Amazing achievement
Once again I want to sing the praises of our staff who continue to do a great job despite budget pressures.
The latest Local Authority Performance Bulletin published this week shows just how good a job staff have done. The all-Wales bulletin compares all 22 councils on a broad range of indicators, from the condition of roads to the performance of schools. Last year:
- 29% of all our performance indicators were in the top quartile, up from 17% in 2014/15.
- A reduction in lower quartile PIs from 22% to 14%.
- We’re ranked 9th among all 22 councils, up from 15th last year.
We’re performing in the top quartile in 32% of the indicators compared Cardiff’s 24% and Newport’s 12%. Given the financial pressure and as an urban area we face tougher challenges, this improvement is really impressive. You can view the bulletin here.
On top of this, our own quarterly performance report shows 80% of our corporate plan indicators met their target and 60% showed improvement compared to the first quarter last year.
We can’t be complacent; only yesterday a report warned that services like libraries and leisure centres could become unaffordable because about 56p in every pound spent by the Welsh Government on public services could go to the NHS.
We already knew the financial outlook is difficult as we need to save tens of millions of pounds again this year, but I’m inspired by the way our staff continue to meet these challenges and provide great services.
Thank you to everyone, I really appreciate your efforts.
More than one way to skin a cat
I attended a presentation about an alternative approach to improving rail connectivity to the city and the region. Professor Mark Barry from Cardiff University, who was instrumental in developing the South East Metro plans, believes his latest proposal can achieve more than electrification would have given us. He proposes the creation of a direct rail link from Port Talbot to Swansea via the new Bay Campus and SA1, and a Swansea Bay Metro connecting Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot. It could reduce travel times to Cardiff by 30 minutes and reach London in just over two hours. This would greatly benefit West Wales. It’s at a very early stage but we hope to work closely with regional partners and Welsh Government to develop the business case and engage with UK government to explore how it could be funded.
Schools
My week started on a high note with a visit to Brynmill Primary School where I met Jo Simons, headteacher, and her team. I know the school well as my children were educated there and my granddaughter is currently in the reception class. Jo highlighted the specific challenges that face this landlocked school, its Victorian design and lack of safe play space. The team and the children have done a great job of making the environment colourful and welcoming but more remains to be done and in the current financial environment any improvements will require an innovative approach. I promised to give this some thought.
Mike Penrose, Chief Executive at UNICEF, visited us to see how we’ve embedded UNCRC into everything we do. So far almost 50,000 children and young people have been engaged in the Rights Respecting Schools programme. Mike was clearly impressed, citing Hafod Primary as possibly the best example he had seen across the globe for the Rights Respecting approach. Thanks to all the schools and staff involved in driving this initiative forward.
I met YCA, the Primary Head teachers Association, to update them on the budget, local government reform and the plans for the city, including a plea for all schools to engage with our City of Culture and Tidal Lagoon campaigns. Schools and pupils have a very important role in helping to promote the opportunities our regeneration plans present for the young people. Thanks to the YCA for such a warm welcome and I look forward to our next meeting.
Congratulations to Donna Caswell and her team at Llanrhidian Primary School for their recent Excellent/Excellent Estyn inspection result. The report is a great reflection of the school, its staff and pupils.
Farewells
Thelma Maguire, Performance Management Officer in our Housing team is retiring after 41 years. Also Jennifer Griffiths, Capital and Revenue Monitoring Officer in our Education Service, is leaving after 45 years fantastic contribution to the work on our schools estate. I wish them both well after such outstanding service.
I find it disturbing that you would ask schools to promote the Tidal Lagoon Project.
Not everybody is in favour of this project and that for good reasons.
It is hugely expensive and we do not know ! whether this project will actually make as much electricity as we expect it to do. If it becomes a flop we are lumbered with huge and ugly concrete bits in the sea and we do not know what the impact on the wildlife will be.
We need mature technology that is already cheaper !
Build a small, trial lagoon with government money and see whether it works and then our grandchildren don’t have to pay share holders dividends to foreign investors.
Would you have asked schools to promote a Nuclear Power Station ? There would have been an outcry if you did. The Local Authority needs to rethink their attitude please and make it known on the Web.
Thank you for your comment, Gerti.
I agree that not everyone supports the project and those who do not are free to express it, and they have. However, I do believe the case for a tidal lagoon for Swansea is strong. It has also been my experience that most of the children in the schools I have visited support the lagoon and regularly ask me questions about it. Importantly, the Government’s own independent advisor on the project, Charles Hendry, has investigated the issues in depth and has come out in support of it. Our futures and our children’s futures are dependent on identifying and developing energy sources which are renewable and help reduce our carbon footprint. Encouraging children to think around the issues of energy supply is an important part of supporting them to develop their understanding of this important area of their lives on which they will be making the decisions in the years to come. Tidal lagoons are a potentially significant part of the overall energy supply mix and Swansea has an opportunity to lead the world in these technologies. It is too good an opportunity for us or the UK Government to miss. And the Swansea lagoon is just what you say; a smaller pilot project to prove the concept before starting to build larger versions.
But that’s just my opinion
Schools
The same problems and issues that face Brynmill are equally applicable to YGG Bryn-Y-Mor where children continue to be taught in temporary demountables in the playground that were originally put in place more than 20 years ago. This coupled with the dense urban fabric, traffic and parking congestion compounded by the giving over of traditional family homes (that would have originally served these schools) to HMOs and my perennial favourite game of dodging the broken glass bottles on litter strewn streets whilst trying to do that rare decent thing of walking my children to school. No wonder we face an obesity epidemic. Food for further thought?
Thanks for this Alison,
As you say, Brynmill is not alone in the challenges it faces and our council priorities are focused on responding effectively to them. Your points do offer further food for thought and I’ll certainly bear them in mind. I’d also be happy to come and meet you if you’d like to discuss further.
Phil.
Thanks Phil and I will happily take you up on your offer. I have raised these concerns previously during the public consultation process into the SPG on HMOs and will do so again during the next round of public consultation.
Alison.
Thanks Alison. Send me an email and we’ll get something in our diaries.
On the topic of HMO’s – there is huge potential to build purpose built student accommodation in the city centre, and I understand sites are ear marked for student accommodation.
Can the Council build and manage the accommodation? As a developer / landlord, the Council would benefit not only from regenerating the city centre, which would take the pressure of Brynmill and Uplands, but also from recirculating the moneys from rents back into to city rather than into out-of-area investors pockets. Part of the commercialisation agenda?
Hi Penny, thanks for the comment. We are looking at all options for the city centre including housing and potential for commercial opportunities via a direct delivery development approach so your suggestion very much fits into this agenda.
Phil