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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Offices Angel Street Bridgend CF31 4WB. View directions

Contact: Andrew Rees  Senior Democratic Services Officer - Committees

Items
No. Item

36.

Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest from Members/Officers in

accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008. 

Minutes:

The following Declaration of Interest was made:

 

Councillor JC Spanswick - declared a prejudicial Interest in agenda item 8 – Appointment of Registered Representatives to the Overview and Scrutiny Subject Committees as a named representative in the report is a family member.  Councillor Spanswick withdrew from the meeting during consideration of this item.  

37.

Approval of Minutes pdf icon PDF 158 KB

To receive for approval the minutes of a meeting of Council of 28 June 2017.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:           That the minutes of the meeting of Council of 28 June 2017 were approved as a true and accurate record.   

38.

To receive announcements from:

 (i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Minutes:

 

The Mayor

 

The Mayor announced that many of the outdoor engagements she had attended with her Consort such as the Bridgend Show which took on the Pencoed campus had coincided with the recent good weather, where they had met some of the he exhibitors and attendees. 

 

The Mayor was delighted to have attended a wonderful performance of “Les Miserables” by the pupils of Bryntirion Comprehensive School where she had the opportunity of meeting the cast and crew afterwards.  She stated that the production was mesmerizing and every person involved should be proud of such a professional performance.  Similarly, Pencoed Comprehensive’s production of “Chicago” was impressive in its high quality and she extended her congratulations to the staff and pupils for all their dedication and hard work.

 

The Mayor also announced that she had been kindly invited by Councillor Janice Lewis to the Heol y Mymydd Community Garden Society Open Day.  Councillor Lewis and the Society gave the Mayor and Consort a very warm welcome.  There was an amazing community spirit which was clear for all to see, and a lovely mix of ages learning and sharing experiences, with the  allotments being so tidy and full of healthy growth. 

 

The Mayor announced with pleasure that Bridgend has produced another champion, with Aled Davies MBE putting Bridgend on the map again with his gold medal in the Paralympics and setting the world record as the first man in his particular classification of shot put to pass the 17m mark.  She stated that the County Borough is proud of this young man and a formal letter of congratulations was being sent on behalf of the County Borough, from the Mayoral office.

 

The Mayor was pleased to announce her chosen charities for this year will be Bridgend Youth Theatre; Breast Cancer Care – Princess of Wales Hospital and the Alzheimer’s Society Bridgend.  She stated that over the coming months there will be plenty of opportunity to support her fundraising and the events will be put into Members’ calendars.

 

The Mayor thanked Councillor Malcolm James and the Ramblers who stood in at the final moment when entertainers booked for the Charity Strawberry Tea were unable to attend.  All who attended enjoyed every minute of the performance and she thanked Councillor James for coming to the rescue and for providing the event with such fun.

 

Cabinet Member Communities

 

The Cabinet Member Communities was delighted to see six local sites included among this year’s Green Flag awards from Keep Wales Tidy.  The Green Flag scheme recognises the best public parks and open spaces, and this year’s winners featured Maesteg Welfare Park, Bryngarw Country Park and Wilderness Lakes in Porthcawl.  Caerau Market Garden and the Wilderness Allotment Association also picked up Green Flag community awards, while Coychurch Crematorium won its Green Flag for the eighth year in a row.  Thanks are due to the staff, volunteer groups and individuals who work tirelessly to maintain these sites to such high standards.  Their Green Flag success is a fitting tribute  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

39.

To receive the report of the Leader

Minutes:

The Leader announced that the proposal for Bridgend by the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Finance offers an opportunity to forge a stronger partnership with RCT, Merthyr and a new and close relationship with Cwm Taf Health Board.  The change if it happens, would not take place overnight and the Council will of course continue to work closely with Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and ABMU. The Cwm Taf partnership is very excited by the proposal of the Council working together across the region in the future on health, social services and wellbeing.  

 

A Member of Council requested an assurance that proposals for a new partnership with the Cwm Taf Health Board would not see the downgrading of services being delivered by the Princess of Wales Hospital.  The Leader stated that the Cabinet Secretary was very clear that the proposal was not about the downgrading of services being delivered by the Princess of Wales Hospital and Consultants at the hospital were very pleased with the new proposals.  The Leader gave an assurance that he would keep Group Leaders of the proposals as they develop in detail.          

