(i)            Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii)           Members of the Cabinet

(iii)          Chief Executive

Mayor

 

The Mayor announced that one of his aims for his Mayoral year was to visit different faith groups to demonstrate our support for the multi-cultural society in which we now live. He explained he had the pleasure of visiting the Cardiff Synagogue recently as a guest and observer. He was made extremely welcome and found the whole experience both moving and fascinating.  He was privileged to witness the recitation of the Jewish Prayer for the Dead - the Kaddish - which was recited in honour of Remembrance Sunday. This was a memorable experience and one of the highlights of his year so far. The Mayor added that he had invited Rabbi Michoel Rose and members of his congregation to visit Bridgend and he looked forward to hosting them soon. He was also shortly due to visit the Salvation Army, and was currently liaising with the Muslim Association to arrange a visit to the mosque in Aberkenfig

 

As Christmas was advancing fast the Mayor had pleasure in announcing that as part of the charity fundraising, he and the Mayoress would be hosting a “Nearly Christmas Dinner” on the evening of the 20 December at the Heronston Hotel. Tickets were £21 per person and Kate Thomas had kindly agreed to speak about her experiences during her time as Lord Lieutenant. He added he aimed to make the dinner a lovely and enjoyable evening and would be honoured if Members would join him. Tickets were available via his charity committee – and added that he appreciated Members support, whether it was attending events, donating prizes or purchasing raffle tickets.

 

The Mayor confirmed to Members that as agreed at the last Council meeting, he had written as Chair of Council to Prime Minister David Cameron expressing the Council’s opinion that the UK Government should abandon the Trade Union Bill and make a commitment to work in partnership with the Trade Union movement to achieve a fairer society.  He added that he had received a response to say that the correspondence was under consideration.

 

Finally, the Mayor informed Members that the Council had recently lost two former councillors and past mayors. Bill Burt sadly passed away not long after he and the Mayoress had recently of visited him at Bryn-y-Cae where he was delighted to receive his Ogwr mayoral portrait. The Mayor added that he was a gentleman to the core, and would be greatly missed. His funeral would be held on Monday 30 November at 2.15pm at Coychurch Crematorium and the Mayor was honoured that the family had asked him to say a few words about Bill. He further added that all were welcome at the funeral and later at the Mason’s Arms in Bryncethin.  The Mayor also passed on the sad news that Granville Walters had died last weekend. Glan, as he was known, was the second Mayor of BCBC and a long serving Councillor and community Councillor, his funeral would be held on 2 December at Coychurch Crematorium.  The Leader informed members that he had written to the families of Bill Burt and Glan Walters on behalf of Council expressing their sadness and sympathy.  Members and Officers of Council stood for a one minute silence in remembrance of their former colleagues. 

 

Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Regulatory Services

 

The Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Regulatory Services stated that the political balance of Council would be reviewed at the next meeting following the election of new Councillor Daneesha Patel.

 

He also informed members that the Budget Cabinet meeting of 23 February 2016 would be moved to 1 March 2016 and the Budget Council meeting of 2 March 2016 would be moved to 10 March 2016

 

MEMBERS OF THE CABINET

     Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy Leader began by sharing some good news with members that Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School in Brackla no longer requires monitoring.  Inspectors had deemed that the school had made good progress since 2013 in addressing a series of key recommendations for improving performance at key stages three and four, boosting pupil attendance, and enhancing both the quality of teaching and the consistency of provision for developing pupil skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum.

 

The Deputy Leader added that elsewhere, Abercerdin Primary had won a platinum Eco-Schools award for their efforts which included a school farm, and the governing body at Maesteg Comprehensive had been awarded a bronze mark of quality from the Welsh Government and ADEW.

 

The Deputy Leader thanked the head teacher, governors, teachers and staff at the school for their efforts and congratulated them on delivering the improvements.

