To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest (if any) from Members/Officers in accordance with the provisions of the Members’ Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008.

None

To receive for approval the Minutes of 11/04/2023

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting dated 11/04/2023 be approved as a true and accurate record.

The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change presented a report which sought Cabinet approval for the updated Corporate Risk Management Policy.

She explained that the updated policy at Appendix A of the report identified the risk appetite, or degree of risk that the Council was prepared to tolerate across the broad range of its activities.

She advised that there were no significant changes to the Risk Management Policy, but the policy had been updated to reflect the introduction of a risk management software program which would be implemented in quarter 2 of the 2023-24 financial year.

The Cabinet Member Resources welcomed the report and the transparency that it provides. He added that the policy enabled Members to understand the Council’s risk management process and the new software would provide some useful data to contribute to risk management.

The Deputy Leader asked how is the regional risk register incorporated into this policy. The Chief Officer explained that when the corporate risk assessment is updated, Officers ensure that that the key issues in their service area were reflected into the corporate risk assessment and this would include the issues that were raised on a regional level. She provided assurance that regional risks would be reflected in the Corporate Risk Assessment if they affect BCBC.

The Leader added that this was important given the increased importance of the role of regional partnership arrangements. He asked with regards to the timeline if we  were on track. The Chief Officer Finance, Performance and Change confirmed that we were on track and that the Corporate Risk Assessment was due to be received at the Governance & Audit Committee in June. The Committee will look at up to two risks in depth and the relevant Chief Office will outline the risk and the mitigating action to tackle that risk.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet approved the updated Corporate Risk Management Policy.

The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change presented a report which sought Cabinet approval of the updated Grants Financial Management Policy at Appendix A and to confirm the grant acceptance approval finance authorised signatories for the Council. She explained that the Council’s current Grants Financial Management Policy that was in place was approved by Cabinet in 2019.

The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change highlighted the key applications of the Grants Financial Management Policy, which were set up in Appendix 1 of the report. She summarised the Audit report findings and lessons from Wales Audit Office’s annual statement of performance, which were set out in section 11 of Appendix 1.

The Cabinet Member Resources welcomed the report and stated that it provided transparency to the Policy. The audit report identified low risks but these had been reflected in the updated policy. The Leader echoed these comments and added that he was pleased to see that our newest corporate priorities were reflected in this.

The Deputy Leader asked for reassurance that our processes were proportionate to the levels of funding that were being applied for, giving the example of a small amount of money requiring a contract to be signed. The Chief Officer Finance, Performance and Change gave assurance of this.

The Leader highlighted the importance of this and provided an example of grant money provided by BCBC to an organisation which had appropriate processes and procedures in place to ensure transparency, accountability  while also being as seamless as possible.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet approve the Grants Financial Management Policy at Appendix A and the list of finance officers as per paragraph 4.3.

The Chief Officer Finance, Performance and Change presented a report which updated Cabinet on the findings of the review of Community Safety Partnership arrangements in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region (Appendix A) and their implications for Bridgend County Borough Council as we seek to become one Cwm Taf Morgannwg Community Safety Partnership and to approve in principle the merger of the Cwm Taf Community Safety Partnership Board and the Bridgend Community Safety Partnership Board.

The Chief Officer Finance, Performance and Change provided background to the report as set out in section 3. She added that within the review, 9 specific recommendations were identified and these were set out in 4.1 of the report.

The Cabinet Member Regeneration welcomed the report but had concerns that we were branching out too wide. The current arrangements focus on just Bridgend and work well and worried that we may lose the personal/local touch with the residents. She also stated that we were awarded a £750,000 grant to be used towards CCTV cameras and help for training for women. Are we going to dilute that as well by branching out to the wider region.

The Chief Officer Finance, Performance and Change reassured Cabinet that we had a number of other regional partnership arrangements like the PSB and Regional Safeguarding Board and these have common strategies that focus on local issues and needs and this would continue with this CSP arrangements too. Following further discussions, Cabinet Members asked that a further report be presented to Cabinet in due course, which would include scrutiny arrangements and plans of dealing with extremism and counter terrorism

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. noted the review into Community Safety Partnership arrangements and approved in principle the merger of the Cwm Taf Community Safety Partnership Board and the Bridgend Community Safety Partnership Board;

2. noted that a further report will be presented to Cabinet to consider support and structure arrangements.

3. Agreed to receive an update report looking at scrutiny arrangements as well as localised arrangements and plans of dealing with extremism and counter terrorism.

The Corporate Director Education and Family Support presented a report which:

• informed Cabinet of the outcome of the consultation on the proposed enlargement of Coety Primary School;

• presented the findings of the consultation in a detailed consultation report(Appendix A);

• sought a decision regarding the following in respect of Coety Primary School:

• sought approval to either publish the proposals with or without modifications and issue a public notice as prescribed in the School Organisation Code 2018;

• abandon the proposals; or

• significantly recast the proposals and re-consult on the following options:

The Corporate Director Education and Family Support explained that Coety Primary School, which was a two-form-entry school located on Parc Derwen, was constructed during Band A of the School Modernisation Programme and opened in November 2015. Since then, housing developments have been constructed at Parc Derwen which meant there was a requirement for extension to Coety Primary School.

On 15 June 2022, Council approval was received to include the scheme in the capital programme and to utilise Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) capital resources to fund the extension. Once the s106 contribution has been received (approximately £300k in total), this funding will displace some of the BCBC funding. Further background was at section 3 of the report.

He explained that prior to commencing consultation, the nursery provision was reviewed and details of this were set out at 4.1 of the report.  The proposed enlargement of the school is part of a wider strategy to increase pupil places to serve the Bridgend northeast area and a phased strategy has been adopted to expanding primary provision as set out in 4.2 of the report. Further details on the consultation that took place was at section 4 of the report. He added that particular consideration also needed to be given to whether the demand in the Bridgend North East was for English or Welsh Medium education which were outlined at 4.6 of the report.

The Corporate Director Education and Family Support stated that a summary of the issues raised by consultees and the local authority’s responses are provided in the consultation report as detailed in Appendix A of this report. Cabinet will need to consider the consultation report and determine the preferred way forward. Should Cabinet wish to proceed with the proposal, the next stage of the process is to publish a statutory notice outlining the proposal which would need to be published for a period of 28 days. Any formal written objections would be invited during this time.

The Cabinet Member Education welcomed the report and thanked everyone who took part in the consultation as well as the Welsh in Education Forum Representatives who worked with BCBC in our commitments to Welsh Medium Education across the borough. We have also considered the Welsh impact assessment carefully to ensure that we offer children excellent provision in both Welsh and English Medium  ...  view the full minutes text for item 180.

The Chief Officer Legal and Regulatory Services, HR and Corporate Policy presented a report which sought approval of the programme of meeting

dates for Cabinet, Cabinet Committee Equalities and Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting for the municipal year 2023 – 2024.

She noted that the Cabinet Budget Meeting, which was scheduled for 20^th February 2024 could be subject to change, as it was dependent on the timeline of the Local Government Settlement from Welsh Government.

The Cabinet Member Regeneration welcomed the report and was pleased to see the school holidays avoided where possible. She stated that there were many Officers and Members with children and it was on occasions difficult to ensure attendance at meetings

RESOLVED: That Cabinet approved the programme of meeting dates for Cabinet, Cabinet Committee Equalities and Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting, as outlined in paragraph 4.1 of this report.

To consider any items of business that by reason of special circumstances the chairperson is of the opinion should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency in accordance with paragraph 2.4 (e) of the Cabinet Procedure Rules within the Constitution.

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