Rob's Weekly Round Up

25 April 2025

Hi everyone,

I hope those of you that had time off enjoyed the Easter break and have returned to work refreshed and revitalised. Some of you might have caught the latest episode of Dr Who, Lux, on Saturday, which was filmed at our very own Penarth Pier Pavilion.

That is just one of many high-profile productions that have chosen to shoot in the Vale in recent years.

Nia Hollins and other colleagues across the Council do a great job to attract and manage those bookings, which provide valuable income.

This work is very important to us, and it was great to see the pier feature on primetime BBC One, so well done to all involved.

On the same day, the Vale featured in another TV programme as Place Manager Mererid Velios appeared on an edition of S4C’s Cynefin all about Barry.

The show covered the town’s history, notable places and people, while Mererid spoke really well on the Knap and Welsh composer Grace Williams. Da Iawn Mererid – gwaith gwych.

With spring well and truly in the air, the bank holiday weekend was a great chance to enjoy the warm and sunny weather and maybe take in some of the Vale’s outdoor attractions.

We are lucky to have such a spectacular natural environment on our doorstep and that is something we have a responsibility to protect for future generations.

The Council declared climate and nature emergencies in 2019 and 2021 respectively in a bid to tackle the threats facing our planet and its ecosystems.

That has led to a host of work to make the organisation greener, including changes to our waste recycling system, the promotion of active forms of travel, introducing electric vehicles to the Council fleet and much more.

This work connects to our Project Zero commitment to become a carbon neural Local Authority by 2030 and a carbon neutral county by 2050.

Our recycling operation is a key way in which we have reduced our carbon output, with the Vale helping Wales become one of the world leaders in this area.

We have performed so well in fact that the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Cymru has decided to pilot a new method for recycling soft plastics here.

That will see items made of this material, such as bags and wrapping, collected instead of being placed in black bags and not recycled.

From Monday, around 16,000 residents living in Penarth, Dinas Powys, Sully and some surrounding areas have been able to recycle soft plastic and wrappings at the kerbside by placing them in blue plastic sacks.

The trial, which will monitor participation levels along with the impact on collections and waste transfers will run until early 2026.

A decision will then be made on whether it can continue in the Vale and potentially be rolled out more widely.

The items collected as part of the trial will be recycled into products such as bags for life and bin bags, reducing the reliance on single-use plastics. This will also increase the amount of household waste than can be recycled.

The Vale’s stellar recycling performance is down to the efforts of Colin Smith, Bethan Thomas and all other members of the Waste Team as well as the commitment shown by residents across the Vale of Glamorgan.

Excellent work all. I’m sure we will again blaze a trail with this latest initiative.

Staying with the environmental theme, this week the Vale of Glamorgan Public Services Board (PSB) launched a new Charter addressing the urgent need to tackle the intertwined crises of climate change and nature loss together.

The PSB brings together strategic leaders from public and third sector organisations across the Vale to work in partnership for a better future.

Healthy ecosystems capture carbon, reduce flood risks, and support biodiversity, while degraded habitats release carbon and worsen climate change.

Recognising that one cannot be solved without the other, the new Charter outlines the PSB’s latest commitments to cut emissions while restoring ecosystems, ensuring a resilient future for both people and wildlife.

Building on previous efforts to reduce environmental harm and restore biodiversity, the Charter outlines concrete actions that PSB partners will take to drive meaningful, long-term sustainability.

Key commitments include:

• Restoring and protecting nature – creating opportunities for communities to reconnect with and actively support nature recovery
• Tackling waste at the source – prioritising waste reduction before reusing, recycling and recovery
• Decarbonising buildings and operations – reducing energy and water consumption, making spaces more sustainable
• Transforming travel and transport – accelerating the shift to low-carbon travel while ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place

Partners will measure and report progress annually, adapt policies where needed, and drive behaviour change through engagement with staff, service users, and communities.

Collaboration and shared learning will be at the heart of these efforts to ensure long-term impact.

Protecting the environment was also a key consideration when we recently applied for Welsh Government funding to make transport improvements.

Lisa Elliot, Kyle Phillips, Mike Clogg, Lee Howells and others worked extremely hard on a range of proposals, a large proportion of which were successful.

The £3.4 million secured will be used to boost walking and cycling numbers, increase road safety and upgrade bus stops, among other projects.

This money must go towards specific transport schemes identified through the application process and is specifically targeted at promoting travel by means other than the private motor car.

£645,000 of the total is to continue the development of active travel routes from Barry to Dinas Powys, Weycock Cross to Cardiff Airport and Sully to Cosmeston.

It will be used to acquire land, continue scheme development, with interested parties offered the chance to have their say on the projects through a public consultation.

The money will also provide cycle and scooter storage in schools and public areas and help make pedestrian improvements across the Vale.

A funding award of £331,000 will go towards installing a formal crossing point and upgrading facilities for those travelling on foot on Coldbrook Road East and be of particular benefit to pupils as they move to and from St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School.

As well as improving health, air quality and reducing carbon emissions, these schemes will create better walking and cycling connections with employment and education sites, key services and public transport.

A grant of £177,497 will be used to deliver the Port Road and Porthkerry Road, Rhoose Highway Improvement Scheme, which contributes towards Welsh Government’s target to reduce casualties on roads.

That will involve reducing the speed limit to 40mph, introducing vehicle activated signs and placing warning markings along the airport bend to improve awareness of hazards, lower road noise and pollution.

The Council has also been awarded £242,716 to gain the necessary powers to enforce traffic offences committed by vehicles while they are in motion.

It will allow us to continue exploring timed street closures around schools to boost safety and increase the numbers cycling and traveling on foot.

This money will also cover road safety education, cycle training and extra tuition for newly qualified drivers.

£500,000 will be spent on improving bus service infrastructure by introducing signs with real-time scheduling information that accurately reflect projected arrival times.

Lastly, £1.45 million has been allocated for reviewing 20mph and 30mph speed limits on roads and implementing any necessary changes.

Well done to everyone in the Environmental Services Directorate who were responsible for putting these applications together.

The schemes this money finances will make a big difference to our communities by promoting wellbeing and making the Vale safer as well as helping with our green ambitions.

On another related subject, Council employees will soon be asked to complete the staff travel survey, which will help provide carbon emissions data that needs to be submitted to Welsh Government.

It is also an important step in the journey (no pun intended!) to become carbon neutral and realise our Project Zero target.

Staff commuting is one of the biggest contributors to the Council’s carbon emissions so working to reduce that is an important task.

Finally, but on an important note, the latest employee engagement survey will also soon go live and is an exercise that aims to understand the issues affecting our staff.

It would be really helpful to hear from as many colleagues as possible to get a better understanding of how people feel at work so we can operate more effectively, as individuals, within our teams and as a whole organisation. More on this to follow in future weeks.

Thank you very much for your efforts this week.

I hope you know by now that they are always appreciated, by me and the rest of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT).

For those not in work, have a relaxing and enjoyable couple of days off.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob