(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Mayor

 

The Mayor reminded members about nominations 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 from there.  The deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday 25 January and the winners will be honoured at an event in March.

 

We have had a busy Christmas period since the last Council meeting; with the Mayor and his Consort having carried out 29 official engagements, which were both varied and different and very enjoyable.

 

The blessing of the new Pencoed primary school by Bishop June this was a very a special event for all who attended and a lovely opening for the new building.

 

They had a fantastic morning at the Olympage games which took place in the Bethlehem Church Life Centre. The games give older people the opportunity to compete and be active in a fun setting whilst making new friends in a social environment.

 

As part of the ongoing business awards visits the Mayor/his Consort were welcomed by Fords and shown around the new engine dragon line. It was lovely to meet management and production line staff who were building a future for Bridgend. Fords had been trading in Bridgend now for nearly 40 years.

 

They had attended numerous school concerts and witnessed some outstanding talent and hard work by the pupils and staff across the county borough. He extended his thanks to everyone who had been involved in these.

 

Looking to the New Year, many events were already in his calendar.

 

He concluded by wishing all those present a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

 

Deputy Leader

 

Members may want to remind their constituents that households will be able to put out an extra bin bag this Christmas, and that a traditional ‘black’ bag will be suitable for this purpose.

 

This is of course in addition to the current household waste limit of two bags, and it applies for the first refuse collection after Christmas. 

 

There will be collections on Christmas Eve, but there won’t be any collections on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Everything will be picked up two days later than normal for the rest of that week.

 

Collections will be made as usual on New Year’s Eve, but there won’t be any collections on New Year’s Day so everything will be one day later up until Saturday 5 January. Collections will be back to normal from Monday 7 January 2019.

 

The main festive waste that can’t be recycled is wrapping paper, black plastic, cellophane wrap and polystyrene. Almost everything else can be recycled, including food waste. Christmas cards can go out with your cardboard, and the envelope can go with your paper recycling.

 

Latest statistics reveal that with a recycling rate of sixty-eight point six per cent, we are second best in Wales. Our residents recycled enough food last year to power an entire school for four years. This is highly encouraging, and I hope that members will encourage our local communities to recycle as much as possible this Christmas.

 

The Deputy Leader also took the opportunity to congratulate the 19 council managers who have gained new qualifications as part of a Higher Apprenticeship Programme funded by Welsh Government.

 

They spent 18 months studying for the qualification, and have been awarded with the Edexcel NVQ Diploma and the Pearson BTEC Diploma in management and leadership.

 

A further nine officers are currently on the course while a second group of 19 have recently enrolled on the level four and five programmes. Completing this course will improve the overall skill-set and quality of the council’s managers, and he was pleased to see that it is producing successful results.

 

Members will be aware that Cabinet have approved a draft MTFS for 2019/20 – 2022/23 and a draft budget for 2019/20. This is dependent on a whole raft of proposals for reductions in services and cuts which we hoped we might not have to propose, but we have a statutory duty to deliver a balanced budget.

 

In early December, all Members will have had an opportunity to attend a briefing on the MTFS and to ask questions in more detail. Members will also have had an opportunity to scrutinise the budget proposals and he looked forward to receiving any comments and recommendations.

 

He had been pleased to attend BREP on a regular basis and have witnessed the intense debate and discussion on proposals and again looked forward to receiving the report from BREP. The budget consultation has now concluded and yesterday, Cabinet received a report which it would now consider.

 

Today we are expecting to receive the final budget settlement from Welsh Government. The detail of this will need to be digested, however, any material changes were not expected. If the Authority were able to reduce the impact of the reductions it would do so.

 

Finally, a survey of ICT provision will shortly be sent to all Members. The survey is intended to identify how the provision, use and support of ICT for Elected Members could be developed in the future to enable further efficiencies.

 

Members are kindly requested to complete the survey electronically by 31 January 2019.  The results of the survey will be presented to the Members’ ICT Forum he concluded.

 

Cabinet Member – Communities

 

The Cabinet Member – Communities announced that any dog owners who were in the habit of visiting Kenfig National Nature Reserve with their pets,  may wish to exercise caution around the pool area.

 

In recent weeks there has been a large bloom of blue-green algae which is most visible where it has collected at the water’s edge. While naturally occurring, it can produce toxins which are harmful to both humans and dogs, so he urged people to keep well clear of this.

 

Unfortunately, he needed to advise members of another problem at Kenfig National Nature Reserve, namely off-road motorcycles which are being ridden illegally at the site.

 

As well as being a danger to other visitors using the dunes, the bikes are causing severe damage to the dune habitats which are home to several protected and rare species such as the Fen Orchid.

 

The council is working with South Wales Police to tackle the problem, and visitors who witness such illegal activity are being urged to report any sightings to the 101 number.

 

Speaking of nature reserves, he recently had an opportunity to visit what is perhaps the County Borough’s best kept secret.

 

Craig Y Parcau is a charming woodland walk which runs alongside the River Ogmore on the opposite bank to Newbridge Fields.

 

Several improvements have been made to the pathways there, so if anyone fancied a walk after their Christmas dinner, Craig Y Parcau comes highly recommended.

Individuals can access Craig Y Parcau from the hilly path which goes up towards Broadlands.

 

Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations

 

The Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations announced that this year’s White Ribbon campaign has been marked with a number of different events.

