Rob's Weekly Round-Up

04 February 2022

Dear colleagues,

I’d like to start this week’s message by highlighting two national initiatives that the Council is supporting that are of real importance in shaping the sort of inclusive society that I want our organisation to represent.

February is LGBT+ History Month. The month is a time to reflect on the history, lives and experience of anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. This year see’s the 50th anniversary of the very first Pride March in the UK and our GLAM network have put together some information and links on StaffNet+ that can help everyone get better informed about some of the key issues affecting the community. A further update from GLAM will also follow later in the month. As is the case every year we are flying the rainbow flag outside the Civic Offices with pride and I hope this is a visible show of support to both colleagues and the wider community.

Next week is Race Equality Week. Race Equality Week is an annual UK-wide movement which aims to unite organisations and individuals in eliminating the barriers to race equality in the workplace. Recent events, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities, have highlighted how much there is still to be done in some aspects of our society. I am proud of our inclusive Council, but we must all recognise that  there is always more we can learn and new ways in which we can support each other. It is in this context that a range of activities coordinated by our Diverse network will be taking place and I am looking forward to taking part and seeing the range of activities during the next week.

As you all know, I regularly use this message to raise awareness of the excellent work taking place across the Council and this week i’d like to give a shout out to a team whose work is particularly close to my heart. Throughout the pandemic, we have all recognised the importance of our homes. They have become more than just a place to live but increasingly a place to work and spend more of our leisure time when restrictions have limited where we can go. Our Planning and Building Control team have had an exceptionally busy two years as this realisation has prompted more and more people to extend their homes, and at the same time has caused an increase in complaints for our planning enforcement team against unauthorised activity.

The Planning and Building Control team work hard to protect the places we live and work. They plan for change in a safe and sustainable way that meets our communities’ needs, whilst also protecting existing neighbourhoods, the environment, and our heritage. Balancing these competing pressures, demands and opinions to make the right decisions is never straightforward and as a qualified planner myself who previously managed the service, I know how difficult it can be to see this work met by a sometimes less than appreciative response. To help address this, we have this week launched an ‘understanding planning’ campaign on our social media channels. It is designed to help residents better understand what factors are taken into account when planning decisions are made and how they can best get involved in the process. To run alongside this, a series of interviews with some of our colleagues in the team have been published on StaffNet. Huge thanks to all involved and i’d like to thank Vicky Robinson, the Operational Manager for Planning and Building Control who contacted me this week with a request that I use my message to set out her appreciation for the work of the team.  It is my pleasure Vicky and thank you to you for taking the time to contact me with your appreciation. Thank you Vicky and all the team for your work.  Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Another team whose work can sometimes go under the radar is our Early Years and Childcare team. While the great work of schools throughout the pandemic has been rightly lauded, the work of our colleagues supporting the childcare sector has sometimes gone without celebration. I was delighted to see this week that one of the many facilities our team support won a national award. This is a reflection of great work across the sector to give younger children great spaces to develop and enable parents to return to work.

The increase in cost of living, particularly energy bills has received a lot of media attention this week. It will I am sure be an issue at the forefront of many people’s minds. There is information on our website about the recently extended support available via the Winter Fuel Support Scheme. Payments have been increased from £100 to £200. This will be available to new applicants and retrospectively paid to those who have applied already. I’d like to thank colleagues in our Finance team who are processing claims so quickly on behalf of Vale residents and to the team at C1V who have been receiving a large number of calls on this important issue. I would encourage anyone who may be worried about their bills to check their eligibility.

Late last year I shared some information in one of my messages about the important work being done by a team of colleagues from across the Council to help attract new recruits into social care. We all know of the significant pressures and challenges faced by our social care teams throughout the pandemic.  I also know we have tried a number of new approaches to the need to attract new staff and the project has been underpinned by good old fashioned hard work on many fronts. I was delighted to hear this week that the early signs are very promising and we have seen an increase in suitable applicants for these vitally important roles. Diolch yn fawr to all involved in this work. There are a number of ways in which new entrants can join the profession, including our Fast Track to Care training programme. Again, if you know anyone who is thinking about a career in care please do let them know. There has never been a more important time to make such an impact. 

Finally, I’d like to wish a belated Chinese New Year to all colleagues who celebrated it earlier this week and as always end with a thanks to you all. 

Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Rob.