Archives for February 2017

Bananas, Bacteria and the School of Rock

February 17, 2017 by Martin Leave a Comment

Awards

I mentioned last week that following discussions with the Leader we‘ve submitted a number of our projects and services for the Municipal Journal (MJ) Awards.

These awards recognise the best local government services and personnel. Judges look for evidence of ability, ingenuity and performance. They’re often impressed by the dedication of local government staff and the practical outcomes we achieve. An MJ Award allows local authorities to be recognised for the delivery of their services over the past 12 months and to share their expertise with peers. It also provides staff with the recognition they deserve.

There were a number of possible candidates for consideration but after much deliberation we‘ve submitted in the following categories

Category	Main Content
Local Authority of the Year	All-council – City Deal, Tidal Lagoon, City Centre, Sustainable Swansea, Vision, Values
Delivering Better Outcomes	Helping Hands Volunteer Service, Stress Management & Counselling, South Wales Estates Project, Delivering Better Outcomes, Swans Academy Pilot, Health & Safety Engagement
Delivering Better Outcomes	Domestic Abuse Hub Swansea (Child & Family, Poverty & Prevention)
Excellence in Community Engagement	Work Development Service – vulnerable/ disadvantaged people create a cleaner and safer Swansea.
Reinventing Public Services	Western Bay Health and Social Care Programme’s Optimal Model of Intermediate Care
Workforce Transformation	Sustainable Swansea

Thanks to all the staff who helped to prepare the submissions in a very short space of time and particular thanks to Andy Pearson, Communications and Engagement Officer, for pulling the whole process together for us. Well done Andy.

Poverty

CMT met at the Mansion House on Wednesday to discuss a number of issues including the on-going commissioning review of catering services, the Band B school improvement programme and the Poverty Strategy. You’ll be aware that tackling poverty is a corporate priority for us all and the timely review of the Poverty Strategy allows us to reflect on what has been achieved, but more importantly to determine what we’ll collectively do in the coming months and years. This will be set out in the Delivery Plan and it was encouraging to see contributions coming from a large number of service areas. We have a real opportunity to make a difference in the coming years providing we believe that tackling poverty, like safeguarding, is everyone’s business.

Three years ago Council approved an economic regeneration strategy which aimed to increase prosperity through a series of targeted interventions, many being reflected in the current projects within our City Deal and Tidal Lagoon proposals. But critically the strategy identified that unless we adopted the right approaches to skills, training, apprenticeships and managing supply chains we could experience 20 years of what economists call “jobless growth”. Productivity rises but unemployment and economic inactivity increases. As a consequence relative poverty increases. We’ve been working locally and regionally to tackle this through projects like Workways, Beyond Bricks and Mortar, our Apprenticeship Strategy and Communities First.

You may have seen the announcement this week by Carl Sargeant that Communities First, the flagship policy aimed at boosting deprived communities across Wales, is set to be dropped. The Communities Secretary said he was not convinced that “continuing to focus on 52 small areas is the most effective way to deliver for Wales”. Mr Sargeant told AMs that a new Wales-wide approach would focus on employment, early years and “empowerment”.

It‘s too early for us to understand the full impact of these changes on our organisation. I appreciate these will be uncertain times for many employees but we’ll be working with our staff to determine a way forward which will give us the confidence that our Poverty Strategy and Delivery Plan will be implemented.

Penyrheol Primary School

Last Friday I was privileged to be invited to Penyrheol Primary School to present a High 5 award to the Year 5 pupils, along with our fantastic High 5 ambassador and Swansea City star, Leon Britton.

The High 5 judging panel had decided that they would award the whole of Year 5 for the support they have given to their classmate, Ellis. The children had been nominated by Ellis’ mother, Heidi.

Ellis is confined to a wheelchair but this has not stopped him participating in virtually everything the class does. Year 5 have gone out of their way to ensure he can take part in activities ranging from climbing trees to playing rugby and football. They are magnificent role models and show a degree of empathy and caring that puts most of us adults to shame.

The head teacher, Alison Williams, had invited the whole school and the parents in Year 5 to celebrate the achievement so I was a bit taken aback when I entered the school hall which was crammed full of people.

At that point it all started to get a bit surreal. Leon entered the hall to a fanfare of cheering and he and I were marched onto the stage. I was then handed a guitar and asked to play along with four songs with the Penyrheol School of Rock, flanked by children dressed as bananas and bacteria.

