End of Week Message from Rob

16 October 2026

Shwmae pawb, 

Yesterday, we celebrated Diwrnod Shwmae Su’mae, which encourages everyone to start a conversation in Welsh, even with a simple ‘Shwmae’ or ‘Su’mae’. 

We marked the occasion with a virtual meet-up, bringing colleagues together for a break and a cuppa, and an opportunity to celebrate the Welsh language as a community.

It was a great reminder that building community with each other can often start with a conversation, bonding over a shared connection or making time to create cynefin (belonging), wherever we may be. 

This week, I’ve been reflecting on what this means in practice for our communities across the Vale. 

Whether it is the opportunities we create for everyone to have a voice, the support we offer when times are difficult, or the connections we build across our services and with our partners.

These are all things that sit at the heart of Vale 2030, our Corporate Plan. Our five objectives set out our ambitions for the Vale, including Being the Best Council We Can Be and Supporting and Protecting Those Who Need Us.  

Whatever our role, we all have a part to play in delivering these ambitions and making a positive difference to people’s lives. This week has provided some excellent examples of that work in action. 

On Thursday, we welcomed members of the Vale 50+ Forum to their Annual General Meeting, an important opportunity for older people across the Vale to share their experiences, raise the issues that matter to them and help shape the services and communities they want to see. 

Representing more than 350 older people, the Forum plays a valuable role in ensuring that the voices of older residents are heard and reflected in local decision-making. The meeting also welcomed the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales as its keynote speaker, underlining the importance of listening to older people and recognising the contribution they make to our communities. 

This work supports our Age-Friendly Vale Strategy and Action Plan, which aims to create communities where older people feel connected, are treated with respect and have access to the same opportunities and services as everyone else. 

A special thank you to our Age-Friendly Vale Officer, Sian Clemett-Davies, for her continued work supporting older residents to have their say and influence decisions that affect their lives. Da iawn Sian, and thank you to everyone involved in making sure those voices are heard. 

Listening to our communities also means being prepared to act on what people tell us. I was particularly pleased to hear that our Tenant Participation Repairs Review has been shortlisted for this year’s Welsh Housing Awards in the Excellence in Participation category. 

This recognition celebrates a fantastic piece of work led by our tenants, working alongside colleagues across Housing Management, Participation and the Council’s Contact Centre. The review began after tenants raised concerns about the repairs service. Rather than simply asking for feedback, we worked with them to understand the experience from their perspective, following the repairs journey from the initial report through to completion and follow-up. 

Tenants listened to repair calls, met with colleagues, explored how the systems work and identified where communication, response times and service quality could improve. Their work resulted in an action plan, which is now being implemented. 

Already, the project is helping us make practical changes. A new automated call-routing system has been introduced, and training has taken place with Contact Centre and Repairs colleagues. 

Three-quarters of the tenants involved in the consultative group have reported a positive experience of using the Contact Centre. Just as importantly, all tenants involved in the review said they found the experience meaningful, felt valued and believed they had been able to influence service improvements. 

Meaningful engagement is about more than giving people an opportunity to share their views; it is about making sure those views are listened to, taken seriously and used to shape decisions.  

It is also about building trust and strengthening the relationship between the Council and our tenants. When people can see that their involvement leads to real changes, it reinforces the value of having their voices heard and encourages more people to get involved.  

Most of all, it also reflects our commitment to Being the Best Council We Can Be: listening, learning and continually improving what we do. Llongyfarchiadau pawb! 

Strong communities also depend on people having the support and opportunities they need to thrive.  

Last week, colleagues from across the Council came together at our Tackling Poverty and Deprivation Summit to consider how we can work more collaboratively to address poverty across the Vale. 

Under the theme ‘From Activity to Mission Led Collective Impact’ - the summit focused on how we can bring together the work already taking place across our services and partnerships to achieve a greater, shared impact. 

We know that, although the Vale is home to many thriving communities, poverty and deprivation remain significant challenges. 

The latest Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, published in 2025, identified seven small areas in the Vale among the 10 per cent most deprived in Wales, all located in Barry. Many households continue to experience pressure from the cost of food, energy and housing. 

Behind these figures are individuals and families facing difficult choices every day. Tackling these challenges requires more than any one team or service can achieve alone. It means identifying where support is needed most, working with communities to understand their experiences and joining up our efforts with partners to prevent hardship wherever possible. 

This is closely linked to our Vale 2030 ambitions and the Public Services Board’s commitment to working with our more deprived communities and creating a more equitable and connected Vale. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the summit.  

The challenge now is to turn those conversations into collective action, making the best use of our resources and ensuring that the support we provide reaches the people who need it most. At the heart of this work is a shared responsibility to look out for one another and build stronger, more resilient communities.

That sense of support and solidarity is also reflected in how we come together in the face of adversity -  especially in moments of profound loss. 

On Wednesday 21 October, we will mark 60 years since the Aberfan disaster, when 144 people, including 116 children, lost their lives. It remains one of the most devastating tragedies in Welsh history, and the impact continues to be felt by families, survivors and communities across Wales. 

The Council will join the nationwide minute’s silence at 9.15am and colleagues are invited to take part wherever they are working, whether in an office, remotely or out in the community. 

As we pause to remember those who lost their lives, we also recognise the enduring strength of the Aberfan community and the importance of compassion through the most challenging of times. These are values that remain just as important in the communities we serve today. 

Supporting our communities is always year-round commitment, and one that continues throughout the upcoming festive period, with colleagues working hard to ensure essential services remain available to residents. 

With that in mind, I wanted to share an update on the proposed working arrangements over Christmas and the New Year. 

Taking into account the flexible and hybrid ways of working that are now embedded across our organisation, the current plan is for office-based premises used by non-essential services to close from 6pm on Thursday 24 December until the morning of Monday 4 January 2027. 

Our services will however continue to operate, with managers ensuring necessary staffing arrangements are in place to meet the needs of residents and communities. 

For colleagues who can work remotely, existing hybrid working arrangements will continue to provide that flexibility. Others may wish to take annual leave, subject to their service area requirements.  

We also recognise that many colleagues will continue working as normal, including those delivering frontline services and supporting vulnerable residents during what can be a particularly busy and challenging time of year.  

We greatly appreciate the dedication of everyone who helps keep our essential services running throughout the year, including over Christmas. 

For those who are not working, I hope you all have a restful and relaxing break over the weekend. 

Diolch, 

Rob