Robs Weekly Round Up

20 January 2023

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well at the end of another busy week.

The budget remains top of the Council’s agenda as we work to finalise our financial plans for 2023/24. I’d like to again express my appreciation to Matt Bowmer, Gemma Jones and all finance colleagues for the efforts in this area. I would also like to thank my SLT colleagues for the manner in which they have approached very challenging circumstances and for the way they have worked as a team to consider all possible options when setting a draft budget.  Diolch i chi i gyd.

Our budget proposals for the next financial year include a possible Council Tax rise of 4.9 per cent - this being relatively modest compared to what other Welsh Local Authorities appear to be considering.

The report on the draft budget for 2023/24 was reported to Cabinet on Thursday and is now set to go before scrutiny committees before being brought back to Cabinet in late February and Full Council in early March. Given the situation with significant cost pressures, notably around inflation, the report proposes significant savings and the careful use of reserves to meet a funding gap of around £9 million.

Vale residents also have the opportunity to share their thoughts on these plans by completing a survey that recently launched on the Council website.

It will also be possible for people to share their thoughts over the phone or at a number of in-person consultation events. All responses will inform any changes to the draft budget before it is finalised in a couple of months’ time.

Next, I’d like to draw your attention to work that’s started on a major Council project.

Contractors Jones Bros Civic Engineering UK are on site near the Docks Office where the Barry Dock Transport Interchange will be located.

I’m sure many of you will have noticed the presence of workmen, fencing and machinery in the car park.

Once completed, the interchange will become a meeting point for different forms of transport, creating a hub for sustainable forms of travel.

Adjoining the Docks Office building, the project is being delivered in partnership with the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) and Welsh Government.

It will connect train, bus, cycle and taxi services as well as offering close by park and ride facilities. 

The aim is to make sustainable travel more comfortable, convenient, and appealing. Linking different modes of public transport together in this way should offer an attractive, environmentally friendly alternative to travelling by car

This scheme aligns perfectly with our Project Zero initiative to make the Authority carbon neutral by 2030, with work on phase one expected to be completed in May.

I’d like to thank Emma Reed, Kyle Phillips, Craig Howell and the wider Highways Team for their work on this project, which is a great example of how we can deliver on the green agenda.

It can also support the economic development of Barry and the Cardiff City region, helping those seeking access to employment and education opportunities.

Staying with Project Zero, volunteers at Crawshay Court Community Garden in Llantwit Major are asking for donations of two-litre plastic bottles for their recycled greenhouse.

Organisers estimate that another 500 bottles are needed to complete the project.

Located on the site of a sheltered housing scheme, the community garden aims to reduce isolation, enhance wellbeing and support tenants through the cost-of-living crisis.

Volunteers from Vale Plus Extra, Ysgol y Ddraig Primary School, Crawshay Court residents and local community volunteers work together to take care of the garden and grow fruit and vegetables for people to enjoy.

If you have bottles to spare, please contact Sian Clemett-Davies to arrange drop off at the Civic Office.

Alternatively, you can take them to Llantwit Major Emergency Services Station, Llanmaes Rd, Llantwit Major CF61 2XD for the attention of PCSO Rhiannon Cummings.

Work has also started on creating a new Digital Strategy and Roadmap for the organisation.

Our ICT service is one of the most important parts of the organisation, a fact that has been demonstrated over the last couple of years in particular.

Building on the Digital Maturity work that partners CGI helped with during the pandemic, we are now looking to produce a new blueprint for the Council’s digital future.

Much work has been going on behind the scenes on this and I know some colleagues are meeting next week to help further develop plans.

The aim is to arrive at a strategy that will underpin our corporate and service objectives, helping us deliver excellent quality services that support colleagues and, most importantly, our residents.

Part of the Digital Strategy, the Oracle Fusion Payroll Project has helped streamline our Human Resources payroll process and better align it with other areas of the organisation, such as Finance.

Sarah Jeanes has played an important part in that work to help ensure the system is as robust as possible.

That contribution has not gone unnoticed, with Oracle keen to point how valuable Sarah’s input has been.

Sarah has provided an excellent example of how effective partnership working can be achieved, taking part in external advisory groups and sharing all learning with colleagues.

Thank you very much for that dedication, Sarah.

Finally, I wanted to reference Phil Chappell and his Regeneration Team for the considerable work they put into our Levelling Up bid.

The Council put in a very strong application for funding that would have been used to revive Barry Docks and the surrounding waterfront.

It involved creating a new marina and a centre deigned to grow innovative new businesses, helping to generate local jobs.

As I say, this was a compelling and ambitious proposal that I, among others, was hugely impressed by.

Unfortunately, we were not successful in gaining funding, but that is certainly no reflection on the huge effort that went into the bid.

I’m sure that, like me, the team involved will be disappointed, but please accept my sincere gratitude for all the hard work you put into the bid process. That work remains extremely relevant and valid and will stand us in good stead when we consider our next steps and future options.

As always, thank you very much for your contribution this week – it remains very much appreciated.

Have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Diolch yn fawr,

Rob