Rob's Weekly Round Up

20 March 2026

Hi Everyone,

With the budget now agreed, it was great to get out and about this week to see one of the projects that will make a real difference to our residents.

On Wednesday, the Leader and I met with Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, to visit the Extra Care development in Penarth currently under construction.

Hafan Y Dderwen is a joint venture with Wales & West Housing (WWH) that will provide 70 homes for people aged over 55 on land near Myrtle Close.

The scheme includes self-contained apartments, with tailored on-site care for individuals who want to live independently in their own homes within a supportive community.

It is situated alongside Oak Court, an existing WWH older persons’ residential scheme, and Tŷ Dewi Sant, a dementia-friendly care home operated by the Council.

The development will include an on-site restaurant, communal gardens, lounges and a laundry for residents.

All flats also feature balconies overlooking garden areas and adjacent woodland.

The building will be highly energy efficient, resulting in low heating and hot water costs for residents.

On adjoining land, we also plan to build an older persons’ independent living development of around 48 affordable homes.

These projects are examples of how effective the type of partnership working set out in Vale 2030 can be.

They will help us deliver more for our residents, specifically those who are vulnerable and want to live independently, a group we are committed to protecting.

Thanks to all involved in this and the many other housing projects underway – it was great to see the progress being made.

After visiting Hafan Y Dderwen, the Cabinet Secretary went on to learn about Placemaking work in Cowbridge and Llantwit Major.

A project to upgrade the skate park and football pitch at Bear Field in Cowbridge is the first to come through recently established town boards.

The scheme, developed jointly with Cowbridge and Llanblethian Town Council, comes after consultation with local young people identified this as a priority.

Placemaking plans have also been developed for Penarth, Barry and Llantwit Major to deliver improvements through partnership working with Town Councils and the wider community.

Phil Chappell, Nicola Sumner-Smith and the rest of the Community Development Team have done a lot of work in this area and were there to welcome the Cabinet Secretary, along with Director of Place Marcus Goldsworthy.

They talked the Minister through plans for Cowbridge before joining her at Llantwit Major Rugby Club to witness first hand a Placemaking project taking shape.

The One-Week Town Boost launched on Tuesday, with residents, businesses and the Council coming together to give part of Llantwit a special makeover, led by internationally renowned Placemaking consultant David Engwicht.

Exactly what this will involve is still being finalised ahead of a community event to implement the ideas tomorrow. There will be full details and pictures on Staffnet next week.

Cabinet will also consider the Placemaking Plan for Barry on Thursday, the final of these four blueprints to be approved.

Placemaking is about working together to enhance the areas where we live, work and spend time.

It involves listening to local people, using new ideas and identifying funding opportunities to make towns and neighbourhoods more welcoming and vibrant for everyone.

This can be achieved through improvements to public spaces, economic prosperity, active travel and access to services, while any initiative must respect the rich and unique heritage of our towns.

Comprehensive and detailed plans are important if we are to continue delivering for our residents, and on that subject, I’m delighted to welcome Matt Curtis back to the Vale as our interim Head of Strategy, Community Learning and Resources.

Matt was previously a Project Manager in our Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme before taking up a position related to that work with Welsh Government.

His new role again sits within Learning and Skills, although, as we look to the future and the ambitions of Vale 2030, it’s important we see beyond directorate boundaries.

Moving forwards, more and more work will be carried out by project teams, led by a designated manager and made up of staff from various teams and different directorates.

This is about being effective as we can achieve far more when everyone is pulling together in the same direction, rather than operating in isolation.

That spirit of cooperation and shared purpose was at the forefront of my mind as we resumed discussions with the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) this week.

These talks are about Vale schools’ challenging financial position.

I look forward to further productive work with the Union as we strive to address this situation and help all our schools become sustainable.
That is in the best interests of pupils, who remain the number one priority for all concerned.

Thank you all for your efforts this week – they are, as ever, very much appreciated. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi i gyd.

For those not in work, have a restful and relaxing couple of days off. I hope you make the most of the good weather that’s forecast.

Diolch yn fawr iawn pawb,

Rob