Archives for December 2021

Well, colleagues, another challenging year draws to a close.

Most of us had hoped that the virus would be beaten in 2021 and that masks, distancing and restrictions would become unnecessary.

But it is still with us and we continue to respond collectively to support and protect our communities.  I can remember the initial comments from virologists that viruses tend to become more efficient at spreading but less harmful to their hosts.  It is early to conclude anything but let’s hope that 2022 is the year when things return to a more familiar normality.

I would like to repeat my appreciation and thanks for all your hard work throughout the year.  I hope 2022 is a good year for you all, along with your families and your friends.

The latest Welsh Government update has set out a number of restrictions and advice for us to follow in work and at home.

As council staff we must only come into work where we can’t carry out our role from home. In the past 20 months we’ve become familiar with this approach.

In many cases it’s clear – the likes of refuse collection, roads maintenance, social care and many others simply can’t be done without being in the workplace.

There are other roles where many hundreds of our staff have been able to work from home and that should continue.

In addition to these two broad approaches, Heads of Service will determine those staff who need to come into the workplace for all or part of their working week.

Staff who need to come into the workplace will have a letter of authorisation from their manager and we’ll be working with the police to ensure they’re aware of our position.

So please don’t come in unless it’s been agreed by your Head of Service or line manager.

At the moment the likes of libraries and our other public-facing facilities will remain open in line with advice on safety measures.

The contact centre at the civic centre will remain open this week and will be staffed by a small team from next week to deal only with emergency issues from the public. Central Library and Coastline café will remain open for now and be subject to risk assessments in line with government guidance. This will be kept under constant review.

However, the situation is moving rapidly and is likely to change in the coming weeks as the number of positive cases continues to rise at a pace we’ve not seen before.

We’ll update you regularly so that you have the most up-to-date advice.

There are also changes allowing double-vaccinated people (who’ve been in close contact with a positive case) to take a daily LFT for seven days and if negative still go to work.

We’ll continue to work with trade unions on these matters and your safety will be paramount in any decisions we take.

It’s been a challenging 20 months for all of us and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done and continue to do. We’d probably all hoped to be going into the Christmas break with less upheaval and concern over Omicron.

Despite these challenges, I hope you can all have an enjoyable and safe Christmas. Please follow the latest advice whether at home or in work.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your families.

Nadolig llawen i chi i gyd.

If one epidemic wasn’t bad enough, we’re battling two – the Delta variant and Omicron. The forecasts for the coming weeks couldn’t be much gloomier and England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned, “All the things that we do know (about Omicron) are bad.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said Omicron is the most serious development in the pandemic so far and announced a series of changes.

He said we should:

• Get vaccinated as soon as possible,
• Take a lateral flow test before socialising,
• Meet people outdoors and space out our mixing – leaving at least a day between socialising events.

Welsh Government changes include people must work from home wherever they can.

From December 27 shops, businesses and workplaces will have to introduce two-metre distancing and one-way systems, nightclubs will close and indoor sporting events cancelled. Visits to care homes are also being changed.

It’s clear we’re now at a very worrying stage in the pandemic, we all need to stick to the advice and ensure we get the booster jab as soon as possible to stay safe and help protect our loved ones.

Schools will have two planning days after Xmas to allow time to assess staffing capacity and put measures in place to support learners. In Swansea this means the first day of term will be Thursday, 6 January 2022. Schools will be ensuring they have robust plans in place to move to remote learning if needed. Secondary schools will also plan for those sitting exams in January.

We’ll be reviewing these latest changes to ensure our workplaces and services remain safe for our staff and public.

Please follow the advice and have a smaller, safer Christmas. There’s a Christmas message here from me and Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council.

Thanks to our teams in public protection and legal services for their handling of the difficult situation at Cinema and Co this week.  It’s a reminder that none of us is above the law that’s there to protect our fellow citizens, despite the personal criticisms we receive as officers and members for simply doing our job. Thank you to Craig Davies in legal and Rhys Harries, Angela Phillips and the trading standards team for their outstanding work.

