(i) Mayor (or person presiding)
(ii) Members of the Cabinet
(iii) Chief Executive
Minutes:
MAYORAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Mayor informed Council that Bridgend County Borough Council recently participated in the national one minute silence held in memory of those who lost their lives during the Tunisian terrorist attack. He added that he was sure that members would agree that now more than ever, we need to show solidarity and support.
He informed Council that he had written to the Tunisian Embassy in London and had received a short but apt response from Ambassador Nabil Ammar that he shared with Members. It read “You have said everything that is to be said in your kind letter of sympathy and support. While expressing to you my deepest condolences for those of your fellow citizens horribly killed and injured, please receive my warmest thanks and best regards.”
The Mayor informed Council that he had recently had a site visit to Parc Prison which involved a royal visit from His Royal Highness Prince Charles who was there to view the prison gardens and the Prince’s Trust project that was seeking to rehabilitate offenders by getting them involved with football. He added that TV royalty was also present in the form of popular presenters Ant and Dec; he further added it was a great opportunity to highlight what important work was taking place to help people stay out of trouble and succeed in life.
The Mayor informed Council that on the 10th July he saw an emotional service held at Heronsbridge School as part of the 2015 National Holocaust Memorial commemorations. He explained that the event was aimed at schools and saw representative pupils from every secondary school in the area meet holocaust survivor Eva Clarke, who spoke about her experiences. He stated that as the theme for this year’s HMD is ‘keeping the memory alive’, a plaque and a tree was planted in the grounds at Heronsbridge and each school received a ‘remembrance stone’ which they were able to write on and place at the foot of the tree. He added that this year was especially relevant as it marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the notorious camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide. He asked that Members joined him in congratulating everyone who played a part in organising the extremely sensitive and moving event.
The Mayor was pleased to confirm that the charities he would be supporting during his mayoral year would be the Bridgend branch of Mental Health Matters Wales, the Guy Chappell Cardio-Respiratory Investigation Unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital, the Bridge Mentoring Plus Scheme and Ysgol Bryn Castell. He added that they are all very worthy causes and was looking forward to raising money on their behalf that will benefit local people in Bridgend County Borough.
Finally, he stated that although it was still July, at the end of the month he had to give the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl a broad idea of how many tickets the Authority would need to set aside for a mayoral charity pantomime performance in December of “Beauty and the Beast”. He informed Members that tickers are £6.50 each and £2 out of every ticket sold for the charity performance will go towards the appeal fund, he added that all Members and their partners/ families would be very welcome to attend and asked if Members could let Mari Major of the Charity Committee know if they would like to attend the performance.
MEMBERS OF THE CABINET:
Deputy Leader
The Deputy Leader informed Council that a number of head teachers were retiring or have moved on, so he would like to publically thank them for making a major difference to the education of hundreds of children in Bridgend County Borough.
· Mrs Andrea Wood was retiring as head of Bryncethin Primary School. Mrs Wood led the amalgamation of the separate infants and junior school, the incorporation of Sarn Nursery and the opening an Early Years Unit. He added she should be very proud of her legacy as children thrive in the successful school and it continued to be extremely popular.
· Mrs Anne Carhart at Maesteg Comprehensive School took over in 2000 and led the school through the difficulty of relocating from split sites to its current purpose–built location. He stated the transformation in quality of resources had been matched by a step in change in teaching and learning with improved outcomes for pupils at the school. He added there had been such a turnaround in Maesteg that it is one of only a handful of hubs in the central south consortium; and schools from across the region travel there to learn best practice. Maesteg is looking forward to another set of record breaking KS4 results this summer, so Anne should be proud of her legacy too.
· Mrs Amanda Stanford was also retiring as head of Mynydd Cynffig Infants ahead of its forthcoming merger with the junior school. Estyn recently praised the school for its excellent learning experiences and invited Amanda to produce a written case study so that other schools across Wales can learn from their example. He added that ‘Excellent’ judgements from Estyn are rare praise as they identify national best practice.
· Mrs Deborah Hiley also left earlier this year after spending 25 years teaching at Cwmfelin, 11 of those years as the head teacher.
· Catherine Archard of Plasnewydd Primary School who is leaving after spending 13 years at the school, 4 of those as head teacher.
The Deputy Leader congratulated Llangewydd Junior School for achieving the National Quality Award for Healthy Schools. He added it was the first time that a junior school in South Wales had won the prestigious award and marked the culmination of six years hard work by teachers, staff, governors and pupils at the school. He added that for the school to achieve the award, the school had to demonstrate how it delivered excellent standards of pupil health and wellbeing by linking issues such as sport, healthy eating, community links, safety, hygiene and more. The award followed the news the school had also recently been presented with a platinum status Green Flag. This is excellent work and a sure sign of the schools commitment towards encouraging pupils to maximise their potential and play active roles within the community.
Cabinet Member Communities
The Cabinet Member Communities informed Members that there had recently been an unpleasant incident occur at a school farm project set up by Abercerdin Primary School. He stated that the police and RSPCA were investigating after one or more individuals entered the farm area which is located close to the school and attacked the children’s pet Muscovy Ducks. The culprits left the remains of the animals to be found at the entrance to the farm. He added that pupils, teachers, governors and staff at the school had been left greatly distressed by the incident and appealed for anyone with information to come forward. The school had been developing the farm project as an educational facility for the children over the last 12 months, and were determined that they will officially open as planned in time for the start of September term, once additional security measures had been introduced. He asked that Members urged the community to come together to share any information they have that may lead to the apprehension of those responsible.
The Cabinet Member Communities stated that between July and October the Council would be consulting over proposals for improving the County Borough’s network of walking and cycling routes. The Active Travel Wales Act 2013 places a legal duty on all local authorities in Wales to produce a 15 year vision for an active travel network. He added that BCBC are currently mapping out the existing local routes and related facilities, such as cycle parking and crossing points with a vision for it to be completed by the end of 2015. Work would then begin on identifying the new active travel routes and facilities that would need to be developed in the future so that local residents would be able to rely less on their cars when making short journeys.
He added that provisions of the Act only applied to certain areas designated by the Welsh Government where it was believed that there is a potential for active travel, and where there are over 2,000 residents. Within BCBC there are nine such areas – Betws, Bridgend, Gilfach Goch, Maesteg, Ogmore Vale, Pencoed, Pontycymmer, Porthcawl and Pyle. He added that BCBC want to encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation by visiting the consultation page on the BCBC website.
Cabinet Member, Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing
The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing asked Members to make their constituents aware that the Authority was finalising plans that would enable children and young people to have access to free holiday play-schemes and activities at a range of locations across the County Borough throughout the summer. He stated that this was being delivered through partnership working with the Town and Community Councils, Communities First, Sport Wales and HALO Leisure, all of which linked in with the Welsh Government’s desire for local authorities to locate a range of play opportunities and make them widely available.
He added that thanks to the Disabled Children’s Team and Barnardos, there would also be specific support for children with disabilities and their families through the Discovery Days Programme. He stated that the programmes would be promoted through social media, the press, BCBC website and community networks.
The Cabinet Member, Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing informed Council that BCBC had teamed up with the RNIB Cymru for an impressive new initiative which helps people with visual impairments to get the most out of modern technology. The Digital Inclusion Service works with the Blind and partially sighted residents to make them aware of how modern smart phones, tablets and other devices feature built-in options designed to make them accessible to all. He added that RNIB officers have been working with the Council’s sensory service which is based at the Trem Y Mor Integrated Centre in Bettws and they are visiting people at home to provide practical demonstrations and ways in which they can retain independence and avoid becoming socially excluded. He added that this was an excellent and worthwhile initiative and would help blind or partially sighted residents ensure that they don’t miss out on all the things that other people benefit from such as online shopping, social media and more.
The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing concluded that on behalf of the Cabinet Member- Regeneration and Economic Development he informed Council that the name of the new not for profit cultural trust would be called Awen Cultural Trust Ltd. He stated the name Awen had been chosen by staff as an ancient Welsh word for artistic inspiration and is extremely appropriate. He added that a fantastic response was received for a call for trustees to join the Cultural Trust and an independent Board had been appointed. He advised the trust will officially come into being this Autumn when they would take over the running of Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion, Maesteg Town Hall, Bryngarw House and Country Park, Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall, the Library Service, some community centres and two work-based projects for adults with disabilities.
Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities
The Cabinet Member for Childrens Social Services and Equalities informed Council that BCBC recently became one of just two councils in Wales to feature on a new interactive map which revealed local authorities that can offer support to young adult carers. The online maps are produced by the Carers Trust and help people discover what services and information are available in their area while also highlighting which Councils are actively working towards supporting young adult carers. She explained that research by the Carers Trust had revealed that even though a caring role can have a negative impact on education, health and life chances, many young adult carers were unaware that help was available to them. BCBC’s inclusion on the map was a significant achievement and was highly useful in reaching out to young adult carers.
The Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services and Equalities informed Council that the Active Young People department recently held a showcase event to celebrate the talent and commitment that exists within the local schools and communities. She stated that local people have achieved great things at a local, regional, national and international level, and that the confidence, capabilities and abilities of the young people to influence the future were key themes of the event. She added that the event featured Paralympic gold medallist and commonwealth games captain Aled Sion Davies MBE, Karis Thomas who starred in TVs the Voice and the Pencoed tumbling and gymnastics club as well as Funk Force Dance. She added there were special awards for Paralympian wheelchair rugby coach Paul Jenkins and his contribution to the Invictus Games as well as the lifetime achievements of Olympian and Marathon man, Steve Brace. She stated the event also had a special focus on how the local leadership pathway was engaged and inspiring looked after children and young people with disabilities and demonstrated that the Borough has much to be proud of.
The Cabinet Member for Childrens Social Services and Equalities informed Members that Colin Turner, Head of Safeguarding and Family Support would be leaving the Authority at the end of the month to pursue new opportunities, and that the current meeting of Council would be his final meeting. She stated that Colin had been with the Authority for over 6 years and had done sterling work leading and developing the department in providing services in support of children in need, their families and communities, safeguarding children in need of protection and securing the best possible outcomes for looked after children. She added that a serious concern protocol imposed by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales was lifted soon after he joined the Authority. She further added that he had played a major role in developing continuous improvements in the service, delivering year on year in terms of positive outcomes and performance. The Head of Safeguarding and Family Support added that he felt his time with the Authority had been a hugely positive one and assured the Chief Executive that he is leaving in the knowledge that the service is in safe hands. The Cabinet Member for Childrens Social Services thanked Colin for his contributions and wished him the very best for his future endeavours.
Cabinet Member Resources
The Cabinet member Resources reminded Members that they should submit their completed annual reports using their BCBC email address by the first week of August. He added that the reports would then be checked for formatting prior to publication on the BCBC website.
The Cabinet Member Resources stated that due to the meeting of Extraordinary Council on 7 July 2015 the first child sexual exploitation awareness session had to be cancelled. He added that the second session was scheduled for 16 July 2015 at 2pm and would go ahead as planned. He stated that the session would provide members with information on child sexual exploitation and would cover issues such as risk indicators and the grooming process. He added that it would also explain the process for dealing with concerns regarding a child or young person at risk of sexual exploitation, including the local context and how this links to the All Wales Child Protection Procedure, he added if necessary, further sessions would be arranged for a future date.
The Cabinet Member Resources reminded Members about the email they had received from Member Services about the Canon printers. He informed Members that their new ID cards would now work but asked them to assign their cards before they used them, he asked if they had any problems, to see Kevin or Sian in Member services who would be happy to assist them.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE:
The Chief Executive updated members on the transformation agenda. He stated that a major part of the work was to relocate staff to refurbished office accommodation at the Civic Offices and dispose of surplus council buildings. He added the aim is to use space in such a way that it enables the Authority to work in a more efficient manner while securing significant and ongoing financial savings that won’t fundamentally impact on the Authority’s frontline services. He advised Members that as part of the ongoing initiative and the refurbishment work in the Civic Offices nearing its completion, the Authority are making plans for the Ravens Court building to be available on the open market so it can be let as prime town centre office space. He added that this would require the majority of staff that are based at Ravens Court to relocate to the Civic Offices and Sunnyside House once an occupier for Ravens Court is found.
The Chief Executive stated that Ravens Court has been under-occupied for some time so letting the building would mark a significant step forward in the Authority’s plans for saving money and increasing efficiency by reducing how much office space the Authority uses. He explained that as part of the process, a project team will be established which will feature service area representatives who will work with and support directors, heads of service and managers to ensure that all relevant issues can be addressed. He advised Members that he would keep them updated with information as the situation develops.
The Chief Executive announced that Members may like to advise their constituents that the Council has invited more local residents to come and share their views and help improve the Authority’s service by signing up for the Citizens Panel. The panel currently has around 1,700 members; he stated that it is a simple mechanism that greatly helps to inform the Authority’s decisions. He added that Panel Members are asked to anonymously complete three to four short surveys per year on a range of subjects from customer service to how informative the Authority’s website is. To be eligible to join the Citizens Panel, people must live in Bridgend County Borough and be aged over 16. He added that becoming a member of the panel is a great way of the public to make their voice heard on local issues and council services, he urged members to encourage more of their constituents to sign up.
The Chief Executive stated that Members had already been made aware of the Head of Safeguarding was leaving the Authority. He announced to Council that the Authority had successfully secured Catherine Parry as an interim Head of Safeguarding who will be joining the Authority on 20 July 2015 which will allow for a short overlap and handover with the current head of safeguarding. He added that Catherine has a strong background in children’s services and operations and was confident she would work well with the Authority. He informed Members that the assessment centre for the permanent head of service appointment was set for 16 July and interviews would take place on 17 July.