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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: · noted the projected revenue position for 2023-24; and approved the virements over £100,000 as outlined in paragraph 3.1.7.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the Council’s Capital Programme 2023-24 Quarter 1 update to 30 June 2023 (Appendix A). • agreed that the revised Capital Programme (Appendix B) be submitted to Council for approval. • noted the projected Prudential and Other Indicators for 2023-24 (Appendix C).
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the treasury management activities for 2023-24 for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023. noted the Treasury Management Indicators for the quarter ending 30 June 2023 against those approved in the Treasury Management Strategy 2023-24.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • considered and agreed the first draft Corporate Plan Delivery Plan 2023/24 in Appendix 1. • considered and agreed the updated Corporate Performance Framework in Appendix 2 and how best to use the document across the Council.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved a 12-week public consultation on the draft Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan (Appendices 1 & 4). • approved the submission of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (Appendix 2) and Housing Prospectus (Appendix 3) to Welsh Government. • noted that the final Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan will be presented to Cabinet for approval prior to formal submission to Welsh Government.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the content of the report; and • provided approval in principle to commence the project in September 2023 subject to finalised terms and conditions outlined in the SLA.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the use of the existing First Cymru public bus service, as it is the only public bus service able to support the home-to-college transport needs of all eligible learners attending Bridgend College from September 2023. • delegated authority to Corporate Director to purchase bus passes directly from First Cymru in accordance with the waiver available under CPR 3.2.3; and • agreed to work with Bridgend College to promote the new college transport offer, including the benefits of college learners subscribing to and using Welsh Government’s ‘mytravelpass,’ which will allow for the making of financial efficiency savings to council services. To be amended to include the following, “and if there is limited subscription to review our post 16 policy with a view to making this a requirement.” • amend Paragraph 3.4 to “the local authority is now proposing to provide college transport bus passes to each eligible learner upon request.”
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the Cabinet Forward Work Programme for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 October 2023 at Appendix 1. • noted the Council and Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ Forward Work Programmes for the same period, as shown at Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 of the report, respectively.
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the progress that has been made in connection with the acquisition and demolition of the former Police Station Site at Cheapside in readiness for transfer to Bridgend College in support of their Town Centre campus proposal. • noted the progress in respect of the demolition of Brackla One multi storey car park. • authorised officers to complete the requisite legal documentation to transfer both sites to Bridgend College for nil consideration in accordance with WG Estate Co-location & Land Transfer Protocol and Subsidy Act Control in order to support and facilitate the Town Centre Campus development only, whereby should the same development not proceed the land would transfer back to BCBC.
RESOLVED: Cabinet acknowledged the publication of the report referred to in paragraph 3.1 of the report.
Cllr Farr – Item 10, Prejudicial
That the minutes of the 20/06/2023 be approved as a true and accurate record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: · noted the projected revenue position for 2023-24; and approved the virements over £100,000 as outlined in paragraph 3.1.7.
The purpose of this report was to provide Cabinet with an update on the Council’s revenue financial position as at 30th June 2023 and to seek approval for any virements over £100,000 which require approval by Cabinet as required by the Council’s Financial Procedure Rules. The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change provided a summary of the current position. The key points are as follows: • The net revenue budget for 2023-24 is £342.334 million. The overall projected position at 30th June 2023 is a net over spend of £9.727 million. • The projected over spend is primarily due to ongoing pressures within the Social Services and Wellbeing Directorate and on the Home to School Transport budget. • The budget approved for 2023-24 included budget reduction proposals totalling £2.608 million. The current position is a projected shortfall on the savings target of £200,000, or 7.67% of the overall reduction target. • A thorough review of earmarked reserves was undertaken by Corporate Management Board during quarter 1 of 2023-24 which has identified £3.067 million of reserves that can be unwound to contribute towards emerging risks for the Council as a whole during 2023-24. A further £733,000 of earmarked reserves was to be repurposed against similar schemes. • It is too early in the financial year to provide a realistic indication of projected council tax income for this year and whether or not the Council is likely to see a reduction in its in income from Council tax as more people have experienced financial hardship due to the current cost of living crisis, or whether the additional income which should be collected through the introduction of the Council tax premiums on empty properties will impact. This will obviously be very closely monitored throughout the remainder of this year. The Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Legal thanked the Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change for the report. He noted there were significant overspends that would have to be addressed and that it would be necessary to make a forensic assessment of the pressures and the full impact on the authority. He noted he had been at a finance cabinet members network meeting and although it provided little comfort, it was somewhat reassuring that these pressures are found across Wales. He noted his support for the virements and the recommendation. Prompted by a series of questions by the Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Wellbeing, a discussion followed about direct payments, whether there were families in Bridgend that had duplicate packages (i.e., direct payments and home care packages) and if so why, whether the Council claimed back direct payments that went unused, and that there seemed to be an over-spend in some areas of staffing and an under-spend in others. The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change confirmed that the Council did reclaim unused direct payments. She also noted that underspends arose because of staffing vacancies for example, and overspends because of things like agency costs. As such, the figure for social services, for instance, is a net figure. There are some underspends in some teams for staffing, whereas other teams may well be overspending for various reasons. The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing confirmed that rather than having duplicate packages, some residents have, depending on their needs, mixed packages of care. