Loading
The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED to DEFER the decision and to: · Undertake a site visit to Fairfield Car Park & Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall and Teifi Leisure Centre on 24.09.24. · Hold a Special Meeting of the Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 27.09.24 to discuss the preferred site for the Wellbeing Centre development before the Cabinet meeting on 01.10.24.
AGREED to accept the Carers and Community Support Team Annual Report.
AGREED to note the report.
AGREED to note the contents of the report and the levels of activity with the Local Authority.
AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Update on Age-Friendly Communities.
i. Councillor Caryl Roberts apologised for her inability to attend the meeting due to other Council commitments. ii. Councillor Gareth Davies, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement apologised for his inability to attend the meeting.
i. Councillor Amanda Edwards explained that she had no personal interest in item 4, but she had attended a public meeting to discuss Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall. ii. Councillor John Roberts declared a personal interest under item 6, in matters related to Blue Badge holders. iii. Councillors Rhodri Evans and Ceris Jones declared a personal interest under item 5. iv. Councillor Sian Maehrlein declared a personal interest under item 6.
The Chair explained that Rhian Bond, Assistant Director of Primary Care had apologised this morning for her inability to attend the meeting due to other work commitments. She had agreed to attend the meeting at a later date.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to DEFER the decision and to: · Undertake a site visit to Fairfield Car Park & Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall and Teifi Leisure Centre on 24.09.24. · Hold a Special Meeting of the Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 27.09.24 to discuss the preferred site for the Wellbeing Centre development before the Cabinet meeting on 01.10.24.
Councillor Catrin M S Davies (Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Customer Services) explained that on the 5th of December 2022, Cabinet agreed that the location of the county’s second Wellbeing Centre would be in Cardigan servicing the South of the county. Permission was given to officers to undertake an options appraisal to identify potential locations for the Wellbeing Centre and the facilities required to deliver the proposed services. Alliance Leisure were appointed to undertake the feasibility Study and were supported by Roberts Limbrick Architects and Strategic Leisure. The feasibility study was asked to consider the following potential sites for the Wellbeing Centre: 1. Fairfield Car Park & Cardigan Memorial Pool & Hall 2. Teifi Leisure Centre 3. Dolwerdd Fields The following factors were identified as being important in assisting to determine a recommended site: a) Size: - Size of site – ability to provide Wellbeing Centre building and parking requirements b) Catchment area/ location/ accessibility: - Catchment area – which sites are accessible to the most people - Location - town centre/ out of town – accessibility - Accessibility – Public transport – nearest bus stops - Accessibility – Cycle routes c) Ownership: - Ownership of site - Known planning constraints and potential planning issues - Impact on green space - Construction/Build issues – e.g., accessibility for construction vehicles The site options appraisal identified that each of the appraised sites has the potential to accommodate the proposed new Wellbeing Centre. A summary of the appraisal of each site including Pros and Cons was included in the report and Appendix A. The Cardigan Memorial Pool / Fairfield Car Park site was the preferred site for the Wellbeing Centre development. Once a preferred site was agreed upon, the 5 Business Case Model which was the designated application process for the Health and Social Care Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund (IRCF) Programme would be followed. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Officers present and Councillor Catrin M S Davies. The main points raised were as follows: · Concerns were raised regarding the possible loss of parking if the decision was to go with the Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall / Fairfield Car Park site. It was noted that this would be explored further in the feasibility study. · Members felt Teifi Leisure Centre was in a good location given its proximity to Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi and Coleg Ceredigion, and they suggested moving the access road to the side of the sports field out towards Gwbert Road. Officers noted that any impact on the sports field and the school would need to be considered. · The Committee supported the development of a Wellbeing Centre at Cardigan, but not at the cost of the local swimming pool as swimming was deemed such as vital skill. It was highlighted that when the Cabinet approved the asset transfer of Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall to the ownership of the Council on 19.03.24, the local authority had stated clearly that they had no intention of re-opening the pool. If any group or organisation wished to lease the facility once transferred to the local authority, a fully costed business case would be considered. · It was noted that a new build development was the preferred option if the Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall/ Fairfield Car Park site was chosen as the preferred site due to issues with the existing structure. It was AGREED to DEFER the decision and to: · Undertake a site visit to Fairfield Car Park & Cardigan Memorial Pool and Hall and Teifi Leisure Centre on 24.09.24. · Hold a Special Meeting of the Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 27.09.24 to discuss the preferred site for the Wellbeing Centre development before the Cabinet meeting on 01.10.24.
