As this will be my last blog of the year, it’s worth looking back on all that’s been achieved by you over the 12 months, providing vital services that touch the lives of our residents every day. Your hard work and its positive impact on residents and communities have been a constant theme in my blogs over the last year. Regulatory bodies across the board including Estyn and Audit Wales have praised your performance in challenging times and this is backed up by the recent annual performance report shared with Council. Key economic regeneration projects like Blue Eden, 71/72 Kingsway and the city centre community hub are continuing to make progress and next year work on transforming Castle Square begins. This year we were shortlisted for Council of the Year in the MJ Achievement Awards, a well-deserved accolade no other authority in Wales received. Whether it’s major issues like the cost of living crisis, keeping the vulnerable safe, supporting children or critical incidents like the Morriston explosion, our residents turn to us for support at times of greatest need. Thanks to you, we are there for them. So I want to say a huge thank you for your work over the last 12 months and wish you a peaceful and very happy Christmas. While many of you will be taking a much-deserved rest, some will continue providing critical services over the festive period and I thank them too for their time and commitment.
This week I visited staff at the housing central team in Townhill where the NSU and CCTV are based and talked to staff about some of the pressures and challenges they face and also some of the priorities in housing and the wider council. My thanks to all for taking the time out to meet with me. As always, if you’d like to invite me to come and visit your team in the New Year, please let me know. I always find such catch-ups useful and informative.
As part of the council-wide Successful and Sustainable Swansea transformation programme, I am attending a range of relevant programme boards to discuss and monitor progress. This week had the pleasure to attend the Workforce and Organisational Transformation Board, where it received the progress on our workforce development strand and it was great to see positive progress being made.
Yesterday Swansea University hosted the Inaugural Annual lecture on Human Rights and Social Justice, given by Jane Hutt, MS, Welsh Government minister for Social Justice. As Wales’ first Human Rights City, human rights are embedded in our values and actions as a council and it’s important we continue to set an example for others.
Finally, today is the last working day for Fran Jenkins, our Strategic Manager for Tourism, Marketing and Events, ahead of her official retirement next month. I want to say thank you to Fran for the achievements of the team she’s led over the years and for her incredible commitment to the council and to Swansea. The Wales Airshow, Admiral Swansea Bay 10k, the Christmas Parade, the World Triathlon Para Series Swansea and Ironman 70.3 Swansea events are among quite a legacy. We all wish you well in your retirement.
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