16 April 2021

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are all well and have enjoyed some of the sunnier weather we have seen this week.

I’d like to begin this message with a big thank you to all staff who’ve played a role in the successful return of all pupils to schools and colleges this week. I have heard only positive feedback about this transition from distance learning to face to face and there are a number of you who have played a role in that; from staff based in schools to our education department and elsewhere. Diolch yn fawr, I’m sure it has been great to see so many pupils return to a form of normality.  

I’m also happy to be able to share some of the praise our colleagues have been getting over the last week. 

Firstly, I have received two separate emails praising the Council Tax team.  One resident wrote to thank the staff who have dealt with their most recent enquiries, although they didn’t know their names, they wanted to write to say that the staff are always ‘exceptionally polite and cheery and pleasant’. They also said that people are often quick to complain and slow to praise so they thought it would be nice for staff to know that they had written to share their positive feedback with me. And to pass on their thanks to the team.  

The second email was written to thank Jack Punter for his assistance with a family who are going through various changes in circumstances. The email read,

‘Jack has been extremely helpful. He is polite, intelligent and patient; I wanted to put that in writing as he has been a great help during a stressful time.’   

Well done Jack and all of the Council Tax team for your hard work, which often makes a big difference but goes without public praise.  

The other shout out I must share is for Ben Winstanley. Ben has been assisting with a number of high-profile building projects recently, including the marketing of The Kymin in Penarth for long-term lease. One potential bidder who spoke to Ben about the project wrote to me to express their gratitude for Ben’s support in explaining the Council’s vision for the future of the Kymin whilst on a recent site visit. They wrote,

‘Ben was, simply, excellent. I wish more people locally could have the chance to hear Ben talking about the future of the Kymin.’

Thank you, Ben, for representing the Council in an outstanding manner on this project. Great work.  

I’d also like to say thanks to the staff in our Neighbourhood Services team who will be working on the other side of Cardiff Bay barrage this weekend, helping to clear green waste in Cardiff, as a result of a backlog in their collections. We have always worked closely with neighbouring local authorities to help improve lives of residents across the whole region and this is another good example of our colleagues going the extra mile in the name of good public service.  

I would also like to use this opportunity to remind all staff that there is just one week remaining to complete the staff wellbeing survey. We have received just over half of the number of responses that we captured during the last survey, and I just want to express the importance of sharing your views with us. The results of this survey will inform some of our recovery work, such as preparing for staff who have been working from home to return to office buildings to work, it will also help us to better support you with your wellbeing needs and adapt some of our practices. The survey is open to all Council employees, including staff working at our schools.

For managers whose teams work remotely and may not have access to a work laptop or device, please share this link with your teams and remind them that it can be accessed through Staffnet+ on any device, even personal mobile phones. There is a dedicated link to the Staff Wellbeing Survey on the homepage of Staffnet+ for ease of access. Thank you to those of you who have already taken the time to complete the survey.  

I would like to end this message with one final thank you – to the officers who have been involved with the refurbishment of the play area at Cosmeston Country Park, which will re-open to the public this weekend. This is an excellent addition to a popular destination for visitors. I really appreciate all of the hard work that has taken place behind the scenes to bring this project to fruition. I’m sure you will all agree that the pictures speak for themselves in showcasing their work. Da iawn. 

I hope you all have a relaxing weekend and the nice weather continues. 

Stay safe, diolch yn fawr. 

Rob