Dear colleagues,

It has become standard practice in recent years to open our end of year message to staff by remarking on what an unprecedented time the last twelve months has been. When looking back at 2023 to write this message what was most obvious is how unremarkable overcoming unprecedented challenges has now become for Team Vale. Supporting our communities through circumstances no one could have anticipated is now our standard practice and all around the Vale we can see the evidence of our teams working to make life brighter for the residents we serve.

Earlier this month we sent out an animated Christmas e-card to politicians and partners across the country to showcase some of the Council’s most impactful work in 2023. As well as allowing us to show off what makes our Council so special it also helps tell the story of how our organisation is embracing change and finding new ways of delivering what we know matters to the people of the Vale.

This year we have continued to give all communities fun and safe spaces to play by investing in facilities such as the new woodland play space at Porthkerry, the St Davids play area in Penarth, and the transformed Richard Taylor Memorial Skatepark at the Knap. 2023 has also seen a great example of how changing the way in which people use spaces can transform communities with people of all ages enjoying the ‘play streets’ made possible by a pilot road closure scheme.

Ours is a Council that believes everyone has the right to a home and the card shows the progress of our new Council house building programme, including specialist accommodation for older people and Ukrainian refugees. Work that will grow in scale in 2024, as we aim to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis head on.

The changing nature of local government means that increasingly our work will focus on those individuals who most need us. However, the services we deliver to every household in the Vale will always be our most visible and in 2023 they were also some of our best examples of how we can change how we work to deliver a better Vale for future generations. In April we introduced separated recycling collections to Penarth and surrounding areas to help residents recycle even more and keep the Vale close to the top of the charts for recycling in Wales, and by implication, the world!.

A greener and more sustainable Vale will be the legacy of much of the work we have started this year. Tackling the climate and nature emergencies now factors into so much of what we do as a Council. While the showpiece examples like our new recycling facilities, our carbon neutral schools and electric vehicle fleet may be what most people see it is also schemes like Restore the Thaw which launched in November which make the vital difference at a community level by giving future generations the chance to learn how to protect our natural habitat for the future.

Council teams improve the lives of future generations in a very real sense through the work of our schools. 2023 was another year of acclaim for their work. The openings of Derw Newydd and Ysgol Sant Baruc showed we are still committed to delivered first class learning facilities for children and young people. Cadoxton Primary School then being recongised as one of the best schools in the world showed just what our colleagues can do when given the freedom and support to make a difference. And again this year the phenomenal work done at Ysgol Y Deri captured the hearts of the nation and showed everyone just how valuable the work of Council staff can be.

Our events programmes also serve as annual adverts for the local authority and allow us to offer free and low-cost activities for families throughout the year. The pictures of children enjoying the Summer of Fun and big crowds at Barry Island for Gwyl Fach Y Fro show another way in which the work of our teams brings joy.

Shared spaces for people to come together and for local groups to meet will always be essential to communities. A real highlight for both of us in 2023 was the opening of the new Belle Vue Pavilion in August. It was great not just because the venue itself has been renovated to such a high standard but also because the new model we have established to run it with the local community gives a blueprint for safeguarding community centres while also empowering more Vale residents to take control of what matters to them. If you’d like to see what this looks like in practice then the Pavilion is hosting a carol concert on Friday 22 December at 6pm with free non-alcoholic punch and mince pies.

Ours is an organisation that takes pride in its inclusivity and our celebration of International Women’s Day in March and Pride Cymru in June are great examples of us showing through our own staff just what that means. The launch of the new ABL staff network this month is a sign that this will remain a priority for us in 2024. The news only last week that the Vale has been accepted into the World Health Organisation’s Global Network for Age Friendly Communities shows how our values shine through into the work of our teams and the way we deliver our services.

The e-card video closes with Santa’s Cause – another fantastic example of Team Vale’s can-do spirit and a project that also shows there are many ways in which we can harness the spirit of kindness and generosity that makes the Vale so unique in order to help those who most need us. It is also of course a reminder of the sheer number of vulnerable people living in the Vale who for a wide range of reasons need our support. The work of our Social Services teams is for obvious reasons usually conducted away from the public eye but the value and impact of it is never lost on us.

These projects are all excellent examples of what makes the Vale of Glamorgan Council such a special organisation and a wonderful place to work. They show Team Vale at its best. They show our people – you – giving everything from January to December each and every year to ensure that in these uncertain times for the sector, the Council does not just survive, but it thrives. It is you that make all of this possible and make such a difference to the lives of those who live in the Vale. This is what public service looks like and everyone should go into the Christmas break feeling rightly proud of their work in 2023.

We know that Christmas and New Year will not necessarily mean a break for everyone. We would like to pay a special tribute to those front-line staff who will continue to work over the next two weeks, supporting vulnerable people, and maintaining homes, public buildings, and public spaces so others can enjoy them.

To everyone else we hope you enjoy some time to rest, recuperate and relax with those close to you. Thank you for everything you have given to the Vale in 2023.

Happy Christmas and a healthy new year to you all.

Nadolig llawen pawb a blwyddyn newydd dda.

Rob Thomas and Cllr Lis Burnett