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment expressed his concern about the negative impact the current situation could have on other directorates such as Communities. He appealed to every single officer from the top to the bottom, but definitely in Social Services, to think twice every time they spend money. The Deputy Leader noted that all members of Council would have to make some difficult decisions going forward about where we spend our finances. She asked the Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change whether she had any reflections on where Bridgend fared in Wales as far as the overspend on social services was concerned, and whether the overspend was in adult and/ or in children’s social services. The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change confirmed that all authorities are reporting pressures and there is concern across Wales about social services spending, in both children's and adult services. The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change acknowledged, in response to a question by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, that some of the overspends are about 5%, but some authorities are predicting up to a 20% overspend. All are showing a percentage increase on their budget this year. The Leader drew attention to five issues: • the Learner Support Budget and the challenges around out-of-authority placements due to an increase in demand and insufficient space at Heronsbridge and Ysgol Bryn Castell. In response to this, the Head of Education and Family Support indicated that they were very conscious that there had been an increase in out-of-authority placements but also made it clear that the replacement for Heronsbridge had been commissioned and that it will have around 40 additional places and 4 additional residential beds. • The projected overspend in Legal, Democratic and Regulatory Services that is in part due to senior counsel services. In response, the Chief Officer - Legal & Regulatory Services, HR & Corporate Policy indicated that the overspend was directly linked to childcare cases taken through the court process. The fees for each application are now in excess of £2000. The cases are becoming more complex, which requires the authority to instruct senior counsel to attend, sometimes with very lengthy court hearings. In addition, the fees for experts are going up and as it's a local authority application, the court feels that any shortfall between the legal aid fees that are permitted, and the actual cost of the expert should be covered by the local authority. • In some areas of social services expenditure, like mental health homecare for example, there are contributions from our partners, such as Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. He asked if confirmation could be given that we were maximising the contribution of our partners. In response, the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing confirmed that in terms of mental health services, there is a well-established arrangement for individuals who've got health and social care needs and costs are shared 50/50. In other areas, work with the health board can be a bit more contested. For example, continuing healthcare has been a contested area of public policy for many years and the frontline workforce try to ensure that the legislation and the guidance around continuing healthcare for both adults and children is adhered to but it is a challenge. • He thought it could be necessary to consider and explore the issue of the fees and charges that are set for individuals. In response, the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing noted that this is a very regulated area in terms of public policy and the Welsh Government sets caps in terms of the amount individuals can be charged. • He noted the underspend on mental health residential care and indicated that it was vital that underspends were maximised. In response, the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing indicated that she could give that assurance. She also noted there has been great success in this authority in terms of supporting people to live as independently as possible. • He noted the overspend on independent residential care for children and that the local authority had invested in new provision at Brynmenyn. He requested an update on that development and confirmation that the local authority is considering other options to increase our provision of residential support within the county. The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing provided an update on the Brynmenyn development, indicating that they were very close to a handover in terms of the building from the contractors. A manager has been recruited and other staff are actively being recruited. The Deputy Leader added that the best placement for children was in a family unit. Her plea was if you knew of anybody that wanted to foster or was considering it, please direct them to the website where information is available. The Leader concluded this agenda item by indicating that it was necessary to be even more careful now about how financial resources are used and as such a Task and Finish Group would be convened that specifically looks at the financial pressures and challenges within social services and try to provide some additional support to that service in its ongoing journey of remodelling and managing within the financial constraints that the local authority is facing. RESOLVED: Cabinet: · noted the projected revenue position for 2023-24; and approved the virements over £100,000 as outlined in paragraph 3.1.7.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the Council’s Capital Programme 2023-24 Quarter 1 update to 30 June 2023 (Appendix A). • agreed that the revised Capital Programme (Appendix B) be submitted to Council for approval. • noted the projected Prudential and Other Indicators for 2023-24 (Appendix C).
