Robs Weekly Round-Up
21 October 2022
Dear colleagues,
We are at the end of another busy week and there are a number of big developments for me to update on.
Firstly, Estyn have this week published three case studies from their inspections of Whitmore High in Barry and Stanwell School in Penarth. All three case studies are glowing and when considering the school was only established in 2018, the Whitmore case studies are nothing short of remarkable. The school is praised for Developing an effective culture for learning and having A whole-school approach to securing high standards of teaching and learning.
These hugely positive write-ups are testament to the hard work and commitment of all who work at the schools, and all those in our Learning and Skills team who support them.
In 2016 our Council set out a plan for the transformation of secondary education in Barry. It is fantastic to see that work is now delivering for the children and young people of the town.
At Thursday’s meeting of Cabinet Cllr Birch presented a report entitled Update on the Community Benefits and Sustainability Outcomes of Band B of the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. The report is well worth ten minutes of your time to read. It details the hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeships created by our 21st Century Schools programme as well as the sustainability and economic impacts of new schools such as Whitmore High. Our work in this field is exemplary and those behind it should be very proud.
Our Learning and Skills team also featured prominently at a very successful recruitment and learning event at Barry Library this week. The bustling event showcased lots of the opportunities open to residents with stands supporting everything from adult learning to ESOL and Big Fresh. Our HR team were also on hand to promote various job opportunities with the Council.
I am very proud that the Council is actively recruiting from the communities that we serve and our standing as a good employer was further bolstered this week when the organisation was highly commended at the Cardiff and Vale Credit Union Awards. Our HR team has worked closely with the credit union for many years, helping colleagues access safe savings accounts and affordable loans. Information about the services offered can be found as part of our Cost of Living hub on StaffNet+.
One of the sad realities of the cost of living crisis is that it will push many people into positions of financial vulnerability and there are callous individuals waiting to take advantage of this. To help address this issue a national campaign to warn people of the dangers of illegal money lending and offer advice to family and friends on how to help someone who may be in difficulty. Our Communications team has worked with Stop Loan Sharks Wales on the campaign and the Council will be actively promoting it over the coming months.
Initiatives such as this, designed to help alleviate the pressures of the cost of living crisis, will be an increasing focus for the Council as we move from Autumn into Winter. I am very pleased that this week we have been able to support a number of community partners in the launch of the Llantwit Food Project which has now opened to the public. The launch event on Thursday was a huge success and shows what can be achieved when working in partnership. Diolch to all who have supported it.
As many of you will be aware, this week is Recycling Week. Recycling rates in the Vale of Glamorgan are some of the highest in the country. This is something the Council is rightly proud of and is evidence of how well our Neighbourhood Services teams deliver their services. Over the last three years, the Vale has undergone extensive changes to improve the quality of our recycling. The progress made has been no small feat and you can read an excellent review of the work and its impact on StaffNet+.
Finally, I’d like to make you all aware of yet another step forward for the Council’s Project Zero strategy; the launch of our electric pool cars. EV cars are now available for staff to use for essential journeys. They are powered by 100% renewable electricity and can be collected from the Alps Depot. Our aim is to ultimately replace all diesel vehicles with EV technology and this puts us firmly on the road to success.
Thanks as always for your efforts this week. Diolch yn fawr pawb.
Rob.