Rob's Weekly Round-Up

04 March 2022

Dear colleagues, 

I’d like to start this week, by referencing again the terrible scenes we see playing out in the media each day. I know we will have colleagues who are personally affected by what they see and who have friends and family on whom the war in Ukraine will have direct consequences. 

The conflict has already caused the displacement of many tens of thousands of Ukrainian people from their homes, and I fear we are witnessing the start of a humanitarian crisis on a scale not seen for a very long time. 

It goes without saying that we all stand in support of the Ukrainian people. I know many people are also asking how they and their teams can help. Along with Welsh Government and other public bodies in Wales the Council is working to direct people to the most effective things they can do. 

With many logistical routes closed and transportation systems under significant pressure, sending physical goods could add more stress to the situation on the ground. Making cash donations, to organisations responding to the crisis in Ukraine, allows for emergency relief goods to be sourced locally.

Anyone who is able to help can consider making a financial donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Details of how to do so, and other international agencies working to support the people of Ukraine is available on the Welsh Government website. 

I’d also like to repeat the point I made earlier in the week about the support available via Care First for staff affected in any way by the conflict. There are also practical steps we can all take, like turning off or snoozing news app notifications on our phones, to give ourselves a break from the rolling coverage. 

In an exciting development in our work to implement Project Zero I am very pleased to announce that the Council has today taken delivery of our first electric pool cars. More details on how staff can book a car as well as the big impact we expect them to have on our carbon emissions will follow once the new electric vehicles have been integrated into the fleet. For now I’d just like to thank all of those involved in helping us once again take the lead on climate action in the Vale. 

Indeed, some of you may have seen news coverage this week of our organisation doing just that on an even larger scale. Along with a team of colleagues I have been heavily involved in recent months in the business plan produced by the Cardiff Capital Region to purchase of the Aberthaw Power Plant. While of course some way off a new energy plant could create thousands of green jobs in the Vale. With the site located in the Vale, our Council has been a key partner and as the Deputy Leader told BBC News this week our involvement ensures that local people will also have a say and that together we can ensure the right kind of development follows.

Finally, I’d like to draw the attention of all of you who work to support families and young children to a really important opportunity to get involved in helping shape better services for the future. The Early Years Integration Transformation Programme want to hear from professionals about which parts of the support system for families work well together and which areas need further development.

Thanks as always for your continued hard work.

Diolch yn fawr pawb. 

Rob.