 

He also informed Members that in the last week, the Welsh Government Ministerial Taskforce for the South Wales Valleys published a high-level action plan called ‘Our Valleys, Our Future’.  This aimed to focus efforts and resources across all levels of government in order to deliver real and lasting positive change, and close the employment gap between the valleys and the rest of Wales by creating new, secure jobs.

 

He stated that as the County Borough was not included among the list of strategic hubs, he had requested and held an urgent meeting with the Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language Minister, Alun Davies AM, and Huw Irranca-Davies AM.  He was pleased to be able to inform Members that as a result, the Minister had given assurances that when the detailed action plan is published, it will feature specific proposals to meet the needs of communities in the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys.  As such, the Leader had asked officers to prioritise work with Welsh Government officials throughout the summer to develop proposals that will support our valleys.  He hoped to be able to bring more news on this soon.

 

The Leader announced that he was very disappointed to receive a letter from the Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Wales confirming that the UK Government had scrapped plans to electrify the Great Western Railway line between Cardiff and Swansea.  Instead, new ‘bi-mode’ trains that swap between diesel and electric and extra seats on rush hour services would be operated on the line.  He stated that the line would not have the same kind of modern railway technology that nearly all European counterparts and competitors already have in place and there was concern that this decision will deter national and international businesses from investing in Wales any further down the line than Cardiff.

 

A Member of Council shared his disappointment at the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

40.

Social Services Annual Report 2016/17 pdf icon PDF 81 KB

To be accompanied by a presentation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing presented her Annual report for 2016/17 for approval and requested that Council note the judgements reached locally about social care services in Bridgend.  She stated that this was the eighth Annual Report of the Director of Social Services and was based on the Authority’s self-assessment of the performance and delivery of social services.

 

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing informed Council that from October 2016, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) changed the way they inspect children’s and adult social services.   

The new framework will ensure that authorities are inspected using the wellbeing outcomes of the Act.  This placed an emphasis on hearing the views and voices of people and their carers who need care and support.  She stated that Authorities were advised that the new framework could be tested in this transitional year and Bridgend, like most other authorities, had adopted this approach for the 2016/17 report.   

 

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing presented a summary of performance in Adult Social Care, whereby 4923 adults had been supported in the community; the number of people who received a Telecare package had increased from 2643 in the previous year to 2921 in the current year.  Demand for services in Adult Social Care had continued to increase in 2016/17 with 7623 referrals received, being an increase of 136 in the previous year.  The number of people supported in residential / nursing care had reduced from 1493 to 986.  The number of people who received a reablement service had increased from 388 in the previous year to 394.  The service had supported 420 people at home through the Better at Home service which enabled people to be discharged from hospital and not kept in hospital for a package of care.              

 

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing presented a summary of performance in Children’s Social Care, whereby 6134 new contacts had been received during the year, while the number of children and families the service was involved with had led to an increase in demand of 42%.  The number of children that required a child protection intervention had decreased to 689, which were 75 less than in the previous year and the number of children on the child protection register at the end of the year was 175.  The number of looked after children as at the end of March 2017 was 390.    

 

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing highlighted the key parts of the annual report template and the 6 quality standards which must be answered.  In addition, the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and National Welsh Community Care Information System (WCCIS) were implemented.  The Population Assessment across the region which will inform future service planning and commissioning was completed.  Key drivers for the year were the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014; Western Bay; Medium Term Financial Strategy and WCCIS.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing highlighted the key actions for the Directorate in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

41.

Outcomes of the Timings of Meetings Survey pdf icon PDF 75 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Operational and Partnership Services reported on the outcomes of the timings of meetings survey of Council and its Committee meetings and sought approval to use the data from the survey to set the timing of meetings from 1 September 2017.

 

He informed Council that the responses to the survey had been considered, including a significant number of comments which identified specific timings and which had been taken into account as part of the timing of meetings proposals.  The responses had been considered in respect of the revised calendar of meetings and proposals had been identified.

 

He also reported that prior to the survey; a request had been made to change the days on which Licensing Sub-Committees are held which had been discussed with officers.

