Transformation

Yesterday the Appointments Committee met to consider applicants for the post of Chief Transformation Officer. This is an important new job in the organisation and a key member of the Corporate Management Team.  Following assessment centres and interviews I am delighted that Sarah Caulkin, who is currently acting up in the role, has been made permanent.

Sarah will initially focus on the continued implementation of the business support review but will be responsible for leading the Sustainable Swansea programme and the important work on modernising the organisation and optimising our use of technology to support staff in their jobs.

We are making good progress on the Business Support Programme, a significant part of our efforts to transform the way we deliver services for our residents.

Implementing the programme is a major milestone in transforming council services. By taking a fresh approach to the way we do things we’re able to focus on our priorities cost-effectively and improve performance at the same time.

The team is on schedule to launch the new operating model for the new Service Centre in September and good progress is being made in ICT, particularly with the automation of previously manual processes, self-serve, agile working and telephony technology.

You can find out more about the programme’s four priorities here and if you want to get more involved in the programme email the team at sustainable.swansea@swansea.gov.uk

Staff survey

The annual staff survey is one of the most important consultation and engagement documents the council produces. Its findings have a direct impact on what we do; the innovation group and the anti-bullying network were set up as a direct result of what you said in response to previous surveys.

This year’s staff survey is officially launched early next month but staff members who receive pay slips at home will have received information this week. I very strongly endorse the survey and I’d urge you to get involved now by filling it out at home on www.swansea.gov.uk/staffsurvey or in work on Staffnet – you’ll also see where you can pick up paper copies.

Olympics

Congratulations to the GB Olympic Team, and particularly to the Welsh representatives. By my calculations Wales, which stands at 137 in the population tables, would have come 20^th in the medals table if it had not been a part of the GB team.  Our staff in special events and sports development did a great job during the Olympics with the fanzone in Castle Square. The fan zone didn’t just give people an opportunity to grab a seat and watch the action on the big screen – it also allowed visitors to try out various sports. Let’s hope this will encourage more people than ever to join local sports clubs, visit our Active Swansea leisure centres and sign up for the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k. As a keen walker, I know exercise is a great way of boosting people’s health and well-being.

Wuhan

The council has now signed an agreement with a visiting delegation from Wuhan, China, that will see both cities co-operating on areas including economy and trade, transport and logistics, culture and sports.

The agreement was signed during a Chinese delegation visit to Guildhall. Other areas of common interest Swansea and Wuhan will co-operate on include health, medicine, education and tourism.

Wuhan, the most populated city in central China, is the capital of Hubei province. The visit was also organised to mark the 150th anniversary of Union Hospital in Wuhan, which was founded by Griffith John, a 19th century Swansea missionary.

Resilience

I mentioned resilience in a recent blog. The Strategic lead at CMT for resilience is Martin Nicholls, Director of Place. We remain equally committed to the joint agreement with NPTCBC as part of the Joint Emergency Management Service (JEMS) but are reinforcing our arrangements locally.  The Resilience & Business Continuity service is now being directly managed by Craig Gimblett, manager of the Corporate Health, Safety & Wellbeing Service  Their role is to provide specialist technical support to the authority in building and improving business continuity, resilience and wider emergency planning for the organisation and the communities of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

Exam results

Another year’s exam season came to an end this week with the GCSE results which showed that the pupils of Swansea continue to out-perform their peers across Wales. The headline figure of 72.7% of entrants here scoring A* to C grades – well above the comparable figure for Wales of 66.6% – is something to be particularly proud of. Our Olympic medallists are always saying they might be the winners but it’s the support teams that get them to where they are. The pupils are rightly congratulated for their fine achievements but I’d like to add my thanks too to the teams in our Education department and in city schools themselves for the work they do every day supporting young people to achieve their potential.

Bank Holiday

There is a lot going on this  weekend in Swansea, not least the Swansea Beer and Cider Festival at the Brangwyn Hall and the F18 catamaran sailing championships taking place in Swansea Bay over the three days of the Bank Holiday. I hope you get time to enjoy the extra day off. But I’d also like to thank those who will be working over the holiday period for their continuing commitment.

Farewell

I’d like to thank Steve Protheroe, our specialist parks manager, whose last day at the council after a staggering 46 years’ service is today. Steve started with the parks service on August 3, 1970, and has worked his way up to become responsible for the Botanical Gardens, Clyne Gardens and the plant displays at Plantasia. Steve’s passion for horticulture is second-to-none. He’s very well-respected, having also developed an excellent working relationship with the Friends of the Botanical Gardens, who are also very sad to see him leave.