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 the meeting of the Town and Community Council Forum of 12 September 2016. 

RESOLVED:         That the minutes of the Town and Community Council Forum of 12 September 2016 be approved as a true and accurate record. 

To be accompanied by a presentation from Steve Brooks, National Director of Sustrans and Kwaku Opoku-Addo, Policy, Development and Transportation Team Leader, Bridgend County Borough Council.

The Forum received a presentation by Steve Brooks, National Director of Sustrans on the Integrated Network Map for Bridgend. 

He informed the Forum that the definition of Active Travel is walking and cycling as an alternative means to motorised transport for the purpose of making every day journeys.  He stated that Wales is facing a number of serious challenges that Active Travel can help to address, such as: Health; Environment; Economic Development; Equality and Community Cohesion, which in turn represented five of the seven goals of the Well Being of Future Generations Act.  He also stated that Active Travel also improves air quality and reduces road traffic accidents.  

He commented on the vital role Town and Community Councils have in having interaction with their communities and bodies such as schools, employers and Chambers of Trade in engaging in the delivery of the Integrated Network Maps which have to be submitted to the Welsh Government by 24 September 2016.  He stated that Active Travel presented the opportunity to discuss a vision for communities and is about changing the places people live for the better.

The Forum received a presentation by Matthew Gilbert, Transportation Policy and Strategy Officer on the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 and what it meant for the Council and to the communities it serves.  He stated that the aim of the Act which came into force on 25 September 2014 is to undertake active travel and to encourage people to leave their cars behind and use active travel where it is suitable for them to do so.

The Transportation Policy and Strategy Officer informed the Forum that the Act placed 24 new duties on local authorities which comprises a map of existing active travel routes (the Existing Routes Map); a map showing plans for active travel over next 15 years (Integrated Network Map); requirements to secure new and improved active travel routes and facilities, and promote active travel journeys and preparation of reports to the Welsh Government.  He stated that the Integrated Network Map applies to 9 settlements in the County Borough but local authorities have discretion to map other areas.  The Transportation Policy and Strategy Officer also stated that Existing Routes Map had been subject to a 16 week consultation supported by events for various stakeholders including schools and community groups.  A total of 36 maps 18 showing pedestrian routes, 18 showing cycle routes were submitted. 

The Transportation Policy and Strategy Officer informed the Forum that the Integrated Network Map shows plans and proposals for active travel over the next 15 years and subject to a 12 week public consultation.  He highlighted the process of preparing for the Integrated Network Map which resulted in the desired routes being addedto identify and assess potential routes and networks for the draft INM.  He stated that the importance of the INM should not be under estimated as any routes not included in the INM were unlikely to receive funding. 

The Forum commented on potential to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134.

To be accompanied by a presentation from Lyn Cadwallader, Chief Executive, One Voice Wales and Yuan Shen, Group Manager, Corporate Performance, Partnerships and Transformation, Bridgend County Borough Council. 

The Forum received a presentation by the Group Manager Corporate Performance, Partnerships and Transformation on the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. 

The Act introduced four pillars of wellbeing, namely, Social, Economic, Cultural and Environmental and the aim of the Act is to improve the wellbeing, social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing of Wales.

To be able to improve wellbeing, the connectivity between the four pillars must be recognised and there was a need to focus activities on all four pillars to improve wellbeing.  She stated that historically, social services have addressed only the social needs of clients, which had led to an unstainable model of service delivery, spiralling costs, and interventions that are likely to fail.

The Group Manager Corporate Performance, Partnerships and Transformation highlighted the seven wellbeing goals.  She stated that the Act puts in place a ‘sustainable development principle’ which means that public bodies must act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  The principle is made up of five ways of working that public bodies are required to take into account when applying sustainable development.  The Welsh Government has put in place the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act as the latest step in the journey to embed sustainable development in the public sector in Wales which has been recognised by the United Nations as a ground-breaking piece of legislation. The Group Manager Corporate Performance, Partnerships and Transformation highlighted the key parts of the wellbeing duty for public bodies and public services boards together with the key dates. 

The Group Manager Corporate Performance, Partnerships and Transformation informed the Forum that the Act requires Public Services Boardsto publish first Local Wellbeing Plans by May 2018.  Town and Community Councils with income / expenditure of £200,000 must take all reasonable steps towards meeting the local objectives in the local Wellbeing plan for the area.  She stated that the Act requires Public Services Boards to involve all Town and Community Councils in the process of improving the well-being of the area. 

The Forum received a presentation from Lyn Cadwallader, Chief Executive of One Voice Wales on the Future Generations and Wellbeing Act and the impact of the Act on Town and Community Councils.  He highlighted the work and influence of One Voice Wales in the sector.  

He informed the Forum that Section 40 of the Act placed duties on certain Town and Community Councils to all reasonable steps towards meeting local objectives in the local well-being plan that has effect in their areas and must publish a report for each relevant financial year detailing progress against local objectives.  He stated that Town and Community Councils would need to integrate into their existing mechanisms for planning, monitoring and reporting on what they do.  He also stated that PSB’s must consult Town and Community Councils on local well-being plan by providing draft copy.  Town and Community Councils can respond  ...  view the full minutes text for item 135.

To be accompanied by a presentation from the Jonathan Parsons, Group Manager Development

This item was deferred to the next meeting.

This item was deferred to the next meeting.

To consider any other item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in accordance with Rule 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. 

There were no urgent items.