(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

 

 

Mayor

 

The Mayor welcomed all those in attendance to the meeting.

 

She announced that earlier this month she/her Consort visited the Princess of Wales Hospital and surprised staff on all of the wards by handing out Santa sacks. The idea of the Santa sacks was the brainchild of two local veterans Tom and Alistair who asked local firms for donations of biscuits chocolates and goodies as an ‘Act of Kindness’ for the hospital staff.  She added that they also returned to hand out a large number of toys donated by a toy firm from Yorkshire. She extended thanks to both veterans who had made this possible; the staff in POW who laid on tea, coffee and mince pies donated by local Tesco stores and to the toy firm who have promised to donate more toys in 2018.

 

She had attended several Carol Services including one in the Mansion House hosted by the Lord Mayor of Swansea.  My own Carol Service for the Mayors Charities and St Johns Church in Cardiff helped to raise funds for the St Johns Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. The hospital performed 113,000 eye operations often in very difficult circumstances.

 

Numerous Christmas visits had also been made to all hostels, nursing homes and sheltered accommodation where she delivered boxes of biscuits to them all.

 

She had also participated in the Bridgend Armed Forces Forum which was chaired by the Armed Forces Champion Councillor Richard Young.  The event was attended by a number of support organisations and service providers including The Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association (SSAFA), the Royal British Legion, Veterans and representatives of housing associations. The Forum provided an opportunity for organisations here in Bridgend to come together and look at how the support of the Armed Forces Community can be improved.  Future meetings of the Armed Forces Forum have been planned for next year to take forward the good work that has been started recently.

 

The Mayor advised that she had enjoyed meeting the Young people in Heronsbridge School who performed ‘Beauty and the Beast’.  It was very moving and the singing was a joy for everyone.  She wished to thank all those who performed, and the Staff for all the hard work they had put in sometimes in very difficult circumstances.

 

Deputy Leader

 

The Deputy Leader wished to remind Members that the festive recycling and waste arrangements will see collections taking place two days later than normal during Christmas week, and one day later than normal in the week after New Year. All collections will return to their normal schedule on Monday 8 January. He advised that the vast majority of festive waste can now be recycled. It was anticipated that the biggest non-recyclable items will probably be Christmas wrapping paper and polystyrene. Householders can either take excess waste to a community recycling centre, or put it out in a separate black bag. Community recycling centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, but will be open on all other days from 8:30am – 4:30pm. Real Christmas trees can be recycled at the community recycling centres in Tythegston, Brynmenyn and Maesteg, or to the council’s Waterton Depot in Bridgend from 2 January every day apart from Sundays. People could find out more by visiting the council’s recycling pages at W-W-W dot recycle for Bridgend dot Wales.

 

The Deputy Leader confirmed some further dates for Members diaries.

 

There will be a pre-council briefing on 31st January for the Implementation of Universal Credit, and another on 28 February on the Local Development Plan. Social media training has also been scheduled for 9am on Tuesday 9th January, and the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission will provide a briefing at 4pm that same day where they will outline their work over the next few years.

 

Equalities and Diversity training has been scheduled for 9.30am on 29th January, and again at 4pm on 6th February. This will be delivered by Stonewall, and is intended to enable members to confidently deal with LGBT issues arising from constituents. Look out for more information about this in the New Year.

 

The Deputy Leader confirmed that a report went to Cabinet yesterday on Shaping Bridgend’s Future. In respect of this, he wished to thank members of the public for their participation in the consultation process regarding this. There had been an increase in their input to this when compared with last year, and possibly BCBC were now the most successful Authority in Wales when it came to consultation on this and the MTFS.

 

Finally, the Deputy Leader paid tribute to Mr Randal Hemingway, Head of Finance and S151 Officer who was soon to leave the Authority for pastures new. He confirmed that he had an excellent relationship with Randal, who he had a considerable number of one to one meetings with over the last 18 months, in order to make very difficult decisions on the finances of the Authority. He considered him to be both a workaholic and a very valued member of the Corporate Management Team. The Deputy Leader wished him well for the future.

 

Cabinet Member Communities

 

The Cabinet Member Communities announced, that following the tragic accident in which Rhys Rubery lost his life, he was aware that many members have contacted the Welsh Government to urge them to help fund safety improvements along the A48.

 

These improvements were identified as part of an independent report that the council arranged to have carried out.

