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

Councillor HM Morgan declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 4, in that he was a member of the Elderly Resident’s Association in Ynysawdre.

To receive for approval the Minutes of a meeting of the Town and Community Council Forum dated 10 July 2017.

RESOLVED:                    That the Minutes of a meeting of the Town and Community Council Forum dated 10 July 2017 be approved as a true and accurate record.

This item will be accompanied by a Presentation from the Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer.

The Head of Finance and S151 Officer presented a report, the purpose of which, was to provide the Forum with an update on progress of the Council’s Budget (ie Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)).

By way of background he advised that the Council had a four year MTFS which includes a 1 year Budget. This was updated annually through the Scrutiny and Cabinet process prior to being approved by Council, most recently on 1 March 2017. The Strategy identified the resources to support the delivery of the improvement priorities, as well as those required to support ‘business as usual’ activities. He reminded those present that the MTFS covered the period 2018-19 to 2021-22.

The Head of Finance and S151 Officer confirmed that over the last 4 years, BCBC like other Authorities, had experienced a period of unprecedented financial challenge. During this time, the Council has had to identify and deliver approximately £36m of recurrent budget reductions.

With regard to the more present and future situation, on top of these reductions, the Council currently forecasted a further funding shortfall of approximately £35m between 2018-19 and 2021-22.

The Head of Finance and S151 Officer stated that in addition to reducing financial settlements from Welsh Government each year, the Council faced additional and increasing financial pressure in future years as a result of:-

• Any future unfunded legislative pressures
• Upward pressure on staff pay costs as pay restraint becomes relaxed
• Structural pay issues driven by compliance with the national living wage
• Rising price inflation impacting external supply contracts

Although local authorities received their draft Welsh Government settlement just recently, the Head of Finance and S151 Officer confirmed that the full impact of any changes would not be fully clear until sometime yet to come, and as the picture emerges on specific grant allocations.

The MTFS proposals would then emerge from this and the Budget would then be shaped and shared with the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees, prior to being agreed by the Executive (ie Cabinet) and finally approved by Council.

Paragraph 4.5 of the report then outlined that the Council’s MTFS assumed an increase of 4.2% to Council Tax in 2018-19, and 4.5% annually for each year after. This section of the report also gave details of the wider budget timetable, and specific dates relating to Council Tax considerations.

The Head of Finance and S151 Officer confirmed that the MTFS allocated resources for the delivery of the Authority’s Corporate Plan, which provided the general direction for service delivery. The final Budget proposals is intended to cover a wide range of services, and it was inevitable that the necessary budget reductions in developing these proposals will impact on the local population in different ways.

Finally, he then referred to the report’s financial implications which confirmed that the Council’s priorities and Corporate Plan are sufficiently supported by its MTFS. The MTFS covering the period 2018-2022 was in the process of development, and it was intended to hold a joint public consultation on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 151.

The Corporate Director Operational and Partnership Services presented a report, the purpose of which, was to provide an update of the review of the Town and Community Councils’ (TCCs) Charter, and advise the Forum of the plans to complete the review.

The Head of Democratic Services reminded Members that at a previous meeting of the Forum the Charter was updated, and that a provision of this, included a requirement to undertake a review of the Charter annually. He also reminded Members that at its meeting on 10 July 2017, the Town and Community Council Forum approved the establishment of a working group to carry out this task, and then to report back to the Forum with its recommendations. The Town and Community Council Charter Working Group met on 4 September to begin its review.

He then proceeded, by stating that this initial meeting of the Working Group identified a number of changes to the Charter, and these were shown in paragraph 4.1 of the report. It was further agreed that these be shared with all Town and Community Councils, and that they also be given an opportunity to comment upon the Charter and suggest further recommendations in terms of its amendment/review, as appropriate. All these would then be collated and submitted to the Town and Community Council Forum for determination, at its next scheduled meeting.

The report then advised that Councillors T Giffard and A Hussain are no longer Members of the Forum and due to this, they could no longer sit as part of the Working Group.

The Head of Democratic Services therefore sought two replacement Members from the Forum, to sit on the above Working Group,

Following nominations received from the floor, it was

RESOLVED:              That Councillors S Aspey and JP Blundell be nominated to sit on the Town and Community Council Charter Working Group in place of the above mentioned Members.

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. 

None.

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