 

Throughout the campaign, residents have been reminded that the Assia Suite at the Civic Offices is ready and available to offer confidential advice and support on all forms of domestic abuse, as well as safety planning for victims and their children.

 

Since the Suite was set up three years ago, the service has helped hundreds of people.

She thanked members for their support during this year’s White Ribbon campaign, and also thanked BCBC’s partners South Wales Police, Calan DVS, the Probation Service, and Victim Support.  She also acknowledged the efforts of Councillor David White, who serves as our White Ribbon Champion, and thanked him for all his hard work again this year.

 

On a slightly lighter note, and as it was Christmas, she also wished to mention something that will help ensure residents can enjoy the festivities.

 

The Food Standards Agency has made free advice available that is designed to prevent families suffering from food poisoning due to undercooked Christmas turkey and other meats.

 

Of the estimated one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year, many occur during the festive season.

 

Members may want to let their constituents know that they can find useful advice and guidance at the food.gov.UK website, or follow hash tag “season’s eating’s” on Twitter.

 

Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

 

The Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration announced that he together with Cabinet colleagues, local members and council officers recently met with Carwyn Jones AM at Village Farm in Pyle for an update on the Enterprise Hub Programme.

 

As the largest business property development scheme ever undertaken by Bridgend County Borough Council, this was a really exciting £5.5 million initiative which stood to create more than 2,600 square metres of new business units, including blocks at Village Farm, suitable for light industry.

 

This investment is made possible by partnership with Welsh Government and by support from European Union regional funding

 

Subject to Welsh Government approval, new facilities will be created at Brocastle, and the Innovation Centre on Bridgend Science Park will be refurbished to accommodate modern business needs.

 

Around 58 businesses and 150 jobs will be supported by the initiative, which is being provided in partnership with Welsh Government as part of a plan to meet growing demand for commercial premises that are suitable for new or smaller enterprises.

 

As the number of companies in Bridgend County Borough is increasing, this initiative will avoid a shortage of appropriate starter units, and is excellent news for the local economy. Architects are hard at work on the plans for the new enterprise hubs, and construction is expected to begin in 2019.

 

Members may also be interested to know about a new school initiative which is encouraging future generations to live greener, more sustainable lives.

 

An intergalactic space monkey called Busta, a mascot for the above scheme, is helping to educate primary school pupils on how food waste can be converted into electricity.

 

It is targeting all Key Stage 2 students and provides a wide range of resources with curriculum-linked activities. The scheme is being delivered in partnership with Recycle for Wales, Wastebuster and Eco-Schools, and he was sure members would agree that it is delivering some increasingly important lessons.

 

Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help

 

A new initiative has been launched to help give vulnerable people, and those who are supported by social services, more of an opportunity to express their views.

 

Called the Bridgend Voice and Choice hub, it has been set up as a first port of call for anyone who needs an advocate to represent their opinions and stand up for their rights.

 

A dedicated helpline has been created and is available Monday to Friday.

 

Various organisations have come together to form the hub with the council including ProMo-Cymru, Mental Health Matters, People First Bridgend and the Golden Thread Advocacy Project.

 

Members may want to let their constituents know about this very useful service. The Bridgend Voice and Choice hub can be contacted on 0808 801 0330, and you can find out more details by visiting the website, bridgend voice and choice dot cymru.

 

He also acknowledged and thanked pupils from Brynteg Comprehensive, who have once again played a significant role in ensuring that vulnerable children can have a happy Christmas.

 

Every year, the pupils raise money through charitable events, and then spend it buying toys which they donate to the annual Santa Appeal organised by the council’s Early Help and Safeguarding teams.

 

This year, the pupils raised almost £5,000 and bought bags of presents for 157 needy and vulnerable children.

 

He felt this was a lovely gesture and a fantastic effort. As well as thanking the pupils, he also thanked everyone who supported the Santa Appeal. Without it, there are children and young people out there who would otherwise not have any Christmas presents at all. Well done to all concerned.

 

Finally, the Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help thanked Bridge FM who had kindly brought in 7 crates of presents last week, as had Officers of the Council in support of the Foster Carers Xmas party at Brackla Community Centre yesterday. He attended the event and confirmed how pleasing it was to see Foster Carers and young children in care opening these gifts and enjoying what was such an important occasion.

 

Chief Executive

 

The Chief Executive advised members that the Council had a number of important consultations progressing at the moment.

 

These covered a range of issues such as subsidised transport, post-16 sixth form provision and dog fouling enforcement.

 

In the New Year, consultations would also be launched on how we deal with empty properties in the county borough, and parks, pavilions and playing fields.

 

These are all important issues which we want local residents to participate in, so he hoped that members will encourage their constituents to do so.

 

Full details are available at the consultation page of the council website, and Members can obtain alternative formats by contacting our consultation and engagement team.

 

Without wishing to pre-empt the formal decision that council is asked to make this afternoon, the Chief Executive felt that members would wish to note that the Appointments Committee did proceed to appoint an Interim Chief Executive and he congratulated Mr Mark Shephard on that appointment.

 

At the previous meeting of the Council the Leader explained the intention to appoint an interim S151 Officer on the same time scale as the Interim Chief Executive. In fact we did not proceed with that appointment.  He was pleased to say that Gill Lewis the current Interim S151 officer has kindly agreed to stay with us a little longer, to ensure continuity and to support the Council through the budget process. 

 

The intention remained to seek a permanent solution in the new year but the above did mean that the Authority has greater continuity in this key role than would have otherwise been the case.