Chief Exec's Blog

An update from the Chief Executive

Budget, budget and more budget

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The first round of budget discussions has been completed this week and whilst we made some progress there remains much more to be done.

We’ve spent five full days considering the spending pressures, financial settlement assumptions and risks and what steps we need to take to deal with them.

I asked directors to look at the options we have for making savings and to ensure that they:

  • Set out clearly the likely impacts of any reduction
  • Are confident can be delivered
  • Seek to minimise the pain in terms of risk, public service reduction and redundancies
  • Consider every part of the organisation fairly and equally in the context of the delivery of corporate priorities. 

During the next week or so the Leader and I will consider the progress we have made and what steps we must now take to complete the process. 

Given their recent statements it’s clear the health service will remain the number one priority for Welsh Government, but it remains to be seen what this means for local councils.

We remain optimistic that the recent spending announcements from UK Government will help to support schools and social care but as yet we have had nothing of substance from over the border.  As soon as clarity emerges I’ll let you have as much information as possible.  In the meantime, thanks to all those who have contributed to this difficult and painful process.

Shining example

It’s great to see that other councils are looking to learn from us. This isn’t the first time, but on this occasion procurement and commissioning officers from Cardiff, Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Newport and Powys want to see how we’ve been procuring the supporting living and domiciliary care services.

Well done to all our officers involved who’ve helped bring together a true Sustainable Swansea approach including commercialism, integrated commissioning and co-production based on the commissioning reviews.

Croeso

We’re about to welcome a group of Danish students who’ll be gaining work experience in a number of our services. They arrive on Monday and will be here until October 21. 

They’ll be working in areas including democratic services, health and safety, pensions and HR. thank you to all the officers who’ll be supporting them and I’m sure we’ll all give them a great Swansea welcome.

Thank you

Thank you to all the staff involved in helping to stage the Proms last Saturday. It was a spectacular event, but so much work goes on behind the scenes to plan and clean-up after this event,

Sorry it’s a short blog this week.  For the past two days I’ve been in West Wales at my son’s wedding. 

Improving public engagement

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I’ve mentioned previously it’s essential we and other councils improve our relationship with citizens. Our reputation depends upon it and the way we engage the public and build trust is central to this.

In my experience our public consultation and engagement is generally good, albeit inconsistent.  This is unfortunate because it’s only the examples where it goes wrong which attract attention and headlines. 

There are legal duties we must observe and failure to consult effectively is a primary reason for challenges against councils being upheld in the courts.  That’s why we have to be clear about the principles and processes for effective consultation. 

CMT this week endorsed our draft Consultation and Engagement Strategy prior to seeking formal approval from councillors. It’s based on best practice including the National Principles for Public Engagement in Wales and the National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards for Wales.

The core principles are:

Planning:

  • Be clear about why we are undertaking a consultation and engagement activity
  • Ensure that existing consultation and engagement results are used where applicable
  • Have a clear idea of who needs to take part
  • Identify appropriate resources
  • Ensure sufficient time is allocated for the consultation process
  • Identify opportunities for joint working at the planning stage

Doing:

  • Be clear about how people can be involved
  • Ensure the consultation and engagement methods and language used are suitable for the Audience
  • Provide clear information about what we are consulting on
  • Be clear about what the results will be used for
  • Ensure all affected stakeholders have the opportunity to be involved

Decision Making, Review and Feedback:

  • Ensure results of consultation and engagement activity are considered when making decisions
  • Share the results (where appropriate) with as wide an audience as possible
  • Effectively feedback the outcome to participants e.g. summary of results
  • Promote the outcomes of our key consultation and engagement activity both internally and externally

I know that for many of you these will be self-evident principles but if we can observe them consistently I’m confident that our good relationship with citizens will continue to improve.

Purse strings

As you know, we’re facing very difficult budget decisions again this year due to the anticipated Welsh Government funding settlement, on-going service pressures and new demands. We’re also facing a significant over-spend this year and we need to take action in order to reduce spending. So this is a reminder that the steps we announced earlier this year are still in place and remain so until further notice.

