The debate on Brexit went much as expected this week and the Prime Minister is now seeking to develop a compromise proposal from the ashes of her proposed agreement for the UK to leave the European Union. This will require her to present a new plan for EU withdrawal to Parliament by 21 January prior to a further debate on January 29. It remains to be seen whether this can be achieved and those who were hoping for a greater sense of certainty by Wednesday would have been disappointed.

Closer to home we have been working on Brexit issues for many months having identified it as a key corporate risk.  A working group has been considering the possible implications of the various outcomes that are possible and a number of contingency plans have been developed to ensure that disruption to services is minimised.  I have also had direct discussions with NHS colleagues and other partners to make sure that our approach is joined-up.

Next week I will attend the Welsh Government EU Preparedness Advisory Panel as one of four chief executive representatives and I hope to provide further updates on Welsh Government actions after this.

There are a number of possible outcomes.  Let’s see what happens on Monday but I have a sneaking feeling that the certainty that many of us would like to have will continue to evade us.

Winter pressures

Discussions with our health board colleagues on coping with the pressures that winter brings to health and social care continued this week when Dave Howes and I met executives and clinicians from what will now be called Swansea Bay University Health Board, rather than ABMU.  We agreed a number of practical steps to reduce the impact of bed blocking by better joining up our community services and adapting our facilities to cope with the demand for reablement.

ACEs

Cabinet yesterday considered a report from the People Policy Development Committee on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).  This is a really excellent piece of work led by Councillor Ceri Evans and supported by a number of our staff who work with children.  Cabinet agreed that we will now work on a “statement of purpose” and raise awareness of the issues involved in ACEs across the organisation and beyond.  Thanks to Ceri and our team who supported this work.

Operation Timmia

Thanks to those members of staff who worked closely with the police on Operation Timmia which was launched after a high number of burglaries and aggravated burglaries were reported in the area in the past year.  The operation involved raids to a number of properties in the City and was successful thanks to some excellent joint working.

Lagoon

The announcement that Hitachi have stopped work on the proposed nuclear plant at Wylfa will be a disappointment to many in North Wales.  Considering that plans to build a nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria were halted by Toshiba in November and there are cost issues at the third plant at Hinckley Point there is room for concern about UK energy policy.  All the more reason then to continue with our work to deliver tidal power in Swansea Bay and our team, led by Rob Stewart and Martin Nicholls, have made significant progress over the last few weeks as we seek interest in the project from the private sector  following a Prior Information Notice being issued. The options are being considered for its delivery with a recommendations being submitted to Welsh Government by the end of March.

Brondeg House

Towards the end of 2018 Brondeg House, home to our Key Stage 4 Pupil Referral Unit had to be closed due to serious issues with the building. Corporate Building and Property Services have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to ensure that the staff and pupils can return to their improved setting as quickly as possible. A big thanks to all those involved and to the PRU staff for their patience whilst the issues were addressed.

Congratulations

Well done to all those from the Waste Management and Parks Operations team (in their Christmas Jumpers) on passing their nine-month Waste Traineeship and NVQ Level 2.  All the Trainees were presented with their well-earned certificates by Cabinet Member Cllr Mark Thomas.

Panto

This year’s pantomime, Cinderella, at the Grand Theatre was, as ever, a huge success – oh, yes it was.

Around 40,000 people flocked to the theatre to enjoy the festive treat starring Welsh singer, dancer and actor Ian H Watkins and Swansea’s very own Kevin Johns.

It was a brilliant occasion and it was particularly pleasing to know that 900 complimentary tickets were distributed to local groups and individuals who might not otherwise have been able to attend and join in the fun. My thanks to the Grand Theatre team for yet another successful Christmas run.

The team are now looking to make the all year round programme even more accessible, as they get ready for the 2020 panto Peter Pan.