Robs Weekly Round Up

27 September 2024 

Hi everyone,

Every week this message offers me an opportunity to share important Council developments and pay tribute to the excellent work of individuals and teams across the organisation.

It is a small way to give recognition to people for outstanding performance and thank them for their efforts.

Often the focus is on special achievements, meaning the exceptional everyday work carried out by colleagues goes under the radar.

So, it was great to see Ty Dewi Sant Care home in Penarth feature on the Sharp End this week, highlighting the fantastic service offered to residents by staff there.

The ITV programme, which aired on Monday, contained a segment on the challenge of providing dementia care, with demand rising for this comprehensive support as an aging population leads to more people being diagnosed with the condition.

Care home manager Clare O’Toole and colleague Tracy Jones appeared in the piece and did a really good job of shining a light on some important, often unseen, work undertaken by the Council.

I know other members of staff at the home were also involved in the process, as were the residents, so I’d like to say a big well done to all involved. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

The work of our social care staff is utterly invaluable and those involved in this sector are an absolute credit to the organisation. Please be assured that these efforts do not go unnoticed.

Earlier this week, I had a really useful catch-up with Sarah Cutting, who works in the Placemaking Team.

She talked about some of the activity that has been taking place in the Gibbonsdown and Buttrills areas to help some of our most vulnerable communities.

It gave me a real insight into the potential of work in this area, which is of particular relevance as our new Draft Corporate Plan continues to develop.

Strengthening our communities will remain a major priority for the Council over the next five years, with an emphasis on working alongside residents from these areas to help bring about positive change.

The discussion with Sarah left me with some real food for thought and a renewed enthusiasm about what can be achieved when assisting and working with residents and communities who need our support.

On Tuesday, I also attended the coffee morning organised by the Contact One Vale Team to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Natalie Taylor and Lynne Clarke were the driving force behind the event, which raised £361 for an extremely worthwhile cause.

Lots of staff attended and contributed by either baking something, donating, or both.

Well done to all involved – the money raised will help Macmillan continue its excellent work.

On Wednesday, I was joined by colleagues from our Housing Team in a discussion about challenges and opportunities facing that sector with officers from Welsh Government, when we also had an opportunity to show them around some of our housing sites.

The Council has embarked on a programme to provide new Council homes to boost our housing stock in recent years as we bid to address the surge in demand for this type of accommodation being seen across Wales and beyond.

Mike Ingram, Nick Jones and Andrew Freegard, among others from the organisation, have done great work in this area, with further projects in the pipeline, and it was great to showcase that work to colleagues from Cardiff Bay, who seemed suitably impressed by the progress that has been made. We have nearly 7,000 households on our waiting list for suitable homes with a housing stock of only 4000.  The need for new homes is greater than ever, especially when we are currently housing 300 households (families and single persons) in temporary accommodation.

The Council has a key role to play in providing new homes for our growing population and we are rightly incredibly proud of some of our new developments, completed over the last few years.  Our new housing provision will ramp up again during this year.  We have already built 155 new homes with a further 266 set for completion before the end of the year, seeing us add over 420 new homes to our stock.  Next year we aim to go even higher as we continue on our mission of being able to provide our residents with houses and flats they will be proud to call home.

All those involved in this progress and ongoing effort should also be very proud.  It shows the true value of public service and makes a massive difference to the lives of residents.  Whether you work in the Housing Team and are directly involved, in Planning ensuring that new proposals are properly assessed or other roles such as our Legal and Finance teams providing valuable support, you should take great satisfaction in what we continue to achieve. Diolch i chi i gyd.

Sticking with Housing, I also wanted to again thank Mike, Andrew, Nick and others for the work they put into our attempt to win a Welsh Government contract to deliver a housing development on land near Cosmeston.

Unfortunately, that bid was unsuccessful, though that is in no way a reflection of the effort that went into it.

We produced an excellent proposal, one that everyone, myself included, felt had a strong chance of being selected and I share others’ sense of frustration and disappointment that this did not happen.

It is important not to be deterred by this setback as we continue our aim to build homes not houses and create communities rather than simply places to live.

Our attempt to be at the forefront of delivering on such a large scale was a truly innovative idea, one that would have broken new ground for a Local Authority as a housing developer. It was a pleasure to get together with all those involved in the bid, along with the Leader of the Council, this afternoon to share feedback and, more importantly, consider what other opportunities may exist for a similar approach.