 

A Member of Council was disappointed at the findings of the survey as the timings of meetings could inhibit members of the public from standing as Councillors in the future.  The Member also stated that consideration should be given to developing proposals to increase the use of webcasting of meetings, particularly Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings.  The Corporate Director Operational and Partnership Services informed Council that programme for the webcasting of meetings would need to be developed within the existing number of contracted hours with the webcast supplier. 

 

RESOLVED:           That Council:

 

(1)          Noted the outcome of the timings of meetings survey as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report;

 

Approved the proposed Programme of Meetings as shown in Appendix 2 of the report, which had been compiled from the survey and developed using the rationale outlined in paragraph 4 of the report.   

42.

Appointment of Registered Representatives to the Overview and Scrutiny Subject Committees pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Operational and Partnership Services sought approval of the appointment of Registered Representatives for Education items considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for a maximum term of four years.   

 

RESOLVED:            That the report be noted and Council approved the following individuals as Registered Representative for Education items considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for a maximum term of four years:

 

(1)  Mr William Bond as Special School Parent Governor Representative;

Mr Ciaron Jackson as Primary School Parent Governor Representative.    

43.

To receive the following Question to the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration pdf icon PDF 59 KB

Question from Councillor Alex Williams to the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration

 

‘Will the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration outline Bridgend County Borough Council’s view on the Welsh Government’s proposals to change the School Organisation Code’

Minutes:

Question from Councillor Alex Williams to the Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

 

“Will the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration outline Bridgend County Borough Council’s view on the Welsh Government’s proposals to change the School Organisation Code”?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

 

The School Organisation Code, which came into force in October 2013, underpins the provision introduced by the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013. The Code, which is the statutory process with regards to school organisation changes, has been applied to all proposals since that time.

 

Certain sections of the original Code were not considered sufficiently explicit which resulted in clarifications being sought from Welsh Government in relation to a number of elements prescribed within the document.

 

Council officers across Wales have had an opportunity to contribute to the amended Code and Welsh Government have taken their views on board and incorporated changes to reflect those clarifications within the draft revised document.

 

There are some proposed changes contained within the Code, one of which is in respect of surplus school places. Proposers are asked to manage excessive surplus places; however this does not automatically mean closing schools.

 

The Code encourages proposers to look at other options available to them and their schools, for example clustering, collaboration or federation with other schools and making use of the existing building as a community resource. They are also encouraged to rationalise school space by co-locating services within the school to offset costs.

 

Also, there is a change proposed in respect of a presumption against rural schools. The aim is to ensure that decisions are taken to close rural schools only after all alternatives to closure have been conscientiously considered. This will require proposers to follow a more detailed set of procedures and requirements in formulating a rural school closure proposal and in consulting on and reaching a decision as to whether to implement a rural school closure proposal.

 

Welsh Government has produced a list of rural schools which has been included within the draft revision of the Code. While there are no schools within Bridgend currently identified within Welsh Government’s list of rural schools, we will have to consider whether there are any schools within the borough which should be given this status and ensure this is conveyed within the Council’s response.

 

The revised document appears to give clarity and is more explicit and this is welcomed. Officers are in the process of formulating a response to Welsh Government’s consultation which closes on 30 September 2017.

 

Councillor A Williams asked a supplementary question in that what criteria would be used for schools with capacity issues and would Heol Y Cyw Primary School be saved from closure.

 

The Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration commented that there were no schools within the County Borough listed as rural as defined by the Welsh Government.  The Corporate Director Education and Family Support informed Council that the School Organisation Code was live until 30 September 2017 and there would be parental engagement on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

44.

To receive the following Question to the Cabinet Member for Communities pdf icon PDF 54 KB

Question from Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member for Communities

 

“In the BCBC Public Toilet Review Consultation report dated March 2015, its conclusion states that ”Aberkenfig, Pricetown and Blackmill all received lower level of support however, further research into the closest public facilities in these areas would be desirable” It is now 2 years since this review, could the Cabinet Member for Communities advise what action he has taken to-date and if nothing has been done so far, can he tell us what he is going to do?”

