(i) Mayor (or person presiding)
(ii) Members of the Cabinet
(iii) Interim Chief Executive
(iv) Monitoring Officer
Minutes:
Mayor
The Mayor reminded Members that Friday was the deadline within which to nominate people for the Mayor’s Annual Citizenship Awards. The awards are open to people who live in the county borough, as well as groups and businesses based locally. More information can be found on the BCBC website and a nomination form can be downloaded. The winners will be honoured at an event in March.
Since the last Council meeting, the Mayor and his Consort have carried out 9 official engagements, which had been varied, different and enjoyable. He mentioned especially:-
The 100th Birthday of Lily Kennett. Lily told them about her dressmaking, how she had been a keen gardener and admirably how she sat her O levels at the age of 60.
They were also delighted to join the residents of Bryn-y-Cae care home for their Christmas party. Everyone had a great time and especially enjoyed the entertainment from a local Elvis Presley impersonator.
On a more serious note, the Mayor was honoured to represent the authority and light the candle at the Holocaust Memorial ceremony in Bridgend Sony Theatre, this morning. This was a most moving and thought provoking event. He would be also representing the authority at the Holocaust Commemoration in Cardiff on Friday coming.
The Mayor was saddened to hear of the passing away of former Bridgend County Borough Councillor Terry Hacking over the Christmas period. Terry was previously a very well respected member of the Council and he extended condolences to his family and particularly to his wife Pat, who was also previously a local member. As a mark of respect he asked all those present to observe a minute’s silence.
The Mayor concluded his submission, by advising of the following further events his Consort and he had recently attended:-
Porthcawl School Concert, Pantomime (Mayors) Sleeping Beauty Porthcawl, Rotary Club Breakfast (Speaking), Craft coffee morning (Sarn), Lord Lieutenant awards and Flag raising (LGBT) at the Civic offices.
Deputy Leader
The Deputy Leader announced that a great deal of work has been done recently by the Council and Keep Wales Tidy to encourage more people to act as litter champions.
He was sure that Members would wish to join him in thanking those who have come forward to help look after their local community.
Between October 2015 and September 2018, volunteers invested the equivalent of almost £63,000 and 8,780 hours into working on 126 local habitat and biodiversity projects.
Training was provided to 2,200 volunteers, and 2,100 people were engaged with. Volunteers undertook 450 clean-ups, adopted 99 green spaces, supported 34 community groups and created 28 litter champions.
This was a fantastic effort and he congratulated all those involved.
On a related note, Members may be interested to hear about a new initiative in the Porthcawl area which is bringing all five primary schools together.
Called ‘Love it – Don’t Trash it’, the initiative aims to teach children to take pride in their community as they grow up, and to recycle and dispose of litter responsibly.
It has been organised in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy and Seaquest, and incorporates local litter picks and beach-clean-ups in which the children will analyse the items they collect and learn about where they came from, how they can be re-used, and where they need to be deposited to prevent them from polluting the environment.
A resource pack has been developed for the schools to use, and the results of the initiative will be studied carefully so that we can decide on whether it can be expanded.
This is a very worthwhile initiative, and he would share further news on this with Members, as things developed.
Cabinet Member – Communities
The Cabinet Member – Communities was delighted to inform Members that in addition to a £2.5m bridge strengthening programme which is going to target two bridges at Blackmill, all four of the highways and transportation initiatives which we submitted for consideration under round two of the Local Transport Fund Programme have been successful.
Welsh Government has confirmed that it will provide £60,000 for the Penprysg road bridge at Pencoed, £40,000 for improving the junction of Heol Simonston and Coychurch Road, £25,000 for enhancements along the A4063 between Sarn and Maesteg, and a further £25,000 for assorted bus corridor improvements.
Under the terms of the funding, the money must be used by the end of March, and work will progress very quickly to ensure that this deadline can be met.
Meanwhile, the bridge works at Blackmill are going to ensure that heavy goods vehicles can continue to use this key route. It will support valley traders and residents alike, all while ensuring that an important and popular community route remains safe to use.
We recently submitted our priority projects for the 2019-20 Local Transport Fund, so he hoped to have more good news for Members soon.
South Wales Police are carrying out a widespread consultation to help them understand local concerns as they seek to provide safer communities, and they would like your help.
They are asking people to share their views, experiences and perceptions, and to play a direct role in helping them to develop and shape their services. You can do this by completing a short survey, which is available in English and Welsh.
Full details are available at the South Wales Police website, as well as online links to the survey and details about alternative formats.
On that note, he thought Members might be interested to hear about the Community Safety Partnership’s latest efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour in Bridgend town centre.
To ensure an effective response and to re-assure business owners and the wider community, a report-it scheme has been launched which encourages people to make all anti instances of anti-social behaviour known.
We are holding regular awareness sessions at town centre locations, and are undertaking a survey that is intended to provide easier access to education, training and employment opportunities.
