Council Leader outlines key themes for year ahead

Workforce, participatory democracy, collaboration, joined up working, income generation and taking the benefit of digital technologies – these are the key themes for the year ahead that Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Rob Jones has highlighted in his annual address to Council.

 Speaking at a special meeting of the Council on Wednesday 22^nd May, Councillor Jones said:

 “There is no question in my mind that our workforce is our most precious asset. It never ceases to amaze me how our staff step up to the plate, day in and day out, to run our services and functions, turn out at times of emergency and continue to adapt and change so that we can respond to the pressures and the opportunities in front of us.”

 In view of this, Councillor Jones outlined how he will be supporting changes to the way that the Personnel Committee operates. This will include removing the need for the committee to deal with detailed establishment changes so that it can concentrate on policy and strategy.

 A commitment was also made to reconsider webcasting Council meetings and exploring other methods that could be adopted by the Council to increase participation in the democratic process. The Council had, some time ago, decided against webcasting due to cost. However, with the opportunity to learn from the now considerable experience of streaming meetings amongst the local government community in Wales, officers have been tasked with revisiting this work.

 On the theme of collaboration, Councillor Jones restated his commitment to working in partnership to secure better outcomes, not just for people of Neath Port Talbot, but also more broadly across the region. He added:

 “This Council has a strong tradition of working in partnership, in my view it is one of the characteristics that marks it out as unique. We can point to many partnerships and collaborations – local, regional, national and international – that are improving outcomes for our citizens, but regrettably, three of the regional arrangements ran into some difficulty during 2018-19. We want these arrangements to work for the benefit of all of the various stakeholders and I have made a personal commitment to working with, and to playing a full and constructive part in them going forward.”

 Proposals to establish a Member Income Generation Panel to help ensure that all parts of the Council are looking at ways of increasing income were also announced. The aim is to see substantial increases in income across business plans for all services by this time next year.

“Every pound of income we raise, is a pound we do not need to cut from expenditure”, said Councillor Jones “We are beginning to deliver on our ambition to raise income, but I want to see efforts redoubled next year and I would like to ensure that all Members of Council have a full opportunity to contribute to that process.”

The final theme was to look again at how joined up the Council is internally, with plans to revisit the acclaimed systems thinking work the Council undertook a number of years ago. This resulted in real improvements, and the rational is that with the passage of time there might be new opportunities to ensure the Council delivers what matters to people and to do that in a more economic and effective way. Examples might include the number of times the Council holds the same information about citizens, the number of times the same people are means tested or the extent to which the services those people need are joined up.

 The Council’s Corporate Plan for 2019-22 can be found online at www.npt.gov.uk/shapingnpt

Arweinydd y Cyngorynamlinellu’rthemâuallweddolargyfer y flwyddynsydd i ddod

Y gweithlu, democratiaethgyfranogol, cydweithio, gweithiocydlynus, cynhyrchuincwm, a manteisioardechnolegaudigidol – dyma’rthemâuallweddolargyfer y flwyddynsy’ndod y maeArweinyddCyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot, Rob Jones, weditynnusylwatyntyneianerchiadblynyddoli’rCyngor.

Wrthsiaradmewncyfarfodarbennigo’rCyngorddyddMercher 22 Mai, dywedodd y Cynghorydd Jones:

“Does dim amheuaethynfymeddwlmaieingweithluyweinhadnoddmwyafgwerthfawr.Fydda i bythynpeidio â rhyfeddu at barodrwyddein staff i gamui’radwy, o ddydd i ddydd, ermwyncynnaleingwasanaethaua’nswyddogaethau, gweithredu pan fyddargyfwng, a pharhau i addasu a newidfel bod modd i niymatebi’rpwysaua’rcyfleoeddsy’neinhwynebu.”