 

Minutes:

Question from Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member Communities

 

In the BCBC Public Toilet Review Consultation report dated March 2015, its conclusion states that “Aberkenfig, Pricetown and Blackmill all received lower level of support, however, further research into the closest public facilities in these areas would be desirable”.  It is now 2 years since this review, could the Cabinet Member for Communities advise what action he has taken to-date and if nothing has been done so far, can he tell us what he is going to do?”

 

Response from the Cabinet Member Communities

 

The public toilets in Aberkenfig, Pricetown and Blackmill were permanently closed as part of proposals included in the Medium Term Financial Strategy agreed by Council.  The relevant Town and Community Councils were written to at that time asking if they were interested in taking over the responsibility for operating, cleaning and maintaining the toilets.  None at that time felt that they were in a position to do so.

 

There are currently no plans in place to re-open these facilities.  However, the Council is still open to entering into discussions with Town and Community Councils on the possibility of transferring the facilities as part of the Council’s Community Asset Transfer Programme [CAT].  The Council also runs an approved ‘Comfort Scheme’ that allows local businesses to make their toilets available to the public and in return they receive an annual payment from the Council.  At this time no appropriate local businesses in the locations referred to in the question have applied to be part of the Comfort Scheme.

 

Councillor Hussain asked a supplementary question as to whether there had been savings derived following the closure of toilets and would there be facilities available in the Pricetown area temporarily during the Victoria Cross commemoration this weekend. 

 

The Cabinet Member Communities stated that it had been necessary to close the facilities due to budgetary pressures at the time, which had now worsened.  He stated that the running of public toilets could be considered as part of a Community Asset Transfer, although there had been no such approaches received from Town and Community Councils as yet. The Cabinet Member Communities stated there would be no facilities available in the Pricetown area temporarily during the Victoria Cross commemoration this weekend.  The Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration informed Council that Cornelly Community Council had kept public toilets open at the Kenfig Nature Reserve and that discussions were taking place with the indoor market partner for a solution at the Rhiw.

 

The Corporate Director Communities informed Council that the strategy for public toilets was reliant on Town and Community Councils being able to take over the running of the facilities and he them and businesses to do so.

 

A Member of Council expressed concern that some public toilets had been demolished without giving Town and Community Councils the option of a Community Asset Transfer.  The Corporate Director Communities informed Council that there were certain circumstances due to the condition of the building that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

45.

To receive the following Question to the Cabinet Member for Wellbeing & Future Generations pdf icon PDF 71 KB

Question from Councillor C Webster to the Cabinet Member for Wellbeing & Future Generations

 

“What communication have Cabinet Members had with BCBC officers, Halo and Awen with regard to the provision of disabled access to the facilities and services they provide?”

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED:           That consideration of the question and response be deferred to the next meeting of Council.

46.

To receive the following Question to the Cabinet Member for Social Services & Early Help pdf icon PDF 78 KB

Question from Councillor J Radcliffe to the Cabinet Member for Social Services & Early Help

 

“Can the Cabinet Member for Social Services provide an update on changes to the complaints procedure and how complaints are handled following publication of the Public Services Ombudsman’s report of December 2016 regarding the savings of looked after children?”

 

 

 

Minutes:

Question from Councillor J Radcliffe to the Cabinet Member Social Services & Early Help

 

“Can the Cabinet Member for Social Services provide an update on changes to the complaints procedure and how complaints are handled following publication of the Public Services Ombudsman’s report of December 2016 regarding the savings of looked after children?”

 

Response from the Cabinet Member Social Services & Early Help

 

Regulation 11, of the Social Services Complaints Procedure (Wales) Regulations 2014 states:

 

“A complaint to a local authority may be made about the exercise of its social services functions including—

 

(a)  the discharge by a local authority of any of its social services functions or a failure to discharge any of those functions;

(b)  the provision of services by another person or body in accordance with arrangements made by the local authority in the discharge of those functions;

(c)  the provision of services by the local authority in pursuance of arrangements made by that local authority under section 33 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 in relation to the functions of an NHS body (within the meaning of that section).

 

The Welsh Government: A Guide to handling complaints and representations by Local Authority Social Services( August 2014), states …”This guidance covers all complaints and representations to a local authority about the exercise of its social services functions”. 