 

While our first funding bid to the Welsh Government was not successful, they did agree to place us on a reserve list of schemes.

 

He stated that he was pleased to be able to inform members that their concerns have been listened to, and that the Welsh Government has provided us with money taken from underspends on other projects so that we can start making headway on our plans.

 

A total of £100,000 is being allocated within this current financial year. We are going to use it to commence the initial works for the scheme and are hopeful of Welsh Government continued support next year to complete this important road safety improvement.

 

He then confirmed that he would like to thank colleagues at Welsh Government for listening to the Council on this issue, and he also acknowledged the efforts of members of this Council, in this regard.

 

The Cabinet Member Communities was pleased that the County Borough hasn’t seen the level of early winter snowfall that other parts of the country have experienced, but many of our valley communities have still been affected and the freezing cold temperatures are making driving conditions treacherous across the whole area.

 

As usual, our highways team have been working around the clock to keep the County Borough moving, and to ensure that drivers, roads and properties alike all remain safe from the worst of the winter weather.

 

With 490 miles of road located throughout the area, this was no small feat, especially when you consider that the crews’ duties also include things like unblocking gullies to avoid flooding, repairing potholes and responding to a wide range of problems, many of them at times when the rest of us are tucked up in bed.

 

They make a major contribution to our local communities, and he was sure that members would wish to join him in thanking our highways staff for their efforts.

 

Finally he announced, work on the £3m replacement of the ‘tarmac beach’ in Porthcawl was gathering speed, and members can expect to see increased activity at the site over the coming weeks.

 

The existing beach has protected 260 seafront properties and businesses from flooding and coastal erosion since 1984, and in the New Year contractors Alun Griffiths will hold a public event at the Grand Pavilion where they will answer questions and demonstrate how the new replacement terraced beach will continue to do this important work.

 

There will be regular updates on the project, and people can keep an eye on latest developments by visiting the Community Dot Alun Griffiths Dot Co Dot UK website and searching for Porthcawl town beach under the ‘projects’ section.

 

Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help

 

The Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help, advised that this year the BCBC Santa Appeal had again been organised by the Early Help Business Support team of the Education and Family Support Directorate. There had been a huge increase in the list of names of deserving children put forward this year, and in fact, we had received twice as many nominations as in previous years.

 

The appeal is hugely supported by Brynteg School, Bridge FM and Hafod Y Wennol hospital (RCT), but even with their fantastic efforts sadly the demand far outweighed the supply. He stated that the Social media route was then taken, and with the help of BCBC Marketing team, the Council received what could only be described as a phenomenal response from BCBC staff and residents of Bridgend.

 

The Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help, confirmed that it was truly humbling to see all the presents that the Brynteg children unloaded yesterday together with all the sacks of donations from Bridge FM, Hafod Y Wennol and elsewhere. He wished to thank all of the staff who helped to identify the children initially, the children and staff of Brynteg for their amazing efforts and also to colleagues in his team and the wider teams who have helped with collation of the gifts. Obviously a huge thanks have to also go to all of the generous kind hearted people of Bridgend and BCBC staff who had purchased gifts for children less fortunate than themselves.

 

He added that support had also been received from a member of staff and a young person from the Youth Offending Service (YOS) who helped wrap and sort presents for the whole day.

 

It really was a team effort, and the Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help considered that this demonstrated the true meaning of Xmas.

 

Kind hearted residents, schools organisations and businesses had donated 100’s of presents for disadvantaged children in Bridgend, so that they would not go without during the festive period.

 

This year, more than 300 underprivileged children would receive presents to open on Xmas Day thanks to volunteers such as those mentioned above, and businesses and residents alike.

 

Christmas was a time for giving, and who were more worthy of receiving a Xmas cheer than vulnerable children, particularly those in care who found this season extremely difficult.

 

As part of their annual ‘Santa Appeal’, Brynteg Comprehensive School raised an impressive £4,757.32 by organising an array of activities, such as selling sweets, sponsored walks, bake sales, a carolathon, and bag packing at Sainsbury’s.

 

In total, pupils were able to purchase presents for 160 children and young people across the County Borough. In addition, they have donated £500 to Women’s Refuge.

 

Once again, the Bridge FM’s annual Xmas Toy Appeal received a phenomenal amount of donated presents, one hundred of which were dropped off to BCBC’s Safeguarding team to allocate out to children in need.

