(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Mayor

 

The Mayor was delighted to inform those present, that the response to the Mayor’s citizenship awards this year had been outstanding with over 60 nominations being received.  Judging will be taking place next week and the winners and nominators will be notified thereafter.

 

To start the year the Mayor and his Consort had a lovely visit to the Contact Zone in Bridgend. This not for profit organisation provides children of separated families a safe, friendly environment to meet with their non-resident parent, grandparent or siblings. The Mayor stated that it was interesting to talk with the staff, volunteers and families and see what a positive effect this centre is having on so many people.

 

A couple of weeks ago the Mayor was delighted to be asked to present prizes at Litchard Primary School. The pupils had entered a competition to design a poster in order to raise awareness of hate crime.  The response to this competition was amazing with many pupils eager to take part. The two winners had their posters made into banners which will be displayed around the school and the Mayor felt that from what he saw, this was an extremely worthwhile and timely campaign.

 

This led the Mayor onto the annual Holocaust Memorial, which this year he had the honour of attending as Mayor.  It was humbling to listen to the stories and experiences of people who have lived through such terrible events, but also to hear how they have gone on to rise above these experiences and bring good where there was once evil. Along with his Consort, the Mayor was privileged to light the Memorial Day candle and show support for this essential reminder of what a free, tolerant and democratic society we live in and how we must fight for it to remain so.

 

Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy leader confirmed that he was really pleased to see that the local library service has scored a 97 per cent satisfaction rating in the latest Welsh Public Library Standards performance report.

 

Nearly 6,000 new library members registered during 2015 - 16, so it has proven to be a very successful opening chapter in our partnership with the Awen Cultural Trust.

 

The service now has more than 74,700 registered members and recorded over 449,000 visits for the year. A total of 450,230 books, DVDs and other items were borrowed in that time.

 

It was interesting to note he added, that almost a quarter of all book reservations are now made online, and the number of e-books, e-audio and e-zines loaned out every year has risen to 25,000.

 

He was sure Members would agree that our partnership with the Awen Cultural Trust has enabled us to not only keep libraries open at a time when public services are facing huge funding challenges, but it has also allowed us to develop and improve the service, and make it more relevant to how people lives their lives.

 

Libraries continue to play a vital role within our communities, especially as 43 per cent of people using ICT facilities have reported their reason for doing so as being a lack of access at home.

 

He was looking forward to see the service deliver further improvements over the next twelve months.

Members may also have seen stories in the media about the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Power project.

 

As we are such close neighbours and this is a huge initiative with the potential for drawing large numbers of visitors into the region, the Deputy Leader had asked if Members can receive a pre-Council presentation on the project.

 

Cabinet Member - Social Services and Early Help

 

The Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help asked Members if they would encourage more of their constituents to become foster carers in 2017.

 

We currently had 385 children and young people in care, including short-term, out of county and residential care placements.

 

Bridgend Foster Care is keen to hear from more people that are willing to foster a child in need or interested in finding out more.

 

The start of the year is a good time to encourage people to consider becoming a foster carer.

 

Almost anyone can do it he added, and the Council encouraged people from a variety of different backgrounds and life experiences to meet the needs of the children.

 

Foster carers receive an allowance, training and extensive support, including access to experienced foster carers and support groups.

 

Many carers say that fostering is one of the best things they have ever done the Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help added.

 

He asked those present, if they knew of anyone who was interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer, then to direct them to Bridgend foster care.com, or ask them to telephone 642674.

 

He concluded his submission, by stating that as part of their planned national programme of inspection, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales have commenced an inspection into Children’s Social Services in Bridgend.  Bridgend is the fourth Local Authority to be inspected this year following Cardiff, Anglesey and Carmarthen. The inspection will look at access to services including information, advice and assistance, early interventions and care & support services. The focus will be on the quality of outcomes achieved for children in need of help, care & support and/or protection, including children who have recently become looked after by the local authority. The inspection will also evaluate the quality of leadership, management and governance arrangements in place to develop and support service delivery.