The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change presented this report. Its purpose was to: • comply with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) ‘The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities’ (2021 edition) requirement to report performance against all forward looking indicators on a quarterly basis. • provide an update of the capital programme position for 2023-24 as at 30 June 2023 (Appendix A). • seek agreement from Cabinet to present a report to Council for approval of a revised capital programme for 2023-24 to 2032-33 (Appendix B). • note the projected Prudential and Other Indicators for 2023-24 (Appendix C). The Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Legal welcomed the new report template and noted that while he welcomed Welsh Government grants, he wondered about the genuine revenue implications of initiatives like free school meals. He also speculated about the expenditure on fleet vehicles and whether it was absolutely necessary to change them now. The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change responded by indicating there would be revenue implications in the form of running costs for the new fleet vehicles, but she assumed most of the fleet being bought is just replacing old and running costs would actually reduce. She further noted there would be a hit on the revenue account because that's funded via borrowing and therefore services do need to make sure before they purchase that fleet that they can actually afford to repay the loans that we will have to be taken out in order to fund them. She added that it would be valuable to make some of those consequences more explicit in future reports. The Deputy Leader drew attention to two issues: • Disabled facilities grants, and specifically the award of £0.1 million from Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s Housing with Care Fund, which will be used to fund equipment and adaptations to existing homes which are not supported by other Welsh Government adaptations grants, including supplementing the cost of Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) over the £36,000 statutory maximum. In response, the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing noted it had been the strategy over many years that disabled facilities grants help people to remain in their own homes and that can reduce the need for ongoing care. • the acquisition of the existing vehicles, plant and equipment utilised in the provision of the current waste service with Kier Services Limited. In particular, whether BCBC would get warranties on any of the equipment or vehicles and how old are they. In response, the Corporate Director – Communities noted that the residual value of the vehicles and kit had been established as £460,000 and this was good value compared to buying them new which would have cost £1.5 million. She noted they would take possession of any manufacturer warranties that remain. She indicated though, that some of the vehicles have been used for seven years and their life expectancy is ten years. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Wellbeing requested further information on the Community Focused Schools, a project supported by a Welsh Government grant of £2.398 million and aimed to target small and medium scale capital schemes to safely adapt and effectively open schools outside traditional hours. The Head of Education and Family Support indicated she could provide members with the complete list of 22 projects. She noted that not only would the projects allow access outside the school hours but also enhance the schools. The types of things being invested in were things like floodlights, changing rooms, pathways, fencing etc. The Leader made it clear that he very much welcomed the investment of £2.4 million by the Welsh Government in our schools and communities. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment reminded everyone that it was imperative to make sure that any vehicles bought are used and not sitting idle outside day centres or depots. If that was the case, they weren’t needed. The Corporate Director – Communities noted that she couldn't agree more and that that was something that was a key part of the fleet review. She indicated they were starting with the highest mileage vehicles and looking at where they are used and also whether it is possible to share vehicles between services. Another important thing is only replacing vehicles when they're at the end of their usable life. It was necessary to ensure there was only the right amount of fleet and that it was fit for purpose and used effectively. She indicated that she would be pleased to bring the fleet review to Cabinet so there could be an informed discussion about it. The Leader made it clear he would welcome the fleet review coming back to Cabinet. The Cabinet Member for Education drew attention to two significant pieces of investment in the report: • Free School Meals, especially the kitchen extension at Trelales Primary, and the purchase of kitchen pods at Cwmfelin Primary, Newtown Primary and Bryntirion Infants. • Flying Start Childcare. To support the delivery of Early Years Childcare, Welsh Government have provided £0.185 million to create Flying Start provisions at Ogmore Vale and Pontycymmer, and the funding will be used to repurpose classrooms within Ogmore Vale Primary and Pontycymmer Nursery. The Leader concluded this agenda item by highlighting the proposal to boost the Community Asset Transfer Fund. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the Council’s Capital Programme 2023-24 Quarter 1 update to 30 June 2023 (Appendix A). • agreed that the revised Capital Programme (Appendix B) be submitted to Council for approval. • noted the projected Prudential and Other Indicators for 2023-24 (Appendix C).
