Councillor M Voisey to the Cabinet Member Communities

Only 2 out of 10 speed and red-light cameras are working in the county borough, and how can this level of defects be allowed, and tolerated, and what is the Cabinet Member going to do about it?

Councillor T Thomas to the Cabinet Member Communities

What is the Council doing to ensure that the public are safe on County Borough roads and highways against the dichotomous threat of winter conditions and reduced resources from Covid 19?

Councillor A Hussain to the Leader and Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help

In Wales, 60% of the adult population and 1 in 8 children age 4-5 years are overweight or obese and each year this figure is increasing. There is consistent evidence that obesity (excess weight) is associated with an increased COVID-19 risk in addition to the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases which themselves increase the risk of complications in someone who contracts COVID-19. Knowing that excess weight is one of the few preventable risk factors for COVID-19, could the Leader let us know what measures he is taking to help those residents who are living with overweight or obesity to lose weight in a sustainable manner, together with interventions to prevent weight gain and reduce risk of COVID-19 in our Borough?

The Mayor had consented to accepting an urgent question in accordance with Rule 4 of the Council Procedure Rules as he was of the opinion by reason of special circumstances it be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

Question from Councillor Alex Williams to the Leader

After remarks made by the First Minister on Monday regarding potential delays in the deployment of the vaccination programme, significant concerns have been expressed by residents and frontline healthcare professionals across Bridgend County Borough.

Given that an expeditious rollout of the vaccination programme will have a direct impact on the delivery of Bridgend County Borough Council's core services, will the Leader provide details of how the local authority has engaged with the Welsh Government; Cwf Taf Morgannwg University Health Board; health and social care providers; educational establishments and other stakeholders on the ongoing handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Bridgend County Borough and how it is having an impact on the provision of the County Borough Council’s services?

Response of the Leader 

The Leader informed that as of 17 January, 17 care homes had been visited and by the end of January every care home in the county borough vaccines will have been delivered to all care home residents.  From the 24 and 25 January, 2 community vaccine centres will be operational from 9am-5pm 7 days a week.  He stated that by the end of this week, all GPs will have supplies of the Oxford Astra Zeneca and Pfizer vaccines.  A thousand volunteers had been processed by the health board.  Residents and staff in care home staff, frontline staff, residents over the age of 70 and vulnerable people are receiving the Pfizer vaccine, while residents over the age of 80 are receiving the Oxford vaccine.  The Leader stated that the current risk is the supply of the vaccine, and he commented that the Pfizer was in a greater supply.  He informed Council that he along with the Leaders and Chief Executives of the Councils which make up the Cwm Taf Health Board meet weekly with the Health Board and have made it clear that the Council will provide support to them and it had been explained to the Health Board the importance of residents receiving as much information as possible as to when they will receive the vaccine.

Councillor A Williams referred to a GP practice receiving a third of the vaccines due which has resulted in a slower roll out of the vaccine and an increase number of deaths in care homes and asked what pressure is being brought on the health board to avoid deaths as a result of the delays of the vaccine roll out.  The Leader informed Council that he had made it clear to the health board that care home residents have to be vaccinated due to their fragility and the risk to them of not being vaccinated and this had also been made clear to the Health Minister.  Clarification had been sought in order to minimise outbreaks within care homes and this was being monitored by the Cabinet Member and Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing on a daily basis.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing commented on the importance of residents in care homes being vaccinated and work is ongoing with the health board to vaccinate residents, with the aim of the vaccination programme starting in all care homes by the end of January.  She stated that the health board has to do a risk assessment of care homes to determine whether it is safe to deploy the vaccine. 

A member of Council questioned why there was only 1 vaccination centre in Bridgend.  The Leader commented that there are 2 vaccination centres with plans to expand to 4 centres.  He stated that the Pfizer vaccine will be deployed in Maesteg this weekend and if the pilot is successful it will ensure more residents are immunised. 

A member of Council questioned the measures to vaccine residents who are shielding.  The Leader stated that arrangements are being made for residents who are shielding and he will seek clarification from the health board as to the process.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing commented that residents who are housebound will receive the vaccination at home and residents shielding, but not housebound, will be invited to their GP or vaccination centre.     

Councillor M Voisey to the Cabinet Member Communities

Only 2 out of 10 speed and red-light cameras are working in the county borough, and how can this level of defects be allowed, and tolerated, and what is the Cabinet Member going to do about it?

Response of the Cabinet Member Communities

We are aware that a number of cameras are not operational within the county borough.  Officers are in discussion with Go safe the partnership who operate the cameras, on options to bring them back into beneficial use and will be making bids to Welsh Government for funding to support safety camera deployment later in the month.

One of the defective units has already been returned back to use, with a further unit being investigated to return to service ASAP but this is being hampered somewhat by the current Covid -19 pandemic.

The other units will be discussed with Go safe as how they can be brought back into beneficial use along with consideration of new static camera sites within the borough.

Councillor Voisey in his supplementary question referred to the majority of schemes not working and asked for details of a timetable of when and where the cameras will be brought back into use and the priority should be for the speed camera outside South Wales Police headquarters to be first on the list.  The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council that negotiations are ongoing to bring the cameras back into use, many of the cameras are old and he gave an assurance that they will be brought back into use.  He stated that the cameras are of deterrent value and he would not divulge which cameras are defective.

The Mayor announced that as the 30 minutes time limit allowed for questions had been reached, the questions submitted by Councillor T Thomas and Councillor A Hussain be deferred to the next meeting of Council.