It is the kind of creative approach we must strive for in all areas of Council responsibility as we look to embrace the new Corporate Plan and Reshaping Programme and continue delivering for our residents.

Speaking of innovation, Cadoxton Primary School recently unveiled its new state-of-the-art immersive classroom, which offers an interactive and sensory-based experience for users.

The classroom, funded through Welsh Government’s Community Focused Schools Grant, uses immersive interactive software and boasts a large library of ready-to-use programmes available in numerous languages, including Welsh.

The 360-degree room creates a digital projection using all four touch screen classroom walls and the ceiling, also using sound, smell, and wind to pride a rich experience.

It is possible to step inside a fairy tale or the deep sea and recreate more practical experiences such as being on a train platform.

With help from our Sustainable Communities for Learning Team, Cadoxton Primary teamed up with British Telecom (BT) to bring the immersive classroom to life.

It is particularly beneficial for pupils with Additional Learning Needs (ALNs) or those who speak English as an additional language (EAL) but can also be used for everyday lessons such as Welsh and creative writing exercises.

The immersive classroom space, which can comfortably fit up to 15 adults, is available for hire by outside primary and secondary schools and other groups Monday to Friday, 8am to 10pm for £30 an hour.

As it is just off the school’s indoor sports hall, that can also be booked at the same time for an additional £10.

This week was National Inclusion Week, an event run by Inclusive Employers to celebrate this value in the workplace.

It is designed to recognise organisations that are inclusive and help others make improvements in this regard.

The theme for this year was “Impact Matters” a call-to-action for leaders, inclusion professionals, teams and individuals as everyone has the potential to make a profound and positive difference.

As a Council, we are proud to have staff networks that are a truly inclusive and welcoming spaces for so many colleagues.

Leads from our LGBTQ+ network GLAM, our race equality network Diverse, and our disability and neurodiverse network ABL shared why these groups are so important not just to the Council as a whole but to the individuals they represent.

The message from Glam referenced the fact the Council now features in the Stonewall Top 100 Inclusive Employers, Diverse included a mention about gaining Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer Status, while all speakers emphasised the importance of allyship.

There was another recent example of Council work in this area, with the news the Healthy Living Team have been included in the Understanding Disability Awards, organised by Cardiff and the Vale Parents Federation.

After being nominated by Karen Davies, the team of Joanne Jones, Rachel Shepherd, Jamie Lane, Angela Stevens, Ben Davies-Thompson, Craig Nichol, Gareth East, Helen Beggs, Julia Sky, Lisa Cleary, Lucy Mitchell, Max Smith, Michael Dobbins and Tom Geere will be presented with a plaque.

The plaque recognises outstanding efforts to include people with disabilities in activities, helping ensure all residents can benefit from a healthy and playful lifestyle.

This work includes steps to make sure activities cater for people with autism and that our Families First Holiday Club can be accessed by children with disabilities.

Staff have undergone Disability Inclusion Training at three levels and deliver the Exercise Referral Scheme, helping residents with medical conditions to live a healthier lifestyle.

The team work in partnership with the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Disability Sport Wales on the Health Disability Pathway project. That sees individuals with disabilities referred by health professionals to the Healthy Living Team, who then signpost into appropriate community sport and physical activity opportunities.

In delivering the Golden Pass 60+ project, older adults in the Vale have been supported to access community physical activity opportunities suitable for them for health and social benefits.

Leaders on the Young Ambassadors scheme help deliver provision at Ysgol y Deri, giving them experience of working with children of all ability levels and the chance to identify pupils who might also like to join the scheme.

Free physical activity and sport sessions were also delivered within Teenscheme, a youth club for people with disabilities and during school holidays, when analysis revealed 24 per cent of those attending had an additional need, and in connection with the Olympics and Paralympics.

After achieving ribbon and bronze status, the team is now aiming to move to the silver level of the insport partnership programme, which recognises positive inclusive practice to support disabilities in sport.

Llongyfarchiadau - Well done to the team for this achievement, it recognises an important Council aim to deliver for all of our residents regardless of background, sexual orientation, gender, age, and level of ability.

Thank you once again for your efforts this week – they are very much appreciated.

For those of you who can, have a relaxing a restful couple of days over the weekend.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob