End of Week Message with Trevor 

24 July 2026

Hey folks,

I wanted to use this Friday’s end-of-week message to give you a bit of an update on some of the exciting highlights happening in our services. 

We’ll start with a big one - Street Scene, our new street cleaning operation that launched at the start of the year, has been nominated for a Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) award in the category of Leading Innovation.

That is fantastic news and a fitting reward for the teams that have helped implement such an effective service. It’s amazing to get some national recognition following all the work that’s gone into it. 

Since February this year, Street Scene has seen the creation of five place-based teams, one for the Vale’s four towns and another for large villages, that maintain the appearance of these areas and attend quickly to cases of litter and spillages.

These teams have been involved in alley clearance, town centre decluttering, weed and pavement clearance, bin installation, toilet improvements and highway renewal work across Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and beyond.

There has also been Increased cleaning of entrance points and routes into the Vale and the return of dedicated town centre street sweepers to Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major, alongside those already present in Barry.

Extra resources have been committed to tackle fly-tipping in Barry, where there is most demand, including more regular patrols of known hotspots, prosecution of offenders and the purchase of specialist machines to remove waste.

The work has also involved greater engagement and partnership working with Town and Community Councils, local groups, Keep Wales Tidy, the Probation Service, Youth Offending teams, and litter picking volunteers. 

On Thursday, I spent time with our Tenant Working Group talking though the updates and gaining their perspectives on the impact work across all services is having as we continue on our journey. 

Looking further ahead, there will be a bit of rebranding and the arrival of five electric vans containing specialist equipment to clean road signs more frequently and offer a rapid response to instances of graffiti.

A big thank you to everyone who’s been part of this work and fingers crossed for the awards ceremony in September.

On the subject of awards, Housing Development Officer Jon Lewis has recently completed a National Open College Network Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings.

To gain the qualification, Jon spent time in Carmarthenshire, visiting a farmhouse to see how different finishes on the building provided thermal properties.

Well done Jon!

Meanwhile, Joanne Jones, our Senior Healthy Living Officer (Play), has achieved her Level 5 Advanced Playwork Management qualification. 

Jo already brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the playwork sector and this achievement will further strengthen and expand her expertise.

Principal Healthy Living Officer, Karen Davies, said: "I’d like to congratulate Jo on this fantastic achievement and thank her for her ongoing dedication to ensuring that children, young people and communities across the Vale can experience the many benefits that play provides.

"Jo has recently been delivering a training week for our playworkers, who will be supporting a wide range of play opportunities at venues across the Vale throughout the summer."

I’m also pleased to announce that we have appointed two people into Operational Manager roles within the department. Both these roles are key to supporting the work we do and adding back much needed capacity into our services. 

James Webber has been appointed as our Operational Manager for Street Scene in Neighbourhood Services. He will lead one of the Council’s most visible and community-impacting frontline portfolios, helping shape how residents and visitors experience the Vale every day.

Claire Hartrey has been appointed Operational Manager for Health and Public Protection within Shared Regulatory Services, leading and developing regulatory services across Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Claire will ensure high-quality, compliant and customer-focused public protection, environmental health and health protection services.

Congratulations both and well done on your appointments! 

It is also great to see that the Council has become White Ribbon accredited, marking a commitment to end violence against women by promoting gender equality, engaging men, and changing workplace culture.

As the Council’s champion in this area, I’m really proud of this achievement which aligns perfectly with our core values.

Thanks to Rebecca Lane who has played a central role in this work to help us achieve this status.

Earlier this week, I gave an update on all activity within the Housing and Building Services directorate when the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) visited the Alps.

Jo Lewis and I also gave everyone a tour of the site where they had the opportunity to see some of the work taking place first-hand. It got us all talking about how different parts of the Council interact, and how we can leverage experience, knowledge and resident engagement to better support each others’ work. I’m really grateful for all those involved in what is to become a regular feature for SLT meetings as they are held across out sites in the Vale. We’ll be back! 

We know from the Staff Survey that colleagues want Senior Leaders to be more visible and have opportunities to talk about the work they do, and this is just one measure introduced to help with that.

Previously SLT has been held at Penarth Library and Cowbridge School, while there are also plans to visit Ty Jenner, where Child Services colleagues are now based, in September.

In my update at SLT, I was able to share that Housing and Building Service is delivering strongly against our priorities, with over 90 per cent of actions from the Directorate Plan and Self-Assessment process completed.

Alongside this, major transformation programmes are helping to shape how we work and how residents experience our services. 

Recent management development sessions, which are another way in which directors can engage with staff, highlighted some clear priorities for the future. 

Colleagues told us they want better access to information, greater consistency in processes, more support to develop leadership and digital skills, and a stronger focus on prevention rather than firefighting. 

In response, work is underway to strengthen cross-directorate collaboration, build AI and digital capabilities, and create more opportunities for sharing learning and good practice. 

Significant strategic programmes are also progressing, including the Housing Programme, Digital Transformation, Street Scene transformation, Eich Lle, and a new ‘One Service, One Standard’ initiative. 

These programmes are designed to improve customer experience, strengthen sustainability and ensure greater consistency across services.
A key focus moving forward is becoming more data-driven and digitally enabled. 

Future plans include better operational dashboards, improved performance reporting and greater transparency to support decision-making and improve services for residents. 

Early successes are already being seen through improved online reporting, public dashboards, digital bus passes and enhanced communications.

The message remains simple: continue delivering excellent services today while building the skills, systems, teams and culture needed for tomorrow. I learned a lot through our Management Development Sessions recently from staff and am genuinely excited about the momentum we’ve got in making this the best place to work, live and play. 

Finally, I wanted to draw your attention to the Annual Self-assessment, the Council’s yearly progress report and target-setting document.

This is an important measure of how the Council is performing across all areas.

It is not created by one team but a combination of the contribution all members of staff make every day.

We are currently looking for feedback on that document so I would encourage everyone to read more here and then share their views.

Thank you very much for your efforts this week.

If not in work, have a great couple of days off.

Best wishes,

Trevor