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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

Items
No. Item

236.

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:

Councillor CE Smith declared a personal and prejudicial interest in agenda item 12 – Question to the Leader from Councillor T Giffard and withdrew from the meeting during consideration of this item.

 

Councillor CA Webster declared a personal interest in agenda item 7 – Porthcawl Regeneration Scheme Update as she had previously worked with the landowner briefly with the landowner.

 

Councillor N Clarke declared a personal interest in agenda item 4(i) Announcement by the Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations as she is a life member of the Rest Bay Lifeguard Club.   

237.

Approval of Minutes pdf icon PDF 162 KB

To receive for approval the minutes of 24/10/18

Minutes:

RESOLVED:   That the Minutes of the meeting of Council of 24 October 2018 be approved as a true and accurate record.

238.

To receive announcements from:

 (i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Minutes:

Mayor

 

The Mayor congratulated Bridgend Fire Station on their success on winning for the third time in a row the World championship for extraction from a motor vehicle.  He informed Council that nominations are being sought for his Annual Citizenship Awards with the deadline for nominations being 25 January 2019, with the winners being honoured at an event in March 2019.  

 

The Mayor informed Council of the engagements which he and his Consort had attended in the past month which included laying a wreath in Bridgend Town Centre to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.  The Mayor and Consort had visited companies who received awards in the Bridgend business awards and attended the BAVO volunteer awards, the Rotary children’s football tournament, the Brynteg school production of High School Musical, Nottage Primary school’s harvest festival and the Hot Rod car show in Bridgend.  He and his Consort spent time selling poppies with Councillor DBF White at the relaunch of the Cefn Glas Wellbeing Centre.  They had also visited Afon y Felin school to assist in the unveiling of a sculpture in the school grounds and had represented the authority to mark the official opening of the Coroner’s Court in Pontypridd and had attended the Vale of Glamorgan Civic Service.

 

Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy Leader informed Council of the ‘Shaping Bridgend’s Future’ budget consultation which had closed earlier this week, which had seen 2,677 completed surveys returned, 679 people took part in clicker pad sessions and 2,148 people had interacted at events.  While there had been direct engagement with groups such as the Bridgend Coalition of Disabled People and BAVO.  A full publicity programme had been undertaken, along with a series of public engagement stands and debates had taken place on the Council’s social media platforms.  A series of very productive budget workshops were held at secondary and primary schools, encouraging younger people to become more engaged in the democratic process.  He thanked officers for their hard work in delivering the consultation and the public for engaging in the consultation.

 

Cabinet Member Communities

 

The Cabinet Member Communities announced that new CCTV cameras had been installed to help make the beaches at Rest Bay and Newton safer.  The cameras will be monitored remotely by volunteers from the National Coastwatch Institution, who will work closely with the RNLI lifeguards.  Both organisations will report any safety incidents directly to the coastguard and emergency services.  The cameras have been installed by the Council as part of collaborative efforts to make the coastline as safe as possible.

 

He also announced that a £400,000 programme is underway to improve pavements and footways at key locations in the County Borough, with 16 streets being targeted for repairs and improved drainage.  The streets to be targeted are Heol Onnen and Fairfield, North Cornelly, Dol Afon and Maes Y Wern, Pencoed, Princess Street, Maesteg, Blosse Street, Nantyffyllon, East Avenue and West Avenue, Cefn Cribwr, West Drive, Porthcawl, Burns Crescent, Bryntirion, Brynffrwyd Close, Coychurch, Heol Dewi Sant, Bettws,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 238.

239.

To receive the report of the Leader

Minutes:

The Leader reported that an Appointments Committee would be taking place on 6 December 2018 to consider the appointment process for the position of Chief Executive on an interim basis and to make a permanent appointment to the position of Section 151 Officer. 

