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 22nd 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
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Arweinydd y Cyngor yn amlinellu’r themâu allweddol ar gyfer y flwyddyn sydd i ddod
Y gweithlu, democratiaeth gyfranogol, cydweithio, gweithio cydlynus, cynhyrchu incwm, a manteisio ar dechnolegau digidol – dyma’r themâu allweddol ar gyfer y flwyddyn sy’n dod y mae Arweinydd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot, Rob Jones, wedi tynnu sylw atynt yn ei anerchiad blynyddol i’r Cyngor
Wrth siarad mewn cyfarfod arbennig o’r Cyngor ddydd Mercher 22 Mai, dywedodd y Cynghorydd Jones:
“Does dim amheuaeth yn fy meddwl mai ein gweithlu yw ein hadnodd mwyaf gwerthfawr. Fydda i byth yn peidio â rhyfeddu at barodrwydd ein staff i gamu i’r adwy, o ddydd i ddydd, er mwyn cynnal ein gwasanaethau a’n swyddogaethau, gweithredu pan fydd argyfwng, a pharhau i addasu a newid fel bod modd i ni ymateb i’r pwysau a’r cyfleoedd sy’n ein hwynebu.”
Yn wyneb hyn, amlinellodd y Cynghorydd Jones sut bydd yn cefnogi newidiadau i weithrediad y Pwyllgor Personél. Bydd hyn yn cynnwys dileu’r angen i’r pwyllgor ddelio gyda newidiadau sefydliadol manwl er mwyn medru canolbwyntio ar bolisi a strategaeth.
Gwnaed ymrwymiad hefyd i ailystyried gwegastio cyfarfodydd y Cyngor ac edrych ar ddulliau eraill y gallai’r Cyngor eu mabwysiadu i gynyddu cyfranogiad yn y broses ddemocrataidd. Beth amser yn ôl roedd y Cyngor wedi penderfynu yn erbyn gwegastio oherwydd y gost. Fodd bynnag, nawr bod cyfle i ddysgu oddi wrth gryn brofiad o ffrydio cyfarfodydd ymhlith y gymuned llywodraeth leol yng Nghymru, gofynnwyd i swyddogion edrych ar hyn eto.
Ar thema cydweithio, ategodd y Cynghorydd Jones ei ymrwymiad i weithio mewn partneriaeth i sicrhau gwell canlyniadau, nid dim ond i bobl Castell-nedd Port Talbot, ond hefyd yn fwy cyffredinol ar draws y rhanbarth. Ychwanegodd:
“Mae gan y Cyngor yma draddodiad cryf o weithio mewn partneriaeth, ac yn fy marn i dyna un o’r nodweddion sy’n ei wneud yn amlwg unigryw. Gallwn gyfeirio at lawer o bartneriaethau a threfniadau cydweithio – yn lleol, yn rhanbarthol, yn genedlaethol ac yn rhyngwladol – sy’n gwella’r canlyniadau i’n dinasyddion, ond gwaetha’r modd, bu tri o’r trefniadau rhanbarthol hynny’n wynebu peth anhawster yn ystod 2018-19. Rydym am i’r trefniadau hyn weithio er budd yr holl amrywiol randdeiliaid, ac rwyf wedi gwneud ymrwymiad personol i weithio gyda nhw, a chwarae rhan lawn ac adeiladol ynddynt wrth symud ymlaen.”
Cyhoeddwyd cynigion hefyd i sefydlu Panel Cynhyrchu Incwm yr Aelodau, i helpu i sicrhau bod pob rhan o’r Cyngor yn edrych ar ffyrdd o gynyddu incwm. Y nod yw sicrhau cynnydd sylweddol o ran incwm ar draws cynlluniau busnes ein holl wasanaethau erbyn yr adeg hon y flwyddyn nesa.
“Mae pob punt o incwm rydym ni’n ei godi yn bunt nad oes rhaid i ni ei thorri o’n gwariant”, meddai’r Cynghorydd Jones, “Rydym ni’n dechrau cyflawni ein huchelgais o godi incwm, ond fe hoffwn i weld ymdrechion yn cael eu hatgyfnerthu y flwyddyn nesaf, a sicrhau bod holl Aelodau’r Cyngor yn cael cyfle i gyfrannu at y broses honno.”
Y thema olaf oedd edrych eto ar ba mor gydlynus yw’r Cyngor yn fewnol, ac mae bwriad i ddychwelyd at y gwaith meddwl am systemau a wnaed gan y Cyngor rai blynyddoedd yn ôl, ac a gafodd ganmoliaeth fawr. Arweiniodd hynny at welliannau gwirioneddol, felly ein rhesymeg ni yw y gallai fod cyfleoedd newydd, nawr bod amser wedi mynd heibio, i sicrhau bod y Cyngor yn cyflawni’r hyn sy’n bwysig i bobl, ac yn gwneud hynny mewn modd mwy diwastraff ac effeithiol. Enghreifftiau posibl fyddai sawl copi o’r un wybodaeth sydd gan y Cyngor am ddinasyddion, sawl gwaith mae’r un bobl yn cael prawf modd, neu i ba raddau mae’r gwasanaethau y mae ar y bobl hynny eu hangen wedi’u cydlynu.
Mae Cynllun Corfforaethol y Cyngor ar gyfer 2019-22 i’w weld ar-lein yn www.npt.gov.uk/shapingnpt
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