Where We’re At: Vale of Glamorgan Edition

November 26, 2024 By Rob Thomas, Chief Executive, Vale of Glamorgan Council

Rob Thomas, Chief Executive of Vale of Glamorgan Council, tells us about the council’s deepening partnership approach, why there’s no ‘one size fits all’ method to delivering vital local services, what community power means to the council, and why the county has been named the seventh best place to visit in the UK.

The Vale of Glamorgan is a diverse county of breathtaking coastline, bustling market towns and vibrant villages.

It is this variety that gives the area its unique appeal. Our coastal destinations sit close to stunning countryside and busy urban settings, offering a range of different options when it comes to lifestyle and leisure time.

Barry Island © Vale of Glamorgan Council

It is the contrasts we find in the Vale of Glamorgan that also present some of the council’s biggest challenges.

The Vale has affluent areas, but also places that experience high levels of depravation and social exclusion. Catering for and supporting residents and communities with different priorities and needs can pose challenges, but it is an area in which the council is making a significant impact.

We also have a growing ageing population, which means that our social care service faces significant pressures when delivering for those residents who need our help and support. Despite this we are committed to ensuring we prioritise our services around those residents who need us the most.

What matters most to us is the opportunities that we can grasp by doing things differently

Whilst we have to be mindful of key challenges when planning for the future, what matters most to us is the opportunities that we can grasp by doing things differently. On this note, the council has been consulting on its new Corporate Plan which sets out our objectives up to 2030. The Plan sets where we want to be in five years’ time and our transformation programme, named Reshaping, is the means by which we can deliver on those objectives. It is our ‘road map’ which sets out a range of options and approaches for ensuring that we continue to deliver vital local services, despite ongoing budget and other challenges.

Increasingly, our approach is one of partnership in which the council works alongside the voluntary sector, third party organisations, public sector partners and town and community councils to make a real difference at a local level.

There are many good examples of this approach being successful, including pay-as-you-feel food shops at local schools and community centres, and a community laundrette, which operates on a similar basis. We also work with community groups and volunteers to create warm spaces and hubs within our towns and villages, helping residents, particularly older people, cope with high energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis.

Services related to housing, benefits, money advice, community development and sports and play are delivered in conjunction with health colleagues to ensure a joined-up approach. This helps provide comprehensive all-round support in those communities that need it the most.

Community power means working with and alongside our residents as well as for them.

Council decisions and policies directly affect people who live in the Vale of Glamorgan so they should be closely involved in formulating policy and taking decisions. This is a key strand of our Public Participation Strategy, where citizens help set the direction on a range of issues. The views of groups representing specific demographics, and broader public opinion are at the very heart of Vale of Glamorgan council decision making.

Our focus is on delivering for residents in the face of significant funding cuts.

The council is currently developing its new Corporate Plan 2025-30, which sets out how the organisation will look in the future. A particular focus is how to continue delivering for residents in the face of significant real terms funding cuts. We are focusing on what we can do with the budget that we have rather than simply focusing on the savings we need to make.

The Reshaping Programme is a key part of achieving that, with the approach already delivering some noteworthy successes, one being the council’s Big Fresh Catering Company. That is a Local Authority Trading Company that operates as a distinct social business separate from the council. It supplies meals to partner schools and runs cafés at the fantastic Penarth Pier Pavilion and Belle Vue Community Centre in the town. All profits made are invested back into the business or paid out to schools for projects linked to healthy eating. This allowed us to become one of the first local authorities in Wales to offer free school meals to all primary pupils.

Free school meals provided by the Big Fresh Catering Company © Vale of Glamorgan Council

I’m super proud to work for an organisation that has retained its council house stock.

We are facing significant pressure for new homes and increasing homelessness, fuelled by high land values and increasing private sector rents. We are responding by increasing our own stock and building new homes for our residents. This includes the provision of a significant number of temporary modular units that will be used to provide much-needed homes for our clients on the waiting list and those fleeing conflict in Ukraine. This means we will dramatically reduce our reliance on hotel accommodation and be able to offer a far more dignified solution to those who need our support. This chimes perfectly with our journey to become an accredited County of Sanctuary.

New Local’s network offers access to a range of support, advice and learning from other members.

The ethos of working with and alongside our communities as enablers of local service provision is vital if we are going to continue to adapt in the way we deliver services. New Local gives us access to a rich source of information on that journey.

Sharing experiences and ideas is the key to how we can all get better and evolve.

Key to success of any organisation is an ability, and willingness, to learn from others and how different organisations are adapting to changing demands and needs. I’m always eager to explore how other councils are delivering services in the context of the challenges we all face. Sharing experiences and ideas is the key to how we can all get better and evolve.

We pride ourselves in not having a ‘one size fits all’ approach to delivering services.

I like to think that we have done pretty well in ensuring that our core services are sustainable moving forward. We have transformed services by collaborating with others and hosting regional shared services in environmental health, audit and adoption services. We are working with a trust to deliver good quality leisure services. We support community groups in running five community-based libraries that would have otherwise closed due to financial challenges. We have done all this by not being afraid to try new things and learn as we go.

The Vale of Glamorgan has just been named the seventh best place to visit in the UK by the Times – and there’s no shortage of things to do.

Barry is our administrative centre. It is Wales’ largest town and is also home to Gavin & Stacey (as well as Nessa, Smithy, Neil the Baby, Uncle Bryn, Gwen and Dave Coaches!).

As a keen cyclist, I would strongly recommend a cycling tour through the Vale of Glamorgan countryside, taking in the dramatic cliffs and beaches of the Heritage Coast and rolling landscapes. Stop off for a coffee at a new community café venture in Ogmore by Sea, which is part-funded by the council, or Llantwit Major – a town steeped in history and often referred to as Wales’ oldest seat of learning dating back to 500 A.D. with St David himself studying there!

If walking is more your thing, stroll through Cowbridge and do some shopping in the independent shops on the high street.

A visit to Porthkerry Country Park, with a picnic under the spectacular viaduct, could come before a quick stroll along the pebble beach (at low tide) to Barry Island to take in one of the events in our Weekenders series.

If you’re feeling peckish, how about a coffee or an ice cream from Marco’s on Barry Island, or failing that an afternoon tea at Penarth Pier Pavilion, served up by the Big Fresh Catering Company – our very own arms-length trading company and one of our Reshaping successes.

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