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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED accordingly.
RESOLVED that the decisions be approved and confirmed as a true record of proceedings.
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the information within the report which was given by the Governance & Audit Committee as assurance that appropriate oversight and monitoring was taking place and any shortfalls had appropriate controls in place to make the necessary improvements, be accepted.
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the revised Gambling Policy as recommended by the Statutory Licensing Committee be approved.
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and the joint regional commitments as outlined in the Area Plan and the Regional Partnership Board Annual Report including progress made against the objectives be approved.
RESOLVED that the above appointments be endorsed. Governance & Audit Committee – Appointment of Chair The appointment of Mrs. Cheryl Hucker as Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 year was noted. The following additional membership was verbally reported: Governance & Audit Committee Appointments Panel RESOLVED that the Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee be appointed to the above-named Panel.
It was noted that no requests had been received for the simultaneous translation service.
Apologies for absence were received from: Councillors P. Baldwin, D. Davies, J. P. Morgan, J. Thomas, and the Joint Chief Executive.
There were no declarations of interest or dispensations reported.
There were no announcements reported at the meeting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED accordingly.
Due to the need to consider the following item as a matter of urgency, the Presiding Member confirmed that the matter could be considered under the Provisions of Paragraph 4(b), Section 100(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972. The Leader of the Council referred to the recent Storm Bert which had brought devastation across South Wales and had deeply affected communities within Blaenau Gwent, causing significant disruption and distress. He expressed his appreciation to Council staff and partner agencies for their tireless efforts during this major incident – there were too many people involved to thank personally. Their dedication to protecting and supporting the communities had been extraordinary. Appreciation also to Councillors for their visible presence and support on the ground and most importantly, appreciation was expressed to the communities. Once again, Blaenau Gwent had shown immense resilience and solidarity. The Leader concluded by stating that the Council was continuing to work with partners, including Welsh Government, to provide the necessary support and resources for recovery. It was, thereupon, proposed that a Flood Recovery Grant Scheme be established for flood victims in Blaenau Gwent following Storm Bert. The scheme would be available to qualifying residents who had suffered internal flooding to provide a grant of £1,000. This proposal was seconded and unanimously supported by Members. RESOLVED accordingly.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the decisions be approved and confirmed as a true record of proceedings.
The Decision Book for the period September – November 2024 was submitted for consideration. It was unanimously, RESOLVED that the decisions be approved and confirmed as a true record of proceedings.
The following question was received from Councillor Lee Parsons and responded to by Councillor Helen Cunningham, Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member - Place & Environment. Question: Following recent and past events where Members had been threatened with violence, what measures and professional devices were the Council going to implement to ensure the safety of its Members? Response: As outlined by the Chief Executive in his written communication to Members, the Council was working to develop a comprehensive Member briefing and Member resource tailored specifically for Member needs and this was built around the LGA/WLGA recommended best practice. Gwent Police had also offered to record home addresses of Elected Members on their internal dispatch system which would place a Critical Marker on a Member's personal home address, should they choose to opt into it. Discussions had taken place with officers and jointly with counterparts in Torfaen on Member safety. As part of that work, the next Member Wellbeing Session would focus on these exact areas in order to gather the range of experiences and perspectives that Members had on this matter, to help inform this work as it progressed. Supplementary Question: What safety devices were the Council going to implement, why was there such a disparity between the LGA and WLGA and the way Members were treated, as their safety was paramount and was the WLGA going to be contacted to ensure that not only our Members were safe in the future but every Member in Wales was safe? Response: At present, the purchase of lone working devices was being investigated, these devices would be able to be loaned to Members upon request. With regard to the differences between the LGA and WLGA, the Deputy Leader was unable to comment on either of the organisations behalf but said that this was something that could be pursued as part of this process and taken forward to ensure that no Members felt disadvantaged in any way and by utilising all the resources available to Members, that they felt fully supported.
There were no questions submitted by members of the public.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the information within the report which was given by the Governance & Audit Committee as assurance that appropriate oversight and monitoring was taking place and any shortfalls had appropriate controls in place to make the necessary improvements, be accepted.
Consideration was given to the report of the Data Protection and Governance Officer submitted on behalf of the Governance and Audit Committee. It was unanimously, RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the information within the report which was given by the Governance & Audit Committee as assurance that appropriate oversight and monitoring was taking place and any shortfalls had appropriate controls in place to make the necessary improvements, be accepted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the revised Gambling Policy as recommended by the Statutory Licensing Committee be approved.
Members considered the report of the Team Manager – Trading Standards andLicensing. It was unanimously, RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the revised Gambling Policy as recommended by the Statutory Licensing Committee be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report be accepted and the joint regional commitments as outlined in the Area Plan and the Regional Partnership Board Annual Report including progress made against the objectives be approved.
Consideration was given to the report of the Head of the Gwent Regional Partnership Team. It was unanimously, RESOLVED that the report be accepted and the joint regional commitments as outlined in the Area Plan and the Regional Partnership Board Annual Report including progress made against the objectives be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the above appointments be endorsed. Governance & Audit Committee – Appointment of Chair The appointment of Mrs. Cheryl Hucker as Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 year was noted. The following additional membership was verbally reported: Governance & Audit Committee Appointments Panel RESOLVED that the Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee be appointed to the above-named Panel.
Consideration was given to: Advisory Panel for Local Authority Governors The following recommendations were made by the Panel on 5th November, 2024 to appoint in principle: Ystruth Primary School – Lorette Hinson Abertillery 3-16 Learning Community – Helen Mifflin Abertillery 3-16 Learning Community – Hayley Jones Ebbw Fawr 3-16 Learning Community – Kerys Amos Deighton Primary School – Councillor Jacqueline Thomas Abertillery 3-16 Learning Community – Councillor Sue Edmunds It was, thereupon, unanimously, RESOLVED that the above appointments be endorsed. Governance & Audit Committee – Appointment of Chair The appointment of Mrs. Cheryl Hucker as Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 year was noted. The following additional membership was verbally reported: Governance & Audit Committee Appointments Panel RESOLVED that the Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee be appointed to the above-named Panel.
To receive and consider the following report which in the opinion of the proper officer was an exempt item taking into account consideration of the public interest test and that the press and public should be excluded from the meeting (the reason for the decision for the exemption was available on a schedule maintained by the proper officer). Councillor L. Winnett left the meeting at this juncture.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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