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Agenda and minutes

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

Contact: Mr Mark Anthony Galvin  Senior Democratic Services Officer - Committees

Items
No. Item

251.

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 T Beedle declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 11, the report entitled Capital Programme 2018-19 to 2027-28 as Chairperson of Cwmfelin Primary School.

 

Councillor Alex Williams declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 9, as Secretary of Heol-y-Cyw Workingmen's, Sports & Social Club.

 

Mark Shephard and Sue Cooper declared a prejudicial interest in Agenda Item 14, and left the meeting whilst this report was being considered.

252.

Approval of Minutes pdf icon PDF 122 KB

To receive for approval the minutes of 21/11/2018

Minutes:

RESOLVED:                      That the Minutes of a meeting of Council dated 21 November 2018, be approved as a true and accurate record, subject to the following amendment to the Leader’s Report:-

 

Minute number 239, page 8 of the papers bottom paragraph penultimate line, replace the word ‘pensions’ with “pay”.

253.

To receive announcements from:

(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Minutes:

Mayor

 

The Mayor reminded members about nominations for the Mayor’s Annual Citizenship Awards. The awards are open to people who live in the county borough, as well as groups and businesses based locally. More information can be found on the BCBC website and a nomination form can be downloaded from there.  The deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday 25 January and the winners will be honoured at an event in March.

 

We have had a busy Christmas period since the last Council meeting; with the Mayor and his Consort having carried out 29 official engagements, which were both varied and different and very enjoyable.

 

The blessing of the new Pencoed primary school by Bishop June this was a very a special event for all who attended and a lovely opening for the new building.

 

They had a fantastic morning at the Olympage games which took place in the Bethlehem Church Life Centre. The games give older people the opportunity to compete and be active in a fun setting whilst making new friends in a social environment.

 

As part of the ongoing business awards visits the Mayor/his Consort were welcomed by Fords and shown around the new engine dragon line. It was lovely to meet management and production line staff who were building a future for Bridgend. Fords had been trading in Bridgend now for nearly 40 years.

 

They had attended numerous school concerts and witnessed some outstanding talent and hard work by the pupils and staff across the county borough. He extended his thanks to everyone who had been involved in these.

 

Looking to the New Year, many events were already in his calendar.

 

He concluded by wishing all those present a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

 

Deputy Leader

 

Members may want to remind their constituents that households will be able to put out an extra bin bag this Christmas, and that a traditional ‘black’ bag will be suitable for this purpose.

 

This is of course in addition to the current household waste limit of two bags, and it applies for the first refuse collection after Christmas. 

 

There will be collections on Christmas Eve, but there won’t be any collections on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Everything will be picked up two days later than normal for the rest of that week.

 

Collections will be made as usual on New Year’s Eve, but there won’t be any collections on New Year’s Day so everything will be one day later up until Saturday 5 January. Collections will be back to normal from Monday 7 January 2019.

 

The main festive waste that can’t be recycled is wrapping paper, black plastic, cellophane wrap and polystyrene. Almost everything else can be recycled, including food waste. Christmas cards can go out with your cardboard, and the envelope can go with your paper recycling.

 

Latest statistics reveal that with a recycling rate of sixty-eight point six per cent, we are second best in Wales. Our residents recycled enough food last year to power  ...  view the full minutes text for item 253.

254.

To receive the report of the Leader

Minutes:

The Leader reported that today marks BCBC’s Chief Executive’s last meeting of Council, and he was sure that all colleagues would want to wish Mr. Darren Mepham well in his new role as Chief Executive for Barnet and Southgate College in North London.

 

Alongside Members, Darren had provided strategic leadership for the authority for over 6 years since he was first employed by the Council in 2012.

 

This period has been largely defined by the hardest financial climates that we have ever experienced, but with a strong and experienced senior management team behind him, Darren had proven to be more than up to the task of meeting the challenge head-on.

 

Whether it has been collaborative working arrangements with neighbouring Councils, or driving forward wide scale organisational change, Darren had of course overseen a wide range of developments during his time here.

 

The Leader added that he was grateful to Darren for the support and sage advice he had given not just him, but all Members, and he knew he would be just as successful in his new role.

 

We had also seen the Constituency Assembly Member for Bridgend step down as First Minister and the Leader wished to publicly thank him. As the Leader of the opposition, Conservative Assembly Member, Paul Davies said in his tribute, Carwyn had carried out his duty, with “dedication and devotion.”

 

He was sure that Members would join him in wishing the new First Minister, Mark Drakeford, every success. He also welcomed the appointment of a  new Minister for Local Government, Julie James AM and looked forward to resetting that relationship between local government and Welsh Government.

 

As one door closes, another opens, and that was certainly the case in BCBC’s ongoing school modernisation programme.

