(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

(iv) Monitoring Officer

Mayor

 

The Mayor announced that nominations for the Mayor’s Annual Citizenship Awards have now closed and the winners have been invited to a ceremony to be held in late March.  The standard of entries was particularly high and he thanked all those who took the time to fill in a nomination.  It was great to read about all the fantastic residents of the county borough and the stellar and often hidden work that they do within our communities, and he looked forward to meeting with these people in person next month.

 

Staying with the theme of awards it was a pleasure to welcome all sectors of the building industry to Bridgend to celebrate the fourteenth annual Building Excellence Awards.  The awards are aimed across the building industry and are there to help, encourage and commend high quality building, construction techniques, communication skills and customer satisfaction. The Mayor thanked everyone for participating, Bridgend building control staff for organising the event and extend our congratulations as a council to the winners.

 

One of privileges of being Mayor is an invite to visit local organisations and charities to meet the staff, volunteers and service users.  Last week he was invited to the YMCA in Porthcawl to view their facilities and witness some of the activities that take place at the centre. The centre was established in 1908 and has continued to serve as a support for many different groups. It has become a not just a place to learn but to be safe and make friends. He therefore thanked the Porthcawl YMCA centre for their time and hospitality.

 

On taking office the High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan decided to work with all local authorities and organise a “Musical Extravaganza”, this was a celebration of young musical talent from across the communities and included solo vocalists, solo instrumentalists and choirs. Heats took place around Mid Glamorgan and the final was held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama last week.  The evening was a wonderful celebration of our young musical talent and the Mayor thanked Simon Gray our music instructor for all his hard work, all the young people who participated and send congratulations to the well-deserved winners.

 

Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy Leader announced that he was delighted to see three surplus council properties sell at auction recently to help generate some very welcome funds for the authority.

 

The auction saw a former public toilet block in Derwen Road, Bridgend, the former Hyfrydol care home in Maesteg and the former town council offices in Porthcawl sell for £736,000.

 

This was more than a quarter of a million pounds over the reserve price, and a very good result in anyone’s language.

 

The receipts will help fund our capital programme, which includes the 21st Century schools modernisation initiative featuring an estimated investment into band B schools of £68 million.

 

As members were aware, the sale of Hyfrydol was part of the business case for providing the all-new extra care facility in Maesteg, while Porthcawl Town Council relocated to more suitable premises in the town centre last year.

 

As part of a partnership between Bridgend Town Council and the market traders association, new Bridgend town centre toilets will be opening soon in the indoor market, while public toilets also remain available at Bridgend Bus Station.

 

He was sure that members will welcome this new as part of the Council’s ongoing long-term asset management plan to re-model services, and sell assets which are surplus to requirements.

 

The Deputy Leader also reminded members, that a development session on Universal Credit has been arranged for Monday 9th March. This will take place here in the council chamber at 9.30am and will offer an overview of Universal Credit and additional activities provided by the Job Centre, so he asked Councillors to please make every effort to attend.

 

Finally, a drop-in session is being arranged for any member who requires support with completing their annual reports.

 

This will take place on Monday 2 March in Committee Rooms two and three, and the Democratic Services Manager will be available to offer advice and guidance between 9am and 11am.

 

Cabinet Member – Communities

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities advised that he was sure that members will be pleased to note that a full business case is being submitted to Welsh Government for the provision of a new £6m flood defence scheme in Porthcawl.

 

If successful, this will see major work undertaken on the Western Breakwater, Eastern Promenade and Sandy Bay areas, and will take the amount that has been invested into the town’s ongoing regeneration over the last six years to more than £17m.

 

Designed to protect 530 homes and 175 businesses while complementing regeneration plans for Salt Lake, the work follows the introduction of new sea defences at Town Beach, which is protecting 260 homes, businesses and historic buildings such as the Grand Pavilion.

 

The Western Breakwater is 200 years old now, while the Eastern Promenade sea wall is only slightly younger at 160 years. This work will offer continued flood protection, and act as assurance for future and current investors, businesses, visitors, residents and so on.

 

Engineering works and void repairs will help strengthen them, but as listed structures, all work must satisfy heritage conservation requirements.