Ynwynebhyn, amlinellodd y Cynghorydd Jones sutbyddyncefnoginewidiadau i weithrediad y PwyllgorPersonél.Byddhynyncynnwysdileu’rangeni’rpwyllgorddeliogydanewidiadausefydliadolmanwlermwynmedrucanolbwyntioarbolisi a strategaeth.

Gwnaedymrwymiadhefyd i ailystyriedgwegastiocyfarfodydd y Cyngor ac edrycharddulliaueraill y gallai’rCyngoreumabwysiadu i gynydducyfranogiadyn y broses ddemocrataidd.Beth amserynôlroedd y Cyngorwedipenderfynuynerbyngwegastiooherwydd y gost.Foddbynnag, nawr bod cyfle i ddysguoddiwrthgrynbrofiad o ffrydiocyfarfodyddymhlith y gymunedllywodraethleolyngNghymru, gofynnwyd i swyddogionedrycharhyneto.

Arthemacydweithio, ategodd y Cynghorydd Jones eiymrwymiad i weithiomewnpartneriaeth i sicrhaugwellcanlyniadau, nid dim ond i bobl Castell-nedd Port Talbot, ondhefydynfwycyffredinolar draws y rhanbarth. Ychwanegodd:

“Mae gan y Cyngorymadraddodiadcryf o weithiomewnpartneriaeth, ac ynfymarn i dyna un o’rnodweddionsy’neiwneudynamlwgunigryw. Gallwngyfeirio at lawer o bartneriaethau a threfniadaucydweithio – ynlleol, ynrhanbarthol, yngenedlaethol ac ynrhyngwladol – sy’ngwella’rcanlyniadaui’ndinasyddion, ondgwaetha’rmodd, bu tri o’rtrefniadaurhanbartholhynny’nwynebupethanhawsterynystod 2018-19. Rydym am i’rtrefniadauhynweithioerbuddyrhollamrywiolranddeiliaid, ac rwyfwedigwneudymrwymiadpersonol i weithiogydanhw, a chwaraerhan lawn ac adeiladolynddyntwrthsymudymlaen.”

Cyhoeddwydcynigionhefyd i sefydlu Panel CynhyrchuIncwmyrAelodau, i helpu i sicrhau bod pobrhano’rCyngorynedrycharffyrdd o gynydduincwm. Y nod ywsicrhaucynnyddsylweddol o ran incwmar draws cynlluniaubusneseinhollwasanaethauerbynyradeg hon y flwyddynnesa.

“Mae pob punt o incwmrydymni’neigodiyn bunt nadoesrhaid i nieithorrio’ngwariant”, meddai’rCynghorydd Jones, “Rydymni’ndechraucyflawnieinhuchelgais o godiincwm, ondfehoffwn i weld ymdrechionyncaeleuhatgyfnerthu y flwyddynnesaf, a sicrhau bod hollAelodau’rCyngoryncaelcyfle i gyfrannu at y broses honno.”

Y themaolafoeddedrychetoarbamorgydlynusyw’rCyngorynfewnol, ac maebwriad i ddychwelyd at y gwaithmeddwl am systemau a wnaedgan y Cyngor rai blynyddoeddynôl, ac a gafoddganmoliaethfawr. Arweinioddhynny at welliannaugwirioneddol, felly einrhesymegniyw y gallaifodcyfleoeddnewydd, nawr bod amserwedimyndheibio, i sicrhau bod y Cyngoryncyflawni’rhynsy’nbwysig i bobl, ac yngwneudhynnymewnmoddmwydiwastraff ac effeithiol. Enghreifftiauposiblfyddaisawlcopio’runwybodaethsyddgan y Cyngor am ddinasyddion, sawlgwaithmae’r un boblyncaelprawfmodd, neu i baraddaumae’rgwasanaethau y maear y boblhynnyeuhangenwedi’ucydlynu.

Mae CynllunCorfforaethol y Cyngorargyfer 2019-22 i’w weld ar-leinyn www.npt.gov.uk/shapingnpt