Our Progress

2023/24 Annual Report:

Vale of Glamorgan PSB 2023-24 Annual Report Executive Summary

This report details some of the achievements and work undertaken by the Vale PSB since July 2023. The report highlights the benefits of working in partnership and shows what we have achieved and perhaps more importantly, what we have learnt and how we plan to work together for current and future generations.

This report was created in Microsoft Sway and contains a number of links to other work and reports undertaken by the PSB and interactive graphs and charts which highlight some of the key data trends monitored by the PSB.

2022/23 Annual Report:

This is the Public Service Board’s fifth Annual Report, this report details some of the achievements and work undertaken by the Vale PSB since July 2022.

2021/22 Annual Report: 

This is the Public Service Board’s fourth Annual Report, this report details some of the achievements and work undertaken by the Vale PSB since July 2021.

2020/21 Annual Report:

This is the Public Service Board’s third Annual Report, this report details some of the achievements and work undertaken by the Vale PSB since July 2020.

2019/20 Annual Report: 

This is the Public Service Board’s second Annual Report, this report details some of the achievements and work undertaken by the Vale PSB since July 2019.

2018/19 Annual Report: 

This is the first Annual Report of Our Vale, the Vale of Glamorgan Public Services Board (PSB). This Annual Report details the progress made in the first year of the Well-being Plan. Our Report this year took the form of a video in which PSB partners set out the work that has been taken forward against the PSB's four Well-being Objectives.

Amplifying Prevention Delivery Board

The aim of this work is to build on the co-ordinated partnership approaches developed as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and apply the same principles to embedding prevention and reducing inequity; there will be initial focussed attention on increasing uptake of childhood immunisation and bowel screening, along with defined actions from the Move More Eat Well plan. This will contribute to work to tackle health inequities and there will be a particular focus on working with our most deprived communities/ socio-economic groups, and particular age groups, to ensure we reach those communities where take up is currently low or where the need is greatest.

 The Board works across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

 This work will contribute to the Well-being Objectives of a more active and healthier Vale and a more equitable and connected Vale.

This work is being led by the Cardiff and Vale Amplifying Prevention Board

Move More Eat Well Plan

The Move More, Eat Well Plan was developed in partnership by the Vale of Glamorgan Public Services Board, Cardiff Public Services Board and the Cardiff and the Vale Regional Partnership Board (RPB) and aligns to the Welsh Government’s Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales Strategy. This strategy sets out four key themes: Healthy Environments, Healthy Settings, Healthy People, Leadership and Enabling Change through which to achieve long-term healthy change across Wales. The Move More, Eat Well Plan supports the delivery of this Strategy by encouraging, supporting and enabling people to be more active and have a healthier diet in Cardiff and the Vale.

Overtime through collective action and focused activity the Plan aims to see people in Cardiff and the Vale move more and eat well. Within the Plan there are 10 priority areas: Educational settings, Healthy workplaces, Healthy environments, Healthy weight services, Informed workforce and population, Healthy advertising and marketing, Healthy travel, Healthy communities, Refill region, and Healthy and sustainable food procurement.

 Action under this Plan will help address issues related to climate change and protecting our environment through actions linked to refill nation, healthy and sustainable food procurement and healthy travel. Actions will also help address differences in health and healthy advertising and marketing across our communities focusing on improvements in disadvantaged communities.

 The Plan will help us to achieve all three of our Well-being Objectives particularly a more active and healthier Vale and a more resilient and greener Vale. This work is contributing to work to tackle food poverty and health inequities and increasing the percentage of people with a healthy weight.

 This work is being led by the Cardiff and Vale Public Health Team and more information about Move More, Eat Well is available on the Move More Eat Well website

Tackling Climate Change in the Vale of Glamorgan

The local environment is a huge asset to the Vale with 60 kilometers of coastal path, beautiful countryside and country parks and a significant agricultural economy. The Vale is a wonderful place to live and to visit but this puts pressure on the environment as we balance our economic, social and cultural well being ensuring we respect the environment.

