(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

 

Mayor

 

A further meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee has been scheduled for 9 September at 2.00pm. This was agreed by the Committee at its meeting held on 18 June 2021. The reason for this meeting being added to the Programme of Meetings, is to accommodate business scheduled on the Forward Work Programme that needs to be considered before the next scheduled meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee in November 2021

 

Since the last Council meeting I have had the pleasure of being present at the ground breaking ceremony of the new Welsh school / child care facility at Blackmill.

 

The opening of Joe’s Flower shop at Cefn Cribwr (and I need some practise at cutting the ribbon as it took 3 attempts to cut, I blame the scissors being too small).

 

On Sunday 27th June it was a pleasure to spend a few hours at the annual Cefn Cribwr open gardens day. There were some stunning displays and the weather was kind to us as well. A great event and one that should not be missed especially if you like taking a look at how your garden should be. Later that day we visited a resident in a care home at Maesteg who was celebrating her 101st. birthday and I know the following week the Deputy Mayor visited another resident at the same home who was celebrating her 100th birthday.

 

On 28th. June I was invited to join the Polish Ambassador on his visit to Porthcawl museum and the war graves of 5 Polish servicemen who paid the ultimate price in the 2nd. World War and are buried at Porthcawl Cemetery. It was a very moving experience as I accompanied the Ambassador to pay our respects as he laid a wreath at each one of the war graves. If you have not visited Porthcawl museum then I suggest you consider taking a trip there as while it may look small on the outside, it’s like a Tardis inside with lots of interesting memorabilia and information about our local area.

The most recent visit this month was to Kenfig Nature Reserve as part of its Open Day and it was great to see how the trustees have started to make the visitor centre more sustainable and have plans for the future to provide an indoor café looking out onto the reserve. It was great to see that this important landmark in our County Borough is in safe hands and has a prosperous future.

 

I recently attended a “Not Forgotten” Charity Summer Party at Ewenny Priory for Veteran Soldiers. This was a very poignant occasion and should any Member wish to donate to this Charity, which is for an extremely worthwhile cause, please let me know.

 

Finally, just a few words about the Mayors charity fund. While there is no longer a Mayors Charity Committee, my wife and I fully intend to try and raise as much as possible for Lads & Dads and Bridgend Carers Centre. Therefore on Saturday 14th August my wife Susan (a.k.a. Mayoress) will be taking part in a tandem skydive from 12,000 ft. at Swansea airfield. I have set up a Go Fund Me page where donations can be made and it is also possible to make a donation via the BCBC website by going onto the Mayors page. All donations will be going to the groups mentioned and not a penny will be spent on the cost of the event itself as we are funding that ourselves.

 

There will be other events and hopefully a Christmas raffle, but the Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge I may have mentioned previously is now likely to take place in early April 2022, as I realised that perhaps a few Councillors out there need a bit of encouragement to participate and to get their hiking boots on with some training over the winter months.

 

Deputy Leader

 

Final preparations are underway at Village Farm Industrial Estate in Pyle for the all-new community recycling centre.

 

Together with fellow Cabinet and local members, I visited the site last week for an early look at what it is going to offer, and I have to say that I was hugely impressed.

 

Featuring a split-level design, drivers will be able to follow a simple one-way system around the new centre.

 

They will be able to choose whether they want to access parking bays and recycling skips at ground level, or to use bypass lanes and ramps which lead to high-sided skips on an upper level.

 

With an all-weather canopy on the higher level, the site features flexible bollards to help guide drivers and prevent accidental damage to vehicles, lighting powered by on-site solar panels, and flat kerb-free parking bays to enhance safety and remove potential trip hazards for people carrying waste from their cars.

 

Capable of accommodating up to 24 vehicles at a time, the new recycling centre also features on-site queuing capacity for a further 72 vehicles, and there are plans to create a ‘re-use shop at the site.

 

At the last meeting of Council, I outlined how work is also taking place at the entrance to village Farm Industrial Estate to ease congestion and support the flow of traffic.

 

This will result in a new dedicated turning lane from the A48 onto Heol Mostyn, new traffic lights, and a new safe crossing island.

 

Together, the junction improvements and new recycling centre represent a £2.3m investment that is going to help thousands of households to recycle even more of their waste.

 

Cabinet Member – Communities

 

Public consultation over the replacement Local Development Plan is ongoing and I understand that the draft report on this engagement is already more than 800 pages long.

 

This is good news as we are encouraging as many people as possible to take part and have their say, and will be continuing to do so right up to the deadline of Tuesday 27 July.

 

The plan will, of course, be used to determine what kinds of development can take place throughout Bridgend County Borough between now and 2033, so it is important for people to be aware of its wide-reaching scope.

 

We want residents to understand how, once completed, it will set out how land can be used, and which parts of the county borough will be maintained as open space or designated for residential, employment, retail, waste, mineral development, community and tourism purposes.

 

The plan seeks to ensure that there are enough new homes to meet the needs of growing communities while also providing new infrastructure and facilities, and drawing in fresh economic investment to the area.

