Future of local government
For the past few years all the talk has been about reorganising local government and reducing the number of councils. That was the view until the Assembly elections and since then there’s been big hints of a change of direction. Well this week we got the latest government thinking when Cabinet Secretary Mark Drakeford unsurprisingly announced that he was seeking collaboration between councils rather than full reorganisation. That’s not to say that he wouldn’t welcome any voluntary mergers. So, as it stands, the future for direction for school improvement and social services will be on a regional footing based on the Western Bay map of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend. This will pave the way for stronger collaboration and cooperation between the NHS and councils. It’s also no surprise that the city region footprint of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire will be the basis for greater collaboration on economic development, planning and transport.
It’s still early days so it’s unlikely anything will happen quickly and I’ll keep you posted as regional talks take place. I’m glad there’s now an end to the uncertainty because I know many staff and councillors have been concerned about the future.
More school visits
My programme of school visits has continued this week with Bishopston, YG Pontybrenin and Clase primary schools.
Last Thursday I met head teacher, Gareth Widlake, and his team for a discussion and tour of Bishopston. Although the school buildings are, like many others, in need of modernisation the staff, governors and community are making great strides in improving the learning and outdoor environments for children. I met the school council and the children told me of their aspirations to improve the play facilities by buying new equipment. They asked me a lot of questions, including the impact of Brexit on schools funding in future. I wasn’t expecting that particular curveball!
Following the school council I stood up in front of a couple of hundred junior pupils for a Q&A and sure enough the Brexit question came up again, along with a few more difficult ones including “which is your favourite school?”, “have we got the best teachers?”, “is private education better than public?” and “can we have better wifi?” I managed to wing a few answers and dodge the political questions and in return the children sang Calon Lan beautifully, accompanied admirably by Mr Widlake on the piano.
On Friday I met with Ceri Scourfield, head teacher at YG Pontybrenin. Ceri explained the ethos of the school and the plans for expansion to provide extra capacity in this very popular facility. A tour to each classroom gave me the opportunity to explain to the children what local councils do. I was surprised and encouraged by how much the pupils already knew about the various functions we carry out.
The conversation continued over lunch – my first school dinner for some considerable years. My grasp of the Welsh language is not as good as it should be but I instantly recognised the important words “pysgod a sglodion” and hot-footed it to the dinner hall to have lunch with the children. Thanks to Ceri, all the staff and children for the warm welcome on what was a very busy day for them all.
On Monday I visited Clase primary school. I was slightly early so I took a quick tour of the estate and the redevelopments I’d worked on some time ago. The area is much improved, particularly the environment, and officers and ward councillors have obviously put in a huge amount of work over the last few years. Major works were taking place on some of the houses behind Rheidol Avenue and it brought home the massive investment this council is making to its housing stock to reach the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
Despite working on the estate for a number of years I’d never been to the primary school so it was a real surprise when I walked into the reception area. It is a very welcoming place with all the clutter removed which gives a sense of calmness which is often difficult to maintain in the often hectic atmosphere of a primary school.
The head teacher, Sharon Hope, introduced me to her staff and again I visited the classrooms to say hello to the children. Sharon explained how the various parts of the Council and its partner agencies work together to support families with children in school and it was great to hear how well this appears to be working in Clase. The relationship between school and community is of fundamental importance.
Clase is a school which encourages creativity and the work being carried out in art and music will be critical for a generation that will need innovation and creativity as core skills in a rapidly-changing world.
I’m picking up some common threads from these school visits, the purpose of which is to make real the discussions we’re having at the Chief Executive’s Improvement Board, which are more tangible when you have seen things at first hand. I’ll be visiting a few more schools before the end of term but at the same time I intend to spend some time with staff in other parts of the organisation and I’ll be making sure there’s space in my diary to do this.
Glynn Vivian
Today I’ll be joining several Cabinet Members for a preview tour of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, which re-opens to the public next Saturday (October 15). A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to reach this point, so my thanks to all staff involved. The redevelopment and restoration project will transform it into a destination gallery of international significance, helping further open up the arts to both local residents and visitors to the city.
Welcome
Rachel Moxey, our new Head of Poverty and Prevention, started work this week and I wish her all the best in this exciting and challenging role.
To Infinity and Beyond
Earlier in the year pupils from Blaenymaes primary school went to Liverpool to talk to the astronaut Tim Peake while he was still on board the International Space Station. The children have now been invited to Techniquest in Cardiff on 13 October to meet and speak to Tim in person. I think it’s the only school in Wales who will make a presentation to Tim and the First Minister on their project work on the space mission. Well done to all at Blaenymaes.
City Deal
Work continues apace to complete the bid for the Swansea Bay City Deal. The Leaders and Chief Executives of the four councils are meeting every Monday evening in Carmarthen to oversee the programme but there remains a lot to do before we submit to the UK Government at the end of the month. Thanks must go to the team in Economic Regeneration and Planning for a major effort to complete this work.
Macmillan Coffee Morning
During my visit to YG Pontybrenin the staff and children were holding a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan. They were doing a great job and I’m conscious that similar events were held in a number of our other venues. Our residential rehabilitation facility at Llanfair House held an event and raised £181.51. Llanfair is a very small unit so this is a fantastic achievement. Some cakes were made by the service users in a cooking group held the day before and others by the staff team (and their children in one case!). Congratulations to the team at Llanfair House and all the other staff who raised money for this important cause.
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