(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Mayor

The Mayor welcomed all to the meeting and advised that the meeting would be the first full Council meeting to be webcast which marked a significant milestone in the Council’s efforts to improve democratic access, transparency and accountability. 

The Mayor announced that he was pleasantly surprised to be asked to take part in BBC Radio One’s “The Mayor of Where?” recently.  This was a feature on the Greg James radio show where Greg and newsreader Chris Smith took turns to ask questions with the aim of working out which area he represented.  He stated that his accent helped narrow it down a bit and it wasn’t long before they guessed his “mayor-abouts”!

Last year the Mayor was fortunate to be invited to Cardiff Synagogue to witness a moving service of remembrance.  He extended an invitation for Rabbi Rose and members of his congregation to visit Bridgend County Borough, and they travelled down to join himself and  his Consort last week.  He added that it was a very productive and enjoyable visit and he wasn’t just saying that because they brought kosher welsh cakes with them!

The Mayor marked this years’ St David’s Day by attending a service organised by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff earlier this month, and also visited Oldcastle Primary where pupils held a week-long appreciation of welsh Culture.  He was delighted to talk to the children about his role as Mayor and see some of the projects that they had produced.

The Mayor announced that School visits to the Civic Offices were continuing and Brynteg Comprehensive recently joined the Mayor to ask questions on various topics.  He stated that the events were hugely informative and were a great way to engage with the younger members of the community and to help broaden their knowledge of local democracy. 

Finally, the Mayor thanked the choir and pupils of Heronsbridge and Llangewydd Junior School who supported his charity fundraising with an event called “an Evening of Entertainment and Enjoyment”.  He added that he and his Consort were delighted with the professionalism of the children and they both had a lovely evening.

Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader announced that he was delighted to report that the percentage of pupils in Bridgend County Borough who were persistently absent from school had fallen below the Welsh average for the second year in a row.  Persistently absent pupils were those children who missed at least a fifth of the half-day sessions that they should attend during a school year.

The latest stats showed that 1.1% of local primary school pupils were persistently absent during 2014/15, compared to the Welsh average of 1.4%
In secondary schools, 3.5% of local pupils were persistently absent which was well below the Welsh average of 4.5% .  The Deputy Leader stated that the results meant that persistent absenteeism at primary schools in Bridgend County Borough had fallen by 1.6% during the last three years, while the secondary school figure had fallen by 3.7% over the same period.

When compared to the rest of Wales, Bridgend County Borough was ranked as the joint fifth lowest for persistent absence among primary school pupils, and the seventh lowest for persistent absence in secondary schools.

The Deputy Leader added that usually, with school performance statistics the Authority were striving to achieve the highest percentage scores, but with persistent absence stats, aim to be as low as possible!

The Deputy Leader stated that it was very pleasing to see the percentage of pupils who were persistently absent falling again this year. Regular attendance is a crucial ingredient for ensuring success at school, and the most recent school attendance figures also make pleasant reading, with the attendance rates for both primary and secondary schools firmly above the Welsh averages.

Finally, the Deputy Leader stated that a lot of work had been carried out by BCBC education welfare officers and other family support staff to assist schools in identifying children who were demonstrating signs of poor attendance, and helping them to tackle and overcome any problems or obstacles.

Cabinet Member Communities

The Cabinet Member Communities advised that if you were walking through Newbridge Fields in Bridgend over the next week, you would notice that there was work being carried out near the steps by Glanogwr Road to remove some diseased trees.  He stated that around a dozen elm trees that were suffering from the ongoing effects of Dutch elm disease were being removed, as well as one large popular tree.  The work started on Monday 7 March and involved the steps and ramp being closed at times for safety reasons during the ten to fifteen days it would take to complete the work. 

He added that as well as the trees that needed to be removed due to concerns over their future safety, a number of other mature trees in the area would have maintenance work carried out on them to remove dead, low growing and crossing branches

Cabinet Member Adult Social and Care Health and Wellbeing

The Cabinet Member Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing announced that starting this summer, four of Porthcawl’s beaches would be patrolled by a brand new seasonal lifeguard service run in partnership by BCBC and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, also known as the RNLI.

The RNLI already patrolled over 220 beaches across the UK, and BCBC looked forward to working with them to provide an invaluable service that keeps beach goers safe by spotting danger and saving lives.

RNLI lifeguards would begin providing a daily safety service on Coney Beach and Trecco Bay from 30 April 2016.  At Rest Bay lifeguards begin duty on 28 May and at Pink Bay from 2 July.

Lifeguards would be on duty seven days a week between 10am and 6pm at Coney Beach, Rest Bay and Pink Bay until 4 September and Trecco Bay until 25 September.