It was a lovely celebration by the school, for the school, and set up fantastically by Alison and her team. I promised to go back there soon to talk to the school council but I suspect they won’t ask me to play the guitar again.

Thanks to the pupils, parents, governors and staff for making Leon and I feel so welcome. And thanks to Year 5 for setting a fantastic example for us all.

Pre-election period

With the local government elections taking place in May, we’ll soon be entering the pre-election period. Sometimes known as “purdah”, it begins on March 17 and affects some of the things we do. It’d be a good idea for all staff to read the latest guidance that you can find via this link.

Chief Education Officer

Council has confirmed the appointment of Nick Williams as our new Chief Education Officer. Nick, our current Head of the Learner Support Service, was appointed by competitive interview following a recruitment process that attracted a lot of competition. Well done to Nick. I‘m delighted with his appointment. He will commence duties immediately on the departure of Lindsay Harvey in March.

Ambassador

Sarah Jones, who is of our many inspirational carers with Foster Swansea, has recently been appointed one of six Foster Carer Ambassadors in Wales.

As part of her new role she’ll host and speak at events, showcase foster care achievement, offer support to fellow carers and help raise the profile of what they do.

Along with the other ambassadors, she will also act as a voice for foster carers across Wales. Foster carers in Swansea do an amazing job and I’m sure we all wish Sarah well.

Neat work

Well done to members of our NEAT team who assisted Mid & West Wales Fire Service, retrieving more than 60 abandoned shopping trolleys from the River Tawe.

Next week

There’ll be no blog next week as I’ll be on annual leave. The next one will be on March 3.

May the fourth be with you

February 9, 2017 by Martin Leave a Comment

Setting the Budget

After many months of discussion and consultation, Cabinet yesterday agreed the revenue and capital budgets for the forthcoming financial year. You’ll see from reports that a number of changes were made by Cabinet following the public consultation period.

What isn’t clear from a simple reading of the report is how much work actually went in to its preparation, involving a large number of staff from all levels of the organisation.

Although many people were involved and should be thanked, I’m particularly indebted to Mike Hawes, our Director of Resources, and Ben Smith, Chief Finance and Deputy S151 Officer, who worked tirelessly on the process of preparation of the report. They’ve done an excellent job and I’m very grateful.

The budget now goes to Council for final approval on February 23.

May the fourth be with you

How time flies. This week I met with Huw Evans, Head of Democratic Services, and Alison O’Hara, Electoral Services Team Leader, to review our preparations for the local government elections in May. There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be put in to manage an election. Alongside the mountain of rules there are huge logistical issues in running an accurate, timely and efficient count.

Thankfully in Swansea I’m supported by an experienced and knowledgeable team from presiding officers to counting assistants and the core elections team based at the Guildhall. On Wednesday I discussed progress on the 2017 elections with the Electoral Commission and reassured them that we’re making the necessary preparations already and are ahead of the curve. This includes moving the count on the evening May 4 from the LC to the Guildhall.

We’re currently seeking staff to help in the process of running the election and you can find application details here.

There are important rules that all councillors and officers must observe in the pre-election period, or “purdah” as it is sometimes known. For the 2017 elections this period commences on March 17. There’s guidance available on our website and I’d encourage staff to read it and be familiar with it.

On a slightly different note I’d appeal to you all as voters to exercise your right to vote on May 4. For me this year has further demonstrated the importance of exercising this right, with some momentous decisions being made as a consequence.

Performance

Corporate Management Team met this week to discuss the third quarter performance monitoring data and our corporate approach to performance management. Some interesting suggestions were thrown in and we’ll be reviewing the systems and processes for performance management later this year.

We’re developing some technological solutions to assist data gathering but in the meantime I‘ve asked the directors to make sure the data relating to performance on our corporate priorities is properly interpreted in the report to Cabinet in March. This will probably require the input of a large number of staff across departments and will need to be done very quickly.

Deal or no Deal

We finally have a date for the challenge meeting with the UK Government to set out our City Deal proposals. The four leaders will meet the key ministers in London on February 21, along with other members of the pitch team. Rob Stewart, our Leader, will lead the delegation which will face intensive challenge.

Many staff are working hard behind the scenes to support this critical project. Final discussions are under way with civil servants in both Welsh and UK Governments so it’s all hands to the pump as we enter the final straight. We’re hoping the detail will finally be ironed out this coming Wednesday when Martin Nicholls, Huw Mowbray and I travel to Cardiff to meet the Welsh Government team.

