EU Referendum

It’s goodbye from me….

May 31, 2019 by Jack Leave a Comment

Goodbye really does mean goodbye this time, after this blog I hand back the reins to Phil Roberts who is returning to work on a phased basis from next week. I am delighted that he is ready to return as I am sure you all will be.

The last few weeks have been dominated by the EU elections. Our team did a fantastic job and all went smoothly. I must say a special thanks to Alison O’Hara who led the efforts in the final days and did a superb job. I have always enjoyed working with the team, it is a classic example of the strength of teamwork with all prepared to do whatever is needed, including providing massive quantities of sausage rolls and pasties to keep us going! (Thanks Sian).

Last week I was delighted to see the annual launch of the High 5 Awards take place at St Helen’s Primary school. The awards are in their eighth year and again are a testament to teamwork. Siany from Mumbles Pier was joined by our new ambassador James King from Ospreys, Cyril The Swan again created mayhem. These awards have recognised some incredible young people over the years and you can help by nominating, please visit this link. The awards are not just about recognition, important though that is, they have also helped to inspire other young people to push on with their personal goals.

Continuing with young people I am delighted to see that Clase Primary has been ranked Good and Excellent in an inspection published today. Congratulations to the staff and pupils. Colgate are running a competition where schools can win a playground made of recycled materials. Two of our schools, St David’s and Waunarlwydd are in the running. You can vote for them by going to this link.

In the distant past I was responsible for producing the Authority’s annual accounts and would struggle to get them completed by September. Ben Smith and the Finance team have worked with staff across the Council and completed the task by the end of May! This has been achieved with fewer resources and more complexity, well done to all. The accounts may be a mystery to most but they are an important aspect of corporate performance and a feature of financial control which is vital in delivering all of our services.

This week I attended my first (and last) meeting of the City Deal Joint Committee that brings together Leaders from the four local authorities and partners. There has been much controversy as a result of issues at Swansea University and in relation to a life sciences project in Llanelli, widely covered in the press. This meeting was to get matters back on track and to this end agreement was reached on new governance arrangements that will see each Authority contributing to the task rather than the (criticised) concentration of activity in Carmarthenshire. A crucial next step is Government approval (and money) for the early projects including Swansea City Centre. This is currently expected in the next two weeks. I hope so.

An element of this meeting was consideration of the revised proposal for the Tidal Lagoon. This has caused much hilarity in some quarters as the press focussed on the prospect of a floating village etc. The reality is that the project will only proceed if the basic technology of the lagoon can be afforded and funded and if public sector bodies agree to purchase the electricity. If that works then what floats where is an entirely different matter! The next phase is to seek to procure a partner with the skills and resources to deliver, funded by Welsh Government.

Finally a few words regarding my experience on returning. I have enjoyed it, and largely been made very welcome. Things have changed over the three years I was away. The challenges are much the same, though the scale and intensity have increased markedly.

It has been a pleasure to be reminded how many of you, provide excellent service whatever the circumstances and I wish you all well.

Brexit’s parallel universe

April 18, 2019 by Jack 2 Comments

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 15^th 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.

Cohesion in our communities

July 1, 2016 by Martin Leave a Comment

EU Referendum – the implications

As the dust settles following the vote to leave the EU, senior officers and Cabinet members are considering the possible implications of the decision for all services. Detailed discussions are also taking place with the Welsh Local Government Association. Staff will be kept informed of developments, but currently there is little clarity from the UK Government on the timetable and preparations for the exit. As I said last week, this will be a long process.

The outcome of the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union has, understandably, raised a number of questions about what this will mean for people from the EU currently employed by the council. I wanted to take this opportunity to reassure all our staff from the EU that you are valued and hugely appreciated. Your work and commitment to Swansea Council, your colleagues and your customers has not changed since last week and nor has our commitment to you. Your vital contribution to our work together will continue; you are appreciated by me and, most of all, by those we work for.

I am also conscious that there have been instances where racist and xenophobic comments have been made both to adults and children. It is a hate crime. We will take a zero tolerance approach to this and staff who witness such behaviour should report it to the Police immediately and inform their line manager. See the link to our webpage on Hate Crime which explains how to report incidents.

Resilience

Corporate Management Team discussed a number of matters this week including Resilience and the More Homes Project.