 

The Deputy Leader announced that six local schools had been selected to help pioneer the development of an innovative new curriculum that would be taught across Wales from 2021. Oldcastle Primary School, Heronsbridge School, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant, Mynydd Cynffig Primary, Pencoed Comprehensive School and Maesteg Comprehensive School would be among those leading on the design of the new curriculum, while Maesteg would also be looking at teachers’ training requirements and workloads so that they were given all the necessary support.  The schools would be working as part of an all-Wales partnership with local authorities, regional consortia, Estyn, leading academics, employers, Welsh Government and other key stakeholders.  A significant feature of the new curriculum was the removal of the current ‘key stages’ to try and create a more seamless progression through school for all pupils.

The new curriculum would also incorporate a number of exciting new developments that were particularly suitable for the modern world – for example, ‘digital competence’ would join literacy and numeracy as key elements that teachers would be expected to weave into all lessons across the curriculum, and there would also be a greater emphasis on health and wellbeing.  The Deputy Leader added that he was looking forward to seeing the new curriculum develop and was sure that all six schools would play a full role in the delivery. 

 

Cabinet Member Communities

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities announced that the communities of Porthcawl and Bryncethin had some excellent news recently after the Big Lottery Fund awarded them £50,000 each to develop proposals that if successful were likely to deliver a range of benefits for many generations to come.  He stated that the Porthcawl Harbourside CIC project aimed to establish an all-weather community asset and visitor attraction by constructing a five-storey Maritime Centre within the town’s harbour quarter using a leasehold transfer of land from Bridgend County Borough Council.   With a strong focus on coastal science and maritime-related history, sport, fitness, leisure, community learning and employment opportunities, the project had been invited to develop a stage two application to the CAT2 programme.

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities informed Council that Bryncethin Community group had been invited to submit a stage two application for their plans to leasehold transfer the local sports pavilion and a large area of land from the Council as well as the former clay pits site.  Their proposal involved the creation of three new full-size football / rugby pitches, a cricket pitch, new allotments, a community growing area, a lake suitable for fishing and kayaking, a mountain bike route, a health and wellbeing trail, a camping site and a community building featuring changing rooms, a large activity space, a commercial kitchen, meeting facilities and more.  If the second stage bids were successful, both projects stood to receive grant funding of up to £1,150,000.

 

The Cabinet Member- Communities stated he was pleased to see that Bridgend County Borough had generated not one but two of the seven projects selected by the Big Lottery Fund across Wales, and this aptly demonstrated how the Council and local organisations were working closely together to find new, alternative ways of delivering services for our communities.

 

Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care & Health & Wellbeing

 

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care & Health & Wellbeing stated that Members may want to let constituents know about the Shared Lives scheme, which the Authority had been promoting recently. This was run by care organisation Ategi in partnership with the Council and let people who have been assessed by Social Services as needing help with accommodation to live with Shared Lives carers instead of within a care home. It was of particular help for vulnerable and disabled adults including people with mental health issues, acquired brain injuries, physical disabilities and older people. Shared Lives carers receive full training, on-going support and good rates of pay, and they do an outstanding job which delivered a significant contribution to the community. The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care & Health & Wellbeing advised that further information about the Shared Lives scheme was available by visiting www.ategi.org.uk

 

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care & Health & Wellbeing asked if Members knew of any young wheelchair users in their community, they might like to let them know about local opportunities for wheelchair rugby sessions. These had been organized by the Active Young People department in partnership with the organization, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, and a taster session was recently held at Bryncethin Sports Centre which gave people the chance to try their hand at the recognized Paralympic sport. The Authority’s Disability Sports Officer works closely with local schools and communities to identify ways in which we can help disabled people in the county borough enjoy keeping active, so anyone who would like to find out more can do so by calling 01656 815220 or emailing aypd@bridgend.gov.uk

 

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care & Health & Wellbeing added that members may have seen that the Welsh Government had recently announced that all landlords and agents of private residential property in Wales were now required to be registered or licenced following a change in the law.  He advised that it was essentially intended to prevent rogue landlords and agents from letting and managing properties in Wales, he added that the new Rent Smart scheme would raise awareness among landlords, agents and tenants about their respective rights and responsibilities.  Landlords and agents have one year to comply with the new scheme before any action is taken. More information was available from the website www.rentsmart.gov.wales or by calling 03000 133344.