These include strict vacancy management and continuing to implement the agreed list of spending restrictions.

And it also includes areas of non-essential spending which require approval from the relevant senior officer. These are:

  • ICT hardware and software – Jo Harley.
  • Furniture – Geoff Bacon.
  • Advertising and bulk printing (non MFD) – Lee Wenham
  • Publicity/promotions –  Lee Wenham

As we set out on another budget process with Cabinet in the coming weeks, it’s essential we all support these measures on an on-going basis to help reduce our spending.

Still pushing for the Lagoon

Many of you will recall the significant interest in the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and the Love the Lagoon campaign. I’m pleased to say we’re still progressing the project and have recently met with Welsh Government to try to move towards the formal procurement stage. This follows on from a soft market testing with potential delivery partners which reaffirms the previous finding of the Hendry Review and the subsequent feasibility study.

There’s still some way to go but we’re optimistic this project can be delivered and be a real asset for the Swansea Bay region and also contribute towards our commitment to tackle climate change emergency in line with the recent Council Notice of Motion.

Thank you

The many volunteers who run our 38 community centres have been invited to the South Penlan Community Centre this afternoon so we can show our appreciation for their time and effort. Some have been volunteering for more than 50 years. Best wishes to all involved in the presentations.

Swansea City

I don’t often mention football in my blogs but some of you will know I’m a keen supporter of the Swans so the fact they’ve made their best start to a league campaign in 41 years must be putting a smile on the faces of those in the Council who follow them.  Let’s hope it continues.    

Good news about Phil and Nick

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I’m delighted to give you some positive news on both Phil Roberts and our Education Director, Nick Williams.

Nick has been on sickness absence for a number of months and he’s now in a position to return to work on a phased basis in early May. I’m grateful to the staff in education who’ve helped cover for Nick during that period, particularly Mark Sheridan who’s been acting Director.

I met Phil earlier this week to check on his progress and recovery. Typically, Phil insisted on getting an update on a range of work issues rather than talk about his own situation. But, again, I’m delighted to say Phil is making good progress and whilst his return is some weeks away, we obviously look forward to him returning as soon as possible.

Our Pupil Referral Unit has had a positive inspection report from Estyn. The report said the PRU is a caring and inclusive community where nearly all young people who attend make good progress and nearly all of them go on to college once they leave. This is an extremely important part of our education provision in an area that requires strong leadership, and this pleasing report is a big step along our improvement journey. Congratulations to headteacher Amanda Taylor and her team for all their efforts.

Pentrehafod Comprehensive, recently refurbished

CMT this week discussed the next phase of school building improvements totalling £150m. There’s a strong link between investment in school buildings and educational outcomes, and some of those schools that have recently benefited from investment have seen better outcomes and behaviours. In the past few years we’ve prioritised investment in additional learning needs (ALN) and education other than at school. The latest Band B proposals include investment in a new special school which continues this commitment. I’ve been impressed by the generally good performance of Swansea schools, but it remains the case that pupils receiving free school meals and those with special education needs and ALN perform less well than others so we need to continue prioritising investment in this way.

CMT also discussed a potential restructure to our ALN service to ensure it’s fit for purpose for the next 3-5 years. The plan is subject to consultation with affected staff but it’s designed to help the service meet the changing needs of young people. I look forward to the consultation having clear outcomes so that we can put the restructure in place.

Current entrance to Home Farm

Given our budget pressures the council has been trying to maximise its return from land it owns or holds. We’ve adopted various approaches and a recent report to Cabinet identified a number of sites where we can go to the market to test whether developers are interested. It has to be a balance between getting the right development and getting the best possible financial deal, and it’ll be interesting to see if our approach can achieve this. Of these sites, Home Farm has attracted greatest attention in the media and on social media. It’s a council depot adjacent to Singleton Park, and although it’s caused a public reaction they’ll have an opportunity to give views if a developer comes forward with a planning application. The proposal does not encroach on the parkland which is a very important point.

