Rob's Weekly Round Up

21 November 2025

Hi Everyone,

Today’s message is the first instalment of a new shortened end-of-week update that either I or one of the Council’s Directors will be sending you every Friday.

Over the last couple of years, this round-up has increased in length and, on reflection, became a lot for readers to get through in one go.

That’s because there is always so much good work going on across the Council, a non-stop stream of staff achievements and regular news developments - all of which I want to share.

To make things more manageable, from now on, there will be an email news bulletin issued every Monday containing links to stories that have been published on Staffnet or the external website.

That will free this message up for news about significant Council projects, along with some thoughts from me, and others, about why they are important.

To start off with, I want to reference the importance of our work in town centres after we recently exchanged contracts on the purchase of the old Wilko building in Barry.

As I mentioned in my previous message, last week I was in North Wales helping to carry out the Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) at Cyngor Sir Ynys Mon – Isle of Anglesey Council.

One of the first things I did when I got back to the Civic Offices was take a stroll up Holton Road to see how that property’s transformation was taking shape.

The first piece of art is already installed in one of the windows and four more will follow, each depicting a winter scene or significant feature of the Vale.

There will also be vinyl Council graphics installed in other windows, while the old Wilko signage is being removed ready for a new dawn.

Those Council graphics carry the strapline ‘Making Barry a great place to live, work and visit’, with imagery presenting the town as modern and vibrant.

That is also how we see the future for Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major.

Most will already know that the Council has successfully secured £20 million for Barry, to be spent on developing the Mole and turning the Dock Office into a business space.

We also have a similar sum for investment in the town itself over the next 10 years.

That will be used to improve the area’s look, feel and prospects. It will also help people secure skills, employment and access to services.

Specific plans for how the money will be spent are already being worked up and I hope to share more on this shortly.

Colleagues have also been working closely with Town Councils and other stakeholders on new placemaking plans for our four towns.

These have been drawn up after extensive engagement with residents, local businesses, and community representatives, helping to shape proposals aimed at transforming these areas into vibrant, welcoming and resilient places.

Town boards have been established featuring representatives from the Vale and town councils, to assist in this aim.

An additional £3 million Pride in Place money is also available for our towns to invest in interventions and projects that will make a difference to the prospects of these important centres.

Alongside this work, earlier this month, the Town Centre Loan Scheme launched, offering commercial property owners an opportunity to access funding for shop front upgrading and other improvements.

All of this is happening because the Council and others believe in our town centres.

Recently, I was passed an email from a Llantwit Major Library user who was extremely complimentary about the service they had received.

It read: “I wanted to contact you to let you know just how much the work of the ladies in the Llantwit Major library is appreciated.

“I use the library regularly with my granddaughters, aged 3,7 &10. We often go along on a Saturday morning for the story and craft time and we all thoroughly enjoy it.

“Every one of the ladies enjoy what they do and their enthusiasm is passed on to all of the children, parents and grandparents alike.

“The craft activities, linked to the stories, are really well resourced and planned out. This makes them suitable for all ages and therefore enjoyable no matter what the ability.

“We also attend the craft sessions held during the school holidays. Again, these are really well planned, resourced and presented. The fact that there is little or no charge means that all families are able to use the wonderful local facility.

“Because these activities are held in the library there is ample opportunity to spend time choosing and reading the books, thus encouraging the children to enjoy reading.

“I would like to say thank you for facilitating such a valuable amenity. It is much appreciated by the numerous families who use it and I would be grateful if you could pass our thanks on to the ladies in Llantwit Major library.”

Well done to the staff concerned. It is clear from that email that town centres and their facilities matter to people.

That is why they matter to us.

We’re committed to giving Vale town centres a bright future, and I recognise all the work of staff across the organisation to achieve that.

This is an exciting area of long-term work involving numerous teams across all five directorates.

With all pulling in the same direction, I’m really excited about what lies ahead.

Thank you all very much for your efforts this week.

They are always very much appreciated.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob