Message from the Managing Director

November 19, 2021 

Dear colleagues,

I hope this update finds you well.

I wanted to start this week’s message by bringing you up to speed on a couple of long-running and important Council projects.
Following months of hard work, GovService, the new digital customer experience system, went live for the highways and parks service this week. That is the result of a great deal of effort from staff in those areas, as well as the project team led by Tony Curliss and James Rees. The platform is a big step forward in developing our new customer service strategy, Every Customer First, and replaces the previous Oracle CRM system. We hope it will represent a major improvement and change how customer enquiries and service requests are handled. The software also allows tasks to be assigned within a team and work progress to be logged so projects can be better managed.

Currently, GovService is being used by colleagues in Contact OneVale and Neighbourhood Services. Excitingly, the system will be available for the public to use online for these enquiries by the end of the month. Ahead of that launch, over 40 colleagues and Elected Members have given up their own time to help test the customer-facing portal so this really was a group effort. A big thank you to all involved and I’m looking forward to hearing about the progress of the roll-out across other departments in the coming weeks and months.

I was pleased to catch up with the team for the Eich Lle - Your Space project this week to hear about the progress being made on the future use of our office accommodation. The way we work has altered dramatically over the last two years and we are determined to harness the positives from this change. Plans are being drawn up for how our offices can be used in the future to maximise the benefit of hybrid and more agile ways of working.

Directors and Heads of Service have discussed proposals with their teams and work is now underway to map out our vision for the Civic Offices, Docks Office and Alps. Colleagues have told us that they'd like our offices to not just be a place for desks, but spaces that bring teams together to meet, collaborate and be creative. That is what we aim to deliver, alongside new ways of working, incorporating the use of digital technology. I will be sure to keep you updated on further opportunities to get involved in this work as plans develop.

Next week, the Leader will be presenting a number of reports to Cabinet that spell out the current financial position of the Council and the pressures that lie ahead as we start planning for next year and beyond.  It goes without saying that the financial position is extremely challenging following a decade of austerity and the significant impact of Covid-19.

The report to Cabinet sets out that cost pressures for the coming financial year are estimated at just under £27 million and although the financial settlement awarded to the Council from Welsh Government is not yet known, even the most optimistic outcome will likely still leave a significant shortfall in funding. Without doubt, this is the toughest financial position we have ever experienced. That has partly been caused by the pandemic, which has impacted the Council in terms of additional costs and lost income, whilst inflation and energy costs are adding to the precarious financial position. The report is the start of a process that will see the Council set a budget for next year. A consultation exercise on the budget and possibly the rate of Council Tax will begin shortly to establish residents’ preference in relation to service provision.

The budget proposals will be discussed by Cabinet and all scrutiny committees before being finalised at a meeting of full Council in March, and I will keep you informed as the situation evolves.  It is at times such as this that we should all realise the importance and relevance of public service, especially to our most vulnerable residents and communities.  I am confident that as in previous years, we will continue to meet the challenge head on to continue to deliver vital services. 

National Safeguarding Week has been taking place over the last five days and I hope as many staff as possible were able to attend some of the enlightening and though-provoking talks being given. This is an important event in the Cardiff and Vale Regional Safeguarding Board’s calendar, one that helps share ideas on how best to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. The week culminates later this afternoon with the Safeguarding Recognition Awards. I know a number of Vale staff and teams have been shortlisted for a prize and I’d like to wish them the best of luck.

There are also a couple of specific mentions I’d like to make regarding staff who have recently completed professional qualifications undertaken during the pandemic. James Webber, Team Leader in Performance and Commercial Opportunities, has been awarded an MSc and ILM Level 7 Diploma in Leadership and Management. Meanwhile, Highways Maintenance Manager Nathan Thomas has recently been accepted as an Incorporated Engineer with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. Very well done both, they are hugely impressive achievements.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

Take care and pob hwyl,
Rob.