Resilience is an important issue for all of us. Martin Nicholls, Director of Place, recommended that we review the current arrangements for resilience and business continuity both to provide reassurance to CMT that the current arrangements are robust and that there is an appropriate understanding of resilience and roles across the organisation. This will be a wide ranging review involving many of you and it will consider our state or readiness in case of emergency (remember the Fforestfach Fire?) as well as some business continuity issues which will be of concern to many. For example, resilience in ICT provision becomes an issue for the majority of staff and councillors when the email system or the internet is down.

CMT then focussed on the More Homes Project. This is an exciting venture, particularly for someone like me who is old enough to remember the last council houses being built in the City. Cabinet has asked officers to develop schemes to deliver new affordable housing in order to combat the developing accommodation crisis that has resulted from more than a decade of slowdown in the housing market. Councillor Andrea Lewis has been tasked with the development and oversight of this strategy and plans are already underway at two sites in the city.

Adult Community Learning

This week we had a visit from Estyn who are carrying out a national survey into Adult Community Learning. The purpose of the survey is to analyse the changes to services, progress for learners and the quality of teaching and leadership in the service. These are services that are delivered in partnership and it is therefore a complicated review involving a wide range of agencies.

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day on Saturday was another successful event with many people in attendance, despite having to dodge between sudden rain showers. The Lord Mayor, Councillor David Hopkins and the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor June Burtonshaw, both spoke passionately about the sacrifices made by people from Swansea in various conflicts over the years. It made me reflect on the members of my family who had been killed fighting against fascism in the Second World War. There was a large crowd in attendance and I’m sure a lot of other people were reflecting in the same way.

Coincidentally, July 1 marks the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, where thousands of Welsh soldiers died, many from Swansea. Steve Burgess, operations technician at the Brangwyn Hall, visited the Somme this week to lay a wreath on behalf of the Council at the Welsh memorial at Mametz wood where the Welsh Division fought. The fighting was fierce and 100 men from the 14th (Service) Battalion of the Welsh Regiment [the famous Swansea Pals] were killed on their first day of action alone. Steve and other Council staff will be attending a ceremony that takes place on the centenary of the start of the offensive. I was honoured that they asked me to write a simple message of thanks on the remembrance card.

New ‘Self-Serve’ Room Booking System

Facilities are launching a new ‘self-serve’ room booking system. This went live on Wednesday. More information is available at this link.

Events

Tomorrow we have the much-anticipated return of the Wales National Airshow, my favourite event of the year. This year’s show promises to be more spectacular than ever with the addition of a number of new displays. This will be the sixth Airshow that Swansea Council has hosted since the inaugural event in 2007 and it is the first time that the Wales National Airshow has been held in successive years since it was confirmed as an annual event last year. Last year it attracted more than 170,000 spectators, generating an estimated £7.6 million for the local economy in Swansea

Whilst the Council’s Special Events team has responsibility for the overall planning and delivery of the event, they do so in conjunction with colleagues in services across the Council including Tourism & Marketing, Transportation, Telematics, Cleansing, Highways, Parks, Environmental Health, Corporate Communications, Facilities, Car Parks etc. The event is also grateful for the support of over 100 volunteers including the Scouts, Cadets, and the Lions Club. I’d like to thank all those staff and volunteers involved in the planning and delivery of the Wales National Airshow in order to ensure it is a safe, successful and enjoyable event. Have a look here for more information including car parking and transport.

Saturday also sees the first Street Market in Morriston, following on from the success of the Uplands and Marina markets. These markets started as a regeneration project – a way of invigorating public space, building footfall and vitality and they have now become a social enterprise in their own right. The Uplands Market was recognised by the Daily Telegraph as one of the top 10 street markets in the UK and I hope the one at Morriston will be equally successful.

You can find out more about the markets at this website and you can follow the developments at Morriston on Twitter @MorristonMarket and at this link. www.facebook.com/morristonmarket. The market will be open from 9am until 1pm on the first Saturday of each month (with the odd exception) on Woodfield Street, Swansea.

Barry Young

And finally I would like to say a special word of thanks to Barry Young from Corporate Building and Property Services who retires this week.Barry won’t mind me saying he is better known as Barry Carparks to some. I have known Barry for many years and he has been a valued colleague as well as the source of much information on a variety of topics, most notably the Swans. He has carried out his duties cheerfully through rain and snow and dealt with difficult situations politely and effectively. I hope he has a long and happy retirement. Thanks Barry.