The Leader informed the Forum that he had agreed to the Chief Executive making a presentation to the Forum on the subject of Local Government reorganisation.

            The Chief Executive made a presentation to the Forum on proposals on the future of local government in Wales.  He stated that the Williams Commission had been set up to look at public services in Wales, how they could be improved, simplified, be more transparent and give greater value for money.  The Welsh Government had introduced proposals via a White Paper to reduce the number of Councils from 22 to 12, with the preference based on the recommendations of the Williams Commission.  The Welsh Government had sought to encourage voluntary mergers and the extension of existing council terms to May 2018 and would introduce a Bill in January 2015 to deal with enabling voluntary mergers.

            The Chief Executive informed the Forum that the Welsh Government’s proposed preferred model, which is based on the Williams Commission proposals would see Bridgend merging with Neath Port Talbot Council.  However, the Welsh Government had also invited expressions of interest by the end of November from Councils wishing to merge earlier through voluntary mergers.  He stated that Bridgend County Borough Council is in a unique position geographically in South Wales in that it straddles both South East and South West Wales.  He informed the Forum that Bridgend had historically looked towards the South East, but had also developed strong links with Neath Port Talbot and Swansea Councils to the West through the Western Bay Partnership, which relates to Social Care Services.  In considering a merger, the Council would need to consider service considerations such as the economy and development; education; social care; other partners and the impact on Council Tax. 

            The Chief Executive informed the Forum of the strong links which the Council had developed with local authorities in South East Wales, to its relationship with the Cardiff City region in terms of travel to work, housing regeneration and transport links.  The Chief Executive stated that whilst there is a Swansea City region, the Council had not been part of that.

            The Chief Executive informed the Forum that on balance a merger to the East would be more beneficial due to the Central South Consortium.  The school systems in Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan were the same school systems with sixth form education, as opposed to Neath Port Talbot which had a tertiary model of education.  He stated that the Council has a priority to improve schools and on balance a merger to the east was more beneficial.

            The Chief Executive informed the Forum that the Council had adopted a model of children’s and adult social care being in separate directorates, however this was not a common model as Neath Port Talbot and the Vale of Glamorgan had combined social care directorates.  He stated that the Council is part of the Health and Social Care integration with Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Councils and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, known as the Western Bay Region and it had through the Western Bay Programme developed Community Health, Bridgend Hospital and locality approaches and on balance in terms of social care a merger to the rest would be more beneficial.  The Chief Executive informed the Forum that in terms of Policing, Criminal Justice and Community Safety and the Fire Service a merger to the east would be more beneficial.  In terms of policing, the Council was part of the same BCU with the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend was part of the South Wales Fire Authority, whereas if it merged to the West it would be part of an area where there was a different Fire Authority however, in terms of health provision, a merger to the West would be more beneficial as the ABMU Health Board served Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea Councils.

            The Chief Executive illustrated the potential impact on council tax band D figures of a merger to the East and West and that according to very raw data it would suggest that a merger to the East would be more beneficial to council tax payers.

            A Member of the Forum commented that the recommendations of the Williams Commission were contrary to the analysis of the Officers for a preferred voluntary merger to the East.  The Chief Executive informed the Forum that the proposals by the Williams Commission were based on health board boundaries across Wales; however this Council’s boundary was part of the Police and Fire authority’s boundaries which Neath Port Talbot and Swansea were not part of.  The Leader informed the Forum that the Williams Commission proposals were predicated on Health Authority boundaries but there were no proposals to change existing local authority boundaries. 

            A Member of the Forum expressed concern at the potential impact of local government reorganisation on funding organisations in the third sector.  The Chief Executive informed the Forum that there did not seem an obvious driver for a merger to either East or West in terms of working with the third sector, however there was a need to ensure whichever model was eventually implemented that the Council could work with the third sector.

            The Leader informed the Forum that the Welsh Government did not have any proposals to alter the boundaries of existing local authorities and there would be whole mergers.  A Member of the Forum considered that the consensus of opinion in Maesteg would be for a preference to merge to the West due to its proximity to Neath and Port Talbot.  The Leader informed the Forum that there would be a period of consultation for the merger proposals.

            A Member of the Forum expressed concern at the impact on Health and Social Services should a merger take place towards the East.  The Chief Executive informed the Forum that there is already in existence a health and social care integration agenda and that the Health Boards could adapt and change as local government changed.

            Concern was expressed by a Member of the Forum at the possibility of over complicating collaboration and that there was already in existence substantial collaboration to the West with the Western Bay Health and Social Care programme which had seen economies of scale being achieved.  The Chief Executive informed the Forum that the Council had two distinct footprints and there was a need to balance what was best for Bridgend.