Homeless and rough sleepers are being supported through the Zone and the Wallich Rough Sleeper team, and our Cleaner Streets teams are responding to all reports of graffiti and litter.
Licensing Officers are working with local businesses over the sale of alcohol in pubs, shops and clubs, and we are distributing leaflets to remind traders about the risk of proxy or under-age sales as well as carrying out test purchasing.
We are carrying out operations with taxi drivers which include county lines training, and our CCTV unit is providing additional monitoring while a street lighting inspection helps identify areas that may require improvement.
A number of arrests have been made for offences such as shoplifting or the possession and supply of drugs, and five criminal behaviour orders have been issued which prevent specific individuals from entering the town centre or certain retail premises.
The PSPO is being enforced with the confiscation of alcohol wherever appropriate, and there has been an increased visible police presence. Finally, the CF31 BID group has recruited a town centre street marshal, and are promoting the Storenet security scheme.
He hoped to bring those present further details about how these efforts are paying off soon.
Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help
The Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help, had some excellent news to share with Members. Following extensive consultation, we have been able to revise our plans for the Ty Cwm Ogwr care home at Pantyrawel, and have successfully sourced experienced independent provider Ashville Residential Ltd to take over the running of the home.
This of course means that the residents of Ty Cwm Ogwr no longer need to move into alternative accommodation, and that staff jobs have been protected.
In addition, we have been able to retain vital accommodation services in the Ogmore Valley while also developing scope for the introduction of new services as needs and requirements change over time.
Members will be aware that the proposed closure formed part of our remodelling plans. He was delighted that we have been able to revisit the plans, and have successfully developed an alternative solution which will enable us to keep the home open while still achieving our desired outcomes.
He asked more Members to come forward and volunteer to take part in our regular rota visits to social care establishments. These visits contribute towards the safeguarding of vulnerable adults, children and young people, and help ensure that their needs are being met by the quality of care.
Like robust contract monitoring, health and safety checks, independent statutory visits and inspections by the Care Inspectorate Wales, the rota visits form an important part of our quality assurance procedures.
They provide members with an opportunity to meet people and listen to their views about the services they receive. There are forty social care establishments on the current rota, sixteen of which are maintained by the local authority and 24 which are independent. Members visit in teams of two, and we aim to carry out one visit per month.
As the current rota only features five teams, more volunteers are needed. Full guidance and training is provided to all who take part, and an email will be issued to you shortly explaining this is more detail.
With the new rota set to start in April, he hoped that Members will be able to support this very worthwhile request.
Together with Cabinet colleagues, I recently had the pleasure of meeting with some of our local foster carers, and we were able to discuss their experiences on a wide range of issues.
We talked about their experiences as foster carers, and their reasons and motivations for undertaking this important role.
It was a humbling and informative experience, and it gave us an opportunity to gain valuable insight and feedback. We will now seek to use and apply what we have learned as we go about developing and improving the fostering service.
Foster carers do vitally important work in giving disadvantaged children and young people the best start in life possible, and I hope that members will help to promote the service and need for further foster carers to come forward.
Full details are available at the council website the Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help concluded.
Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations
The Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations thought Members may be interested to know that a new strategy has been developed to help prevent homelessness in Bridgend County Borough, and your residents are being asked to have their say on it.
The strategy was co-produced with landlords, service users, the third sector and various council departments all putting forward their thoughts.
The strategy sets out how the Council plans to help prevent homelessness, whether that be hidden homeless or rough sleepers.
It aims to make it easier for people who are threatened with homelessness to access support services - for example the ‘early doors’ scheme which helps residents struggling with their rent, the family mediation service which specialises in improving the relationships within families, where a young person aged 16-25 is, or is at risk of becoming homeless, and the Bond Board Scheme which assists people on a low income to find and secure private rented accommodation.
Members may also be interested to note that the Housing Solutions team recently recruited a mental health outreach worker to work with residents who are homeless or facing homelessness, and who need specific support.
As you know, there are often complex reasons for why people become or remain homeless. One of the objectives of this strategy is to ensure that the solutions are easily accessible, readily available and designed around the needs of the people who use them.
She also wished to share with Members a new initiative that was launched last week, which they may wish in turn to share with constituents.
The Council has teamed up with Bridgend Carers Centre, the Evergreen Hall and Awen Cultural Trust to establish the County Borough’s first Carers Choir.
The choir is intended to be fun and informal. It will give people who care for friends or family members a chance to get out, enjoy themselves and meet others who share similar experiences.
Led by musical director Izzie Thomas, the choir will meet every Monday at the Evergreen Hall between 11am and 1pm.
All carers are welcome to come along to the sessions and she was sure that more news would be spread about the Carers Choir as its membership grows.
Finally, the Bridgend Disability Veterans Random Act of Kindness Group is supporting a ‘rock choir’ evening on behalf of Bridgend Young Carers.
