Rob's Weekly Round-Up
29 July, 2022
Dear colleagues,
I hope you are all well. Although it is the start of the school summer holidays there is never a quiet week for our organisation, and this has been no different.
Many of you will have seen media coverage this week that the rise in household energy bills this autumn will likely be even higher than previously predicted. Our internal cost of living working group met this morning to consider how we can continue to best support residents and staff with this and the wider rise in the cost of living. In the short term there have been updates to the Cost of Living hubs on our website and StaffNet+ with work continuing so we can support colleagues and our communities in the best way possible.
This week has also seen a significant milestone in our economic development work with the submission of the Council’s bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. I am sure you will all have heard discussion in the media of the UK Government’s ambitions for the fund. We have certainly put in a proposal with a level of ambition to match. Shaped by the town’s maritime and industrial history, the bid is made up of two projects which together will form a package of investment to continue the regeneration of the Barry docks area and the surrounding waterfront.
The plans for a new marina and watersports centre are hugely impressive and it has been a real team effort to get the bid together. Although the work has been led by teams in the Directorate of Place, the bid is yet another excellent example of how colleagues from across the organisation have supported each other and worked closely throughout. I’d like to thank all of those that were involved from regeneration leads to lawyers and finance experts and look forward to sharing a further update once it has been considered.
If successful, the bid could herald the start another big programme of investment into our communities. On this subject and this morning I met with colleagues at Penarth Town Council to discuss the next stages in the ongoing investment in Penarth seafront. The Pier, Pavilion, and Esplanade have all seen significant spending in recent years. We will very soon be launching a programme of engagement with local residents, businesses and key local partners on how to ensure Penarth sees the maximum benefit from this. A great example of the Council working with and for the communities we support.
Another recent example of our Council investing in the community is the newly opened outdoor exercise area at Barry Leisure Centre. This area officially opened to the public this week. Leisure facilities in the Vale have improved greatly since the Council entered into partnership with Parkwood, now Legacy Leisure nearly ten years ago. It has been arguably the most successful partnership of its type in Wales with usage increasing and significant sums being reinvested into the facilities each year. The opening of the new outdoor space coincided with the announcement that this partnership has been extended until 2030. Thanks to everyone in Team Vale and our colleagues at Legacy that have made this such a success.
Another Team Vale doing their bit to promote healthy living are the runners who will be representing the Council and raising money for the Mayor’s Foundation at next weekend’s Barry 10k race. The team are hoping to raise £1000 together. You can find out more and donate via the Team Vale 10k page on StaffNet+.
I always enjoy being able to recognise colleagues who have shown exceptional commitment to the Council and the residents of the Vale. One such person is Elaine Edgerton in our Planning team. Elaine recently celebrated 40 years of working for the Vale. It seems like only yesterday (well – not quite) that I started in the Planning Department with the Vale Council back in 1996 and I recall Elaine was a key member of the Business Support team back then! The kind words from Elaine’s manager in the recent StaffNet piece will resonate with everyone who has worked with Elaine. They certainly do with me. Well done Elaine – thank you for your commitment and dedication to the Council over the last 40 years.
On the issue of dedication, and hot off the press – a big shout out to our Parks teams for their efforts in maintaining and improving our vital green spaces. We found out this week, that the Vale has now 28 Green Flag parks – which places us second in the Welsh league table, which considering our size in no mean feat. A total of 16 sites are community sites, and this demonstrates clearly what we can achieve when we work in partnership with our residents and communities. Well done to all involved in maintaining and keeping our parks. Diolch a da iawn.
After receiving a record-breaking 194 nominations for the 2022 awards, the shortlist for each of the Hero categories have been published this week. You can now vote for your preferred nominee in each of the categories. You can vote for a colleague, even if they do not sit in your Directorate so if one of our potential heroes’ work has helped you then this is your chance to show it.
Finally, there is a little over one week to go in the Staff Survey. Nearly 1000 responses have been received so far. We want to hear from as many people as possible so please, if you haven’t already, take your chance to have your say before the survey closes on 08 August.
Thanks as always for your efforts this week. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Rob.