Recruitment for RNLI lifeguards had already begun, he asked if any Members knew someone aged over 16 who had a good level of fitness and could swim 400 metres, they should visit the RNLI website to find out more.

Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities

The Cabinet Member Children’s Social Services and Equalities stated that many important habits were established at a young age, making the pre-school environment an ideal time to influence a child’s health so she was absolutely delighted to hear that the Bright Beginnings Nursery in Tythegston had become the first pre-school setting in Bridgend County Borough to complete the ‘Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme’.

The Scheme that was funded by the Welsh Government and co-ordinated by the Council’s Childcare Team in partnership with Public Health Wales, the scheme covered several aspects of health aimed at improving the wellbeing of young children.

Nutrition, oral health, physical activity, safety, hygiene, mental health, relationships and emotional health were among the topics covered by the scheme, which the Bright Beginnings Nursery has worked on for the last four years.

She added that in Bridgend County Borough, a total of 26 pre-school settings were participating in the scheme, meaning that hundreds of local children were picking up healthy habits that would make a big difference to their lives.

Cabinet Member Resources

The Cabinet Member Resources announced the next Pre Council presentation would be an update on digital transformation and a briefing had been provisionally scheduled for June on the Central South Consortium.

The Cabinet Member Resources added that an update on the Social Services and Wellbeing Act was planned for the 16and 23 March and had been added to members’ calendars. The aim of the sessions was to equip members with the knowledge that would enable them to speak confidently to individuals, carers and families within their communities, especially in relation to how care and support services would be provided in the future.

There were two sessions planned for April on Carbon Reduction. The focus would be on the Council’s Energy and Carbon Management Plan and the Council’s key priorities and strategies. The plan contributes towards the Climate Change section of the Welsh Government Environment (Wales) Bill, positioning Wales as a low carbon, green economy.

The Cabinet Member Resources stated that as part of the Welsh Language Standards members were asked to ensure that their email signatures comply with the Council’s agreed format.  He added that some members would have already received guidance and relevant translations to enable the change, and members who held senior positions would receive their information in the next couple of days.

Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development

The Cabinet Member Regeneration and Economic Development updated Members on the Kenfig National Nature Reserve and some exciting improvements that had been made there.

A large mural has now been completed on the east side of the visitor centre. that depicts six key species found at the reserve – the Common Bittern, Fen Orchid, Otter, Great Crested Newt, Emperor Moth and Pike.  He advised Members that it was fantastic sight and well worth a visit.

New interpretation boards had also been installed as well as extra signage to help people be more aware when they were entering the reserve via the Wales Coast Path, while a number of new bins had been added and school visits were being enhanced thanks to a new teacher pack. 

He stated that the improvements had been funded thanks to a grant from Natural Resources Wales which the Council matched from its 'reach' rural development programme so that a total of £94,000 could be invested at the site.

The Cabinet Member Resources stated that Members may also recall that a couple of months ago he informed them that Kenfig had been shortlisted as one of the finest nature reserves in the UK by BBC’s Countryfile magazine.

Sadly, it missed out on first prize to the ‘Bass Rock’ nature reserve in Scotland, but it was still tremendous recognition for it to be considered in such company.

Chief Executive

The Chief Executive advised members that today marked the last Council and also the last budget that the Corporate Director for Resources, Ness Young, would be participating in.

He informed Members that she would be leaving Bridgend County Borough Council on 15 April to take up a new post as the Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation. 

Ness joined the Council in 2012 as Assistant Chief Executive for Finance and Performance and has held her current role of Corporate Director for Resources since 2014.

He added that she had played a major role in helping to steer the authority through a significant period of change, not least of which had been the need to deliver a range of efficiency savings.  Ness had made some great contributions as a member of the senior management team, and the Chief Executive stated that he was very grateful for all that she had achieved in Bridgend.

The Chief Executive advised Members that he would be working with Cabinet to consider how the responsibilities of the post would continue to be met in the future. In the meantime, he added that he would miss Ness’ advice and put, and was sure that members would join him and cabinet in wishing her every success in her new role.

The Chief Executive announced that on a more sombre note, two Council colleagues sadly passed away recently.  Kitchen assistant Karen Bold suffered a heart attack at Cynffig Comprehensive School yesterday and later died in hospital. Karen worked for us for 18 years and was 55 years old.  Also, Les Burford, who worked as a Building Surveyor, passed away on Saturday following a battle with cancer. Les had worked for BCBC, Ogwr and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils for more than 30 years.

Members joined the Chief Executive in sending their condolences to both Les and Karen’s families.