22 October, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well. Some of you may be looking forward to a well-earned break over the half term week next week. If so, I hope you enjoy your time off. 

Over the past couple of years, our outdoor spaces have become more important than ever. I’d like to begin this week’s message by congratulating all of the colleagues and community groups involved in maintaining our Green Flag Awarded parks. The Vale has once again retained its 10 green flags. And, as it says in the press release, only the much larger capital city Cardiff has achieved more awards across all local authorities in Wales. This is a fantastic achievement and is a testament to the hard work and expertise of our teams. As well as providing excellent recreation space, these areas contribute to our biodiversity and aims of Project Zero. They’re a part of the Vale we can all be proud of. Da iawn pawb. 

Another one of our vital services received praise this week. A resident wrote to the Leader about our recycling team, saying: 

“I want to say how brilliant your recycling and green waste team are. The service is excellent. Having lived in other places where food waste was not collected, I think you are providing a very comprehensive service. I live in Cowbridge and am always pleased to see your team working with a smile on their face and a friendly and hardworking demeanour. Please pass on my thanks to them, and to your team back in the office. Great Work.” 

I know crews have been working additional hours to catch up on green waste collections over the weekends and I’m sure their supervisors have had additional work to do to arrange this, so thank you all very much for your continued hard work. You received a lot of praise for your work during the pandemic and I’m pleased to see that residents still appreciate what you do, in all weathers. Diolch yn fawr. 

We’ve recently celebrated National Inclusion week as an organisation, and I’ve written before about my commitment to making the Council an even more inclusive workplace. As a Stonewall Diversity Champion, we want to make sure that everyone can be themselves at work, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. One way that we can be recognised as an LGBT+ inclusive employer is by taking part in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. One element of this is an annual survey, managed by Stonewall, but completed by Council staff. The information shared by colleagues as part of this survey will contribute to our overall assessment by Stonewall. We achieved a place in the top 200 employers in 2020 and this is something I would like to see continue, if not improved upon, when the next round of results are announced in January 2022. So, I would ask you to please take a moment to complete the survey before the closing date of 5 November. The survey results will be shared with us, anonymously, so we will can work on any areas to improve upon with the support of our LGBT+ network, GLAM. 

I can’t draw this message to a close without mentioning the increasing number of Coronavirus cases in the Vale of Glamorgan, which is currently among the highest in the UK. Whilst most people are thankfully not becoming seriously unwell, there is still a risk to those who are more vulnerable if the virus continues to spread. We all know the precautions we need to take to keep ourselves and other safe:

• get both of your jabs (and a booster if it’s offered)
• get tested and self-isolate if you have symptoms
• outdoors is safer than indoors
• keep your distance when you can
• wash your hands frequently
• wear a face covering 

Take care all. Diolch yn fawr, 

Rob.