Robs Weekly Round Up 

28 July 2023

Dear colleagues,

Over the course of this month colleagues working across the Council have been rolling out two of the most significant service changes, in terms of the number of residents affected, in recent years. Both show how we are changing the way we operate as an organisation in order to deal with the huge financial pressures we are under. Both also show what can be achieved when Team Vale works together.

On Monday 3 July the Council moved to collecting residents’ black bags once every three weeks, rather than every fortnight. The same amount of waste is still collected – residents can now put out three bags every three weeks – but in a way that is more efficient for the Council. Less staff time is required, less fuel for our vehicles, and by reducing the distance that we travel we also reduce our carbon emissions, which helps tackle climate change.

The new service has been designed with adjustments for those that need them built in, for example larger families or those generating a lot of hygiene waste. It is a great example of delivering the same service in a more efficient way, and with the absolute minimum impact on residents.

On Monday 17 July the Council stopped collecting garden waste for free. Vale residents can now subscribe to our collection service for £20 or £30 a year or take their garden waste to one of our household waste recycling sites for free.

This change of course does impact on residents, something that SLT and the Council’s Cabinet were very aware of when this was being considered. Garden waste collections are a non-statutory service – this means one the Council is not required to provide. We do of course want to. We can all see that it is valued by many residents and helps support our Project Zero objectives. Having a self-funded, optional service for garden waste, is therefore a compromise that allows us to continue to offer it at an affordable price to those who want it, while allowing us to use Council Tax revenue and other funding to protect our essential public services.

It is an example of a new way of working that allows us to balance the many competing pressures on our services and budgets. This approach I feel is fairer to residents who don’t produce garden waste, choose to compost at home, or choose not to use the service.

Both service changes have been high profile. All households in the Vale will be affected by them in one way or another. And, as is the nature of difficult decisions, they have not come without criticism from some quarters. With all of this in mind the rollout of the changes needed to run smoothly. I am delighted to be able to say that at the end of month one, thanks to the hard work and dedication of very many colleagues, the rollout was flawless.

A huge amount of work is required behind the scenes to implement new ways of working. A project team was established earlier in the year including colleagues from our Neighbourhood Services, Business Improvement, Customer Relations, and Communications teams. Before a single black or green bag could be collected new routes needed to be mapped, rotas amended, customer relationship systems designed, online booking and payment systems developed, training delivered, and a Vale wide advertising campaign produced.  

The views of residents, gathered through our public engagement exercises and by our customer relations team, were brought in to shape the final model. Equality impact assessments were also undertaken. Then finally the new systems were tested by both staff and service users.

When our frontline teams went out this month to put the new ways of working into action we were as well prepared as we could possibly have been. That preparation paid off.

By this weekend, all 62,695 properties have now had at least one collection on their new round. Nearly 10,000 households have signed up for the new green waste collection service - three-quarters of them online – generating £200,000 of income. Over 5000 residents have also been directly supported in accessing the new services via our contact centre. There will always be teething problems with service changes but the team and moved quickly to address these, always putting the experience of residents first.  

When you consider this was implemented so soon after the new source segregated service was rolled out to upwards of 17,000 properties in Penarth and the Eastern Vale, a new small electrical and battery collection service to all residents, and a new waste transfer station opened – all of which will contribute to a forecasted £1.5m of income from the sale of the recyclable material we collect - it really has been a phenomenal effort in recent months from those involved.

There have been far too many people involved in this programme of work to mention individually. Those who have played a role will know who they are and I would like to thank every one of them. What has been developed and delivered gives the Council a model for future service transformations and new ways of working. As well as saving much needed money today, the project will have a legacy for many years. Diolch yn fawr i gyd.

I am sure you are all aware of the need for us to change how we work in the coming years. Back in February I invited all colleagues to submit their views in response to a consultation on our new People Strategy. Following this consultation the final strategy was agreed by Cabinet last week. The new strategy will be key to enabling this change, setting the vision for the Council we want to be and giving direction to us all on how we can get there.  There will be an internal launch of the strategy and more opportunities for colleagues to get involved this autumn but you can view the agreed document now as part of the cabinet papers.