 

In relation to social service functions, the guidance defines a complaint as:

  • An expression of dissatisfaction of concern;
  • Either written or spoken…..;
  • Made by one or more members of the public;
  • About a public service provider’s action or lack of action; or
  • About the standard of service provided.

 

Our usual process is:

  1. A complaint is received.  We assess whether the complaint falls under “a social services function” (as per guidance above) and we assess whether it is subject to any other ongoing investigation which may take precedence over the complaints process – ie POVA/CP/criminal etc.  We do this based on knowledge and understanding of the complaints process and in liaison with the person who has knowledge of the case - Team Manager/Group Manager.

 

  1. Dependent on the nature of the complaint, a decision is made on whether it should be investigated formally under Stage 1 or whether, due to its nature it would be appropriate to address as  a service issue and resolve informally (outside of the statutory complaints procedure).

 

  1. Either way, an investigation is always undertaken by a lead officer – this is normally the team manager – for both formal Stage 1 and service issues.

 

  1. For Stage 1 investigations, written responses are provided within statutory timescales (total for meetings, investigation and written response is 15 working days).  For service issues, written responses aren’t always provided as they can often be easily resolved via telephone communication.

 

In the case described below, as there was no formal policy in place governing the amount of “pocket money” that should be put away by foster carers for a child in their care, there was no requirement for this service to be provided.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

47.

To receive the following Question to the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Question from Councillor T Thomas to the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration

 

“What is the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration doing to narrow the literacy, numeracy and general attainment levels for children in receipt of Free School Meals?”

 

Minutes:

Question from Councillor T Thomas to the Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

 

“What is the Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration doing to narrow the literacy, numeracy and general attainment levels for children in receipt of free school meals”?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

 

The Programme for Government identifies the importance of closing the attainment gap for poorer pupils and makes a clear commitment to ensure that every child gets the best start in life through an extended Pupil Development Grant (formerly known as the Pupil Deprivation Grant).

 

The Cabinet Secretary for Education has pledged that the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) will continue for the remainder of this Assembly term. This long-term commitment will enable schools to make sustainable decisions on investment that help identify and address barriers to learning.

 

The PDG for the financial year 2017–2018 is as follows:

 

·                for each child aged 5 to 15 years old who is eligible for free school meals (eFSM), as reported in the January 2016 Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) return, the school will receive £1150;

·                each child who is looked after (LAC) as reported in the April 2016 Children in Need Census, the regional consortium will receive £1150 (this will subsequently be allocated via the relevant local authority on a needs basis); and

·                for each child aged 3 to 4 years old in the Foundation Phase maintained and non-maintained settings, an allocation of £600 will be made.

The strategy to tackle deprivation across Central South Consortium (CSC) region encourages all schools to support their disadvantaged pupils in their individual contexts. Best practice sharing in the spirit of a self-improving school system is intrinsic to this.

 

Regional consortia identify this as one of their main priorities. The CSC Business Plan for 2017–2018 identifies improving the outcomes of the most vulnerable and underperforming groups in the region, working in partnership with local authorities and community partners.

 

Schools should:

 

·                understand the nature of deprivation in their context and accurately track the performance of eFSM pupils;

·                have a clear rationale for how they deploy their PDG effectively;

·                outline how they will use this accurately in their school’s development plans; and

·                publish how they will spend their PDG to other stakeholders (ie through the school’s website).

CSC will:

 

·                ensure schools plan effectively, and that they allocate the PDG in a clear manner to raise the attainment of eFSM pupils;

·                ensure schools monitor and evaluate the impact of their strategies;

·                challenge schools to set stretching targets; and

·                broker support from the strategic team and hub schools or other schools where schools are having little or no impact on the performance of eFSM pupils.

All challenge advisers have undertaken work this year to ensure all Bridgend schools have planned, monitored and evaluated strategically to ensure schools are improving the attainment of their eFSM pupils.

 

Councillor T Thomas asked whether arrangements had been in place to prevent child hunger during the school summer holidays.  The Leader confirmed that such arrangements had been put in place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

48.

Urgent Items

To consider any item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in

accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency. 

Minutes:

There were no urgent items. 

 

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