the vaccine. Our Business Improvement team, for example, is currently working to help make it quicker and easier for people to get a jab at one of the mass vaccination centres.   

Reflecting on this past year Rob Thomas Managing Director, said:

“For the last twelve months, Team Vale has been doing us all proud. Taking what are some our best strengths – innovation, a willingness to work together, and great pride in what we do – and driving forward the response to Covid-19. In doing so they have helped bring us all to the start of the road to recovery.”