Work to deliver our People Strategy is already under way. Finding new ways to recruit top talent is one of the ways we can make sure the Council has the people and skills we need to succeed. A critical evaluation of the current recruitment strategy is being undertaken by Curtis Griffin in Learning and Skills and the results of this will be used to inform our new recruitment and attraction strategy. All staff can respond now via Staff Central.

Another way in which we can bring in new skills is by offering more opportunities to younger people. Communities for Work Plus will launch our second QuickStart scheme this summer and there is still chance for managers to apply to have one of ten fully funded posts in their team. As well as supporting us in developing our services the scheme will provide young people with new skills to enhance their future prospects.

Any staff looking to develop new language skills can access a series of taster classes for the next round of Gwaith Cymraeg courses in August. The courses are free to staff and attending will be considered part of your working day, so there is no need to take leave or make up hours afterwards. You can take a look at what’s on offer via StaffNet.

Last week we were celebrating the news that 10 of our parks were awarded with Green Flag status. This week, our parks team have received more glowing feedback about their work to maintain and enhance the infrastructure and ecology of our green spaces, this time from a Vale resident: "I wanted to tell you how pretty the wildflower meadow at Penarth cliff tops is looking! It is just gorgeous, and the newly completed bus shelter is really nice too. Today I was up there, and the shorter grass areas were being used by different groups of people- a karate class on one, young people playing ball on others, and lots of walkers and dog walkers on the paths. It surely is a great success and so good for biodiversity too.” An extensive programme of work has been undertaken to make improvements to the Cliff Tops, and it’s great to see the hard work of our colleagues recognised. Da iawn pawb.

Those of you based at the Civic Offices may have seen some new signage has been installed on the lower ground floor recently to make it easier for staff to find their way to Yr Ardd - The Garden in the central courtyard. The garden is a great space to get away from the office, either to work or relax. Thanks as always to Lynn Clarke for all the time and effort she has put into creating the space for others to enjoy, and to all of those who have helped. Next time you are in the building, follow the signs and check it out.

Yesterday saw hundreds of residents cast their vote in the Barry Town Council Buttrills Ward by-election. Thank you to all those that helped at polling stations and in the count, and well done to Rachel Starr-Wood and the Electoral Registration team for running a seamless operation. The by-election results are now available on our website.

I’d also like to thank the Property team for their recent volunteering efforts. The team managed to use a break in the recent rain to hold their team meeting at Porthkerry Country Park and spent some time clearing the beach of litter while there were there. Great effort all!

To close this week I’d like to commend two teams that are making a huge difference to communities in Barry.

Firstly, Oakfield Primary School has received a Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes National Quality Award following an excellent assessment by Public Health Wales. The award is made to schools that take responsibility for maintaining and promoting the health of pupils.

The Oakfield report is glowing but one section stands out in highlighting so much that is great about the school: “There are many elements of Oakfield that stand out, but perhaps the most notable of all of these is the way that the school prioritises the wellbeing of the whole family of each pupil. There is a strong recognition of the fact that in order to improve wellbeing, attendance and progress in learning for all learners that strong, positive relationships and rapport with parents and carers are required.” It is great to see the school getting recognition for such important work. Gwaith da a diolch yn fawr.

Secondly, Wednesday saw this year’s Flying Start family fun day at Penceodtre park in Cadoxton. It was a huge success. Hundreds of people attended across the course of the day which was delivered in partnership with more than 40 other services and organisations, including the Youth Service, Libraries, Communities for Work, Families First Advice Line, Early Help and Healthy Living teams.

The cost-of-living crisis means that many families will be anxious about how to enjoy the summer holidays without great expense. A fun-filled day for families to enjoy that is totally free will have made a huge difference and I’d like to thank everyone that made it possible. Diolch yn fawr.

Thanks as always to you all for your efforts this week. Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Rob.