 

Members of staff at Hafod y Wennol in the Vale of Glamorgan, an assessment and treatment unit for adults with learning disabilities, went the extra mile this Xmas by getting their friends and family on board to donate presents for children of all ages. Their generosity would see more than 70 children and young people receiving a Xmas gift bag filled with presents.

 

He then announced that he was delighted to see that WAG recently confirmed that it is to invest £68m in creating nineteen new community health and care centres across Wales.

 

Members would be pleased to know that Bridgend County Borough would be one of the areas to benefit from this significant investment, and talks were already underway that could see an all-new primary care centre established within the town centre, which would bring various NHS and community services together under one roof.

 

Described by Welsh Government as their single biggest targeted investment in primary and community care infrastructure, the provision of a new generation of integrated health and care centres forms a key part of the Taking Wales Forward agenda.

 

It was intended to establish a range of interlinked facilities that are much closer to the local community, and will require health boards, local authorities, housing associations and voluntary organisations to work together in close partnership.

 

The project was still at a very early stage, but will be subject to the agreement of successful business cases and confirmation that it can be constructed by 2021.

 

He hoped to bring Members more news on this exciting investment soon.

 

Staff in Childrens Social Care are proud to announce the completion of a new 52 week residential unit for children and young people with complex needs including a learning disability aged from eight to eighteen years; The new residential unit named Harwood House, the home name has been arrived at as it is the surname of the current caretaker whose home it used to be and who has worked at the school for over 30 years. Harwood House is based within the Heronsbridge school grounds and one of the admission criteria is that the young people attend Heronsbridge school.

 

The unit was open for admission on the 16th November 2017 with the first young person moving in on that date, a second admission has recently been placed with a third placement being planned.

 

The formal opening of the home will take place on the 18th January 2018 within Heronsbridge school, and this had been a project that has been made possible due to positive working collaborations across the Councils various directorates.

 

Social work staff are delighted to report that the young people currently in situ are really happy with one social worker commenting that she "would have paid a million pounds to see that smile" when the child moved in and saw their bedroom.

 

The location and provision of this service will enable children young people and their families to remain close together being located in Bridgend County Borough as usually this type of service provision is further afield.

 

Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

 

The Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations confirmed that more than one hundred older people and people with disabilities attended the Bethlehem Life Centre in Cefn Cribwr recently for the 2017 ‘OlympAge Games’. Organised by the Prevention and Wellbeing department in partnership with Bridgend College and Sport Wales, the event saw teams from local community groups, care settings and day centres channelling their inner ‘Mo Farahs’ and competing in a range of special activities.

 

As well as being a lot of fun and offering a chance to make new friends, the games formed part of a wellbeing initiative designed to improve physical and mental wellbeing.

 

The participants were really proud to represent their communities. They enjoyed interacting and having fun with all the other groups, and several even remarked that they are already looking forward to the 2018 event. She wished to thank everyone who helped organise this impressive event.

 

Members may also want to let their constituents know that the Community Chest Grant Scheme is offering local groups and sports clubs the chance to apply for funding.

 

Run by Sport Wales via the Lottery Sports Fund for Wales and managed locally through Bridgend County Borough Council, the scheme welcomes approaches from ‘grassroots’ projects or initiatives which encourage people to be more physically active.

 

With a total of £29,000 still available, organisations can apply for grants of up to £1,500. Examples of how the fund has been used previously includes start-up costs, coach education, volunteer development, new equipment, training, initial facility and instructor hire and more.

 

Further funding is available for clubs promoting sports for women and girls, disability sports and social inclusion.

 

You can find out more about the scheme by visiting W-W-W Dot Sport Wales Dot Org Dot UK.

 

Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration

 

The Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration announced that he was pleased last week when the Interim Director of Education and Family Support, asked him to provide a foreword to the First Edition Bridgend Schools termly newsletter. This newsletter celebrates the outstanding work of our schools, and most of his announcements this month were taken from this newsletter.

 

Firstly, St Robert’s Catholic School, Aberkenfig has become the first in Wales to achieve the SAPERE Silver School Award which has been presented in recognition of their commitment to the ‘Philosophy for Children’ approach. This in full was the Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education. Also known as P4C, this helps boost children’s reasoning and higher-order thinking skills, and supports their self-esteem, motivation and communication.

