(a)          Question from Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

Data from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), identified that in 2015-16 Bridgend County Borough Council dealt with more rat problems per head than any other authority in Britain.  Last year Bridgend had a 4% reduction in the pest call out levels compared to other Authorities across the UK, which appears to be a step in the right direction.  However in recent weeks the number of rats seen across the County Borough appears to be increasing including in my own ward of Pen-y-fai.  Although many of these rat sightings are of dead rats, can the Cabinet Member explain what is being done to minimise the rat population across the County Borough and what steps are being taken to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the residents is not adversely impacted by the rat population.

(b)          Question from Councillor J Radcliffe to the Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help 

“What assessment has the authority – either alone or as part of regional collaboration – made  (or intends to make) of the implications of the recent British Medical Journal research (http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/11/e017722  ) on the link between social care cuts and mortality rates in care homes in England, and how will the authority use this research to inform budget planning and service design?”

Question from Councillor A Hussain to the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

“Data from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), identified that in 2015-16 Bridgend County Borough Council dealt with more rat problems per head than any other authority in Britain.  Last year Bridgend had a 4% reduction in the pest call out levels compared to other Authorities across the UK, which appears to be a step in the right direction.  However in recent weeks the number of rats seen across the County Borough appears to be increasing including in my own ward of Pen-y-fai.  Although many of these rat sightings are of dead rats, can the Cabinet Member explain what is being done to minimise the rat population across the County Borough and what steps are being taken to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the residents is not adversely impacted by the rat population?”

Response from the Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

The opportunity to provide further information regarding the British Pest Control Association’s view that Bridgend County Borough Council dealt with more rat problems per head than any other authority in Britain in the year 2015-2016, is something that I’m sure members are keen to read. 

It should be noted that BPCA survey itself recognises limitations in comparing the Pest Control activity of different local authorities. Unlike 92% of authorities in the UK, Bridgend County Borough Council provides a free service for pests of public health significance, including rats. It is well documented that the introduction of pest control charges by a local authority reduces the number of treatments undertaken by the Council.   The figures produced by the BCPA are therefore likely to be a reflection of the pricing policy that Bridgend Council operates rather than a true comparison of the scale of rat problems in UK local Authorities.

It should also be noted that a significant number of UK local Authorities no longer provide any Pest Control Services and thus the BPCA survey does not include any information from those areas or from private Pest Control companies.

In light of this, and the fact that the BPCA have stated that their figures were incomplete, to describe Bridgend as having a particular problem is hugely unfair.  The British Pest Control Association’s view highlights both the sterling work that Bridgend County Borough Council are doing in relation to dealing with pests, as well as the fact that unlike most other local authorities, Bridgend County Borough Council still offers a free service which residents are engaging with.  Retaining this free service, amongst the background of financial cuts, is a positive step which prevents the health and wellbeing of the residents being adversely impacted by the rat population.

All of the pest related calls received relating to residential dwellings are referred to Mitie Pest Control, who are the Council’s contracted service provider.  During comparable periods in the last 4 years the number of pest related calls have remained at a consistent level, so I cannot comment on what other local authorities have done to increase their call out rate, but our figures show residents are still engaging with our service at the same rate they were in 2015-16.

In relation to the Pest Control treatment service, the contractor liaises with officers within the Shared Regulatory Service to highlight areas of concern. Officers will then investigate issues whether there may be a problem with disrepair to a property allowing entry to rats or also if there are accumulations of refuse which are providing a food source. Officers have the powers to serve notice, and prosecute for non-compliance or carry out work in default the costs of which are then recharged to the notice recipient who may be either the owner or occupier of the property.

In relation to call, all calls concerns and complaints are logged directly by our call centre, which has resulted in officers taking both informal and formal action requiring persons to arrange for the removal and proper disposal of refuse which removes food sources for rats, so helping to control the population.

Bridgend County Borough Council also manages the Sewer Baiting Contract on behalf of Welsh Water, and officers of Shared Regulatory Services can direct sewer baiting to be carried out in specific areas where reports or calls have been received of increased rodent activity.  This again highlighting the positive steps that Bridgend County Borough Council have been taking and the high regard that other organisations have for the Pest Control Service.

We are proud to be one of the few councils still providing this service free of charge, and will continue to respond promptly to all calls relating to pest control.

Councillor Hussain in asking a supplementary question, questioned whether there are plans to improve the quality of bags in order to deter pests from breaking into them and whether the pest control service would continue to be provided as a free service.  The Deputy Leader stated there were no plans to change the bags and that pests would not be attracted to residual bags provided citizens placed their food waste in the food caddies.  The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the pest control service is provided free of charge and there were no plans in the budget process to change that.

Question from Councillor J Radcliffe to the Cabinet Member Social Services & Early Help

“What assessment has the authority – either alone or as part of regional collaboration – made (or intends to make) of the implications of the recent British Medical Journal research (http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/11/e017722) on the link between social care cuts and mortality rates in care homes in England, and how will the authority use this research to inform budget planning and service design?”

Response from the Cabinet Member Social Services & Early Help to Councillor J Radcliffe

It should be noted that this research relates to care homes in England, rather than Wales, and the article itself refers to limitations and that it needs to be treated carefully at a lower level of population.  As such:

• Variations may exist at the local level which were not identified by the study (i.e. it is not inevitable that this pattern is repeated in any one LA area or indeed in Wales compared to England)
• There may be other mediating factors beyond those explored in this analysis (i.e. lots of factors as well as macro-economic conditions may have an influence, including, I would assume, the actual population make up including the age at which people come into care homes and nursing homes, male/female mix, Learning Disability survivals etc.)

There is a potentially a simpler explanation to the finding identified by Cllr Radcliffe: older people are going into residential care at a later stage in their lives and their length of stay are shorter.

Pressures due to social care continue to pose a risk to the Council’s financial sustainability in the medium to long term. The wider challenges facing social care have been well documented; as a result of demographic changes primary and community services are facing increasing and more complex demands. More people are diagnosed with one or more preventable health conditions and frail older people increasingly have more complex needs.  It can be argued that these significant challenges facing social care are such that new thinking on funding is required and new models of service delivery are required.

The Western Bay Commissioning Strategy (which was developed with regional Local Authority and Health partners alongside the independent health and social care consultancy, the Institute of Public Care) focuses on a shift in care from residential services to an increase in services in the community with the introduction of intermediate care and so on.

This is very much in keeping with legislation in Wales, Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, which came into force in April 2016. The Act provides the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and support and for transforming social services in Wales, a fundamental principle of which is around Prevention and Early Intervention – increasing preventative services within the community to minimise the escalation of critical need.

Therefore, more people are going into residential care/nursing care at a later stage for shorter periods with more complex needs. The focus of this shift is better outcomes for older people and enabling them to be more independent for longer, although in the vast majority of cases care and support at home is also less costly than residential care. We cannot continue with the ‘old models’ as financially they are not sustainable, so more services are now available in the community.  This is generally better for individuals too.  However, if an individual is assessed to require a care home placement, the LA or HB will make the necessary placement and pay for it.

Councillor Radcliffe commented that given the uncertainty which the Council would be part of with its collaboration with health, asked whether discussions had taken place with Cwm Taf Health Board on pooled budgets for registered social nurses.  The Cabinet Member Social Services & Early Help commented that pressure will continue to be put on the Welsh Government, which has social care, health and education high on its agenda for more funding.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing informed Council that the Council has Integrated Managers who work with nurses; however there is a shortage of registered nurses working in registered homes.  She confirmed that work is progressing to align budgets which need to be in place by April 2018.