Council hosts Stronger Together conference on community empowerment

Last week, the Council held a conference which saw managers from across the organisation come together to discuss our approach to participation and engagement.

New Local kicked off the session, held at the Barry Memo, centred around the theme of how to build a listening culture and create community empowerment.

An independent thinktank and local government network, New Local strives to transform public services and unlock community potential.

The aim is to ensure that the Council engages, listens, responds and delivers services with the focus firmly on residents and communities. This approach involves allowing as many residents as possible to be part of the decisions we make.

Managers from Resources, Environment and Housing, Social Services and Learning and Skills listened and discussed how this will strengthen the Council’s status as a listening organisation, working closely with communities and community groups to make positive change in the Vale.

There are several great examples of this approach being applied to recent Council work. It has been used in rural regeneration, our approach to the use of Section 106 funding, our housing service, and the climate conversation around Project Zero.

But the target is to do more.

This type of collaborative work is also a key part of our Annual Delivery Plan and our coronavirus recovery plan as well as the Reshaping programme.  It is also very timely given the publication of our first ever Public Participation Strategy as a framework for ongoing engagement with citizens.

Rob Thomas, Chief Executive, said: “It was wonderful for colleagues to come together face-to-face and for us to also conduct the session in a hybrid way so it was inclusive and accessible to all.

“The theme of ‘Building a Listening Culture’ will be the foundation of our leadership and learning activity across the forthcoming year and aligns strongly to our recently-launched Public Participation Strategy.

“We look forward to developing sessions moving forward, encompassing a wide range of subject areas and we welcome feedback from our staff groups on what they would like to see included and how we can share the excellent work that is taking place across the Council. 

“We have seen many examples over the last two years where the Council has forged excellent relationships with community groups, but the aim is to do more and to develop the way we work so that we can always be responsive to the needs of our communities.”