 

As the year draws to a close, we were also saying goodbye to Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cwm Garw, and are welcoming the all-new Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Calon Y Cymoedd.

 

The school will shut its doors at its Pontcymmer premises for the last time this week, and will begin 2019 at its all-new premises adjacent to Betws Primary.

 

Any Member who has had the privilege of seeing that new school will already know what the pupils can expect. It has been constructed as a mirror image of its new neighbour, which was also opened just a few short months ago.

 

The old school premises served its community well for a number of years in different ways, including as a Grammar and Comprehensive School, but it had reached the end of its very long life.

 

The stunning new premises have been built as part of our Band A School Modernisation Programme, and offers state of the art educational facilities fit for the 21st century.

 

The Leader was looking forward to the official opening of the new school, and to watching it become a foundation for the growth of Welsh medium education education in the Ogmore and Garw Valleys.

 

The Leader on behalf of both Cabinet and Council, took the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 254.

255.

To receive the following Questions from:

1.            Question from Councillor Tim Thomas to the Leader 

 

Is the Leader satisfied with the resources available to members of the City Deal Joint Scrutiny Committee?

 

2.            Question from Councillor Sorrel Dendy to the Cabinet Member Communities 

 

Has First Cymru indicated to BCBC or put notice in of the removal of their service to Bridgend County?

3.            Question from Councillor Tom Giffard to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations  

 

A recent Freedom of Information request I submitted showed that this council has spent nearly £200,000 on external Welsh translation services over the last 18 months.

 

Can the Cabinet Member explain why this council is not prioritising employing internal translators to keep this ballooning budget under control?

 

4.            Question from Councillor Altaf Hussain to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations 

 

In order to develop more active communities and your achievements in partnership with HALO leisure Centre, with 9% increase in visits to life Centres following your major investment in their facilities – can the Cabinet Member let us know which other Centres in Bridgend County apart from HALO can be accessed by over 60 years old residents?

 

Can the Cabinet Member also let us know since when has the council invested in these life centres and how much has been invested so far in attaining this 9% increase in visits?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

1.      

2.     1. Question from Councillor Tim Thomas to the Leader

Is the Leader satisfied with the resources available to members of the City Deal Joint Scrutiny Committee?

 

Response

The Council offered to host the joint scrutiny committee on behalf of the ten partners. The authority has a good reputation nationally for our work on scrutiny and as such the other partners in the City Deal were confident in us taking a lead on this.

 

We have estimated the additional resource required by the authority to support the joint commitee – mostly in terms of democratic support officer’s time and this is being funded from the City Deal.  It is intended that the joint scrutiny committee can draw on the expertise of the accountable body (Cardiff CC) who are already providing legal, financial and democratic support to the regional committee – we are deliberately avoiding any duplication of effort.

 

The committee has met once and we will keep the resource requirements under review over time.  However it should be recognised that the work of the Cardiff Capital region City Deal is also overseen by:

 

The UK government

The Welsh Government

The Welsh Audit Office

 

These organisations all have an interest and role in the probity, governance, value for money and deliverability of the partnership.

 

In addition, a series of independent gateway reviews commissioned by the UK government have also been established.  These will assess in more detail how well the partnership is delivering outcomes and will in turn determine the ongoing receipt of phased payments from the treasury.

 

Supplementary question by Councillor Tim Thomas

Given that the Cardiff Capital City Deal is such an important area of work, how are we monitoring it moving forward and how can Members get involved specifically.

 

Response

There is a site visit in Newport beofre the next scheduled meeting of the Cardiff City Deal Joint Scrutiny Committee so there are adequate resources supporting the scheme. All Members will receive reports for future meetings also, as opposed to a link to the agenda being placed on the Council’s website. If Members had any questions regarding the City Deal, then these can either be shared with me, or the Chairperson of the Cardiff City Deal Region (ie the Leader of Rhonnda Cynon Taf CBC). Alternatively, the Programme Director could also be approached to this end. He added that the Cardiff City Deal was open and transparent, similar to the Shared Regulatory Service. It also had its own Joint Committee that scrutinised any work and projects going forward. If there was any fear of the scheme not having sufficient resources as it progressed, then this would be looked into by the participating authorities. As part of the scheme, quarterly monitoring reports had to be submitted to both the UK and Welsh Governments. Targets set within the Business Plan that supported the City Deal also had to be met. The Wales Audit Office had reviewed the Cardiff City Deal in its fairly aerly stages and had found governance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 255.

256.

Appointment Process: Chief Executive pdf icon PDF 53 KB

Minutes:

The Chief Executive presented a report, in order to provide Council with information regarding the recruitment to the post of Chief Executive.

 

He advised that this position had become vacant following the resignation of the current post holder whose employment would terminate with the Authority on 6 January 2019.

 

The report continued by advising that this post had been filled recently on an interim basis until a permanent appointment is made.