The Rock Choir will perform alongside the Big Fat Blues Band at Bridgend College on 8 February, and Councillors were welcome to attend and support the event.
Tickets cost £7 and are available through contacting Nicola Bunston in the Council’s Equalities Section.
Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration
The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration advised that Members may wish to remind their constituents that online applications are now open for children seeking nursery places across the County Borough.
The nursery places are for children who will be starting school full time in September 2019, and also children who will be part-time from January to April 2020.
Applications can be made easily and conveniently by signing up for the free ‘My Account’ facility at the council website, then submitting an online form before the deadline of 25th March.
While traditional paper forms are still available, applying online makes the whole school admissions process much easier, and also enables people to use My Account to manage things like council tax and housing benefit.
Further functions are being added to My Account that will make it even easier to access services and do business with the Council, so he hoped that Members are encouraging people within their wards to sign-up.
Every year, Bridgend Business Forum holds an annual St David’s Day breakfast event, and it is taking place once again at the Coed-Y-Mwstwr Hotel in Coychurch.
Welsh rugby star Ryan Jones will be joining representatives from local businesses at the event to talk to them about his career and success as a former Wales captain and both a British and Irish Lion.
The Bridgend Business Forum now boasts more than 900 members and offers a collective voice for local companies of all sizes and sectors within the county borough. The breakfast event offers an excellent opportunity for them to network and receive support and advice designed to help them develop and grow.
He concluded by stating that Members may want to let businesses within their wards know about the event and the work of the forum, and can find full details at the Bridgend Business Forum website.
Interim Chief Executive
The Interim Chief Executive advised that one of the things that he wanted to support and promote is the work of the Youth Council.
The Leader together with himself, recently met with our current Youth Mayor, Lewis Pilliner, and he was pleased to join Lindsay Harvey, our Corporate Director for Education and Family Support, at the most recent meeting of the Youth Council, which has Members were aware, are held e in the Council Chamber.
He was very keen that we support the Youth Mayor with his main priorities for the year, and that we also engage more effectively with the Youth Council on matters of mutual interest.
“My experience of working and consulting with young people is that this contributes an important and sensible dimension towards shaping the council’s business.
I think it stands to reason that if we can make this ongoing engagement more meaningful, it will be beneficial to all concerned.”
This year, the Youth Mayor has identified young people’s mental health as a key priority, especially when linked to issues such as exam stress.
He has also prioritised ways of increasing recycling in schools, and holding a ‘democracy day‘ to develop better understanding of the political system, and to promote the importance of having your say and using your vote.
Information from the Welsh Government’s Statistics Wales website suggests that there are around 14,000 people aged between 16 to 24, currently residing within the County Borough.
This represents an opportunity for elected Members to get directly involved with supporting and developing this very topical event, and to help foster greater interest in local democracy.
A Youth Mayor’s Ball is set to be held in September at the Hi-Tide in Porthcawl which will be in aid of Prostrate Cymru, and the Interim Chief Executive was sure that members would want to show their support for this also.
We have already identified that we would like to see more feedback from the Youth Council on key consultation exercises such as bus subsidies, parks and playing fields charges, and the forthcoming homelessness strategy.
Although the Youth Council is made up of representatives from local primary and secondary schools, he had been particularly impressed at how they have covered topics, ranging from period poverty to Brexit in a mature, insightful manner.
He had no doubt that in years to come, some of those young people will be standing where Members/Officers were now, and making the hard decisions that will lead Bridgend County Borough into the future.
He added that they were a credit to the Council and the County Borough alike, and any help that elected Members can offer to support and assist them will be very much appreciated as well as a valuable investment.
Monitoring Officer
The Monitoring Officer made two announcements as follows:-
A request has been received from the Group Leader of the Llynfi Independents for Councillor Keith Edwards to relinquish his seat on Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 and become a member instead of Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 3.
To accommodate this, Councillor Tom Beedle will relinquish his seat on Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 3 and become a member of Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1.
This exchange is from Members of the same political group, and therefore the overall political balance of Committees will be unaffected.
It has been necessary to change three dates of up and coming O&S Committees as follows, in order to necessitate the full attendance of Invitees at the meetings:-
Subject O&SC 2 moved from 29 January to 13 February 2019 – 9.30am pre-meeting briefing and 10.00am start.
Subject O&SC 2 moved from 30 April to 15 April 2019 – 9.30am pre-meeting briefing and 10.00am start.
Subject O&SC 3 moved from 26 February to 25 February 2019 – 9.30am pre-meeting briefing and 10.00am start.
Members of both Committees have been given prior notification of the likely changes by email and both Chairpersons of the Committees have agreed to the dates being changed for the reason so given.
Electronic calendars of appropriate Members and Officers have also been provisionally updated with the revised dates for these Committee meetings.