(i)            Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii)           Members of the Cabinet

(iii)          Chief Executive

Mayor

 

The Mayor announced that he had a very busy Christmas period and it has been a pleasure to visit so many different schools, groups and organisations and share in their festive activities.

 

It was always heartening to see how much community spirit exists in the County Borough and he had witnessed first hand the hard work and dedication of volunteers, pupils and staff. With this in mind, he reminded Members about nominations for the Mayor’s Annual Citizenship Awards. Help us to reward the local people who really make a difference in their communities, however big or small. It would only take a few minutes to fill in an application form, which can be downloaded from our website or requested via the Mayor’s Office. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday 24 January and the winners will be honoured at an event in March.

 

The Mayor had the pleasure of attending the annual Bridge FM Young Achiever Awards.  This impressive event celebrates the young people from around the county borough and recognises their achievements in business, training, education, arts, music and voluntary work.  This was a fantastic evening and a joy to meet so many young people who are actively making a positive contribution to where they live.

 

The annual Olympage Games was held in November and launched the Super-Agers project with colleagues from across the health board area including RCT and Merthyr councils.  The day, which he had the honour of opening, was great fun and the Mayor extended his congratulations to the staff for such a well organised event.

 

The Mayor also thanked everyone who has taken part in the reverse advent calendar initiative in aid of the Bridgend Foodbank. All are greatly appreciated.  Donations however he added, are needed all year round and he urged all to carry on providing their help as we go forward into 2020. He further added, that the Foodbank had 11 Distribution Units across the Bridgend County Borough and approximately 50,000 items of food had been contributed to the Foodbank since it had been in being.

 

The Mayor welcomed Councillor J Williams and extended his best wishes to her following a period of absence from meetings due to ill health.

 

To end, as this was the last Council before the New Year, the Mayor took the opportunity to wish all those present a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

 

Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy Leader acknowledged that with Christmas just around the corner, people can often find it difficult to juggle their finances at this time of year.

 

Unfortunately, this can often lead them into debt.

 

Members may want to let their constituents know that a drop-in support service is available which can help people manage and overcome debt, tackle their financial difficulties, deal with unemployment and improve their standard of living.

 

The Financial Advice and Support Service is primarily available to people who live within former Community First delivery areas and can help with a range of issues, from applying for a universal credit claim to learning how to manage a budget. 

 

It is available through the Bridgend offices of Citizen’s Advice, Hartshorn House in Maesteg, Tynycoed Surgery in Sarn, Bettws Community Club, Careau Development Trust and job centres in Bridgend, Porthcawl and Maesteg, and more information is available at the Citizen’s Advice website.

 

He also asked Members to remind their communities that there will be waste and recycling collections on Christmas Eve, but not on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Everything will be picked up two days later than usual for the rest of that week, including Sunday 29 December.

 

Because of the large amount of festive waste generated, householders will also be allowed to put out an extra bag of non-recyclable waste for their first collection after Christmas.

 

Waste and recycling will be collected as normal on New Year’s Eve, but not on New Year’s Day. Collections will be one day later for that week up until Saturday 4 January, with all collections returning to normal on Monday 6 January.

 

He asked those present, to urge householders within their areas to recycle as much as they can. Bridgend County Borough is currently the second highest performing authority in Wales when it comes to how we handle our waste, and the main festive items which cannot be recycled are usually wrapping paper, black plastic, cellophane wrap, bubble wrap and polystyrene.

 

The vast majority of all other waste can be recycled, including items such as Christmas cards, paper envelopes, cardboard packaging, turkey carcasses and even the tin foil from chocolate tree decorations.

 

After Christmas, householders who have bought real Christmas trees will be able to recycle them by taking them along to a community recycling centre.

 

He also asked Members to remind their constituents that unwanted items in good condition can be donated to the Council’s re-use shop at the Maesteg centre.

 

Full details of our festive waste and recycling arrangements can be found on the council website, the Deputy Leader concluded.

 

Cabinet Member – Communities

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities, announced that a major new initiative will seek to transform some of the county borough’s green spaces over the next four years.

 

Organised by the charity Plantlife and funded by the National Lottery, the Green Links project will focus on the likes of Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Tremains Wood, Bryngarw Country Park and more.

 

The scheme encouraged communities to become more directly involved with local green spaces by providing opportunities for volunteering, learning and pleasure.

 

It sought to create lasting benefits by training volunteers, educators and local partners, and helping them to develop new skills in building, conservation and well-being activities.

 

This was an excellent initiative which encouraged people to develop a sense of pride in their community. It promoted sustainability and greater well-being, and was a fantastic way to make new friends and tackle loneliness and social isolation.

 

He stated that Members can support the growth of the Green Links scheme by letting people within the local community know that more information is available directly from the Plant Life website.