Another issue making headlines is High Street which the Daily Mail so generously labelled the worst in the UK! This kind of story affects the community, business and the reputation of our city – so thanks a lot Daily Mail. That isn’t to say the area doesn’t have problems, of course it does. Our Deputy Leader, Clive Lloyd, will be leading work across the council and partners to see how we can work together to improve the street environment and make sure vulnerable people and their needs are taken into account.

Thank you again to all those staff who worked over the untypically glorious bank holiday. Many of our vulnerable citizens would not be able to cope without your support and I really appreciate your hard work.

Finally, continuing the theme of Brexit and parallel universes, I was astounded this week that 21 of the 22 chief executives in Wales spent time discussing whether to fly the EU flag on Europe Day on May 9. The worry is that by flying the flag during the current European election period it could be seen as seeking to influence the outcome of the vote. I expect the regional returning officers will determine it won’t be flown on this occasion. But it’s not something I can get too excited about. I feel I’m in a Monty Python sketch at times!

Brexit’s parallel universe

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Mysteriously, I find myself transferred back into the weird parallel universe known commonly as Brexit.  Despite uncertainty surrounding the European elections, large quantities of public cash (not this council’s!) are being committed to preparing for this potential event, which could technically be cancelled anytime up to midnight on the night before.  Should the election go ahead we will need a variety of staff in place and our electoral services team are currently seeking to fill a number of positions, if interested please apply here.

It is also worth noting that we are now in the pre-election period (from 15th April 2019) for this as of yet unconfirmed election!  We need to be careful, as do all public bodies, not to make announcements etc. that may influence the election outcome.  If in doubt, seek the advice of your manager or the legal services section.

Back in the real world I was pleased to see that sentencing took place this week in relation to the call centre scam known as ‘Wolves of Wind Street’ which I covered here previously, a prosecution brought following an investigation by the Trading Standards team.

Many teams in Swansea operate under severe pressure and that is certainly true in relation to our food hygiene service.  So again, I am pleased to hear of their successful prosecutions recently achieved.  Well done to all those involved in this vital work in an area of public protection that does not always get the recognition it deserves.

School budgets are under pressure along with all other areas of public service.  Since returning to the Council I have been pleased to see that school performance has improved or been maintained across the patch over the last few years.  This week the latest inspection results for Townhill Primary were released and confirmed good performance across all criteria.  Well done to all staff and pupils, it was particularly pleasing to note that children are in an environment where they feel both safe and valued.

When times are tough (when were they not?) it is vital that  there is a clear understanding of what management is doing, whether it be the Corporate Management Team (CMT), the leadership team or individual departmental management teams.  CMT this week agreed a revised template setting out the various responsibilities so that we can be clear who is accountable for what.  Anyone interested can access this ‘corporate grip’ report here.

Whilst I am sure budgets and money are not the most inspiring or uplifting subject for many staff, it is vital that the Council both sets and delivers financial targets.  To this end CMT this week compiled and reviewed early options and proposals leading to the next budget round.  These will be refined and discussed with cabinet over the next few weeks. The financial outlook remains challenging.  Any view that the much-hyped end of austerity could transform the position seems to me to be misplaced. If more money feeds through to local Government it is likely to come with strings attached and will not therefore alter the overall position.

Another week, another threat from Neath Port Talbot to withdraw from a regional arrangement, this time the City Deal.  It is of course for them to manage their own business.  All of us working in regional arrangements will be well aware of the conflicts, the contradictions and the sheer hard work that they entail.  So why don’t we just declare the independent state of Swansea and withdraw from them all? 

There are many reasons, the first is philosophical, a belief that we can achieve more by our collective effort.  The second is practical, Welsh Government policy is to push harder on regional working and there will shortly be legislation in place to push the agenda further and faster.  Our task is to find ways to make regional arrangements work to the benefit of our customers, clients and citizens.  We can influence the policy in positive ways but we cannot be seen to undermine it!

I never thought I would see the day when we built Council homes again.  So the start of work at Parc-y-Helyg is an important step, creating local jobs and supporting some of our apprentices.  Well done to all involved in this initiative.

On a similarly positive note, the sun is due to shine over the Easter break, but I offer no guarantees.  I hope all staff who have the opportunity of a break enjoy their time off.  But we should all thank those many staff who will be working to ensure that services to the community continue over the bank holiday.

