Directors and Cabinet have been locked in budget discussions this week as we look to bridge our £14m budget gap.
We’re trying to do it in a way that minimises disruption to services and protects jobs, but this is obviously going to be tricky given the size of the savings and previous budget reductions. By the end of today we should have a series of proposals which will form the basis of consultation with staff, councillors, trade unions and the public. Our budget proposals will reflect our corporate priorities, particularly education and social care. The discussions have been quite challenging and a huge amount of work has been done to generate savings ideas, many of which have come from individual employees. They also include ideas that are cross-cutting which shows we are moving away from the silo approach. The budget proposals are due to go to Cabinet on December 12 so the report will be published in early December. We have a series of staff roadshows planned and I’d encourage everyone to attend so that we can update you on the budget and Sustainable Swansea.
Big deal
Another big issue for me this week has been the City Deal. Yesterday the Leader and I went to Cardiff with colleagues from the City Region to make a pitch for the Swansea Bay City Deal to First Minister Carwyn Jones. He was joined by Cabinet colleagues Mark Drakeford (Finance and Local Government) and Ken Skates (Economy and Infrastructure). Our Leader, Rob Stewart, made the presentation, clearly and confidently setting out the reasons why the Welsh Government should support the bid, click here for details. This was followed by 90 minutes of in-depth challenge from the assembly members present. The purpose of the pitch was to explain the challenges and ambitions facing South West Wales and to seek Welsh Government support for the 11 regional projects over the next 20 years. The next step in the coming weeks will be a similar exercise with the UK government in London. Following that we’d hope for an announcement prior to Christmas. Financial support from both governments is essential.
Remembrance
Today at 11am we’ll be observing the two-minute silence to remember the sacrifices of our armed services down the years and in the present day. Please observe the occasion. My thanks also to the team organising Silence in the Square in Castle Square this morning.
Coming to the rescue
We often say our employees go the extra mile, but this week three members of staff performed heroics. Tim Orrell and Ellen Richards, who work in in the Nature Conservation Team, were on the second floor of the Civic Centre when they saw a lady in distress on the beach. She had a suspected broken ankle, having been knocked over by a dog. They realised she was getting cold so went and got a space blanket to try and keep her warm. The ambulance couldn’t reach the lady so they contacted their colleague Sean Hathaway, who had access to a 4×4 truck, and he took the lady from the beach to the ambulance. My thanks to Tim, Ellen and Sean for all their care and efforts.
Child care
We’ve been chosen as one of six trial areas for a new Welsh Government pilot initiative that aims to provide families with 30 hours of early years education and childcare a week. We’ve been chosen because of our impressive record of innovation in this area of practice which is already transforming education attainment opportunities among families in some of our city’s most deprived areas. This kind of recognition is great for our reputation as a forward-looking local authority and my thanks go to the teams involved and particularly to Sian Bingham who co-ordinated the bid.
Hillary is a Jack!
Hillary Clinton may not be heading to the White House but that hasn’t stopped our archives team tracing her Swansea family tree. Their research shows that her great-great grandfather, Edwin Howell, worked for a decade in the metal industries of South Wales in the 1870s – five years of which were spent in the Landore area of Swansea. One of Edwin’s sons, Benjamin Alfred Howell – Hillary’s great-great uncle – was born in Landore in 1872 in an area called Maesydd, according to his birth certificate, which archivists estimate to be the area around Mysydd Road in Swansea. At the moment there appears to be no Swansea connection with Mr Trump.
Regeneration latest
There’s been progress this week on our regeneration plans for the Civic Centre and St David’s development sites. We’ve now advertised for an indoor arena operator for the St David’s site, with an outline planning application for the overall scheme set for submission in March next year. We’re also in discussions with Swansea University and Trebor Developments, the company we’ve appointed to manage the regeneration of the Civic Centre site, about an interactive science gallery that could, along with a public aquarium, form part of the hydro hub planned for the site. This gallery would present examples of cutting-edge Swansea University research through hands-on exhibits. I’ll continue to keep you updated.
The Leader and Tracey McNulty, our head of cultural services, were at the restored and redeveloped Glynn Vivian Art Gallery yesterday for a Ministerial visit. Ken Skates, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, was hugely impressed with the attraction, which has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors since re-opening on October 15. Well done to everyone involved.
Give your vote
A fantastic community project that helps people with learning disabilities needs your help. Staff in our day services team have been raising money for the past 18 months for the Trewarren garden project. It now features in the Aviva Community Fund awards which provides money to those projects with the highest number of votes. To learn more about the project and to vote please follow this link
Nominations are now open for the Swansea Sports Awards 2016, being run by our sport and health team. Visit this link to get your nominations in to recognise outstanding sporting achievements made by both our local and high profile sportspeople this year.
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