 

 

Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities

 

The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities advised members about an innovative new campaign set up by The Girls Network called ‘Pass It On’ which seemed very apt the season of goodwill was fast approaching. The campaign focused on encouraging people to be more active and healthy by urging participants to pick three good deeds that could be passed on to others to help improve health and wellbeing in communities across Bridgend County Borough. Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities stated that it was initially set up to improve participation in physical activity among young girls and women, but had been expanded as the Girls Network also wanted to encourage members of the community to get on board and ‘pass it on’.

 

The scheme was very simple and could involve something small like befriending someone who has low self-esteem, or inviting a friend to go to an exercise class. In return, they would do the same for three other people, and so on.  The Girls Network was set up by Bridgend County Borough’s Active Young People Department and is largely made up of girls from comprehensive schools across the county borough, as well as other representatives such as the group’s ambassador, Bridgend-based Olympian Helen Jenkins.  The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities added that this was a real ‘feel-good’ campaign, and although it had been set up to increase the number of girls taking part in physical activity, the authority invited anyone to get involved, as it encouraged all to think about the wellbeing of others to improve lives in our communities.  More information was available by calling 01656 815223 or emailing aypd@bridgend.gov.uk  ‘Pass It On’ was also active across social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  Members were advised that for further information they could speak to Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities for further details.

 

The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities stated that this year’s White Ribbon campaign was encouraging people to speak out about domestic abuse through a special social media campaign. The campaign featured a large speech bubble which people could use to give their thoughts on the issue of domestic abuse and issue it to Calan DVS across Facebook and Twitter.  Calan DVS would then collate and promote the various messages and images that they receive. The White Ribbon campaign would tie in closely with the No-Vember campaign, which was also being organised by Calan DVS, and urged members to give both their full support.

 

The Cabinet Member Childrens Social Services and Equalities stated that members may want to lend their support to this year’s Bridge FM Toy Appeal which had been organised by the station in association with the Co-Operative and HMP & YOI Parc. In order to participate members would need to buy a new toy and drop it off at a Co-Op store in Brackla, Cowbridge, Llantwit, Margam, Pencoed, Pontycymmer, Porthcawl or at Pyle Petrol Station. The station would arrange for the toy to be collected, wrapped and distributed to children who may otherwise not receive anything on Christmas morning.  Members could find out more information at the Bridge FM website.

 

Cabinet Member Resources

 

The Cabinet Member Resources advised members that the pre-Council presentation in December would be on the theme of the Local Transport Plan, and had already been scheduled into member’s calendars.   He added that its aim was to make members more familiar with the purpose and rationale of the plan. It would explain the process of preparation, and give an overview of the Authority’s responsibilities and funding which Members should find very useful and informative.

The Cabinet Member Resources advised that Swansea Council would be hosting a half day regional information session on Gypsies and Travellers on the morning of Wednesday 9December.  The course aimed to ensure that elected members fully understood their responsibilities to gypsy traveller communities under the new Housing (Wales) Act 2014 and Equality Act 2010.   The Cabinet Member Resources advised that if there was sufficient interest, transport would be provided from the Civic Offices. He asked Members to therefore confirm their attendance with Democratic Services as soon as possible so they could make the necessary arrangements.

The Cabinet Member Resources advised that members will have received an email from Gary Jones regarding Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.  He asked if members could indicate to Gary via email whether they required an assessment so that it could be arranged as a matter of priority.

Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development

The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development announced that together with the Bridgend Tourism Association, Bridgend County Borough Council was looking to recruit 30 volunteers who love their local coastline and countryside so much that they could act as tourism ambassadors for the area.  He added that whenever people plan weekend breaks or holidays these days, they scour online reviews to pick up hints and tips of the best places to stay and things to do. The ambassador programme takes that a step further, giving potential visitors a chance to call up a friendly group of people who know the area better than anyone.
The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development added that the Authority were looking for people who worked either inside or outside of the tourism industry – their most important attributes would be their enthusiasm, passion for the area and ability to shout about it to others.  He hoped that members would spread word about this new initiative throughout local communities and that anyone who wanted further information could contact Tracy James Lieberman on tracyjlevents@gmail.com or by calling 077 73 804 470.

 

The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development advised that the official launch of the Porthcawl Townscape Heritage Initiative took place last week at the Jennings Building, and doubted that we could have found a more appropriate historic venue than the Grade II listed former harbourside warehouse. The THI scheme was making a total of £1.3 million available between 2014 and 2019 to renovate and refurbish buildings within the historic heart of Porthcawl, and was already transforming the likes of the Customs House and Pilot Tower.

With the launch, Bridgend County Borough was officially one of just two areas in the whole of the UK to have successfully established five different THI schemes, so there was much to feel proud of.

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive stated that Chancellor George Osbourne had outlined details of the UK Governments first comprehensive spending review since 2010 and autumn statement earlier in the afternoon.  He added that the subsequent debate and analysis was still infolding and would require close scrutiny, but significant developments included the scrapping of plans to phase out working tax credits, no cuts to the police budget and extra funding for the NHS and mental health services.

 

The Chief Executive also advised that the Chancellor had also announced plans for local authorities to levy a social care precept of up to two per cent in Council tax and has stated that he intends to deliver welfare savings of £12 billion in full and move the UK towards a national living wage. 

 

The Chief Executive advised that in terms of education in England, plans were still going ahead for a new national funding formula for schools as part of what the chancellor had described as being a total financial support package of £10billion.  He added that some analysts had estimated that local government funding in England would be cut by £7 billion over the next few years.  How Wales’ budget would change remained unclear, but there were plans to establish a Welsh “funding floor” which would reportedly guarantee funding of £115 for every £100 spent in England.  The block grant to Wales would apparently be almost £15 billion by 2019/20, and income tax powers be partially devolved. 

 

The Chief Executive added that Capital spending looked set to rise by more than £900million over five years.  Business rates would be reformed to enable Councils to keep any revenue generated, and the uniform business rates would be scrapped.  The Chancellor had also advised that Councils would be able to keep 100 per cent of any receipts they receive from the sale of assets while a rate relief scheme for small businesses would be extended for another year.  

 

The Chief Executive informed Council that of particular interest from the spending review was that UK Government funding has been committed toward the City Deal for the Cardiff Capital Region, although no figure was announced. The Chief Executive added that a large part of the announcement focussed on how the Chancellor planned to double the housing budget to £2billion a year in order to generate 400,000 affordable new homes to rent and buy by 2020 and how the right to buy would be extended to tenants of housing associations. 

 

The Chief Executive added that in more general terms, departmental spending had been cut by 37% on transport, 17% on business, 20% on Culture and 15% on the Environment.  He further added that the above was just a quick flavour of what was announced before the meeting of Council commenced and was awaiting to see what further information would be revealed and that the potential implications for Wales would be. 

 

The Chief Executive stated that Members would have seen an announcement from Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews regarding the latest status of proposals for possible local government reorganisation in Wales where he spoke of the publication of the Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill, the likely cost of mergers and what level of long-term savings could be achieved.  He stated that at this stage the proposed merger of Bridgend County Borough Council with Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taff is still high on the table, although it was of course important to note that the proposal remained in a draft form and may be subject to further change.  He added that BCBC were examining the assumed costs and savings in greater detail, but as the draft bill run to 600 pages and looked at more than just plans for reorganisation BCBC were also studying it to establish its full scope and potential implications for the future of local government.  The Chief Executive further added that as the Authority were still a long way off the creation of any new authorities he had reminded staff of the importance of remaining focussed on taking Bridgend County Borough Council forward in the face of the need to deliver budget reductions of at least £50 over the next few years.