 

The Leader informed Council that Council Leaders had met the First Minster and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to discuss the funding of local authorities.  Following that meeting, the Welsh Government had announced additional funding of £13m to local authorities, which would see this authority receiving an additional £595k, which now represented a reduction in Revenue Support Grant of 0.3% compared to the previous year.  He stated that £340k would be allocated to fund the increase in teachers’ pensions and £170k for social care.  He informed Council that savings of £8m would be required to be made in 2019/20. 

 

He also informed members that the Welsh Government had announced an increase in capital funding of £2.2m for local authorities, of which this authority would receive an additional £880k.  The Welsh Government had made changes to the funding of the Band B programme, in that it will cover 65% of the capital costs for a new school with the Council covering the remaining 35%.  The Welsh Government will also increase its share of capital funding for facilities for pupils with additional learning needs and those in pupil referral units to 75%, with the Council covering the remaining 25% of the costs.

 

He informed members that in light of the funding changes, it would be necessary for the report on the School Modernisation Programme - Band B to be withdrawn.           

240.

2019-20 Council Tax Base pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Minutes:

The Interim Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer reported on details of the council tax base and estimated collection rate for 2019-20. 

 

She advised that the estimated council tax base for 2019-20 was 54,807.11 and the estimated collection rate is 98%.  The net council tax base was therefore 53,710.97.  She stated that the Council Tax Base is provided to Welsh Government and is used as part of the distribution of the Revenue Support Grant in the Local Government Settlement.  For the purpose of distributing RSG, collection rates are assumed to be 100%.  The amount of Council Tax due for a dwelling in Band D is calculated by dividing the annual budget requirement to be funded by taxpayers by the Council Tax Base.  She informed Council that the council tax element of the Council’s budget will be based on the net council tax base of 53,710.97. 

 

The Deputy Leader thanked officers on collecting a high proportion of council tax and he encouraged residents who had difficulties in paying their council tax to contact the authority. 

 

A member of Council questioned the percentage collection rate achieved.  The Deputy Leader stated that the collection rate is 97.3%.         

 

RESOLVED:                 That Council:

 

(1)  Approved the council tax base and collection rate for 2019-20, as shown in paragraph 4.1 of the report.

Approved the tax bases for the community areas set out in Appendix A to the report.

241.

Porthcawl Regeneration Scheme Update pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Communities presented an update on the Porthcawl Regeneration Scheme and sought approval to revise the capital programme to invest anticipated capital receipts arising from the sale of land, encompassing Salt Lake Car Park.  He also sought approval to secure match funding for coastal defence improvements which will unlock future development phases.

 

He informed Council that the acquisition of third party leasehold interests at Salt Lake Car Park in the sum of £3.3m had been approved by Cabinet on 19 December 2017, which gave the Council unencumbered freehold interest of the site to secure its redevelopment.  He stated that the original plan envisaged a large superstore to be located on the Hillsboro Car Park, since then fundamental changes in the food store market had led to demand being reduced to a smaller scale store.  Following an assessment of options, the current strategy was based on the store being located at the northern end of Salt Lake and the retention of Hillsboro as the primary town centre car park. 

 

He reported that one of the key requirements to unlock development of the whole of the Salt Lake site is coastal protection works to mitigate flood risk and without this work, the majority of the parcels identified for housing could not be developed and attracting leisure facilities at the southern end of the site may be problematic.  He informed Council that an outline business case for the coastal protection works had been approved by the Welsh Government and detailed designs were being progressed.  If successful, it would result in 75% funding via the Local Government Borrowing Initiative towards these works.  Authority was requested to contribute 25% match funding.  He stated that a decision by the Welsh Government on the funding was not expected until autumn / winter 2019. 