The Kingsway

It seems like yesterday that I was crossing the Kingsway to get to the Odeon to watch Battle for the Planet of the Apes followed by chicken in the basket and chips at the Burlington restaurant. Actually, it was 43 years ago and as you’ll all be aware much has changed during that time, some for the better and some not so. But if the Council’s ambitions for the city centre are to be achieved then the Kingsway must change more fundamentally. Part of the City Deal programme is about meeting this major challenge.

Future plans for The Kingsway and other key roads within the city centre will be available for viewing over the next few weeks with drop-in events at The Grand Theatre on the following dates between 9.00am and 5.00pm:

Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th February.
Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd February.

You can view the proposals and feed comments back on the project website: www.swansea.gov.uk/TheKingsway

Innovation

The Innovation Group are developing ideas on how we can make sure staff are protected from abuse while carrying out their duties. I was very interested in developing a better understanding of why customers get frustrated, and how this sometimes turns to aggression. In some instances prolonged waiting times and being referred needlessly between departments causes tensions and we need to minimise this. I think most of us have experienced these sorts of frustrations when dealing with large organisations so we must have some empathy when it happens here.

The group also discussed a standard process in the form of a flowchart which will help staff and managers to ensure we’re consistent when dealing with aggressive behaviour by customers. I look forward to seeing these ideas being developed into a plan by the group and sharing it with the rest of the organisation.

Appointments Committee

The Appointments Committee met on Thursday to agree a shortlist of candidates for the post of Chief Education Officer. Interviews will be held next Tuesday and Council will meet to consider the appointment next Thursday. I hope to be able to announce the appointment in next week’s blog.

MJ awards

We’ll be submitting in a number of categories to the Municipal Journal annual awards later this week. I’ll say more about this next week.

Our very own Masterchef

I was delighted to see Sue Reed, our Community Buildings Development Manager, demonstrating how to cook healthy food on Bay TV. She has a regular slot on the programme so I’m relying on her to help me lose a few pounds as long as she keeps the recipes simple!

Congratulations

Liam Jones in our Planning team has been shortlisted for a national award. Liam will be battling it out for the Young Planner of the Year title in the Royal Town Planning Institute awards. The awards take place in June.

Well done Liam, great work!

Exploring our investment opportunities

February 3, 2017 by Martin Leave a Comment

Swansea welcomes visitors

Major companies from the Northern Powerhouse were in Swansea this week to explore investment opportunities.

As part of a programme organised by the Welsh Government, representatives of the north of England companies met with us, Neath Port Talbot Council and Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. These companies have shown an interest in establishing a presence in Swansea/South Wales, should the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project be given the “green light”.

Included in the programme was a visit to the Meridian Tower for our officers to set the scene for the proposed investments in the city.

This all follows Welsh Government’s visit to Sheffield last year, where during discussions, they learnt that many would consider expanding into Wales and all were keen to explore working with Welsh supply chain companies.

On the back of the news The Right Honourable Charles Hendry has approved the tidal lagoon plans, and with the City Region’s City Deal bid now with the UK Government for approval, this is yet more encouraging news in terms of potential investment in job creation in Swansea in future.

European partnership

It was also great to welcome a delegation from our twin city in Mannheim. It gave us a chance to share the differing approaches to strategic planning, the efficiency agenda and how we set and deliver our respective corporate priorities. There were also workshops on a range of key areas including sustainable Swansea, cultural services, youth and city of music, infrastructure waste management, finance and safety.

The sessions were very successful allowing us to share our respective best practice and learn a few lessons of how the two councils can work collaboratively on the wider European stage.

Both the Mannheim and Northern Powerhouse delegations were invited to the Swansea City FC match against Southampton which the Swans won after a hard fought contest. So I hope our visitors will leave Swansea with positive views of the city and its prospects as well as our club’s prospects for survival in the Premier League.

A great showcase

Wales’ top social services official, Albert Heaney, visited our Child and Family Services this week to look at some of the great work we’re doing. A number of staff made presentations and gave him an insight into our work with families and young people.

Afterwards I spoke to Albert to get his reflections on the afternoon. He is a tough man to impress but I think he was quite blown away by what he saw.

It’s clear that the Welsh Government, and many other councils, are struggling to get to grips with the pressures within children’s services, particularly with increasing Looked After Children populations.

Albert has significant influence in the Welsh Government and the ear of key ministers, so I’m hoping he’ll pass on his positive views of Swansea. I also hope that we will get the opportunity to showcase our work to the Minister at some time in the near future.

