1)     Motion for Debate: Towards a more sustainable and resilient system of local government funding

That this Council:

•           Notes that there has been a major sustained failure to properly fund local government;

•           Notes that Bridgend County Borough Council’s future budget position is challenging, and that further significant budget reductions will be highly likely over the course of the medium term financial strategy which will have a negative impact on the provision of core services and the wellbeing of our residents;

•           Calls on central government to implement a fairer and simplified funding formula which ends the series of ad hoc one-year settlements and ring-fenced competitive bidding;

•           Calls on central government to consider the viability of moving towards a more sustainable and resilient system of local government funding which:

(1)       redistributes funds between local authorities more closely in line with an assessment of need; and

(2)        assigns a fixed percentage of national tax revenues to local authorities.

•           Calls on the Welsh Government to establish a formalised standing Commission to act as a liaison between local and central government to consider any developing central government policies which would affect local government competencies and ensure that all national legislative commitments are fully funded.

2)     Notice of Motion: Protected Characteristics for Care Experienced   People

Bridgend County Borough Council acknowledges that the Children and Young People’s Education Committee established by the Senedd Welsh Parliament recommended that care experience becomes a protected characteristic in UK legislation and has signed up to the Corporate Parenting Charter in Wales which the Welsh Government has recently published inviting other public sectors organisations to become a Corporate Parent for care experienced children and young people in Wales. This motion further extends Bridgend County Borough Council’s commitment to care experienced children and young people to the principles, priorities and promises enshrined within the Bridgend Corporate Parenting Strategy.

This council recognises that:

• Care experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives;

• Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account;

• Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system;

• Care experienced people may encounter inconsistent support in different geographical areas;

• As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority;

• As corporate parents Bridgend County Borough Council will commit to acting as mentors, hearing the voices of care experienced children and young people and to consider their needs in any aspect of council work;

• Councillors will be champions of the children in our care and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society;

This Council therefore resolves:

• That it recognises that care experienced people are a group who are likely to face discrimination;

• That it recognises that Bridgend County Borough Council have a duty to put the needs of disadvantaged people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;

• That future decision, services and policies made and adopted by the Council should be assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a protected characteristic.

• That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a protected characteristic in services and employment.

• To formally call upon all other bodies to treat care experience as a protected characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation.

• For the council to continue proactively seeking out and listening to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.