 

It aims to support the creation of 5,000 additional jobs, deliver new developments and regeneration within Bridgend, Pencoed, Maesteg, Pyle and Porthcawl, and to ensure that each new development contributes positively to creating or enhancing environments within which people, communities, businesses and nature can thrive.

 

The Council website outlines the different ways in which you can take part and what alternative formats are available, and copies are also available at local libraries.

 

I hope that members will encourage their constituents to look at it in closer detail, and to pass on their views so that we can take account of them and agree a final draft.

 

Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help

 

At the meeting of Council last December, I updated Members on how adult social care services were facing elevated risks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and outlined the steps that were being taken to counter its impact.

 

I’m afraid that I have to advise members that the situation continues to be very serious, and that it is not limited to Bridgend County Borough.

 

Essential services are continuing to be regularly reviewed, prioritised and co-ordinated at a director and heads-of-service level.

 

Our prioritised service areas cover both adult and children’s social care, and include safeguarding, care for the most vulnerable, mental health assessments, case management for vulnerable children, residential care, day services, respite care and services that support fostering.

 

However, Welsh Government recently confirmed that services such as reablement and domiciliary care are facing particular challenges in terms of their capacity to respond to projected demand.

 

Here in Bridgend, we are now providing 640 hours per week more than we did in April 2020, and we are receiving increasing requests to extend existing packages of care.

 

The danger that we want to avoid is people being forced to wait for a package of care to become available.

 

This situation is being exacerbated by factors such as individuals who don’t want to seek treatment or to go to hospital, family members being unable to care for them as they once might have, increased social isolation issues as a result of staying at home, and more.

 

The reality of the situation is that this level of demand is likely to be in place for both the medium and longer term.

 

As part of our response, a bronze-level task group is in place, and is working through the agreed action plan.

 

We are exploring opportunities with our partners at Cwm Taf on joined-up recruitment processes, and are exploring the use of agency workers as well as how we may increase the uptake of direct payments.

 

A review of people within the current service and a resource matrix will be in place, and in addition, we will be looking at care home vacancy opportunities.

 

We are also working to attract individuals who want experience in the care sector through a recruitment process.

 

This is something that I would ask Members to help promote within their local wards, and to direct people who are seeking job opportunities towards provider services.

 

Our goal will always be to work with people and families and to prioritise those who are most in need, both in the community and in a hospital setting.

 

However, we should also recognise that the current situation could result in a rise in complaints around being able to meet a person’s assessed needs.

 

In the meantime, staff are continuing to demonstrate their usual dedication and determination, and I would like to recognise and thank them once more for all of their efforts.

 

The situation continues to remain open to rapid change, and I will bring you further updates as the pandemic continues.

 

Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing

 

A new Welsh Government fund is set to support housing tenants who are renting privately, and who may have fallen behind on their rent.

 

The £10m Tenancy Hardship Grant is designed to prevent people from losing their tenancies if they fell behind on their rent by more than eight weeks during the period between March 2020 and June 2021.

 

The rent arrears may have been as a result of a loss of income due to pandemic furlough, a reduction in work or because they were only able to claim Statutory Sick Pay while ill with Covid-19.

 

The grant is open to people who are not receiving housing-related benefits, and replaces the Tenancy Saver Loan, which was introduced in October 2020.

 

Anyone who received a loan as part of that scheme will have the loan converted to a grant.

 

Anyone who is struggling to pay their rent should contact their landlord or agent and organisations such as Citizen’s Advice and Shelter Cymru as early as possible to ensure that they can receive the right advice and support.

 

To apply for a Tenancy Hardship Grant, people should email Housing At Bridgend Dot Gov Dot UK and use ‘THG Support Grant’ as the subject line of the email.

 

More details on the grant and eligibility is available at the Welsh Government website.

 

Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration

 

I’m sure that members will want to join me in congratulating Bryntirion Comprehensive for becoming the first school in Bridgend County Borough to be awarded for its efforts to support autism.

 

The school has spent the last two years raising awareness of autism among teachers, pupils, staff, governors and the wider community, and Autism Wales has recognised their efforts with a prestigious Learning with Autism Secondary School Award.

 

This is a fitting testament to the hard work and effort that all at Bryntirion Comprehensive have put in, and their desire to ensure that children with autism can receive the best school experience possible.

 

I’d also like to make Members aware that once schools close for the summer break, a wide range of free activities will become available for children and young people to enjoy as part of this year’s Summer of Fun programme.

 

The Active 4 Life scheme will offer children aged eight to 11 sports, games and creative arts, while the Urdd is providing bilingual sports camps to give three to 11 year olds a chance to try team sports and games based around rugby, football, netball and more.

 

Young ambassador volunteers will provide a 21 things to do in summer ‘21 programme featuring activities ranging from stargazing to making a den, and at local libraries, children will be able to take part in the nature-themed ‘Wild World Heroes’ summer reading challenge.

 

Bryngarw Country Park, Menter Bro Ogwr and Halo Leisure are also offering a range of activities, and full details will be publicised soon.

 

Some of the sessions may have limited capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic, so where advance booking is required, you may wish to advise constituents to do it as early as possible.