We can all help

The issue of child protection has again been thrown into the spotlight this week. The death of Star Hobson in Bradford was shocking and unfathomable.  It follows a number of other tragic child deaths reported nationally and serves as a reminder of our collective responsibility for safeguarding.

Our staff on the front-line, not just social workers, enter people’s homes and come into contact with families and vulnerable people. And even when we’re outside of work we may notice things that cause us concern.

That’s where we can all play our part and report any concerns to your line manager who will contact the named safeguarding person in your service.

It was with this backdrop that CMT considered our latest performance reports on child and family services.

Staff are under incredible pressure here in Swansea, across Wales and throughout the UK.  The challenges of isolation and social distancing make the job of identifying and referring safeguarding concerns more difficult for all on the front line.

CMT heard about these challenges from our head of service, Julie Davies, and it’s clear to us all that this area of our work is amongst the most difficult.

Our staff deserve our recognition and respect for the way in which they continue to protect our children and young people. We must repay this by awarding this significant priority our collective attention and further investment.

Farewell

Jane Harries, Landlord Services Manager, in Housing and Public Health, is retiring after 35 years’ service. I started my own career in Housing and I have fond memories of working with Jane in Blaenymaes.  The challenge of mass demolition and rebuilding our estates was a daunting task but her wise counsel and tireless efforts helped us through even the darkest of times on the PRC Project.  Jane, throughout her career, has made a significant contribution in helping to develop the Housing Service and she’s been a terrific advocate for council tenants to ensure they’re heard and supported by officers. Jane is hugely respected by colleagues within housing and public health and also across a number of other service areas and outside agencies. I’m sure those of you who know Jane will join me to wish her a long healthy, happy and fulfilling retirement.

We’ve had the results of the staff survey which show most staff feel trusted to do their job and are happy with their work-life balance.

These are just some of the things you told us, and here are some others:

96% feel trusted to do their job

88% have clear direction and know what’s expected

80% have regular contact with their manager

77% are happy with their work-life balance

77% feel connected to what’s happening at work

69% feel more productive than 12 months ago.

On returning to work, 66% feel confident about doing so and the same percentage are happy to do so.

Just over 300 staff experienced harassment and bullying which is very disappointing. Some people have become less tolerant recently and we’ve had instances where staff have had confrontations with the public. I know we’re all feeling pressure, but I won’t accept staff being on the receiving end of unacceptable behaviour. Many staff don’t report these incidents, but please report them so we can support you and deal with the perpetrators.

We also asked staff about our workforce strategy so we’ll need to ensure it reflects your views.

Overall the results are pleasing given the unprecedented 18 months we’ve gone through. The number of responses was low compared to previous years but we’re in unusual times with many working from home and having to deal with lots of priorities. CMT has agreed to look at this issue and we want some further work done to engage staff, particularly those who don’t have ICT in work.

Covid latest for staff

This week we’ve seen more concerns about the new variant Omicron and England introduce new measures on the lines of what we were already doing in Wales. I’m frequently asked about returning to work, but as things stand there’s no clear answer. I can’t see a return before March 2022, but it’s impossible to predict with certainty. We had the latest Welsh Government review of restrictions today and although there are no new measures, we’re being urged to take precautions including work from home, take regular lateral flow tests before going out and to wear face coverings in all public places to help protect people in the lead up to Christmas.

We’ll all have the opportunity to get the booster jab in the next few months so please have it because we need to do all we can to protect family, friends and colleagues. I had mine in Gorseinon yesterday and although Canolfan was extremely busy the NHS staff were super-efficient.  In the meantime, please continue working from home and for those who need to come in please follow the guidance on distancing and masks etc.