 

A small scour protection wall will be added around the head of the breakwater, while the promenade area will be resurfaced and landscaped with raised planters, new seating areas and more.

 

Following the success of the £3m replacement sea defences at Town Beach, he had high hopes for this latest scheme, and was looking forward to bringing Members more news as it developed further.

 

Finally, the Cabinet Member – Communities thanked all those who had contacted him mostly through emails recently, so as to wish him a speedy recovery after his recent fall while on Council business in Merthyr.

 

Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing

 

The Cabinet Member – Future Generations advised that she recently had an opportunity to view two innovative housing schemes which she hoped will be of interest to members. The first involved the renovation of the vacant Gaylards Building on Court Road in Bridgend Town Centre which is conveniently a few steps away from Bridgend Train Station.

 

The vacant town centre property has been brought back into public use as 15 fully-equipped modern and affordable flats and were created using Homes In Town grant funding.  The homes are being marketed by V2C with rents set below average market rates and are suitable for people who work in the town centre or use the nearby train station to commute to and from work.

 

The second, featured 4 semi-detached homes constructed through the Welsh Government Innovative Housing Fund by Wernick Buildings on Kenfig Industrial Estate for V2C.

 

Thanks to a unique modular design, these homes are made ready for families to move in very, very quickly.  The homes are constructed off-site with appliances such as, heating and electrics pre-fitted during the construction phase.  Modular homes significantly reduce utility costs for home owners, do not have as much of a negative environmental impact as traditional methods of construction and cause less disruption to the community.

 

Both schemes offered a revealing insight into how modern housing is being provided, she concluded.

 

Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help

 

The Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help announced that he was delighted at the results of the recent joint inspection into services for older people in Bridgend County Borough.

 

The Care Inspectorate Wales and Health Inspectorate Wales explored how the council and its partners promote independence among older adults and prevent their needs and problems from escalating.

 

They found that good progress is being made, and that services have strongly-embedded procedures and approaches, with evidence of early intervention and significant and successful efforts to focus upon the best interests of the individual as well as the outcome.

 

Inspectors said that with strong engagement in place to help guide service development, people feel they are being listened to and heard, and that feedback from staff is positive and demonstrates a strong commitment to their roles.

 

A good range of community groups for older people is available, and integrated health and social care services are benefitting from quick decision-making, and a joined-up approach.

 

In terms of areas for improvement, the report recommended ensuring that people can receive support using the Welsh language, simplifying some processes in order to increase the timeliness of support, ensuring that the system for arranging domiciliary care is as efficient as possible, and improving the consistency of how people are directed towards services.

 

Many of these had already been identified by the council, and progress is being made on developing them further.

 

The report demonstrates a visible commitment towards integrated working for the benefit of the people of Bridgend County Borough, and he extended his thanks to council staff and partners for their ongoing hard work and dedication.

 

Members may also want to make their constituents aware of an ongoing social care recruitment campaign called ‘We Care’.

 

The campaign is being run as part of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg partnership and aims to showcase why so many people from all walks of life chose to work in social care. It also aims to displace some of the myths around what is an exciting and growing sector.

 

Social care offers the stability of a job you can keep for life, and being able to specialise in a certain area while making a difference on a daily basis.

 

It was a great opportunity to progress a career and undertake further training, and with plenty of opportunities, this is a sector which can provide stability and opportunity in equal measure.

 

For more information, he asked those present to visit the social care jobs page at www dot Bridgend gov dot UK.

 

Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration advised that a new accessible market square had been created. This had been designed to host specialist events, family entertainment, children’s play facilities and exhibitions, all of which is intended to draw more shoppers into the market

 

This is part of an ongoing project to give the market a new lease of life, which includes new toilets that are being provided thanks to a partnership with Bridgend Town Council; the market traders association and ourselves at BCBC.

 

Over the past year, a series of illustrative panels providing information about the market’s rich history have been set up to welcome shoppers, and the market bell which dates back to 1837 has been relocated to make it more visible.

 

A new rent system and flexible lease terms was introduced along with significant rent reductions for existing stallholders. As well as supporting long term stall holding, we want the market to also cater for new entrepreneurs, who can take up a smaller unit and give their idea a try before deciding on their next move in the retail sector. 

