Rob's Weekly Round Up

05 December 2025

Hi Everyone,

This week I want to reference the importance of collaboration, which is a key component of Vale 2030.

I’ll start with a couple of compliments where this approach has been well received and celebrated emphasising how powerful and effective it can be.

Firstly, a colleague from Lancashire County Council got in touch to praise the work of Payroll Manager Sarah Jeanes.

Sarah has helped a number of other Local Authorities implement Oracle Fusion, and her expertise is clearly valued.

The email read: “…Sarah consistently goes above and beyond, providing guidance and solutions that have had a significant positive impact across multiple councils. Her willingness to step in and assist has not only resolved complex challenges but also strengthened collaboration and confidence.”

The Cowbridge Community Events Team also sent a message to express their gratitude for the work of Events Officer Sarah Jones, who helped ensure their Christmas Parade was a resounding success last weekend.

That read: “This was my first time organising an event of this nature, and Sarah’s guidance, advice, and hands-on assistance were invaluable. She was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and approachable, and she went above and beyond to ensure the event ran smoothly.”

Well done, both. It’s clear from those words that your contribution is really appreciated and you have been a huge help to people.

That kind of collaborative approach is at the heart of Vale 2030, our new Corporate Plan.

To keep delivering for our residents against a backdrop of shrinking budgets, we must operate differently, working collaboratively with town and community councils, third sector organisations, community groups and others to offer the best provision possible.

Sarah and Sarah have shown how to work constructively in this way while also delivering fantastic outcomes. Da iawn both.

Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) is another great example of how working collaboratively can be successful in Local Government.

As you will no doubt be aware, the SRS team carry out Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Licensing and other functions across the Vale, Cardiff and Bridgend Local Authority areas.

I was the responsible Director when the concept of a shared service was first mooted and involved in establishing the service with colleagues from Cardiff and Bridgend. Ten years on, the collaboration has added capacity and resilience and proven to be a huge success.

That is down in no small part to the efforts of Head of Service Helen Picton, who will shortly be retiring.

This week we held interviews to decide who will be taking over Helen’s role and I’m delighted to announce that person will be Christina Hill, SRS’ current Operational Manager for Commercial Services.

Christina has a wealth of qualifications and experience, has been part of the management team at SRS since inception and was extremely impressive during the selection process.

I’d like to pass on my personal congratulations and wish Christina every success in her new position.

Another way in which we operate in collaboration and partnership with other organisations is through the Public Services Board (PSB).

The Leader and I attended a meeting of that group on Tuesday, which is made up of representatives from the Health Board, Fire Service, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the voluntary sector, Welsh Government, the Police, Police and Crime Commissioner, Probation Service and the Council.

During that meeting, the Director of Public Health presented her annual report, which focused on efforts to prevent obesity and type two diabetes.

The Council has already made strides in this area by restricting the advertising of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in its spaces.

That was the result of work with PSB colleagues, and a joint approach that will continue as we look to have a significant positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our residents.

Food Vale, a collective made up of individuals, community groups, organisations and businesses, including the Council, has also recently been awarded the prestigious Sustainable Food Places Silver Award.

That recognises its work to promote healthy, sustainable, local food while tackling key social challenges such as food poverty and diet-related ill-health.

Jo Beynon and colleagues from the Policy Team have been at the forefront of this work so a big well done to them on this achievement.

Looking after our citizens starts from birth – one of our wellbeing objectives is giving everyone a good start in life – and continues into retirement.

Recently, I attended Cartref Porthceri to meet the team and congratulate them on their recent inspection report in which they were rated ‘good’ across the board.

Another of our care homes, Ty Dyfan, also received the same positive assessment.

During my visit, I met with Operational Manager for Residential Services Marijke Jenkins and home manager Laura Davies to see first-hand the excellent work taking place there.

That aligns perfectly with another of our wellbeing objectives – supporting and protecting those who need us.

All the work I have mentioned today: the examples of staff going above and beyond, the huge impact we are making in our communities and colleagues from other organisations, and the varied support we provide our citizens clearly shows we are delivering on another wellbeing objective – being the best council we can be.

Thank you very much for your efforts this week.

They are very much appreciated.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob