(i) Mayor (or person presiding)
(ii) Members of the Cabinet
(iii) Chief Executive
Minutes:
MAYORAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Mayor announced that he and the Mayoress had hosted the Stroke Club’s coffee morning in Evergreen Hall recently and were happy to support the start of their ‘Give a Hand’ campaign which is up and running this half-term week. The campaign invites locals to take part in a range of fundraising activities, by only using their ‘other’ hand – the one they normally would not use. Further information was available online at give.stroke.org.uk/giveahand. He stated that this was a fun campaign to raise awareness of a serious subject which affects so many by using the hand which you would not normally use, which puts into perspective challenges faced by stroke sufferers daily. The Mayor stated that the Stroke Association provide wonderful support for stroke survivors during rehabilitation, and he was personally delighted to ‘Give a Hand’ to support this initiative. The Mayor thanked Karyl Carter and her team for the amazing work they do, and he congratulated her once again for her award of the BEM in the last Mayoral year.
The Mayor announced that the Mayor’s Parlour had once again hosted official British Empire Medal presentations. Kate Thomas, Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan, on behalf of the Queen, awarded Town Councillor and Past Bridgend Borough Mayor, Doug John, his medal for services to the community in Pencoed and to Mrs Jean Schofield, her medal as Chair, of the Porthcawl Branch Kidney Research Unit for Wales Foundation for services to kidney research. He stated that it had been a wonderful afternoon and as Mayor was proud to offer use of the Parlour for such an auspicious occasion, and to be part of honouring these special Bridgend citizens.
The Mayor also announced that following the success of the recent Bridgend Business Awards a schedule was being drawn up to visit the local companies and he was looking forward to meeting winners and their teams during the next few months.
The Mayor announced that he and the Mayoress had attended Dixie Dean’s annual Poppy Concert last week which was a very moving event and was honoured that he was asked to speak. He stated that those who had died and were wounded in conflicts from the First World War up to the present will be remembered on Sunday 8th November in Bridgend Town Centre to lay wreaths on behalf of Bridgend County Borough. He felt certain that many would also be gathering at local memorials to give their thanks too. He hoped that everyone would take a moment on Wednesday 11th November to remember the 11th hour of the 11th day together.
The Mayor also announced that he would be hosting a Charity Luncheon at The Great House, Laleston on Friday 30 October 2015. Tickets for the event were available from Councillor Marlene Thomas or Mari Major. Huw Irranca-Davies MP would be speaking and Janice Gregory AM has kindly offered to compere.
MEMBERS OF THE CABINET
Deputy Leader
The Deputy Leader announced that today marks a significant step in the third phase of our School Modernisation programme as the Council has taken delivery of the all new Coety Primary School, a £7.3m state of the art facility which has been constructed by Bouygues UK within the Parc Derwen housing development less than a mile away from the school’s old location. The school had been funded through the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools programme and Section 106 contributions; the new school is twice the size of its predecessor and will cater for more than 400 pupils, including nursery-age children. He stated that pupils will enter their new classrooms for the first time on Monday morning and see for themselves its fantastic new facilities, which have been designed to BREEAM Excellent standards to lead the way in terms of being sustainable and energy efficient. Plans are also in place to make the school’s facilities available to the wider community and an official opening will take place soon.
He thanked everyone who has helped to reach this important milestone, and he was confident that this superb new school will provide a first-class learning environment for many future generations of local children.
The Deputy Leader also announced that the Council recently learned that St Mary’s and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School came out of Estyn monitoring recently. This news follows a 2014 inspection report which found that most pupils at the school have made good progress, that provision for those with additional learning needs is good, and that many pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills effectively. The report found teaching to be of good quality throughout the school, with good standards of behaviour and provision for pupils’ wellbeing, and also praised head teacher Jackie Phillips for having raised expectations to tackle underachievement. He congratulated teachers, staff, pupils and governors at the school for their hard work and efforts to deliver this extremely positive result.
Cabinet Member Communities
The Cabinet Member Communities announces that he was extremely happy to confirm that work to ensure the Bridgend town centre A473 inner bypass bridge remains safe for drivers to use has been completed. He stated that this was a major project that had to be carried out in phases after structural surveys revealed the well-used town centre bridge was in need of urgent maintenance if it was to remain safe and durable for the future. The project was funded through the Welsh Government’s LGBI highways improvement initiative, the work involved repairs to parapets and concrete supports, replacing the bridge bearings, installing additional drainage and providing improved street lighting, waterproofing and road surfacing, while keeping traffic moving through the town as freely as possible.
A great deal of the work took place below deck as well as on top of the bridge, and required several contraflow systems to be established plus a temporary closure of the junction with Merthyr Mawr Road. To minimise disruption, much of the work was timed to take place during the school summer holiday periods, and care was also taken to avoid carrying out work during key trading periods such as Christmas. As a result of the work, we have been able to ensure that the town centre inner bypass bridge remains safe for drivers to use in the years ahead. He thanked all officers who helped deliver this complex project as well as local residents for their patience and understanding.
Cabinet Member Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing
The Cabinet Member Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing announced that there are less than six months left to go before the new Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act comes into force in April 2016. The new Act is designed to give people more choice and control over what support they receive, so the council is already working with partners to prepare for the implications of the Act. People with learning disabilities will have more choice over what they do during day services provided at centres across the County Borough. The Council has been working with organisations such as DRIVE, Mirus, Trinity Care and Cartrefi Cymru to create high quality alternatives for those who want them. Some of these alternatives include musical workshops, arts and craft sessions, sports events, exercise and well-being activities, lunch clubs and much more. He stated that the Council plans to expand the range of opportunities available locally and give people with learning disabilities and other adults who may find these activities beneficial a chance to pursue particular interests within a supportive environment. Further updates will be forthcoming to ensure that people are aware of what opportunities are available within their communities; residents would be informed about what the new Act will mean for them over the next six months.
Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities
The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities announced that this week marks a national awareness campaign in recognition of the sons and daughters of families who foster and who welcome other children into their homes. She stated that the Council is supporting Sons and Daughters week as it is not just adults who play an important role in fostering. Many foster carers have their own children who share their homes, toys, and above all, their parents with other young people in need of support, and they sometimes have to cope with difficult and challenging behaviour.
Fostering has a huge impact on the whole household, and it was extremely important that sons and daughters are recognised and celebrated as they play a crucial role in helping foster children settle into a new home, as well as providing support for the most vulnerable children in the County Borough. Many people who may be interested in fostering express concerns about how it might affect their own children. To mark the week and help put their minds at ease, a series of videos have been made available on the Council’s website featuring the children of local foster carers. The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities strongly recommended that Members watch them as they offer an excellent insight into the important roles that these children play in the fabric of the community.
Cabinet Member Resources
The Cabinet member Resources informed Members that a pre-Council presentation in November will be on the Local Transport Plan. He stated that numerous interesting requests for future topics for Pre-Council Briefings had been received, however if Members have any additional topics they would be considered and prioritised by the Democratic Services Committee at its meeting in November and requests for consideration should be directed to the Head of Democratic Services.
He also announced that details of the Members who have completed their annual reports for publication have been reported to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales as requested by the Minister for Public Services. Any outstanding reports can be submitted to Democratic Services for publication.
The Cabinet Member Resources announced that 11 Personal Development Reviews (PDRs) have been completed and received by the Head of Democratic Services to date. He stated that PDRs are carried out as part of a peer review process and to help assess any training opportunities that could be included in the Member Development Programme and he recommended that it would be beneficial for Members to engage in the process.
The Cabinet Member Resources also announced that the Democratic Services Committee would be considering the Draft Annual Report from the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales at its meeting on 5 November 2015. The draft report proposes changes to the remuneration of elected members in 2016-17which has been circulated to all Members for information by the Head of Democratic Services. He stated that any Members wishing to express their views as part of the consultation process should contact the Chairperson of the Democratic Services Committee or the Head of Democratic Services.
Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development
The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development announced that the Council has written to all town and community councils to inform them that on 1 November 2015 it intends to close public toilets identified during the recent consultation and review. Town and community councils have also informed them that if they so wish, they can take over the running of these facilities from this date under licence from the authority until such time as a full community asset transfer is in place. In the longer term, the Council is also continuing to discuss options for asset transferring closed toilet facilities across to town and community councils who may not currently be in a position to take them on. He stated that the Council would much rather be opening public toilets instead of closing them, but it had to be realistic about the financial situation it faced and the options that are available as a direct result of this.
The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development also announced that he was very happy to report that that Cornelly Community Council has agreed to take on the cleaning of the public toilets located at Kenfig National Nature Reserve, and that these facilities are going to remain open at this very popular visitor destination. He thanked thank the community council for working so closely with on this difficult issue as it offered a model for what can be achieved when it works in partnership together. He also stated that talks with other community councils are ongoing, and he hoped to bring further good news for very soon.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The Chief Executive informed Members that the Council has a growing social media presence and it is actively working to develop this as an important way of interacting with
local residents. The Council’s Twitter page was launched in 2012 and has more than 6,000 followers, while the Facebook page went live in 2014 and currently has more than 3,500 ‘likes’. He stated that social media is becoming increasingly important as a means of enabling two-way communication between the Council and its stakeholders, and last year it tested the water with a live Twitter debate in which he made himself available to answer questions directly.
The Chief Executive informed Council that the exercise had just been repeated for 2015 and he was happy to report some significant developments. Firstly, the total number of views for the debate rose from just over 23,000 to more than 38,000, which was an overall increase of 63 per cent on last year. The number of people directly contacting by this means rose from 28 to 119, and the number of people that the Council was able to refer directly to information that they were seeking went up from 38 to 153.
He stated that the first Facebook debate also went very well and allowed more detailed responses to be provided. This attracted 10,211 views and 152 comments. He stated that this was not easy as people were not afraid of giving officers a hard time and stating exactly what they thought. However individuals were reached who may not otherwise interact with the Council and were able to encourage a large number of them to take part in the budget consultation.
The Chief Executive stated that a number of additional themes emerged during both of the debates such as regeneration, road safety outside schools, public toilet provision and suggestions for how the Council can save money in future. Overall, the debates attracted high levels of engagement, and there seemed to be positive sentiment among everyone who took part and an appetite for more engagement of this sort.
He stated that inroads were continuing to be made into social media and the Council’s new YouTube channel would be promoted soon and he would bring further updates as this develops.