(i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

The Mayor

The Mayor announced that he had received a letter of grateful thanks from the Bridgend Foodbank for the financial contribution that was made to them by Bridgend County Borough Council and the generous food donations made by staff and members over the last year.  In the 10 years since Bridgend Foodbank was formed, they have provided food for approximately 50,000 people.  The money and donations will be put to good use feeding the people of the county borough who are in crisis. 

The Mayor also thanked the 100 plus volunteers of the Bridgend Foodbank who all work incredibly hard to fight food poverty within the county borough. He had the pleasure of attending their Annual Meeting this evening and look forward to passing on the Council’s thanks and gratitude in person.

The Mayor also announced that nominations for the Mayor’s Annual Citizenship Awards close on Friday of this week.  All nominations are welcome and an application form can be downloaded from the Council’s website or requested via the Mayor’s Office.  He urged Members not to miss this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the people and organisations within their communities.

Deputy Leader

The Deputy Leader announced that the Council had teamed up with Porthcawl Town Council to trial an ingenious new solution to the sticky problem of discarded chewing gum.  Special ‘Gum Drop’ bins are being attached to lampposts along John Street, and people are being encouraged to use them for the disposal of chewing gum instead of dropping it on the street and creating an unsightly and difficult-to-remove stain.  As the bins are made from recycled chewing gum, they can be removed and recycled along with their contents to create a range of products, including new bins and Wellington boots.  He stated this is the latest move to tackle litter that the ongoing partnership with Porthcawl Town Council has produced, and it will make Porthcawl one of the first Welsh towns to feature the innovative bins.

Discussions have taken place with local takeaways, and three new dedicated bins are being added in the Western Promenade, John Street and Griffin Park areas to support the recycling of fast-food packaging.  Funding had been from the Welsh Government, and shortly, two water fountains will be installed along the seafront to encourage people to fill up reusable bottles for free instead of buying single-use plastic bottles.  He hoped that these innovations will support efforts to change behaviours and attitudes to waste, and will encourage more people to recycle.

Cabinet Member Communities

The Cabinet Member Communities informed Council that the Council has made a number of commitments to the Armed Forces Community Covenant, which had been recognised with an award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme run by the Ministry of Defence.  Work to support former and serving members of the armed forces is continuing, as demonstrated by the recent establishment of a guaranteed interview scheme for veterans at the Council.  This has now resulted in the development of an all-new initiative designed to provide people who are leaving the armed forces with practical experience of working within a civilian environment.  It is intended to help local veterans to overcome barriers in finding civilian employment, support them in developing transferable skills, acclimatise to working in a non-military setting, and reduce the risk of health and welfare problems among members of the armed forces community.  The work placement scheme will deliver further benefits as it will also help the Council to identify and develop a wider selection of high-quality candidates for council roles from people who may otherwise not have considered a career in local government.  He stated that the Council remains committed towards supporting members of the military community, and he hoped Members will welcome this latest development.

Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help

The Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help announced that the Ty Cwm Ogwr care home in Pantyrawel will return to the management of the Council on 31 January.  The home was transferred to an independent care provider in January 2018 as part of remodelling plans for adult social care.  He stated that it had become apparent that the provider would not be able to meet specific contractual requirements and the home will now transfer back to the Council.  He informed Members that none of the contractual requirements relate to standards of care at the home, which continue to be very high, and the transition will have no impact on either staff or residents.  Residents and their families fully informed throughout this process to minimise inconvenience and maintain the high standards that they have come to expect.  He stated that Ty Cwm Ogwr has also been supporting pressures faced by the Princess of Wales Hospital, and the Council has helped to free valuable bed space by enabling the timely discharge of patients who have been welcomed into the residential care home.  He announced that the Council remains committed towards expanding this initiative, and to ensuring that every opportunity is taken to maximise the number of available beds and reducing the amount of time people have to remain within hospital.  Work was already taking place to consider further options for Ty Cwm Ogwr, and he would bring Members further news as soon as possible.

Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations

The Cabinet Member Wellbeing and Future Generations announced that a multi-agency ‘Crisis Café’ has been established at The Zone in Bridgend town centre, to support the most vulnerable members of the community, whose issues and extremely disorganised lifestyles often mean they are homeless.  The Crisis Café is held on Friday mornings and enables vulnerable individuals to access a wide range of services designed to help them change and improve their lives, within an environment vulnerable residents will find friendly and non-threatening, and is based on models that have been recommended by organisations such as Shelter and models that have been successfully trialled in areas such as Wrexham.  She stated that one of the main benefits of having a range of services available in one place is that it ensures an extremely vulnerable person can engage with all the services available at a single location.

Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration

The Cabinet Member Education and Regeneration announced that plans for the next phase of the Council’s efforts to protect Porthcawl from flooding and coastal erosion have been submitted to Welsh Government.  If approved, Welsh Government will provide 75% of the funding, and it will mean that more than £6m will be invested in the area to protect 531 homes and 174 businesses.  This follows the £3m project to replace sea defences at Town Beach, which has helped to transform the seafront area and protect 260 homes, businesses and historic buildings such as the Grand Pavilion.  He hoped to bring Members more news soon. 

He also announced that a new ‘market square’ will be revealed in the central area Bridgend Indoor Market next Monday.  As part of an ongoing project to give the market a new lease of life, the central market area is being made available for specialist events, family entertainment, children’s play facilities and other activities designed to encourage footfall and support trade.  Over the last year, a series of illustrative panels providing information about the market’s rich history have been set up to welcome shoppers, and the market bell which dates back to 1837 has been relocated to the main entrance.  Preparatory work is progressing on the development of new toilets available to the public at the market.  It was anticipated these will be made available by the traders later in the spring and will be wheelchair-accessible as well as including baby-changing facilities.  He hoped to bring Members further details of this work, and the indoor market will be promoted as the situation develops.

Chief Executive

The Chief Executive announced that a new internal staff survey had been launched this week, which is intended to gauge how staff feel about their roles within the council, help improve internal processes and practices, and support the authority as it seeks to become leaner and more efficient.  The survey will run until 1 March and asks staff to give their opinions on issues which include opportunities for learning and development, workplace well-being, management, communications and more.  The previous staff survey undertaken in 2018 provided a valuable insight into how the Council views itself as an organisation, and has enabled the introduction of a number of changes and improvements.  The Chief Executive highlighted the headlines from the 2018 staff survey, which had been completed by more than 900 staff.  The feedback from the survey was used to inform a number of actions, such as a move to weekly staff emails and the launch of a staff suggestion scheme which has resulted in various ideas being explored and implemented, while a focus on staff well-being has seen hugely popular health-check clinics and workshops introduced which cover a wide range of issues.  Many of these have had a particular focus upon the mental-well-being of staff, with sessions held on mindfulness, stress management, combating depression and more.  The Chief Executive informed Members that once the new survey is complete and the results analysed, he would bring you more news about what fresh insights have been revealed.

The Chief Executive officially welcomed Elizabeth Bradfield to Bridgend County Borough Council.  He stated that Members will have already seen Liz covering many committee meetings as a local democracy reporter, but was delighted to inform that she started work this week as the authority’s new communications officer.  He was sure that Members will want to congratulate her on her new role.