(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

     The Mayor

 The Mayor welcomed all those present to the first ordinary meeting of   council. She reported that a petition had just been received regarding the waste contract and would be passed onto the relevant officers for consideration.

 During the first couple of weeks, the Mayor had been finding her feet and it had been interesting to see the different events going rapidly into her calendar. She was excited to attend her first engagement as Mayor – a fundraising event for a community centre. The Mayor and her consort also had a fantastic time representing the County Borough at the National Eisteddfod.

 The Mayor looked forward to a busy and rewarding year and if anyone knew of any organisation that would like a civic visit in order to support their initiative, they should be directed to the Mayoral office for their request to be considered.

On a more sombre note, the terrible events in Manchester last week had shocked and saddened all and the Mayor was honoured to be asked to speak at the Vigil that was held in Bridgend Town Centre last Wednesday. The Mayor joined the hundreds of local people young and old who came together to remember the victims and their families and thanked Councillor David White for his swift organisation of this special and moving event.

The Mayor had written to the Lord Mayor of Manchester expressing her sorrow and offering thoughts and support during this very difficult time. In remembrance of all the people who were affected by the bombing in Manchester the Mayor asked that all observed one minute’s silence.

Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader reminded members about forthcoming training events.

Corporate Parenting training would take place on 12th and 19th June, Rights of Way Sub-Committee training on 14th June, Equalities Committee training on 20th June, and Treasury Management training and Audit Committee training on 26th June.

The next meeting of Council on 28th June would feature a pre-council presentation on the theme of ‘Policing in the County Borough’.

Cabinet Member Communities

 The Cabinet Member Communities explained that he was sure that members were already very aware that one of the single biggest changes to a service that touched every home in the county borough would commence on Monday 5 June. He was referring to waste and recycling collections, but as members had already received lots of information about the new scheme and there was a motion tabled as part of the agenda, he did not intend to go into the details of ‘why’ and ‘how’. He did draw members’ attention to the website, “recycleforBridgend.wales”. This had been set up as an easy to use, one-stop-shop of information. It explained the rationale behind the scheme, clarified how people should use the new equipment, and featured a series of frequently asked questions that were regularly updated. It was part of a wider programme of publicity surrounding the new scheme, and as people started to use the new equipment and become accustomed to the new procedures, the website could prove to be extremely useful – both to members, and to constituents.

The Cabinet Member Communities referred to the old South Wales Police headquarters at Waterton. It was originally built as part of the infrastructure for the manufacture of munitions during the second world war and had become a local landmark. Now the building had become even more significant with the addition of a two-storey extension that had been recognised at the regional Building Excellence Awards. Constructors Willmott Dixon picked up the accolade for ‘Best Large Commercial Building’ after winning in the same category during the Bridgend County Borough heat of the awards. It was a stand-out project, and he was sure that members would join him in wishing it luck as it went forward to a national ceremony which would be held at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre later in the year.

Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help

 With the new waste and recycling procedures set to begin in a few days’ time the Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help asked members to remind their constituents that they could take advantage of the free absorbent waste collection service.

 The service would cater for both adults and children, and would incorporate nappies, wipes, paper tissues, stoma bags, incontinence pads, absorbent bed sheets, plastic gloves and disposable aprons. While the majority of users would be parents of babies and young children, there were a number of people in the county borough who were elderly, ill or vulnerable, and the council appreciated that a smaller number of residents would feel more comfortable with a discreet collection. They would be able to discuss and request this by contacting Kier on the 643 643 number, or by emailing them. Full details were on the website, “recycleforbridgend.wales”. He was sure that members would want to let their constituents know about this very useful service.

Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations

The Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations reported that a new fostering scheme had been launched which aimed to support vulnerable parents and their children and help them stay together as a family. She explained that called the ‘Parent and Child’ scheme, it helped parents improve their confidence in caring for a child independently while building supportive networks within their local community. The scheme placed the parent and child together within a foster carer’s home for up to 12 weeks so they could learn essential parenting skills in an environment where readily available support was at hand. The council was seeking local people who were interested in taking part. Full training would be provided, and no previous experience was necessary. It was hoped that members would help spread word of this very worthwhile scheme among their constituents. For more details, members were advised to contact the council’s fostering team.

Finally, congratulations were sent to the Simply Out of School club at Maes Yr Haul Primary and Sadie and Frank’s Day Nursery in Nantyffyllon for winning the ‘Gold Standard Healthy Snack Award’. The award was a Western Bay initiative designed to raise awareness of healthy eating practices and demonstrate what could be achieved by providing nutritious snacks for children within childcare settings. The council’s Childcare Team had been closely involved in the creation and development of this award, and were working with other local childcare settings to help them achieve it, too.

Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration

 The Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration reminded Members that if they hadn’t already had a chance to do so, he hoped that members would make an effort to visit the Urdd Eisteddfod before it closed on Saturday 3 June. As well as forming an important part of our culture, the Urdd brought thousands of visitors into the area and was a huge benefit to the local economy. He also hoped that members were able to enjoy last weekend’s Street Roots Festival weekend in Bridgend town centre.

 This free event was organised by the CF31 group of local traders with support from the council and town council, and saw the town’s pedestrianised streets filled with live music, world cuisine, street markets, a street circus, parades, drumming and more. It demonstrated the town centre’s potential for hosting further such events and it was hoped that there would be more developments like this in the future.

 The Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration reported that a host of former Ryder Cup captains, Open champions and Champion Golfers of the Year would be lining up to take part in the 2017 Senior Open Championship when it returned to Porthcawl in July. Star names including Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomery and Tom Watson were all eligible to play and the event was certain to be a must-see for sports fans, and would be a huge boost for local businesses while also showcasing the county borough on an international stage. Tickets were available from the senior open championship website.

 Finally, he mentioned that the county borough’s first ever award-winning farm park had opened in the grounds of Bridgend College’s Pencoed campus. Ddraig Valley Farm Park was the brainchild of three local college students. It allowed visitors get close to traditional farm animals as well as the likes of iguanas, terrapins and alpacas. The farm also served as a base for students studying related courses at Bridgend College. He had been impressed with Ddraig Valley Farm Park and recommended that members pay it a visit. As well as having already won a wide number of accolades, it was a valuable educational asset and fast becoming a popular visitor attraction.

Chief Executive

The Chief Executive advised that he had two announcements to make:

1.    1. City Deal

The Chief Executive explained that the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal was an agreement between ten local authorities, UK and Welsh Government with an investment fund of £1.2 billion. The City Deal was also contributing to the South Wales Metro scheme. It would unlock significant economic growth across the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) and the aims of the CCR City Deal were to create jobs and boost economic prosperity by improving productivity, tackle worklessness, build on foundations of innovation, invest in physical and digital infrastructure, provide support for business, and ensure that any economic benefits generated as a result were felt across the region.

The Chief Executive reported that Heads of Terms had been agreed for the completion of a compound semi-conductor supply chain. This was a unique opportunity and a joint venture between Cardiff University, IQE and Welsh Government. It allowed full movement from research to the production stage. A proposal had also been received from the private sector for £39 million, an anchor for further investment. This had been approved by Cabinet on 2^nd May 2017. This was the first major investment deal and a specific commitment making it different to other City Deals. The plan would be brought back to Council for approval in due course.

2.  Security Position.

The Chief Executive reported that the threat level had recently changed from critical to severe however further incidents were likely. Staff should focus on challenging anyone without an identity badge and be aware of tail-gating at security doors. Visitors should be escorted within the building.