 

The Chief Executive explained that the Council would engage professional support to undertake executive search and assessment for the role, to ensure that it is marketed widely and then a robust appointments process would follow.

 

He added that the position would be advertised early in the New Year and it is proposed that the process following receipt of applications, would be as was detailed in paragraph 4.2 of the report.

 

RESOLVED:                      That Council approved the recruitment process for the post of Chief Executive as was set out in paragraph 4.2 of the report. 

257.

School Modernisation Programme - Band B pdf icon PDF 131 KB

Minutes:

The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support and Interim Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer presented a joint report, the purpose of which, was to:

 

  • update Council with regards to the outcome of Welsh Government’s review of the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) Band B funding mechanism and revised capital grant intervention rates;
  • seek Council endorsement of the revised financial commitment required for the delivery of Band B of the School Modernisation Programme; and
  • approve a change to the capital programme to reflect the updated commitment.

 

Paragraph 2 of the report set out the principles, as approved by Cabinet in March 2015, adopted by officers in shaping the advice contained in the current report.

 

The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support reminded Members of the key objectives of the School Modernisation Programme, as promoted by Council in 2006, as were shown in paragraph 3.4 of the report.

 

In order to shape our approach to school modernisation, officers have also worked with a range of partners to carefully consider:

 

  • the condition of buildings;
  • the maintenance backlog;
  • population growth;
  • projections of pupil population; and
  • housing developments identified within the Local Development Plan (LDP).

 

Members will be aware that Bridgend’s school modernisation programme has been very successful to date with 6 new provisions already being built within Band A with Ysgol Calon y Cymoedd due to open in January 2019.

 

In October 2017, Cabinet was presented with a report detailing the outcome of the work of the school modernisation workstream and the revised SOP submission.

 

Cabinet considered the proposed Band B schemes, and determined to approve the following, based on the increasing demand for places, the requirement to promote the Welsh language and building condition:

 

·           Bridgend North East (2 form entry (FE)) - capital grant

·           Bridgend South East (2.5FE) - capital grant

·           Bridgend Special School (270 places) – Mutual Investment Model

·           Bridgend West – Welsh-medium (2FE) - capital grant

·           Bridgend West – English-medium (2FE) - capital grant            

 

In addition, in order to promote the Welsh language and support Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 commitment, Welsh Government made available £30m capital grant across Wales which Councils were asked to bid against. Officers identified the need for the creation of Welsh-medium child care facilities which would deliver Welsh language opportunities to areas of the county borough where there is currently insufficient provision (that is: Ogmore and Garw Valleys, Bridgend and Porthcawl). Welsh Government approval in principle has now been received for Bridgend’s £2.6m bid.

 

At its meeting on 31 January 2018, Council approved, in principle, the financial commitment required for Band B of the School Modernisation Programme.

 

The overall programme was estimated to be in the region of £68.2m, of which approximately £43.2m was anticipated to be capital funded (circa £23m funded by Bridgend County Borough Council), the balance proposed to be funded through the Welsh Government Mutual Investment Model (MIM).

 

Welsh Government had advised local authorities that MIM, a new approach to investment in public infrastructure in Wales, whereby private partners will build  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257.

258.

Gambling Act 2005 - Statement of Principles pdf icon PDF 83 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Legal and Regulatory Services submitted a report, the purpose of which, was to report the outcome of the three year review of the Gambling Statement of Principles, the framework which governs the way this authority undertakes its duties as the licensing authority for gambling.  This matter was reported to Cabinet on 18 December 2018 but approval of the Statement of Principles for the next three year period from 2019 is a Council function.

 

The Mayor invited the Head of Shared Regulatory Services to present the report.

 

 He advised that the Gambling Act 2005 provides for a regulatory system to govern the provision of all gambling in Great Britain, other than the National Lottery and spread betting. The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain in partnership with licensing authorities as local regulators.  The Act places a legal duty on both the Commission and licensing authorities to aim to permit gambling, in so far as it is considered to be reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives, and the full regulatory framework was set out at paragraph 4.2 of the report.

 

He proceeded by confirming that the Council is required to publish a policy statement, known as the Statement of Principles every three years.  The current document had been reviewed and a draft consultation undertaken.  A copy of the draft Statement of Principles was attached at Appendix A to the report, with the reviewed elements shown highlighted in red. He pointed out to Council that on page 7 of Appendix A the number of betting premises in Bridgend in 2018, had now reduced from 17 to 18.

 

The Head of Shared Regulatory Services stated that the Act places a duty on the Council to develop a Statement of Principles that promotes the three licensing objectives contained in paragraph 4.1 of the report.

 

Analysis of complaints and intelligence received by the Council since the last revision of the Statement, suggested that no new trends or concerns had emerged during the last three years, either by sector or location.  One of the enforcement concerns which had arisen is the siting of machines in takeaways and other shops, which is illegal and this resulted in a prosecution and cannot therefore be dealt with as a policy issue.