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the treasury management activities for 2023-24 for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023. noted the Treasury Management Indicators for the quarter ending 30 June 2023 against those approved in the Treasury Management Strategy 2023-24.
The Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change presented this report. Its purpose was to: • Comply with the requirement of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s ‘Treasury Management in the Public Services: Code of Practice’ (the Code) to report an overview of treasury activities for the preceding financial year. • Provide an update of Treasury Management activity for the first quarter 1 April – 30 June 2023. As at 30 June 2023 the Council had £99.79 million of long term debt, £13.80 million of other long term liabilities and £94.00 million of short term investments, an overall net debt position of £19.59 million. The average interest rate for debt was 4.69% (excluding Salix borrowing which is interest free) and for investments it was 4.16%. The Council has a manageable maturity structure of borrowing, with its current debt repayable at various points over the next 30 years. The Council has complied with the CIPFA Treasury Management Code and Welsh Government Investment Guidance. Both the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Legal welcomed the report and highlighted the following issues: • That the Council’s investments have increased since the end of March. The main reason for that is as usual, Welsh government provides us with two payments of the grants that we're due during the year in April, which means that we have more money in at the start of the year than we've actually needed to spend over that period. Therefore, our investments have gone up, that's normal and we reflect that position in most financial years. • That the Council is starting to benefit from increased rates of return on our investments. Our investment rates tend to move with the Bank rate fairly swiftly but there will be a slight lag in the sense that in terms of those investments we currently have, the investment rate was agreed at the time that money was placed and is fixed for the duration of that investment period. Therefore, what we're starting to see is as the rates are going up, we are now getting an improved return on them. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the treasury management activities for 2023-24 for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023. noted the Treasury Management Indicators for the quarter ending 30 June 2023 against those approved in the Treasury Management Strategy 2023-24.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • considered and agreed the first draft Corporate Plan Delivery Plan 2023/24 in Appendix 1. • considered and agreed the updated Corporate Performance Framework in Appendix 2 and how best to use the document across the Council.
This report was introduced by the Chief Executive and the Corporate Policy & Public Affairs Manager. The key points were as follows: • The report proposed a new one-year Delivery Plan to monitor progress against the Corporate Plan. • The Delivery Plan addresses criticisms posed by self-assessment 2022, Audit Wales’ review of performance management and internal audit findings from a Performance Indicators (PI) audit. • The main changes include: - Having the 7 well-being objectives comprehensively reflected by 44 aims, 101 commitments and 99 Performance Indicators (PIs). - Having clear and agreed aims to provide detail underneath each well-being objective and help the Council effectively monitor progress / performance. - Having performance indicators that more effectively measure the Council’s progress on its aims, are better focused on outcomes, and can be benchmarked. - Placing a stronger focus on the measurement of the Council’s new Ways of Working. • A new draft performance framework is also proposed. • The report also reflects changes from Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 3 July 2023. The Leader welcomed the report and thanked the small team responsible for writing it for their work. He highlighted that implementation was a big task. A number of issues were highlighted in the discussion that followed: • The Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Legal asked for an update on progress in respect of performance management, an issue highlighted by Audit Wales. The Corporate Policy and Public Affairs Manager responded by pointing to the many things in the corporate plan delivery plan that have been developed to address some of those criticisms. For example, the wellbeing objectives weren’t fully measured by the existing commitments but there was much better coverage now. The aims under each wellbeing objectives have been clarified and those commitments have been decoupled from the PIs. There was also a focus on output and outcome measures and things that allow comparison over time and with others. In addition, there was the new performance framework. She added that there were a few things that have happened outside the corporate plan delivery plan. CPA now considers additional information about staffing and finances in the quarterly dashboards. There was also a regulatory tracker which is considered by Governance and Audit Committee half yearly. There was also some planned training for all performance-related staff across the organisation and a corporate plan session for all staff in September. In addition, the corporate plan and performance management form a part of staff and manager inductions. • The Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Regeneration discussed whether this plan was understood at all levels of the organisation and that there was buy in to it. In response, the Chief Executive highlighted the importance of staff engagement. There will be staff briefings arranged in September, but also regular communication about the plan. The key task would be to make it relevant to everyone's work, for everyone to feel that the objectives are relevant to them, whatever job they do. He also highlighted this was a cultural piece of work, part of how we achieve strong