This morning it’ll be my privilege to join the civic commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in the George Hall. In particular, we’ll be there to honour the diminishing band of local residents who served our city and country in World War II. It really is a debt we can’t repay. As a council we show our respect for those who have served – and still do – both at events like these and in practical ways with support provided by you on a day-to-day basis. I’d also like to thank for their service the veterans and reservists who work for us, as well as the civic and special events teams who’ve organised the George Hall event. Wherever you are, please observe the national two minute silence taking place at noon.
CMT’s latest update on mandatory training shows important progress, though there’s still much to do. But the key message is that there’s still a sizeable minority who have not completed the modules on cyber security and data protection. Inappropriate disclosure of residents’ personal data is not only deeply disrespectful to those who trust us with their information, it will also get us into serious trouble with the Information Commissioner. On cyber security, it only takes one error by a member of staff to let the hackers in, potentially causing enormous and expensive chaos, lots of extra work for everyone to fix problems and reputational damage too. If you’re among those who’ve not done the training, you must act now.
Our HR and OD team have launched a campaign to find out more about our staff so we can be sure our organisation reflects the needs and ambitions of the people who work here. You can play your part by going into Fusion and filling out your equalities data – it’s quick, confidential and will help make a difference.
Congratulations are in order to the thousands of Swansea students who did themselves, their families and their schools proud in yesterday’s A-Level results. Once again, Swansea students outperformed the Wales average in the key areas. Their success reflects the resilience and commitment of our education teams and all our schools and staff so well done to everyone. Together they enable our young people to make the most of their talents so my thanks to all involved. Next Thursday it’s GCSE results day and I’m confident there will be more to celebrate.
Speaking of endorsements for our work with children and young people, our youth services have earned strong praise for their innovative approach to supporting young people in our communities, ensuring their voices are heard in all that we do. Australian human rights lawyer Meg Tait is researching this issue in communities around the world and she had only good things to say about her visit to Swansea. My thanks to the teams who hosted Meg’s visit and for their hard work with young people day-in, day-out.
Well done also to our Partnership and Involvement Team who have been nominated for a South Wales Police award for collaborative working in our summer City Chill community engagement initiatives. Alongside our partners, including the police, we host City Chill events so young people have inclusive, relaxing, motivating, and engaging activities to enjoy during the holidays. A lot of teams around the council are involved in City Chill, so my thanks to all of them.
One of our digital champions, Laura Jenkins, has been shortlisted for a UK-wide Connected Britain award which highlights rising stars in the world of digital connectivity. The judges look for evidence of outstanding performance, going above and beyond what would normally be expected, and the potential to make a measurable difference in the industry in the future. Well done Laura – and good luck in the finals.
My thanks to Roger Shaw who has just completed 40 years’ service with our grounds maintenance and cleansing team, based at Clydach. He’s doing a great job helping to keep our highways and communities clean. Thank you for your service, Roger.
Finally, I’m taking a few days’ leave next week, so my next blog will be in a couple of weeks.
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