 

He advised that no significant changes were made to the Statement of Principles, however, it follows the approach set out in the 5th Edition of the statutory guidance issued by the Gambling Commission to licensing authorities referred to in paragraph 4.2 of the report.

 

This meant that in the absence of any local factor or risk, the authority will follow the Gambling Commission’s approach to regulating gambling as set out in the Guidance.  It is important to recognise that whilst the authority must have regard to the Guidance in its decision making, the Guidance does not seek to fetter the discretion of the authority in dealing with applications or compliance. 

 

The Head of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 258.

259.

Appointment of a Registered Representative to the Overview and Scrutiny Subject Committees pdf icon PDF 52 KB

Minutes:

The Head of Legal and Regulatory Services presented a report, seeking Council’s approval of the appointment of Reverend Canon Edward Evans as the Church in Wales Registered Representative for Education items considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, for a maximum of four years.

 

The report gave some background information, following which it confirmed that the Reverend Canon Edward Evans had completed a term of office in the above role and had since been nominated for re-appointment to serve a further term on the Committee(s).

 

RESOLVED:                      That Council noted the report and approved the appointment of the above person as a Registered Representative for Education items that are to be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, for a further term of four years.

260.

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:

RESOLVED:                      The Mayor received the following item as urgent in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4 of the Council Procedure Rules as contained in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, as due to technical issues when publishing the agenda and accompanying papers, the report was omitted from the agenda. A decision on the report is required before the next scheduled meeting of Council in January 2019.

261.

Capital Programme 2018-19 To 2027-28 pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Interim Head of Finance submitted a report, the purpose of which, was to obtain approval from Council for a revised Capital Programme for 2018-19 to 2027-28.

 

She advised that on 28 February 2018, Council approved a Capital Programme covering the above period as part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy. Since then, additional schemes have been approved by Council including the Enterprise Hub Development Programme, new classrooms at Cwmfelin Primary School, Porthcawl Regeneration and Waterton Depot, along with a number of externally funded schemes.

 

Since the programme was last approved, a number of new schemes have been progressed which require that Council approve changes to the Capital Programme. These were outlined in in paragraphs 4.2 to 4.12 of the report and the Interim Head of Finance gave a summary of each of these as detailed hereunder, together with any extra resource implications that needed to be committed to each of the schemes so listed.

 

These schemes were as follows:-

 

  • 21st Century Schools Band A Programme – Pencoed Primary School
  • Cwmfelin Primary School – Accommodation
  • Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
  • Agile Working
  • Cemetery Extensions
  • Fleet
  • ICT Rolling Programme
  • Porthcawl Resort Investment Focus (PRIF)
  • Registrars
  • Welsh-Medium Capital Grant

 

The Interim Head of Finance reported that since the approval of the Capital Programme, a number of schemes had been progressed which required approval (of Council).

 

She advised Members that in respect of the 21st Century Schools Band A Programme, despite site investigation works being undertaken in advance of letting the Pencoed Primary School construction contract, the site required significant cut and fill activities not originally anticipated, resulting in the project costs increasing by £200,000.  It was proposed to meet this additional cost from projected under spends in other Band A schemes.  The Interim Head of Finance informed Cabinet that a budget of £165,000 had been included in the Capital Programme for the provision of additional accommodation at Cwmfelin Primary School.  However, following design development, the original project estimate was deemed insufficient and despite a value engineering exercise being undertaken, a revised project cost had been received of £235,000, resulting in additional funding of £70,000 over and above the approved budget, which it was proposed would be vired from the school modernisation retention budget.

 

The Interim Head of Finance reported that capital investment of £205,000 had been approved for the establishment of a MASH.  However the MASH had instead moved into Raven’s Court, resulting in costs being considerably less than anticipated, which would release funding of £45,116 for other schemes.  She also reported that capital funding of £1.217m for ICT investment had been approved to deliver agile working, which was dependent on securing a tenant for Raven’s Court.  Following decisions on where to place the MASH, the active marketing of Raven’s Court would no longer be pursued and consequently the investment initially identified was no longer required, which left a balance of £1.201m to be de-committed and used for other schemes.

 

The Interim Head of Finance also reported that funding of £360,000  ...  view the full minutes text for item 261.

Recorded Vote
TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
To defer the report and in turn, refer it to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration Motion Rejected
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 262.

    Exclusion of the Public

    The Minutes and Report 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 contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 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 in consideration of this item, it was resolved that pursuant to the Act referred to above, it be considered in private, with the public being excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information of the nature as stated above.

    263.

    Approval of Exempt Minutes

    To receive for approval the exempt minutes of 21/11/2018

     

     

    264.

    Appointment of Interim Chief Executive

     

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