 

Estyn has recognised Brackla Primary as an example of best practice for delivering learning through play. A new report has been published at the Estyn website alongside a short film, and the Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration, strongly recommended that members take a closer look.

 

Pupils at Porthcawl Comprehensive raised an impressive £4,000 in just five days during this year’s annual charity week celebrations which he felt was an incredible team effort. The money will be donated to various local charities and organisations.

 

Ysgol Cynwyd Sant and Bryntirion Comprehensive have been recognised with Excellence in Education awards at the recent Estyn awards, Cwmfelin Primary School has achieved Eco Platinum status, and Brynmenyn Primary has been working alongside schools from the Vale of Glamorgan on the ‘Polly Nation’ project which aims to make school grounds a natural habitat for bees and other pollinating insects.

 

Finally, following appearances at the Urdd Eisteddfod and on ITV’s This Morning show, Croesty Primary’s school choir has been chosen to perform at the London O2 Arena as part of the Young Voices 2018 Concert, where he was sure they will continue to impress all who hear them.

 

He extended his congratulations to them all for these very significant achievements.

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive advised that he had two announcements to share with Council today.  The first related to the objectives set for as Chief Executive and the second relates to some staff changes.

 

Chief Executive targets

 

All BCBC staff have a formal appraisal at least once a year.  He confirmed that that included himself as Chief Executive, and he had recently met with the Member Appraisal Panel, who had set him a number of objectives over the coming months.  He wanted to share with all Members what those objectives are, summarised as follows:-

 

1.      Deliver corporate plan and MTFS

2.      Review senior management pay structure (agreed at last meeting of Council) and review senior management structure as appropriate

3.      Implement digital transformation and extend to maximise benefits

4.      Continue to contribute to the leadership and development of the Cardiff City Deal ensuring that Bridgend’s interests are protected.

5.      Engage with Welsh Government individually and through national and regional fora to influence the emerging local government reform in Wales, and how this effects Bridgend.

6.      Prepare for the migration of the Bridgend Locality from ABMU to Cwm Taf and, if agreed, oversee that change(s)

7.      Commission a study or review of future demand for services to be placed upon the Authority for the next three to five year period

8.      Ensure that the recommendations of the CSSIW inspection of children’s social services be fully implemented.

 

Some of the above he added, would be cascaded onto Directors for incorporation into the various Business Plans maintained by the different Departments that comprise the Council.

 

Staff changes

 

He wished to inform Members, that Deborah McMillan, the Council’s  substantive Director of Education has been appointed to the role of Children’s Commissioner for the island of Jersey. He was conscious that many members who joined the Council in May might not know this Officer.  Deborah began a two year secondment to Welsh Government earlier this year and at that point Lindsay Harvey was recruited as interim Director for Education and Family Support.

 

It’s a testament to Bridgend and to Mrs. McMillan that she was first invited to assist Welsh Government and now has moved on to become the Children’s Commissioner, and he was sure Council would join him in wishing her well for the future.

 

This does mean that we as a Council we would need to move to appoint a permanent Director of Education and Family Support, and he was looking to  pursue that in the New Year. We have been in discussion with Merthyr Tydfil Council about the prospect of sharing BCBC’s Interim Director, with a view towards closer integration of the whole service and perhaps an eventual shared service in line with the direction established by Welsh Government. That too he felt was a testament to Bridgend, and in this case Lindsay Harvey, both of whom enjoy a strong reputation in education across the region and wider. 

 

Clearly we will now be able to consider the proposal with Merthyr in a slightly different context, and he proposed further discussion with Cabinet and group Leaders in the new year, on how best to take that forward.

 

And finally, Members will be aware that today will be Randal Hemmingway’s last appearance at the Council before he leaves BCBC to take up his new role with Carmarthenshire Council. When Randal joined BCBC he had not worked in a local authority before or been the S151 Officer in a Council.  He felt Members would all agree that Randal had risen to both those challenges extremely well.  He was grateful to him for that and for the commercial background and corporate and collegiate perspectives that he had brought to the role here.

 

The Chief Executive also introduced Members to Gill Lewis who is taking up a role with BCBC as interim Head of Finance and S151, as had previously been communicated to Members. Many Members would know Gill and will have worked with her before, but for new Members elected this year, Gill would be a new face.  He was also grateful to her and to the WLGA for stepping in to provide temporary support, that would allow him to consider the permanent arrangements as per the objectives set for him in his appraisal.