Robs Weekly Round Up

29 September 2023

Dear colleagues,  

This week is National Inclusion Week. It is a week is dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. This year’s theme is ‘Take Action Make Impact’. The campaign’s organisers say this is a call to action for all, from leaders to teams and individuals, and its one I am proud to say we here in the Vale are responding to. 

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has long been committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our workforce. Our aim has always been that our workforce will be truly representative of the communities that we serve, and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. 

As an employer we promote equality and fairness for all. The Council has a diverse workforce in large part because we do not discriminate on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation (LGBTQI+). This is an area where I am proud that we have always moved quickly. In my time as Chief Executive we have been recognised as a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident organisation, and have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge. 

In recent years we have built on this by establishing three thriving staff networks. GLAM is a staff network of LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies that works to have a positive impact for LGBTQ+ colleagues in the workplace. The Diverse Network is for colleagues and allies who want to support the Council’s mission for race equality. The Disability Network is made up of colleagues with experience of disability, mental ill health, neurodiversity, and allies to help establish a workplace that better caters for their needs to create an environment where everyone is included and supported. 

Earlier this week I was delighted to hear from Elyn Hannah, our Equalities and Welsh Language Officer, that we as a Council had only this month been recognised as having made outstanding progress in our inclusion journey at the annual meeting of the Inclusive Employers Network and the growth of our networks is just one example of our success.  

‘Take Action Make Impact’ is a powerful message and one that reminds us all that each of us through our actions has the power to make a positive impact for marginalised colleagues and citizens of the Vale. In this regard all three of our networks do great work to advocate on behalf of others and ensure issues affecting not just our own staff but the wider communities we serve get the visibility and attention they deserve. I’d like to thank every member of our networks for the time and effort they have put in to supporting others, and in particular the networks’ chairs and co-chairs Martine, Laura, Lee, Carl, and Colin.  

Our network leads are all also very keen to share more about their work and recruit new members. To round off National Inclusion Week a virtual Q&A session is being held via Teams on Tuesday (3 October). Representatives of each will be there to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and answer any questions you may have about the networks in the organisation. Tom Bowring, Director of Corporate Resources, will also be joining the panel to answer questions on workplace inclusivity. 

I would encourage all colleagues to join the session next week and also to take the time to review some of the material published this week on StaffNet. There are so many ways in which you can make a difference and help us become an even more inclusive employer.  

Another of the ways in which we aim to support staff is in encouraging and supporting healthy travel to work. Thursday was Healthy Travel Wales Day which gave us an opportunity to remind colleague of what’s available to help people make more sustainable journeys to and from work. 

As a Council we have in the last year provided staff discounts on public transport, created an interactive map showing walking and cycling infrastructure in the Vale, offered a cycle to work scheme to all staff, increased the availability of tele-video conferencing, introduced ultra-low emission vehicles as part of our pool-car fleet, improved bicycle storage at our buildings, and installed showers for staff to use. 

All of this is, I believe, making a difference but I recognise that there is always more we can do. In the coming months there will be more opportunities for colleagues to input into the Eich Lle – Your Space programme to upgrade our office accommodation and I would encourage anyone with thoughts of how we can enable even more sustainable working arrangements to share their views.  

If you live in Wales then the form of transport you will no doubt have heard the most about in recent weeks is car travel, and the implementation of the new 20mph speed limit. While the legislation is a matter for Welsh Government, the Council, as the branch of government responsible for public highways, of course has a role in implementing the change. The Leader of the Council, Cllr Lis Burnett, was on Wales Today last night discussing aspects of this as well as her own views on the new law. 

A huge amount of work has been undertaken in the past year by our Highways team to collate and supply data to Welsh Government, manage the process for exemptions, and more recently rollout new signage and road markings to ensure road users are aware of the changes and able to travel safely in line with them. Diolch yn fawr pawb to all of those colleagues who played a role in enabling is a significant change for the public realm in Wales. 

There is endless commentary being shared online about the merits of the new speed limit. What I think is beyond debate is that the change is one that brings with it a number of public health benefits including being beneficial to a number of different road users – not just car drivers, but pedestrians and cyclists and one that helps us as a Council achieve our objective of building stronger, safer communities.  

Colleagues from the local public health team recently wrote to set out their view of the results we should expect to see from a reduced default speed limit. These were fewer injuries and deaths on our roads, due to the lower impact speed; more opportunity for people to walk and cycle and a safer environment for people with disabilities; improved air quality; reduced noise pollution; and reduced inequalities in health. All of those sound very positive to me.  

As with any change over the years – compulsory use of seatbelts, restrictions to smoking indoors, charges for plastic bags – there are always very vocal opponents at the outset. I know many colleagues are encountering these opinions through their work and I’d like to thank them all for their professionalism and ongoing commitment to keeping communities safe.  

Finally, most of you will hopefully have already seen that the Council’s new volunteering scheme launched this week. Most colleagues can now commit one calendar day per year to volunteering for a cause that helps support local communities here in the Vale of Glamorgan. 

As well as helping others, volunteering offers the opportunity to learn new skills, build an understanding of the challenges faced by the communities we serve, and develop stronger relationships not only with communities across the Vale but also with your team and other colleagues. 

There are some suggestions for how you can volunteer on StaffNet+ and please do share with me and our Communications team what you and your teams do to help others so we can encourage even more people to get involved.  

Thanks as always to everyone for your efforts this week. Diolch yn fawr y gyd.  

Rob.