The Chair welcomed Kay Isaacs, Assistant Director for Adult Mental Health to the meeting. Kay Isaacs provided a presentation to the Committee, outlining the following: · Overview of Mental Health Services · Gorwelion Community Mental Health Centre & Welsh provision · Is the mental health service in Aberystwyth good enough? · Primary Care Liaison Service (PCLS) · Local Primary Mental Health Support Services (LPMHSS)- Ceredigion · Integrated Psychology Therapy Service (IPTS) · Older Adult Community Mental Health Team & Welsh provision · Memory Clinic and Dementia Services · Medical Staff- number of consultant-level psychiatrists/ therapist · Consultant Psychologists & GP Training Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Kay Isaacs. The main points raised were as follows: · Historically, the route to Secondary Service was through a GP, however, the service ‘Call 111 option 2 for mental health’ provided a single point of contact 24/7. This enabled individuals to be assessed initially by a mental health practitioner over the phone and be handed over locally to either the primary or secondary care team as required. · Members strongly felt it would be beneficial for GPs to spend time with Mental Health Services to improve their knowledge and understanding. · It was suggested that Mental Health Services were not funded sufficiently and that greater funding was required to support their work. · Adult Mental Health Service and the Police worked closely and were in communication daily. · The importance of ensuring Welsh-speaking staff were on each rota, on the ‘Call 111 option 2 for mental health’ service and on home visits was deemed vital, to enable the patient to speak in their first language when distressed. (HDdUHB) actively encouraged staff to attend Welsh classes and were given protected time to do so. Every effort was made to ensure a Welsh-speaking member of staff was always on shift, but this was dependent on resources. · Questions were raised about the capacity of the service to cope with the demand. It was noted that there was an ongoing vacancy in the Community Team, but overall, there was no particular risk around vacancies at present in the Mental Health Services. Councillor Rhodri Evans explained that he would highlight the importance of ensuring there was always Welsh-speaking staff available at the Hywel Dda University Health Board, in his role as a Board Member. Following a request by the Committee, Kay Isaacs agreed to send information on the ‘Call 111 option 2 for mental health’ service to Elected Members to share with local residents. The Chair extended her thanks to Kay Isaacs for attending the meeting and for a detailed presentation.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to accept the Carers and Community Support Team Annual Report.
Councillor Alun Williams (Cabinet Member for Through Age and Wellbeing) presented the report on the achievements of the Ceredigion Carers and Community Support Team and progress against their agreed targets and objectives during 2023- 2024. The Carers and Community Support Team brought together the Carers Development Officers, Community Connectors and Ageing Well Officer to work in a single team that focused on providing information, advice and assistance to unpaid carers and supporting community members in Ceredigion. A Carer was defined as ‘Anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support’. Carers had a right to a life beyond their caring role and to do so, needed both effective services to support the people they cared for and for them as Carers in their own right. Iwan Davies, Corporate Manager: Early Intervention provided an overview of the report to the Committee. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Officers present and Councillor Alun Williams. The main points raised were as follows: · Members congratulated the team for producing a visual and easy-to-read report. · The Community Connectors were praised for their valuable work across the county. · The team continually reviewed their work, outreach methods and how information was circulated as not all residents were online. Work was also in progress with the Housing Service to offer drop-in sessions in the local authority’s Wellbeing Centre and income maximisation for unpaid carers would be looked at in the future. It was AGREED to accept the Carers and Community Support Team Annual Report.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to note the report.
Duncan Hall, Corporate Lead Officer: Finance and Procurement provided an overview of the 24/25 Controllable Revenue Budget - Financial Performance - Quarter 1 presented to the Cabinet on 03.09.24. The 24/25 Budget setting process was a challenge and included circa 70 Budget Reduction proposals being approved totalling c£5.8m. Progress in delivering these Budget Reductions was reviewed and monitored by the Leadership Group at the end of every month. At the quarter 1 point in the year, the financial position continued to be challenging and at this stage, a projected overspend was forecast for the year of £101k on the Controllable Budget. However, this excluded certain risks in relation to the delivery of in-year savings. An overview of the significant cost pressures/ risks was provided. Since the writing of the report, the BRAG Status on the 24/25 Budget Reductions has been updated, with 21% of the savings now categorised as amber and 8% as red, partly due to a political decision from the Cabinet on 03.09.24. Reference was given to the Budget Performance – Key Benefits and Budget Performance – Service Positions as presented in the report. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Duncan Hall. The main points raised were as follows: · It was noted that the nature of Out-of-County Children's placements varied, and some cases were more complex than others and required specialist support which led to higher costs. All placements were signed off at Senior Officer level. · Following the General Election, no indication had been given to date on any future funding such as the UKSPF or the Levelling Up Fund. Hopefully, some clarity will be given following the Autumn Budget. It was AGREED to note the report.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to note the contents of the report and the levels of activity with the Local Authority.
Councillor Alun Williams explained that the quarterly reports were presented to the Committee as part of an ongoing examination of the topic to ensure the Local Authority fulfilled its duties as the Corporate Parent. The report included national and local standards and targets used to measure outcomes for looked-after children (LAC) and care leavers at the time of their review meeting and included Welsh Government (WG) Performance Indicators. Based on the information available and the views expressed during the review meeting, the IRO made a professional judgement about the effectiveness of a child/young person’s care plan in meeting their needs and could recommend changes to the care plan. During the review meeting, the IRO considered whether the child/young person required assistance to identify relevant other people to obtain legal advice/take proceedings on their behalf. This action was deemed necessary for 6 young people by the IRO in the period. In addition, the IRO had regard as to whether the child/young person’s human rights were being breached in any way and, if so, could make a referral to CAFCASS Cymru. This action was not required at any of the review meetings in the period. Councillor Alun Williams proceeded to present a Summary of the Key Points noted on page 2 of the report. It was AGREED to note the contents of the report and the levels of activity with the Local Authority.
Decision as recorded
AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Update on Age-Friendly Communities.
It was AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Update on Age-Friendly Communities.
It was AGREED to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 2 September 2024. Matters arising: None.
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.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.