performance across the authority. There would be an element of briefing, training, communication, and ongoing engagement. • Building on this, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment stressed the importance of ensuring the plan meant something to staff members working out in our communities. • The Deputy Leader asked about performance indicators and why COSC wanted the organisation to proceed slightly differently. The Corporate Policy and Public Affairs Manager noted that they had gone some way down that road. It was a big change, one where there was a lack of clarity about how objectives and key results might work for a local authority with such a broad range of services. She indicated they would give that some more consideration over the coming year. She also noted that they probably don’t have the capacity or necessary expertise in the team to do that. There has been a focus on the Audit Wales recommendations on improving commitments and KPIs to better match the wellbeing objectives and improving data quality and accuracy. There was also a commitment to making comparisons over time with other authorities and that couldn't be done with a completely new approach. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • considered and agreed the first draft Corporate Plan Delivery Plan 2023/24 in Appendix 1. • considered and agreed the updated Corporate Performance Framework in Appendix 2 and how best to use the document across the Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved a 12-week public consultation on the draft Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan (Appendices 1 & 4). • approved the submission of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (Appendix 2) and Housing Prospectus (Appendix 3) to Welsh Government. • noted that the final Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan will be presented to Cabinet for approval prior to formal submission to Welsh Government.
The report was introduced by the Chief Officer – Finance, Performance and Change and the Head of Partnerships. Its purpose was as follows: • To seek approval for public consultation on the draft Housing Support Programme Strategy, to cover 2022 – 2026. This document will replace BCBC’s existing Homelessness Strategy 2018-2022. Having this strategy in place is a Welsh Government requirement. • The report also sought Cabinet approval to adopt and submit to Welsh Government a Rapid Rehousing Transitional Plan and a Housing Prospectus. Again, both these documents are Welsh Government requirements, but do not require public consultation, in the same way that the above referenced Strategy does. The Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Regeneration welcomed the report and thanked the “small but very determined” housing team in Bridgend for all the work that had gone in to producing it. He went on to note that there was significant pressure on housing and homelessness within Bridgend County. There were over 2500 people on the common housing register, over 250 people in temporary accommodation waiting for homes and 51% of that temporary accommodation currently is in tourist accommodation. He further noted that he had asked the team for an engagement plan for the 12-week consultation. There were real life experiences that needed to be heard and that it was necessary to ensure that colleagues in scrutiny committees and across the Chamber feel like they've been heard and listened to. The Leader echoed the appreciation of the work carried out by the Housing team. He noted that they were the ones dealing on a daily basis with the presentations that the Council was receiving from people who are homeless and are in desperate need of our help. The Deputy Leader noted that she was encouraged by the report and drew the attention of Members to the stakeholder views. A number of stakeholders spoke very highly of the amount and variety of supported accommodation available within the Borough, but more options were needed. She also thought that one of the options that needs to be highlighted is our looked after children. There was also a care and support element that was required as well, and that was a further pressure on budgets. The Leader and Deputy Leader highlighted a number of other significant issues as part of the discussion around this agenda item, including the following: • the value of structured interviews to capture the experiences of stakeholders. • the value of multi-agency and partnership approaches to providing services and help to the citizens of Bridgend (and in particular, for rough sleepers). • the stark rise in the number of households on the Common Housing Register – up 205% since 2016. • the importance of the population needs assessment and whether it was being taken seriously by registered social landlords. • Sometimes there was a picture painted of who is in housing need and who is homeless, and that isn't always the case. There were over 100 hundred applications currently on the common housing register for people who want sheltered accommodation, so it's not always the case that the homeless are young, single people. Unfortunately, there is a very diverse range of homeless people. • Increasingly, there are presentations from people who have become homeless and unfortunately, they haven't contacted BCBC at the earliest opportunity. It was vital that if someone has received an eviction notice, they need to contact the Council straight away because it might be possible to support them. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved a 12-week public consultation on the draft Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan (Appendices 1 & 4). • approved the submission of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (Appendix 2) and Housing Prospectus (Appendix 3) to Welsh Government. • noted that the final Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan will be presented to Cabinet for approval prior to formal submission to Welsh Government.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the content of the report; and • provided approval in principle to commence the project in September 2023 subject to finalised terms and conditions outlined in the SLA.