 

The Corporate Director Communities reported that market analysis, key infrastructure constraints and cash flow considerations dictate that development must be brought forward in phases.  He outlined the proposed phasing strategy:

 

·         Phase 1 – Foodstore Site

·         Phase 2 – Housing

·         Phase 3 – Hillsboro Place Car Park

·         Phase 4 – Eastern Promenade and wider coastal flood defence works

·         Phase 5 & 6 – Housing Sites

·         Phase 7 – Leisure Site

 

The Corporate Director Communities outlined the rationale for the ring-fencing of capital receipts together with a summary of receipts.  He also outlined a strategy for the proposed reinvestment of receipts where investment would be made in the Hillsboro Car Park, while improvements would be made to the Salt Lake Car Park to enable it to run as a public car park by the Council which will require new pay and display machines.  Accessibility improvements would be carried out to the Portway including crossing points and the potential for the introduction of on-street parking.  Physical works to the leisure site would be brought forward as part of the leisure strategy and physical improvements would be carried out at the gateway to the site, the promenade and pedestrian links to the town centre.  The estimated project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 241.

242.

Parc Afon Ewenni pdf icon PDF 77 KB

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Communities reported on a proposal to develop a modern Highways Depot at Waterton on a reduced footprint to allow the Parc Afon Ewenni regeneration site proposal to progress and future proof future depot requirements for the Council as part of the overall depot rationalisation process.  He also sought approval for a revision to the Capital Programme for a further capital sum of £4,944,000 to be included in the Capital Programme to fully refurbish and develop the depot, to be funded from the sale of land at Waterton as part of theParc Afon Ewenni and partly from general capital funding.  

 

The Corporate Director Communities informed Council that Cabinet approval was given in November 2016 as an interim measure of operating a reduced footprint Depot at Waterton for the next 4/5 years in order to find a balance between operating a viable depot and maximising the land allocated for disposal.  In progressing the strategy for a reduced footprint operational depot at Waterton, two options were identified and assessed.  Option 1 to retain both the Highways Building & Biffa Building; demolish County Borough Supplies (CBS), Fleet building & wheelie bin store.  Option 2 to retain Biffa Building, demolish CBS, Fleet, Highways & Wheelie bin store).  The Parc Afon Ewenni Board decided to progress option 2 and the works were completed during 2017.      

 

He reported that any future configuration of local government re-organisation will still require a Highways Depot in Bridgend to serve the County Borough.  It was estimated that the cost of a new Depot in a new location would be in the region of £9m - £12m, as a result of (probable) changing and more onerous NRW requirements.  In recognition of this, the option of operating a largely unchanged depot for 4/5 years as an interim measure in line with the Cabinet approval and then constructing a new depot at a revised location looked increasingly unaffordable.

 

He reported that an investigation was undertaken to identify the differences between the continued operation of the reduced footprint for 4-5 years, with a new depot constructed at a new location thereafter and the alternative option of the development of a permanent operational depot on a reduced footprint at Waterton.  He stated that total current capital budget for the scheme was £4.376m, some of this budget has already been committed to works at Bryncethin Depot, as a result of moving some of the parks and built environment operations to this location, leaving a balance of £3.2m.

 

The Corporate Director Communities reported that the scheme cost of what was now the preferred option was estimated to be in the region of £8.144m; however, there was now a deficit between the overall cost of the maintenance/compliance works and the total estimated net land receipt and the existing capital budget.  He stated that in order to progress this option, a further capital investment of £4.944m was required in addition to the estimated remaining capital of £3.2m, which would come from the estimated total land receipt of £3.5m plus  ...  view the full minutes text for item 242.

243.

School Modernisation Programme - Band B pdf icon PDF 152 KB

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Education and Family Support informed Council that in light of the announcement by the Education Secretary of the availability of additional funding for Band B of the School Modernisation Programme whereby the Welsh Government will cover 65% of the capital costs for a new school, with local authorities covering the remaining 35%. In the case of pupil referral units and for facilities for pupils with additional learning needs the intervention rate by the Welsh Government will be 75% with local authorities covering the remaining 25%.  He sought withdrawal of the report to allow officers an opportunity to analyse the impact the changes will have on the school modernisation programme.

 

RESOLVED:             That the report be withdrawn and a revised report be presented to the next meeting of Council. 