In 2019 PSB partners launched the Vale PSB Climate Charter. 

The Charter builds on the steps already taken to protect and enhance the Vale’s environment since the Climate Emergency declaration in 2019. It sets out a series of key actions for PSB partners, both within their own organisations and to act in partnership, with the aim of managing and limiting the effects of climate change:

• Reducing emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change whilst adapting to its impacts.
• Be kinder to the environment.
• Be healthier.
• Become a Carbon Neutral Public Sector by 2030.

The Charter has been informed by engagement work undertaken with young people from across the Vale and has sought to reflect this feedback.The Climate Change Charter Steering Group will be at the helm of the project, ensuring the actions set out are delivered upon, with regular progress reports to the PSB. Examples of the planned work include:

• Plans by the Vale of Glamorgan Council to open the first net-zero in-use carbon schools in Wales.
• Work by Natural Resources Wales to reduce emissions in its supply chains by improving procurement practices.- Tree planting in schools and on other land owned by PSB partners.
• Improvements to buildings by PSB partners to increase energy efficiency.

Food Vale

Food Vale is a partnership of dedicated individuals, community groups, organisations and businesses working together to build a thriving, healthy and sustainable food system in the Vale. 

The partnership has identified three key priority areas for a good food movement in the Vale of Glamorgan, these are: A good meal for everyone, everyday; Thriving local food businesses which are supported and valued; and Think global, eat local.

 Actions outlined in the Food Vale Action Plan to progress the partnership’s three key priority areas support work to tackle climate change, protect our local environment and ensure everyone has access to good food helping address issues connected to local growing, food production, procurement, food insecurity and food access. This work will support all three of our Well-being Objectives.

The partnership have welcomed funding from Welsh Government which will be used to develop the partnership and undertake research into some of the gaps with regard to projects tackling food poverty, where more resilience is needed and particular issues in the rural Vale. The partnership will also be looking to apply for the Sustainable Food Places Silver Award in 2024-25, becoming only the second place in Wales to receive this award.

 As part of the work to enhance cultural activities funding has also been obtained for a pilot food trail in 2023.

 More information on the partnership can be found here.

Llantwit Major Food Project Pilot

The aim of the project is to improve food access and tackle interconnected issues in the ruralVale area of Llantwit Major. Partners are collectively working to help people in Llantwit Major have a good meal everyday by improving food access and other often connected issues. Partners are working to implement the coproduced project actions based upon research, local expert knowledge and public engagement. A successful application to the People and Places Lottery Fund has resulted in funding of £98,702 being awarded to take forward actions to support establishing a central hub providing advice and signposting to wider support often connected to food access e.g. benefits, entitlements, mental health and housing, to pilot a mobile food pantry service, and to establish a communications campaign to raise awareness of support available and foster community spirit.

 Actions under this project will help us tackle a number of issues identified in the Well-being Assessment including inequities, access to services and issues arising/ exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. This work will support the delivery of all 3 Objectives, with actions particularly impacting a more equitable and connected Vale and a more active and healthier Vale. This project is also contributing to work to tackle food poverty recognising the close links to environmental well-being and health.

 More information about the project can be found on the Food Vale website.

 This work is being led by the Cardiff and Vale Public Health Team through the Food Vale partnership.

Healthy Travel Charter

The Vale of Glamorgan Healthy Travel Charter was launched in October 2019. It brings PSB, public and third sector partners together to develop a healthy and sustainable travel approach across the Vale of Glamorgan. Through the Charter, organisations agreed to working towards 14 key commitments over three years. The commitments include work on themes such as cycling, communications and leadership and public transport. This work has been taken forward by the Vale Healthy Travel Charter Group. Following the good progress made by partners towards the completion of the Level 1 Charter, a more challenging Level 2 Charter has been developed. The Level 2 Charter reflects the continued need for co-ordinated action to support healthy and sustainable travel and contains more stretching commitments to be delivered over a two-year period.