This report was introduced by the Head of Education and Family Support. Its purpose was to: • update Cabinet on the Relationship Building Together (RBT) project; and, • to outline key milestones prior to seeking formal Cabinet approval in September 2023 following Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) committee approval on 24 July 2023. The key points were as follows: • On 2 February 2023, the local authority successfully secured a bid for circa £800k through the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF). • From 59 applications across England and Wales, the RBT project is one of only three successful projects and the only project in Wales to secure funding. The RBT project is an evaluation of services working with children using the Trauma Recovery Model (TRM). There is particular interest from the Home Office in the project to consider how the evaluation may inform future policy around working with children who have experienced trauma. • The project will be piloted within six teams across the whole family support group and be implemented from September 2023 until March 2025. • In September 2023, the local authority will be entering into a service level agreement (SLA) with YEF. The full SLA will be available following the YEF committee approval on 24 July 2023. The SLA and its full terms and conditions will be provided to Cabinet by way of an update at the next meeting on 19 September 2023. • In order for project implementation to take effect from 20 September 2023, planning is required by departments over the summer period and prior to the Cabinet meeting date in September 2023. • YEF has provided an example of their general terms and conditions for consideration set out at Appendix A. The finalised agreement within any specified terms and conditions will be provided on 19 September 2023. The Cabinet Member for Education asked the Head of Education and Family Support to thank and congratulate the team for all the hard work in securing the funding for this project. The fact it was the only one in Wales to secure funding was a remarkable achievement. He went on to stress that this was a massive collaborative project, with teams working across the Council, not just in the education, transport, but in social services and wellbeing. This was a true one Council collaborative approach. He thought that, in terms of monitoring progress, the best place would be the Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting (CCCP). The Leader indicated that he supported the proposition that the project report to CCCP. He thought this was an innovative pilot project and that he was very excited about it. He also thought that there would need to be careful monitoring of the outcomes, but he was sure they would be positive and that one of the strengths to this project was the assessment and ongoing evaluation by the University of Kent. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Wellbeing welcomed the project and asked how the outcomes would be sustained once the funding ran out in 2025. The Head of Education and Family Support responded that it was hoped the project would leave a very positive legacy. There would be five new members of staff, and they would have the kind of skill set the organisation would always need. There was a risk with any temporary funding, but it was felt that it was very low risk because there would always be vacancies for people of the kind they hoped to recruit. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the content of the report; and • provided approval in principle to commence the project in September 2023 subject to finalised terms and conditions outlined in the SLA.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the use of the existing First Cymru public bus service, as it is the only public bus service able to support the home-to-college transport needs of all eligible learners attending Bridgend College from September 2023. • delegated authority to Corporate Director to purchase bus passes directly from First Cymru in accordance with the waiver available under CPR 3.2.3; and • agreed to work with Bridgend College to promote the new college transport offer, including the benefits of college learners subscribing to and using Welsh Government’s ‘mytravelpass,’ which will allow for the making of financial efficiency savings to council services. To be amended to include the following, “and if there is limited subscription to review our post 16 policy with a view to making this a requirement.” • amend Paragraph 3.4 to “the local authority is now proposing to provide college transport bus passes to each eligible learner upon request.”
This report was introduced by the Head of Education and Family Support. Its purpose was to seek approval for the use of an existing commercial bus service for the delivery of home-to-college transport from September 2023, in line with the local authority’s Home-to-School/College Transport Policy. The key reason for this was the local authority being unable to contract a dedicated transport service in time for September 2023, due to the market insecurity linked to Welsh Government’s replacement Bus Emergency Scheme (BES). The Cabinet Member for Education welcomed the report and proposed a number of amendments to the recommendation. The Deputy Leader indicated she was happy to support the proposal as amended. She thought this was something that our residents could do to support our budget arrangements and that it was much better for young people to be more independent, to learn some very good skills, and to get themselves about when they go into the world of work. The proposed amendments to the recommendation were accepted by Cabinet and are set out below. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the use of the existing First Cymru public bus service, as it is the only public bus service able to support the home-to-college transport needs of all eligible learners attending Bridgend College from September 2023. • delegated authority to Corporate Director to purchase bus passes directly from First Cymru in accordance with the waiver available under CPR 3.2.3; and • agreed to work with Bridgend College to promote the new college transport offer, including the benefits of college learners subscribing to and using Welsh Government’s ‘mytravelpass,’ which will allow for the making of financial efficiency savings to council services. To be amended to include the following, “and if there is limited subscription to review our post 16 policy with a view to making this a requirement.” • amend Paragraph 3.4 to “the local authority is now proposing to provide college transport bus passes to each eligible learner upon request.”
