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.