 

Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations

 

The Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations was pleased to confirm that Bridgend County Borough Council’s efforts in championing inclusive sport opportunities have been recognised by Disability Sport Wales.

Having achieved their Insport Bronze level accreditation back in 2014, the Council’s ongoing work in supporting local sports clubs and organisations to become more inclusive has seen this rise to Silver status.

 
This has been achieved through a number of ways. The local authority has a dedicated Disability Sport Wales Officer who operates the National Disability Sport programme, working with schools and local organisations to identify opportunities for people with disabilities.

 

A range of targeted services and programmes are in place to support all groups of people to be more active including those with disabilities, older people, women and girls and people living in disadvantaged areas.

 

The legacy of Team GB’s Paralympic success, along with support from local authorities and organisations such as Disability Sport Wales, is seeing more people with disabilities across Wales taking part in physical activities.

The Authority were now working with Disability Sport Wales on achieving Gold status, and she looked forward to bringing Members more news on this in the immediate future.

 

Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and regeneration advised that improvement work had been completed along Porthcawl seafront which is making it easier to cycle between two of the resort’s most popular beaches.

Footways along the esplanade and the coastline have been widened and new tactile paving has been installed, while there has also been some resurfacing, new signage, and drainage improvements.

New ornamental railings are in place next to Cosy Corner, and four sets of bike racks have been added along the seafront.

 

The improvements mean that a shared cycle and pedestrian route now runs all the way from Rest Bay to Sandy Bay.

 

Bridgend County Borough Council was awarded £300,000 from the Coastal Communities Fund to carry out the improvements.

The improvements make it more enjoyable to ride along the coastline for leisure purposes, and also encourage ‘active travel’ by making it more practical for people to walk or cycle on their everyday journeys to and from school or work.

 

It has enhanced links to local attractions, facilities and businesses, and forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 88.

 

But more than that, it is the latest step towards our long-term aspiration of improving the local cycle network so that Porthcawl town centre is connected with all of the surrounding residential areas.

 

He hoped Members will pay a visit and see for themselves how Porthcawl is benefitting from the work.

 

He also congratulated  Pencoed Comprehensive School following their recent Estyn report.

 

The school’s current performance and prospects for improvement were both rated as being ‘Good’.

 

So congratulations were due to the head teacher, staff, pupils, parents and governors of Pencoed Comprehensive School

 

Inspectors highlighted factors such as improved performance at key stage four, strong progress for pupils with additional learning needs, the development of knowledge, understanding and skills, good behaviour, enthusiasm for lessons, lesson-planning, a wide range of extra-curricular activities and a fully inclusive school community with a very caring ethos.

 

The inspectors also found a culture of aspiration and achievement at the school, and effective support for the head teacher from the senior leadership team.

 

Following Bryntirion’s recent double ‘Excellent’ from Estyn, this is another great achievement for Bridgend as a Local Education Authority.

 

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration was sure that Members would join him in offering encouragement and best wishes to everyone who has played a part in helping BCBC schools achieve such positive results.

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive drew Members’ attention to a recent proposal by the Department for Work and Pensions.

 

They had announced that they want to relocate the job centre that is currently near the Asda store at Pyle and move it to Dock Street in Porthcawl.

 

The proposal is part of a restructure that the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) says is designed to improve its services and offer better value for taxpayers.

 

There are no job losses associated with the proposal, and the DWP say they are planning to increase staff at the centre.

 

They also want to establish a Work Coach at a local community venue near the current Pyle location, for example, at the life centre.

 

They estimate that the new location of the job centre would be a little over four miles away from its current location, or approximately 15 minutes by car or 35 minutes on public transport.

 

Because of this, they were carrying out public consultation, and this will be available until 28 February.

 

The Chief Executive was sure that Members would have views on the proposal, and would want to represent local residents in this matter.

 

He concluded by advising that Members may also want to let their constituents know that the consultation is live at the DWP website, and can be found at the Department for Work And Pensions website.