Great work

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It’s always important as Chief Executive to be able to highlight the council’s achievements and praise our staff.

Our trading standards team recently did some great work in helping to prosecute four people over a call centre scam. We’ve seen a number of these scams in Swansea which target the elderly and vulnerable. It’s never easy to bring successful prosecutions and it takes an awful lot of hard work from our staff. Thankfully on this occasion their efforts have been rewarded through the courts. It’s also been highlighted on BBC’s X-Ray programme where team leader Rhys Harries was interviewed. It’s not often that our trading standards team are in the spotlight so credit where credit is due. My thanks to the team involved, led by Nicola Murphy, and colleagues in legal.

Some of our Child and Family staff were recognised at this year’s BASW Cymru Social Work Awards. Helen Philpott was shortlisted in the Spirit of Social Work category, Lisa Collier in the Innovative Social Work category (Michelle Apthorpe collected her certificate for her and is pictured here) and the team at our Ty Nant home was shortlisted in the Social Work Team category. This is a great achievement and congratulations to all the staff involved.

Ania Negele, community coach in Cultural Services, has won a Sporting Excellence Award at the Evening Post Community Awards.  Ania was recognised following a successful year as a performance coach with Weightlifting Wales.  She is the first female Olympic Weightlifting Coach to represent Wales at a Commonwealth Games and is also the newly appointed Great Britain U20 Coach. Well done Ania.

A big thank you to two of our tree services staff who’ve been praised for stepping in after a disabled woman had been robbed in her own home. Matt Palmer and Paul Williams were in their council vehicle when they were approached by carer Jane Morgan seeking help in catching-up with the thief. Rather than allow her to go on alone, they made sure Mrs Morgan and her friend were safe.  The thief was later apprehended by police. Mrs Morgan later contacted the council to say how grateful she was for their help and kindness.

A group of our trainees have become the first to complete our inaugural waste management traineeships. They achieved WAMITAB NVQ level 2 in Sustainable Recycling Activities, run in conjunction with Gower College. Well done to everyone involved.

Last night’s Full Council meeting also recognised the recent achievements of some of our staff. Congratualtions went to Darran Kiley for being shortlisted for a St David’s Award for his bravery after he stepped in to confront a man armed with a knife in the city centre. Also recognised was the Corporate Health, Safety and Emergency Management Service who were shortlisted for a National Innovation Award in Health and Safety. There were congratulations too to the apprentices who picked up prizes at the Gower College Swansea Apprenticeship Awards. The council also collected the Apprenticeship Employer of the Year (250+ Employers). 

These are just some examples of the great work of our staff, if you know of any more please let me know.

On a less positive note you may have seen yesterday’s story about the regional Youth Offending Team being criticised following an inspection. It’s a disappointing report highlighting failings including management, governance, strategy and performance management. It’s important to stress this doesn’t reflect on individual staff who work extremely hard in very difficult circumstances. The regional arrangement covering Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea, including ABMU health board, is ending and each authority will in future go back to providing its own service. This will undoubtedly help to focus efforts, but that in itself is not the full solution. When we fully analyse the report we’ll have to put in place arrangements and actions to rectify the findings as quickly as practicable and this will be a major focus in the coming months.

As noted above, last night I attended my first Council meeting since returning. The last time I attended I was kindly presented with a Nottingham Forest shirt as a leaving gift and left with a smile. Last night was slightly different! However, there were lots of familiar faces on the political benches and although the agenda was relatively light compared to recent meetings where issues like the budget have dominated, I was particularly interested in the presentation by Save the Children who we’ll continue to work closely with.

Finally, the mess around Brexit continues and, whatever your personal view, I’m sure you’ll agree we all need clarity as soon as possible. As a council we’re continuing to prepare for the unknown. An example of this is we don’t even know if we’ll be taking part in the European elections on May 23. A huge amount of work has to go into elections, but how far down that road do you go when it may not even happen? This is just one example and the issues facing the public and business sectors are huge, so the sooner they sort it the better for all of us.