I’m so grateful to all the staff for the work they do every day in this really challenging environment.

And further congratulations to staff in Child and Family Services on a hugely encouraging report from the CSSIW. Based on an unannounced inspection of our flexible home support service, the report includes positive feedback from not only the inspector, but also from the families using the service. Well done to all involved!

Local Government Reform

The Welsh Government has this week published the ‘White Paper: Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed’. This follows discussions with the Cabinet Secretary throughout the autumn and it includes proposals for regionalised services as well as proposals considered in the previous Draft Bill. The unexpected element for me, and I suspect many others, is that the Welsh Government is seeking views on electoral reform, specifically on the lowering of the voting age to 16 and options for councils to determine their own voting arrangements (including the Single Transferable Vote system) and an option to allow councils to return to the committee system.

We’ll be considering these issues in some detail and will bring forward a report to Council to agree our response to the consultation.

A useful background paper from the Welsh Local Government Association can be found here.

Evolve

Last Friday I attended part of the development day held by the Evolve service in Gorseinon. The event was organised to engage staff in considering the options arising from the recent commissioning review into Family Support, and specifically into services offered to young people aged 11-plus. After sitting in on a couple of the groups it was interesting to see people airing their views frankly and clearly about the various options for the service going forward. It’s very important these events are inclusive and I was really pleased to see everyone engaging with enthusiasm. The staff also made some important points about the commissioning process which I’ll share with Corporate Management Team as we seek to improve it in the next round of reviews. They also asked me some tough questions about the tidal lagoon and current regeneration plans.

Thanks to Gavin Evans and all the team for making me feel at home and I look forward to discussing the outcomes of the review with Leadership Team and Cabinet in the coming weeks.

Birchgrove School

On Friday I also visited Birchgrove Comprehensive School to meet with the head teacher, Andrew Owen, who’s been in post since September. Like many of the schools I visit Birchgrove faces a number of challenges but the approach of the head teacher and staff is very positive and the determination to improve education for the pupils is very impressive. We had an in-depth discussion about education inclusion and specialist teaching facilities which Andrew has a real passion about.

I also had a quick tour round the school which has some excellent facilities and Andrew explained future plans to me. I was particularly interested in the practical skills options for students, including work in textiles and construction trades. I hope we can work very closely with the school on developing these skills, particularly in construction, given the massive investment taking place in our housing stock and regeneration projects. I have asked our Director of Place to push this idea forward as quickly as possible.

School performance

Sticking with education, I was delighted to see continued improvement by Swansea’s schools following the publication of the National Categorisation System. The latest Welsh Government school colour-coded categorisation figures published this week show a record number of schools in Swansea in the best performing (green) category and none at all in the most in need of help (red).

Congratulations and thanks to all the teaching staff and those in the education service for their hard work and determination to secure a better education for young people in Swansea. A special thank you must go to Martin Franklin and his team at Morriston Comprehensive School who recorded the biggest improvement in GCSE results of any school in Wales. In 2015 the school had been identified by the Welsh Government as one of 40 secondary schools in Wales most in need of improvement. I visited Martin and his team last year and it’s great to see the hard work they are putting in and making a real difference. These are not issues that can be fixed overnight and the improvement journey is long and hard, but this really is a dramatic improvement in pupil attainment; a core priority for us all.

Senior staff recruitment

Unfortunately we were unable to put forward candidates to Council for the post of Director of Resources and I will be working with HR and the current director, Mike Hawes, to identify a way forward later this week.

We’ll be reporting to the shortlisting committee next week on the recruitment of a Chief Education Officer, as you’ll remember that Lindsay Harvey will be leaving us to join Bridgend Council in March.

Green school

Well done to staff and pupils at Craigfelen Primary for helping the school gain a Platinum Eco Award. In recognition of the school having won three Green Flags, the award shows the school covers topics like energy, litter, recycling and healthy living both in class and extra-curricular activities.

Congratulations

Well done to all staff involved in the upgrade of the Matthew Street blocks of flats in Dyfatty. This major project will boost the health and wellbeing of residents, while also improving the appearance of a key gateway in and out of the city centre. More than 2,400 council homes will also have new kitchens and bathrooms in the 2017/2018 financial year in areas including Cwm Felin Fach, Bonymaen, Llanllienwen, Caemawr, Clase, Birchgrove, Clydach, Craig Cefn Parc, Pontarddulais and Penllergaer. This follows on from similar works that have been completed in areas including Penlan, Gendros and Waunarlwydd.