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities extended his thanks to all staff, particularly those within the Communities Directorate for their continued support during this year and wished everyone a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing

 

The Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing confirmed that, with Christmas fast approaching, Bridgend County Borough Council will be teaming up with local organisations such as the Wallich, the Zone, Gwalia, local Councils and more, to support rough sleepers once again this winter. 

 

It would be working in partnership to make sure that homeless people have a warm, safe place to sleep and can access a range of help and support.

 

The daily breakfast run at The Wallich on Park Street provides hot food and drink between 6:30am and 9.00am as well as sleeping bags, warm clothing, toiletries and other important items.

 

Between 9.30am and 12noon Monday to Friday, a drop-in centre will offer a safe environment with washing facilities a telephone and computer access.

 

The drop-in service moves to The Zone in the afternoons between 1.30pm to 4.30pm during the week, and between 9.00am and 12noon on Saturdays.

 

At night, the floor space scheme provides a safe, dry and warm place to sleep. This is available between 8.00pm and 8.00am at The Elms in Bridgend Industrial Estate, with extended hours on Bank Holidays or if the weather becomes severe.

 

The floor space is allocated on a daily basis, and people can apply between 3.00pm and 5.00pm through the Gwalia Local Support Hub which is based at the Brackla Street Centre.

 

If anyone is concerned about rough sleepers, they can alert the local authority by using the Street Link app available at www.streetlink.org.uk

 

Contact details for the Housing Solutions team are available at the council website.

 

Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help

 

The Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help, advised that the Bridgend Resource Centre was coming up with unique ways of raising money to create a new sensory garden, and he was sure that Members will want to show their support.

 

As research shows that being outside and moving freely can help reduce tension and anxiety amongst people with dementia, the centre wants to develop a custom-built space where they can stroll freely and exercise.

 

The sensory garden will also support people with learning and physical disabilities, and provide them with a facility offering unique opportunities for using their senses of touch, feel and smell.

 

The sensory garden will enhance the standard of care that is already provided at the resource centre, and I hope that members will help encourage their constituents to support this effort.

 

An all-new recycling bank has been installed opposite Lidl on Bridgend Retail Park where unwanted clothing, shoes and linen can be donated. The bank will be emptied weekly and the weight of the donated items will be transferred into cash.

 

Residents can also help raise funds by using a smart phone or tablet to shop online through an app called ‘easy fundraising’.

 

With thousands of participating online shops including Tesco, Asda, Amazon and eBay, retailers will donate a percentage of every purchase to the appeal.

 

More details could be found, including a link to download the app, at the Council’s website.

 

Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration had some excellent news to share with Members regarding three of our local schools.

 

Following recent reviews, Estyn has confirmed that Tynyrheol Primary has made significant improvements. The school is being removed from special measures, and there will be no further monitoring in relation to this.

 

Cynnfig Comprehensive has also been removed from a list of schools requiring follow-up review after implementing previous Estyn recommendations.

 

West Park Primary, meanwhile, has been deemed to have good standards, excellent attitudes to learning and well-being, good teaching and learning experiences, excellent care, support and guidance, and good learning and overall management.

 

Estyn has invited the school to prepare a case study on its work in relation to the contributions of pupil groups which will be used on their website.

 

He was sure Members would join him in offering congratulations to the heads, teachers, governors, staff and pupils at all three schools for their hard work and dedication.

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration confirmed that next month there would be further news published from Estyn regarding several more of our schools and again this would be good news.

 

Finally, he had a quick travel update to share with Members. Last Sunday he took part in some Active travel on his bike from his house to Bridgend Railway Station where he caught the first scheduled Sunday service up to the Llynfi valley, since the disastrous beeching cuts of the 1960’s. He added that more good news would follow regarding the Llynfi valley line in 2020.

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive advised that he was delighted to inform Members that a new Corporate Director - Communities has been appointed.

 

Following a rigorous selection process, the interview panel and a cross-party Committee of Councillors had selected Janine Nightingale as the successful candidate.

 

Janine is originally from Maesteg. A qualified planner, she has worked at Cardiff Council at Chief Officer level in Transformation and Land and Buildings.

 

She is currently the Head of Capital Projects in Economic Development where she has responsibility for providing strategic direction and leading on Cardiff’s £300m capital programme.

 

With more than 20 years senior management experience in local government, the Panel was particularly impressed with Janine’s ambitious vision for Bridgend County Borough; her obvious passion and positivity, and her detailed understanding of the area.

 

He hoped that Janine can start her role early in the New Year, hopefully by 1 March 2020 and he knew that she was looking forward to meeting Members and Officers, and to playing a key role in the future of Bridgend County Borough Council.