244.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2017-18 pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Legal and Regulatory Services presented the Annual Report of the Overview and Scrutiny function of the authority which oversees the decision making of the Cabinet and supports the work of the Cabinet and Council. 

 

The Head of Legal and Regulatory Services reported that the Scrutiny Annual Report 2017-2018 provides detail on the outcomes and achievements from Scrutiny Members and offices during the year, as well as identifying areas for improvement to ensure the scrutiny continues to develop and achieve positive outcomes for the residents of Bridgend.  She stated that it was from the self-assessment that scrutiny is delivering a good service but the expectations from partner Authorities, Estyn, the Wales Audit Office and the Welsh Government continue to increase.  Regional and partnership Scrutiny arrangements have not been fully developed but are underway by the establishment of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal. 

 

Members thanked the Scrutiny Officers for the way they bring the service together to enable the Scrutiny Committees to scrutinise a wide spectrum of topics.  Members also commended the Budget Research and Evaluation process for adding value to the budget process.  Members considered that while the scrutiny function is well regarded it needed to engage better with the public by holding meetings in the community and undertake the review of its policies and procedures.  Members of Council thanked the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees for the valuable role which they perform which is an important function of the authority. 

 

RESOLVED:                 That Council note the content of the report.  

       

245.

Notice of Motion Proposed by Councillor Alex Williams

That this Council:

 

Regrets the provisional local government funding settlement for 2019/2020 which will deliver a 0.6% cut to Bridgend County Borough Council.

 

Notes with concern the Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council's warning that educational outcomes for children will be affected by school budget cuts unless major changes are made to the local government funding settlement.

 

Welcomes the additional £550 million which the Welsh Government will receive from the UK Government Treasury between now and 2021 and calls on the Welsh Government to prioritise local government funding.

 

Calls on the Welsh Government to immediately review its funding formula for local government to adequately fund the additional pressures faced by councils as a result of pay awards, an increase in employers’ contributions to teachers' pensions and increases in the national living wage for externally commissioned services.

 

Endorses the WLGA's recommendations contained in its recent publication, "Fair and Sustainable Funding for Essential Local Services" and believes that the Welsh Government should look to empower local authorities to make financial decisions locally by providing financial flexibility through the Revenue Support Grant rather than the centralisation of funding in the form of a specific grants.

 

Calls on Bridgend County Borough Council to do all it can to protect core services in education and social services directorates in its 2019/20 budget.

 

 

 

Minutes:

In introducing the Notice of Motion, Councillor A Williams thanked the Leader and Deputy Leader for lobbying the Cabinet Secretary Finance on the provisional local government settlement.  He welcomed the news that the Cabinet Secretary Finance had recently announced additional funding for education and social care but it remained a challenging settlement in order to fund the increase in pay awards and pension contributions.      

 

“That this Council:

Regrets the provisional local government funding settlement for 2019/2020 which will deliver a 0.6% cut to Bridgend County Borough Council.

Notes with concern the Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council's warning that educational outcomes for children will be affected by school budget cuts unless major changes are made to the local government funding settlement.

Welcomes the additional £550 million which the Welsh Government will receive from the UK Government Treasury between now and 2021 and calls on the Welsh Government to prioritise local government funding.

Calls on the Welsh Government to immediately review its funding formula for local government to adequately fund the additional pressures faced by councils ?as a result of pay awards, an increase in employers’ contributions to teachers' pensions and increases in the national living wage for externally commissioned services.

Endorses the WLGA's recommendations contained in its recent publication, "Fair and Sustainable Funding for Essential Local Services" and believes that the Welsh Government should look to empower local authorities to make financial decisions locally by providing financial flexibility ?through the Revenue Support Grant rather than the centralisation of funding in the form of a specific grants.

 

Calls on Bridgend County Borough Council to do all it can to protect core services in education and social services directorates in its 2019/20 budget”. 

 

The Notice of Motion was seconded by Councillor N Clarke.

 

The Deputy Leader proposed an amendment to the Notice of Motion adding the following words to the Notice of Motion:  ???