 The shift in travel mode in recent decades has contributed to a significant decrease in physical activity, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of ill health, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Road transport is a major contributor to harmful air pollution and is responsible for around 1,000 accidents causing serious injury or death each year in Wales. As our environments have been shaped around the car, interactions within and between communities have dropped. Many of the adverse impacts of road transport are felt more in more deprived communities, contributing to worsening health inequities. Similarly, the rise in personal car ownership is tied with increases in CO2 pollutants. In working to both shift modes and reduce overall transport we can work to directly address many of these issues. This work will contribute to our Objectives to be more active and healthier and to be more resilient and greener.

More information about the project can be found on the Health Travel Wales website.

Volunteering/ Value in the Vale

The project was established to encourage and support volunteering in the Vale alongside the expansion of the previous Timebanking volunteering scheme which has been run by the Council's Housing Department since 2018. The Timebanking scheme had only been available to Vale Council tenants and recognising the benefits of the scheme the PSB had been keen to see its expansion. Unfortunately, work had been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but momentum has now picked up with a desire to build on the increased volunteering seen in response to the pandemic.

The aims of the project are to:

• Encourage people to volunteer, particularly those who have not volunteered before and/or are from a disadvantaged community.
• Promote and grow the new local Timebanking scheme ‘Value in the Vale’, previously called Time Grow Gain, across the Vale.

 This work helps to address issues related to inequalities in our communities through the focus on those from disadvantaged communities and the known benefits from volunteering including increased confidence, learning new skills, improved well-being and widening job prospects. Funding form the Public Health Wales Early Years and prevention Fund has supported the development of this project.

These actions will help deliver all 3 Objectives through opportunities for green volunteering, the positive physical and mental health outcomes that can come as a result of volunteering, and by helping people feel more connected with other volunteers and the communities they are volunteering in. This work will help to support the third sector and promote volunteering opportunities recognising the multiple benefits for individuals and our communities.

More information can be found here.

The development of Value in the Vale is being led by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Glamorgan Voluntary Services also continue to expand their services and more information about volunteering in the Vale can be found on the GVS website.

Safer Vale

The Safer Vale Partnership work together to make the Vale of Glamorgan a safer environment in which people can live, work and visit, free from crime and disorder and the fear of crime. The Partnership receives funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Welsh Government to devise locally appropriate community safety responses.

The Safer Vale partnership is between:

• Vale of Glamorgan Council
• South Wales Police
• National Probation Service
• Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board
• South Wales Fire & Rescue Service
• Representation from the Third Sector

The 2020-2023 Community Safety Strategy focuses on anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, community cohesion and community engagement. However, the strategy is a living document so will respond actively to any other community issues that require attention from the partnership. Work has commenced on the development of a new Strategy which will align with the PSB Well-being Objectives and priorities, in particular a more equitable and connected Vale.

More information about the Safer Vale partnership is available here.

Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board

The Regional Partnership Board (RPB) is made up of Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, Cardiff Council, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, third & independent sectors and carer representatives.

The aim of the RPB is to improve the health and well-being of the population and improve how health and care services are delivered by making sure people get the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

 The RPB was established by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 to ensure local health boards, local authorities and the third sector work together to deliver services, care and support that meets the needs of people who live in Cardiff and Vale. The RPB undertakes regular Population Needs Assessments (PNA) to make sure people get the right support, at the right time, in the right place. The RPB uses the PNA to inform its work and how it can best integrate services for:

• Older people with complex needs and long term conditions including dementia
• People with learning disabilities
• Unpaid carers, including young carers
• Family Support Services
• Children with complex needs due to disability or illness

The work of the RPB and its priorities of Starting well, Living Well and Ageing Well complement the work of the PSB and will contribute to the delivery of all 3 Well-being Objectives.

 More information about the RPB is available here.