(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

 

Mayor

 

The Mayors Citizenship Awards have now been concluded and after receiving over 30 nominations it has been decided that 22 of these have been successful. The standard of all nominations received has yet again been very high and while they are all worthy of recognition, there are some that score higher than others. Nevertheless, all those who submitted nominations will be written to, thanking them for taking the time to participate in the process and there is nothing stopping them making another nomination next year.

 

The presentation of the awards were now being arranged through either a personal visit by myself or possibly a presentation in the Mayors Parlour subject to the appropriate risk assessments taking place and will all be completed by the end of March. I would like to thank the officers and also the Deputy Mayor who were involved in the process for their help and assistance and for taking note of my comments in relation to possible amendments to the scheme for next year.

 

Deputy Leader

 

As National Apprenticeship Week is running all this week, I want to provide a very brief update to members on how the council’s own apprenticeship scheme is progressing.

 

Since it was launched in 2013, we have successfully supported 116 apprentices, many of whom have gone on to gain full employment with the council.

 

We currently have 27 apprentices working across departments ranging from business support and marketing to social care and procurement where they are making a valuable contribution.

 

The apprentice scheme allows us as a local authority to recruit new talent. It enables people to develop professional skills and gain valuable experience, all while earning a wage and working towards an accredited qualification.

 

Members may wish to let their constituents know about our apprentice programme, and to advise them to look out for future opportunities via the job pages of the corporate website.

 

I would also like to thank all of our apprentices for their hard work, particularly during the difficult circumstances of the past two years, and to wish them the best of luck with their careers.

 

Cabinet Member – Communities

 

I’m sure councillors will be all too aware of the problems caused by unadopted roads within the county borough.

 

These are streets that have not been adopted by the council where the upkeep remains the responsibility of residents and property owners.

 

A new pilot scheme from Welsh Government has provided £230,000 to bring a local unadopted street up to a high standard so that it can become the responsibility of the council.

 

Intended to enable councils and Welsh Government to better understand the cost implications for tackling the historical backlog of such streets throughout Wales, Ynyslas in Porthcawl was selected based on factors such as the poor condition of its footways and concrete road, and the number of properties it serves.

 

Now, footways and carriageways have been reconstructed, highway drainage has been repaired and further work is being carried out to ensure Ynyslas is suitable for adoption.

 

We have received some very positive comments from householders on the work, and it has proven to be a big success.

 

A review of other unadopted streets is underway, and we are reporting back on the scheme to Welsh Government.

 

Hopefully, this will lead to further funding being made available that will enable us to target further unadopted streets in the county borough, and I hope to bring you more news on this soon.

 

Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help

 

Members may have seen the recent announcement from Welsh Government that it is increasing the amount of support available to eligible residents via its household support fund.

 

Designed to help communities cope with the huge rise in energy bills, the £100 relief payment has now been increased to £200.

 

It is available to households where someone is claiming universal benefit, income support, working tax credits, means-tested welfare benefits, income-related jobseeker’s allowance, or employment and support allowance.

 

Needless to say, I hope that all members are publicising this within our local wards and are encouraging all eligible households to apply for it.

 

The council has already contacted thousands of people whom we believe are entitled to receive the payment, and applications can also be made online through the council’s ‘My Account’ facility.

 

There is a deadline of 28 February to make an application, and people who have already received a £100 payment under the scheme will not need to reapply as they will automatically receive the remainder within the next few weeks.

 

Nobody should be without warmth and heating during the winter months, and we hope that this will support some of the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Bridgend County Borough.

 

Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing

 

A new short break programme is available for local unpaid carers which members may wish to let their constituents know about.

 

Launched in partnership with Halo Leisure, BAVO, the council and Welsh Government, the programme enables carers to access a wide range of facilities at Bridgend Life Centre free of charge every Tuesday between 2pm and 4pm.

 

With facilities ranging from a steam room, sauna and ice room to heated lounge beds and a toning suite, carers can make the most of specialist relaxation therapies and advice on diet and nutrition.

 

Most importantly, the programme includes replacement care which will be provided by SEW Carers Trust to enable unpaid carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities.

 

If members know of unpaid carers within their wards who would benefit from this free initiative, please ask them to contact Bridgend Life Centre and ask for the active Communities Support officer.

 

Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration

 

Inspectors from Estyn have made a number of recent visits to some of our local schools, and I would like to draw members’ attention to the outcomes.

 

Following visits in November 2021, Plasnewydd Primary School and Ogmore Vale Primary School have been judged by Estyn to have made sufficient progress against the education and training inspectorate’s recommendations and have been formally removed from special measures.

 

Cefn Cribwr Primary School has also been removed from the list of schools requiring Estyn review after it was deemed to have made appropriate progress in respect of key issues for action.

 

Following an inspection carried out shortly before Christmas, inspectors have confirmed the school has developed sufficient capacity for bringing about further improvements.

 

Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School was also reviewed in December. Inspectors have noted that good progress has been made and are continuing to monitor the school for the time being to ensure that this can continue.

 

All other local schools have been classified as either good or satisfactory, and I would like to congratulate teachers and staff for their ongoing efforts.