The Cabinet Member for Education indicated the report needed some refinement and fine-tuning and was withdrawn from consideration until the September meeting of Cabinet.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the Cabinet Forward Work Programme for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 October 2023 at Appendix 1. • noted the Council and Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ Forward Work Programmes for the same period, as shown at Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 of the report, respectively.
This report was introduced by the Chief Officer – Legal & Regulatory Services, HR and Corporate Policy and its purpose was to seek Cabinet approval for items to be included on the Cabinet Forward Work Programme for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 October 2023 and for Cabinet to note the Council and Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ Forward Work Programmes for the same period. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • approved the Cabinet Forward Work Programme for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 October 2023 at Appendix 1. • noted the Council and Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ Forward Work Programmes for the same period, as shown at Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 of the report, respectively.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the progress that has been made in connection with the acquisition and demolition of the former Police Station Site at Cheapside in readiness for transfer to Bridgend College in support of their Town Centre campus proposal. • noted the progress in respect of the demolition of Brackla One multi storey car park. • authorised officers to complete the requisite legal documentation to transfer both sites to Bridgend College for nil consideration in accordance with WG Estate Co-location & Land Transfer Protocol and Subsidy Act Control in order to support and facilitate the Town Centre Campus development only, whereby should the same development not proceed the land would transfer back to BCBC.
This report was introduced by the Corporate Director – Communities and its purpose was as follows: • to update Cabinet on progress that has been made in relation to supporting the aspirations of Bridgend College to relocate their main campus to Bridgend Town Centre on the BCBC owned sites of the former South Wales Police (SWP) Station and Brackla One Multi Storey Car Park at Cheapside; and • to seek approval to progress with the transfer of these sites on a long lease basis to Bridgend College in order to facilitate development of this key site within the Bridgend Town Centre Masterplan (the Masterplan). The Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Legal welcomed the report and indicated that it was exciting to partner with Bridgend College on a multi-million pound investment in a key site in Bridgend. The Leader described the project as very exciting and reminded Cabinet members that this was the biggest single investment in Bridgend town centre and in an education project in the county borough. That was the scale and extent and potential impact of the project. The Deputy Leader sought reassurance about the valuation of Brackla One. The Corporate Director – Communities noted that anytime BCBC disposed of assets as a local authority, it was necessary to take advice from the district valuer. The valuation put on this site was £310K but that was based on a cleared site. A such, it would cost more to make the site ready for redevelopment than the current valuation. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment welcomed the fact that the Bridgend College development would be built to a net zero carbon standard. RESOLVED: Cabinet: • noted the progress that has been made in connection with the acquisition and demolition of the former Police Station Site at Cheapside in readiness for transfer to Bridgend College in support of their Town Centre campus proposal. • noted the progress in respect of the demolition of Brackla One multi storey car park. • authorised officers to complete the requisite legal documentation to transfer both sites to Bridgend College for nil consideration in accordance with WG Estate Co-location & Land Transfer Protocol and Subsidy Act Control in order to support and facilitate the Town Centre Campus development only, whereby should the same development not proceed the land would transfer back to BCBC.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Cabinet acknowledged the publication of the report referred to in paragraph 3.1 of the report.
This report was introduced by the Chief Officer – Legal & Regulatory Services, HR and Corporate Policy and its purpose was to update Cabinet with a report for Members information and noting in relation to the outcomes of Estyn Inspections of Primary Schools in Bridgend during Spring and Summer Term 2023. The schools were as follows: • Coychurch (Llangrallo) Primary School; • Croesty Primary School; • Cwmfelin Primary School; • St Mary’s and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School; • Nantymoel Primary School; • Newton Primary School; • Garth Primary School; • Bryntirion Infant School; and, • Caerau Primary School. The Cabinet Member for Education welcomed the report and commented on some of the good work that was going on in each of the schools. RESOLVED: Cabinet acknowledged the publication of the report referred to in paragraph 3.1 of the report.
None
RESOLVED: That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 14 and 16 of Part 4 and Paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Act. Following the application of the public interest test it was resolved that pursuant to the Act referred to above, to consider the following items in private, with the public excluded from the meeting, as it was considered that in all circumstances relating to the item, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.
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