 

“This Council calls upon the UK Government to fund in full the increase in Teachers’ pensions”.   

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor RME Stirman.

 

RESOLVED:            That the original Notice of Motion as amended be approved and the Notice of Motion be sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government. 

246.

To receive the following Questions from the Executive from:

Question to the Cabinet Member Communities from Councillor Altaf Hussain

 

Could the Cabinet Member let the Council know if the school crossing service is being removed?

 

Question to the Leader from Councillor Tom Giffard

 

On November 1st, the Bridgend GEM reported that the BCBC Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration has said that a 'massive recession, unemployment, shortages and international humiliation' would be a 'good thing' in the long run if it meant that Britain stayed within the EU.

 

Could the Leader explain the Cabinet's position regarding these comments, and confirm whether or not they are the council's preferred outcome?

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

Question to the Cabinet Member Communities from Cllr A Hussain

 

Could the Cabinet Member let the Council know if the school crossing service is being removed?

 

Response of the Cabinet Member Communities:

 

There are no plans to entirely remove the School Crossing Patrol service.  The proposed MTFS saving under consideration would result from a review of the School Crossing Patrol sites in line with nationally recognised standards.  Ensuring that those locations with the highest volumes of pedestrian and vehicle movements are maintained, whilst potentially discontinuing the service for quieter sites with lower risk levels.  It is also pertinent to highlight that the primary responsibility for ensuring children safely arrive at school does reside with the parent or guardian.

 

Councillor Hussain looked forward to the reviewer’s report and he hoped that Pen y Fai School will be one of the schools where the services will be maintained and asked a supplementary question for those schools where the service is removed, could the Cabinet Member inform how it was intended to make school crossings safe for parents and children to cross?  The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council there is a scoring process in place for the review of school crossing patrols, which is dependent on the type of road, the number of junctions on that road and the footfall.  He stated that the footfall criteria had changed and no longer took into consideration the footfall of adults who use a particular road.  He informed Council that the authority had not adopted the new criteria but adheres to the 2012 Code. 

 

A member of Council questioned how the authority could mitigate against parents driving their children to school.  The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council there are Active Travel routes in place and believed parents who take their children to school on foot will continue to do so.  He stated that the Council has a responsibility to create safe routes to school.  He informed Council of the difficulties in recruiting school crossing patrols.          

 

Question to the Leader from Cllr T Giffard

 

On November 1st, the Bridgend GEM reported that the BCBC Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration has said that a 'massive recession, unemployment, shortages and international humiliation' would be a 'good thing' in the long run if it meant that Britain stayed within the EU.

 

Could the Leader explain the Cabinet's position regarding these comments, and confirm whether or not they are the council's preferred outcome?

 

Response of the Leader:

 

Cllr Smith’s comments were intended to be ironic. The Facebook post then referred to him being “arrested for sedition and unpatriotic thoughts”, clearly that will not happen!

 

On realising his comments were misinterpreted he removed them from Facebook. These are comments I would not have made and I have spoken to Cllr Smith and he has apologised.

 

During this unprecedented period of uncertainty all Cabinet members are clear that we hope that any negative impact on the communities of Bridgend County Borough, Wales and the United Kingdom will be minimised. I am sure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 246.

247.

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. 

248.

Exclusion of the Public

The Minutes and Reports relating to the following items are not for publication as they contain exempt information as defined in Paragraph 12 of Part 4, and Paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007.

 

If following the application of the public interest test the Committee resolves pursuant to the Act to consider these items in private, the public will be excluded from the meeting during such consideration.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED:           That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it contained exempt information as defined in Paragraph 12 of Part 4 and Paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007.

 

Following the application of the public interest test it was resolved that pursuant to the Act referred to above, to consider the under-mentioned item in private with the public being excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information as stated above.

249.

Approval of Exempt Minutes

To receive for approval the exempt minutes of the meeting of 24/10/18

250.

Redundancy and Early Retirement Costs in excess of £100,000

 

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