Rob's Weekly Round Up

09 January 2026

Hi Everyone,

Firstly, I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year – thank you to those of you who worked or were on-call over the festive period to keep our essential services running smoothly – it is greatly appreciated by myself, SLT and our residents.  If you were able to take some time off, I hope you had a restful and well-deserved break and are returning to work feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead.

As we step into a new year, there’s a real sense of optimism about what lies ahead for the Vale, and this year is particularly significant as the Vale of Glamorgan Council marks its 30th anniversary as a Unitary Authority that came into being in April 1996.

I’m sure we will have plenty more to share with you about how we will mark our 30th anniversary, but one of the first important milestones this year will be the launch of our 2026/27 budget consultation. The period after Christmas and our engagement on the draft budget plays a key role in shaping our work in the Vale not only over the course of the next financial year, but for our wider goals for the years to come too.

In short, the budget consultation is about listening to and understanding the views of our residents and partners – including what they feel we should prioritise and how we can best use our budget to support communities across the Vale.

Following consideration by Cabinet on 15 January (the report to Cabinet is published today), people will be invited to share their views on the Council’s draft budget through a four-week public consultation starting on 16 January. There are multiple ways to take part in the consultation – including our online Participate Vale portal. I would encourage all colleagues to take part in the consultation.

The Council’s total net budget for 2026/27 is £354 million, most of which is made up of a financial settlement from Welsh Government, along with council tax contributions and a share of business rates from across Wales.

The budget funds an extremely wide range of services, including the provision of education, adult and children's social care, housing and homelessness, highways, waste and recycling, parks and public spaces as well as an array of other statutory and essential support services. 

Around 70 per cent of our budget is spent on education and social care. These are essential services we are required to provide, and this funding supports all our schools, wider education and services for children, families and some of our most vulnerable residents. 

Managing these services has become more challenging in recent years as costs have risen, demand has increased and funding has remained under pressure, but we should be rightly proud of the way these services are delivered despite the on-going challenges. 

This year, despite the usual pressures, the outlook is more positive. A better-than-expected Welsh Government settlement, alongside the ongoing efforts of our teams to work more efficiently and creatively through the Reshaping Programme, means the financial outlook is brighter than it has been for some time.

This puts us in a stronger position to move forward with continued investment in priority services, such as an additional £1million funding for schools. The budget also proposes funding to deliver improvements to places people value, including increased spending to upgrade our buildings and public spaces – a key theme that consistently emerges from engagement with and feedback from residents and communities.

Listening to residents through this consultation work is also central to our ongoing Vale 2030 ambitions.

The priorities set out in our Corporate Plan– creating great places to live, work and visit, respecting and celebrating the environment, giving everyone a good start in life, supporting and protecting those who need us and being the best Council we can be – are directly shaped by what our communities have told us matters most.

The consultation invites feedback on the draft budget, including a proposed Council Tax increase of 5.5%, and explore if residents would support more investment in areas such as rural transport, youth services and open spaces. 

In our own day-to-day work, we all also have a role to play in encouraging participation and helping residents understand how their views influence decision-making. It’s a positive way to start the year and an important step as we continue to build a strong, sustainable future for the Vale of Glamorgan.

Determining how we invest our resources over the next year will make a tangible difference for those we serve in the Vale. I’m personally looking forward to seeing how these plans take shape and to hearing residents’ views on what matters most to them, and every opinion shared ensures we continue to be the best Council we can be. 

Work is continuing on the Reshaping Programme and looking at the ways we can work differently and embrace further digital opportunities to transform our services, support our colleagues and communities. There will be lots more information on Reshaping in the coming months, including how everyone can get involved in creating the council we need to be for our residents and able to deliver Vale 2030.

I’m sure 2026 will be a year full of progress on exciting projects and real improvements for our communities. Thank you to you all for your valuable contributions to our work across all our services. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob