End of Week Message from Trevor

24 April 2026

Hey Folks,

I think it’s fair to say that across the Council we all share the same focus in supporting our residents and protecting people’s health, safety and wellbeing every day – and this work takes many forms.

One of the ways we deliver this support is through the Shared Regulatory Service (SRS) – and I would like to take the opportunity this week to share a bit more about the role the service plays, the impact it has across our communities, and the direction the service is moving towards in the future.

Working across organisational and county boundaries, SRS plays a key role in applying and enforcing legislation, providing advice and guidance, and intervening where necessary to prevent harm and support compliance – not just in the Vale of Glamorgan, but across Cardiff and Bridgend too. The service has also recently entered a new chapter, with Christina Hill stepping into her new role as Head of Service.

Many of you will know Christina from her previous role in SRS’s senior management team, and she recently shared her thoughts on the future of the service in a podcast interview with Bro Radio.

At its core, the work of SRS is about protecting our communities – safeguarding public health, supporting businesses, and preventing consumer harm. It’s a service that touches almost every aspect of daily life.

Speaking on the Ask the Regulator podcast, Christina highlighted a strong focus on the future and how the service will continue to evolve over the next few years, with four key themes underpinning that vision - communication, digital, workforce and innovation.

A big part of that is improving how we communicate – both internally and externally – so that the work of SRS is better understood, more visible and more widely celebrated. After more than a decade, this is about reminding partners, stakeholders and communities just how vital the service is.

To support this, a new SRS Instagram page was launched last summer to coincide with the service’s tenth anniversary. It’s helping to raise awareness of the breadth of work being delivered, share real-life examples of impact, and engage more directly with residents and businesses across the region. More broadly, it reflects a shift towards more proactive and accessible communication, bringing the work of SRS closer to the communities it serves while celebrating the successes of the teams behind it.

Alongside this, there is a clear focus on how the service continues to modernise and evolve. Like many areas, this includes making better use of technology to improve efficiency and the experience for residents and businesses, while also looking closely at how best to support the workforce.

That commitment to people is a key part of the service’s approach. Investment in apprenticeships, stronger links with universities, and clear career pathways are all helping to build capability for the future.

Recently, three SRS colleagues – Adam Spear, Daniel Cook and Kelly Pardon – all successfully completed Masters degrees in Environmental Health. This is a fantastic achievement and a great example of how the service is supporting colleagues to grow their careers while strengthening skills and expertise across the team.

Developing people and embracing new ways of working naturally feeds into a broader focus on innovation. In practice, this means looking at how things can be done differently and making the most of the expertise within the service.

This is an area where SRS is somewhat unique. Its size, scale and breadth across three councils provide real opportunities to grow, adapt and innovate.

Strong relationships are also central to how the service operates. Working closely with other Council services, as well as partners and external agencies, is essential. Whether that’s housing, planning, social care or organisations such as the police - tackling complex issues often relies on a joined-up approach with different teams bringing their expertise together to achieve the best outcomes.

A big part of delivering our wider ambitions as a Council comes through the work of SRS, including the priorities set out in our Vale 2030 Corporate Plan. It has a direct impact on the health, wellbeing and safety of our communities.

Whether it’s ensuring food hygiene standards, tackling rogue traders, supporting responsible businesses, or enforcing licensing and environmental health regulations, the reach of the service is significant. Ultimately, it helps create safe, fair and sustainable communities, which is at the heart of our long-term vision.

Finally, thank you to colleagues across all departments for everything you’ve delivered this week – it really is appreciated by myself and the rest of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT).

For those who are not in work, I hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend – the weather is forecast to be superb and if you’re out and about, you might want to stop by the newly opened Lakeside Café at Cosmeston - which has been beautifully restored and is now run by the Big Fresh Catering Company.

Cheers,

Trev