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 (including whipping declarations)

Councillor AJ Williams declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 5, as a member of a Charitable Community Group that had been financially supported by G4S.

To receive for approval the minutes of a meeting of 12/3/18.

RESOLVED:               That the Minutes of a meeting of Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 dated 12 March 2018 be approved as a true and accurate record, subject to the reason for Councillor Webster’s declaration of interest as referred to in Minute 11. of these Minutes being changed as follows:-

                                     ‘As Chairperson of NAS at Heronsbridge School.’

The Scrutiny Officer presented a report on the above to:

a)        present the items prioritised by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee including the next item delegated to this Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

b)        present the Committee with a list of further potential items for comment and prioritisation;

c)        ask the Committee to identify any further items for consideration using the pre-determined criteria form;

d)        Consider and approve the feedback from the previous meetings of the Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 and note the list of responses including any still outstanding at Appendix A.

 Attached at Appendix B to the report, was the overall FWP for the Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committees (SOSCs) which includes the topics prioritised by the COSC for the next set of SOSCs in Table A, as well as topics that were deemed important for future prioritisation at Table B.  This has been compiled from suggested items from each of the SOSCs at previous meetings as well as the COSC. It also included information proposed from Corporate Directors, detail from research undertaken by Scrutiny Officers and information from FWP Development meetings between the Scrutiny Chairs and Cabinet.

Arising from consideration of the information detailed in the report, it was

RESOLVED:                  That Committee noted the report and supporting information attached to this in the form of Appendices A, B and C.    

Invitees

Susan Cooper – Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing

Carmel Donovan - Integrated Community Services Manager Rheolwr Integredig Gwasanaethau Cymunedol

Corin Morgan Armstrong – Representative from G4S

Cllr Phil White - Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help

The Chairperson welcomed the Invitees into the meeting, including The Head of Family Interventions  from G4S. The Head of Adult Social Care then introduced the report to members and invited questions from the Committee. A Member noted the contents of the report, but was of the opinion that it was unfair that the future level of Welsh Government grant funding allocation that had been given to the Authority in 2016/17 and 2017/18 to establish and put into operation the Secure Estate team and service, was due to be decreased and shared amongst all 22 local authorities in Wales, as part of the overall Local Government Settlement. She felt that this was unfair, given that there were only prisons in Wrexham, Monmouthshire, Cardiff, Swansea and Bridgend. Other local authority areas therefore did not have to support secure estates. This meant that the level of funding for BCBC in 2018/19 was set to reduce from over 200k to £18k, which was a substantial reduction.  This opinion was supported by all Committee Members.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing agreed with the comments, and added that the local authority had been of the opinion that the initial level of funding given for the above purpose, was to be recurring in future years.

She added that the Distribution Sub Grant group is established across Wales  with representation on  from all 22 local authorities in Wales, as well as from the WLGA and Welsh Government. This meeting met bi-monthly, and the topic of funding for the support of secure estate by welsh local authorities in the future was under discussion, and she thought  that it should be allocated based on the level of population where a  Local Authority  supported social care provision for prisoners under a secure estate arrangement. The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing added that she was hopeful, that something could be resolved by this group that would result in Bridgend hopefully receiving increased funding in the future.

A Member asked how Parc Prison differed to a state prison

The Head of Adult Social Care advised that Parc Prison was a Category B prison,  all prisons  have  different levels of population with different types of offenders there, Parc in South Wales  generally had longer sentences when compared to a other prisons.

The representative from G4S added that Parc Prison was able to accommodate  Category A prisoners, so therefore it could cater for maximum security level prisoners, and there were some inmates there currently who were facing life sentences. Generally though, the prison accommodated medium to long term offenders, and likely re-offenders. Some of these prisoners also had complex needs that needed to be carefully managed. .

A Member asked what percentage of prisoners  in Parc Prison are from outside the County Borough then settle in the area when their sentence has finished. . He asked this, as it could affect the funding allocation in respect of secure estate if they required support after coming out of prison.

The Head  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

The Corporate Director – Operational and Partnership Services submitted a report to nominate a Member to sit on the Public Service Board Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

RESOLVED:                  That Councillor KJ Watts be nominated to sit as a Member of Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 on the Public Service Board Overview and Scrutiny Committee Panel.

The Corporate Director – Operational and Partnership Services submitted a report which requested the Committee to nominate a Member as its Corporate Parenting Champion to represent the Committee as an Invitee to meetings of the Corporate Parenting Cabinet Committee.

RESOLVED:                  That Councillor J Gebbie be nominated to sit as a Member of Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 on the Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting in the capacity of an Invitee.

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.

None.