Your rights

Today is Human Rights Day and we’ve launched our intention to become a Human Rights City. First Minister Mark Drakeford kicked-off our event attended by groups from across Swansea. Our key partners like health, police and the university have all signed a statement of intent to work together in the next 12 months to achieve this status – the first in Wales. We now want other organisations and individuals to sign our pledge and to come together to work on the priority areas. This will have huge implications for us when we’re planning and delivering services each day. It’ll affect us as staff members but also as citizens as this is about all of us and our human rights. Thank you for all who organised and attended this event.

Staff going the extra mile

Janette Thorne and Debra Blake, who work for flexible home support, attended a royal carol service in recognition of their work during the pandemic. The pair switched roles to work in one of our foodbanks, collecting supplies and delivering food to vulnerable people seven days a week. As a reward they were invited to the carol service hosted by the Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey. Another brilliant example of our staff doing all they can to support people.  Thanks to both of you. 

I’ve had a letter from a very grateful member of the public who wanted to thank Hanna Thomas in registrars for her outstanding efforts in very difficult circumstances. Hanna pulled out all the stops to ensure a couple were married, despite one of them being seriously ill. The couple are so grateful to her. Hanna and her colleagues showed compassion and determination to organise a lovely ceremony.

Swansea’s BMHS charity has thanked us for the work we’ve done to support ethnic minorities and new arrivals to the city. They presented Alyson Pugh, our Joint Cabinet Member for Supporting Communities, with a certificate of appreciation.

They say a week is a long time in politics, but it’s certainly a long time during a pandemic.

Since my last blog a new variant – Omicron – has become a global concern and we’ve been in court to get a local business to put Covid restrictions in place.

On top of that we’ve had mixed messages on the type of Christmas we can expect and rows over Downing Street parties last Christmas!

To start I want to thank our staff who’ve been working with businesses to operate safely during the pandemic. This week’s court case has grabbed the headlines and tested officers again, but we’ve supported hundreds of businesses to introduce safeguards in line with government restrictions. The pressures for our staff continue and I’m grateful to you all for everything you’re doing. Any staff who face abuse or intimidation whilst doing their job will have my and the council’s full support in dealing with issues.

And thank you to those staff who’ve responded to our appeal to help social care over Christmas, it’s really appreciated.

The new variant is worrying and the truth is we don’t yet know how Omicron is going to affect us. This pandemic is still with us so we all need to continue taking precautions in the workplace, at home and when we’re out and about.

Many staff will be planning their own Christmas parties and colleagues who haven’t seen each other for some time may want to get together. Please be mindful of the on-going restrictions and advice on masks etc to protect yourself and others.

The latest vaccination figures for the Swansea Bay region show more than 290,000 people have had the first dose and more than 272,000 the second. This is a remarkable achievement and many of our staff have been involved in the planning and roll-out of the jab. That’s going to continue with the third vaccine being rolled-out, and I’ll repeat previous appeals for all staff to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

New hub for staff and public

This week we submitted a change-of-use application for Oxford Street’s former BHS and What! store. We plan to create a community hub there, complete with the city’s main library and other key services. Our aim is to create a welcoming and eye-catching location for a wide range of users and partner services. It’ll help us vacate the Civic Centre in the coming years to redevelop that site with partners Urban Splash – and help create footfall for city centre businesses. I know staff will be thinking about what this means for you and as plans progress we’ll keep you fully informed.

Great work

• 

• 

Congratulations to all involved in our work to transform the former Bryn House education centre in Uplands. The main building has four new one-bedroom council flats – and is ready to start welcoming its first tenants. In the grounds we’re working with others to install four residential pods for people who are homeless which will be ready in the New Year. These energy-efficient one-bedroom pods will be used as temporary accommodation for up to six people. We’re very proud of our promise that every homeless person or rough sleeper who needs a place to stay will get one. Since the pandemic began around 400 people who’ve sought help from us have been found a place to live, many of them moving on from temporary accommodation into longer-term homes.