Swansea story to sell clear view of city’s aspirations

SWANSEA is a city of opportunity and innovation which cares for its communities and is a place we can all be proud of.

That’s the Swansea Story, according to a new report published by the council which aims to set out a clear view of the city and what the authority is seeking to achieve in the years ahead.

The initiative aims to help the council promote the priorities of the people of Swansea to its communities, to business, visitors and its staff.

Cllr Clive Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Performance and Transformation, said: “Swansea is a brilliant place and, like many thousands of other people who live here, I’m hugely proud of what our city is, what it stands for and what it’s achieved.

“It’s often too easy for people to say what they’re against, but this is the first time as a council we’ve looked at what we think the Swansea Story is and put it down in words.

“Dylan Thomas said Swansea is the best place and he was right. What we’re hoping is that by setting out who we are as a city and as communities, we can work together to continue to prove ourselves right.

“If we as a council and the city as a whole are going to achieve all our priorities, having a common set of views will help us make a difference.”

Cllr Lloyd said the Swansea Story helps explain why priorities like keeping the most vulnerable safe, building sustainable communities and supporting educational achievement matter.

He said the presence of two universities in the city as well as high-tech businesses are just two current examples following on from a history of opportunity and innovation which has helped define what Swansea is for generations.

Cllr Lloyd said: “The fact the council invests millions of pounds every year in educating our children, that our communities welcome people of 100 languages and – above all – our children and our vulnerable or frail adults are kept safe demonstrates the city’s commitment to caring for one another.

Cllr Lloyd said the Swansea Story was not just for the council, but for the city too.

He added: “As a significant organisation in the city which has a role in community leadership, the council has to say what it stands for, what it wants to do and why.

“At a time when the council is going through a transformation to shape itself for a sustainable future and to achieve savings of £81m in the coming year, it’s essential to remind ourselves of what we are for. The Swansea Story helps us all to do that.”

Cabinet is being asked to adopt the Swansea Story at its meeting on August 20. The report says the idea developed from last year’s ‘peer review’ of the council which looked at how the authority could shape and focus itself to deliver services in the years ahead and support the Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future programme.