 

We have seen a number of new tenants coming into the market, and once the current works have been completed, we will be marketing to fill the remaining stall vacancies. The market square would also be an ideal place to meet-up in town with friends he added.

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration advised Members that all schools had been receiving advice on the coronavirus through suitable medical guidance that would be updated as things develop, through their weekly mailshot.

 

Finally, he asked all Members to link in with residents in their communities, to advise them that a number of school governor vacancies still existed within County Borough schools in order to generate interest with a view to filling these vacancies. 

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive announced that some members have asked him about what Bridgend County Borough Council is doing in regards to the Covid-19 coronavirus, so I thought it might help to provide a brief update of where we are.

 

It was important he felt to strike a balance between scaremongering and confirming suitable advice and any precautions that the public could take in terms of planning for any future outbreak. The reality of the situation is that local authorities are not currently being asked to undertake any particularly drastic actions, such as closing public buildings or postponing public events.

 

We are following official advice and guidelines provided by UK and Welsh Government and organisations such as Public Health Wales, all of whom are working together to co-ordinate efforts to combat the spread of the virus.

 

On a local level, current advice is that schools, offices and public buildings should remain open. We have already provided schools with specialist advice, and are prepared to issue further guidance as the situation develops.

 

While it is hoped that we will not need to implement them, business continuity and emergency plans are in place to ensure the council can remain resilient and capable of providing services should the situation become more serious.

 

On a national level, people who have returned since 19 February from Iran, Northern Italy, South Korea, Wuhan province or Hubei Province should automatically self-isolate, avoid public contact NHS Direct Wales for further advice, even if they are not exhibiting symptoms.

 

The same advice applies to people who are exhibiting symptoms having returned from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar area since 19 February.

 

Finally, anyone who has returned from China, Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau within the last 14 days and who have developed symptoms, should self-isolate at home and call NHS Direct Wales.

 

In all of this, it is important to note that Covid-19 is very much like winter flu. The severity of infection ranges from mild symptoms of the upper respiratory tract and possible fever, to the other end of the extreme where it can cause  severe cases of pneumonia requiring hospitalisation and advanced respiratory support.

 

To date, Covid-19 has been found in thirteen UK nationals, none of whom are from Wales. Sadly, the disease has proven to be fatal for more than two thousand people in China. As with winter flu, the vast majority of those fatalities have been elderly people, or people with underlying health conditions.

 

To give you some context of those deaths, nearly eleven per cent were people with diseases of the heart, seven per cent had diabetes, and six per cent had long-term lung problems.

 

In terms of age, the current fatality rate is very low, less than nought-point-five per cent for people under fifty. This rises to eight per cent for people in their seventies, and fifteen per cent for people who are older than eighty.

 

With robust infection control measures in place on both an international and national level, it is important to ensure that our response as a local authority is similarly appropriate and well-considered. In that respect, our approach is very much one of ‘business as usual’, and we are continuing with our roles as normal.

 

Public Health Wales have advised that the best way to guard against infection is by following some general principles, which we are helping to publicise.

 

These include washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds using soap and water, using alcohol-based hand sanitisers, disposing of used tissues immediately, cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces, and more.

 

Members may want to advise their constituents that they can find out more from the Public Health Wales website, which offers a list of frequently asked questions about Covid-19 as well as advice and support in both English and Welsh.

 

In the meantime, the council remains resilient and aware, and ready to take further action as may be required.

 

Monitoring Officer

 

The Monitoring Officer asked Council to consider the change of dates to the following up and coming Committees:

 

1.    Combined Meeting of Subject OSC1 and Subject OSC2 to consider the Learner Travel and Post 16 Education reports together, moved to 19 March at 2.30pm and scheduled SOSC1 meeting on 9 March cancelled.

 

2.    Subject O&SC 3 which was due to be held on 18 March 2020 has been re-scheduled for 23 March 2020.

 

3.    Corporate O&SC which was due to be held on 23 March 2020 has been re-scheduled for 30 March 2020.

 

The Chairpersons of each of the above Committees have agreed to such proposed changes.