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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 26 November 2024 and 10 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED- That the Cabinet Forward Work Programme be approved.
RESOLVED- That the revised procedure for the appointment of Local Authority Governors, as outlined in the flowchart, be approved. Note: Councillors Cathy Augustine, Chris Cater, Cheryl Carlisle, Sian Grady Julie Fallon, Goronwy Edwards, Alan Hunter, Gareth Jones, Paul Luckock, Anne McCaffrey, Charlie McCoubrey, Jo Nuttall and Dilwyn Roberts all declared a personal interest in the above item, as they are all LEA School Governors within Conwy County Borough. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they all remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
RESOLVED- That a Capital Programme of £16.025m (net of specific grant funding) for 2025/2026 be recommended to Council for approval, which includes the previously agreed commitment of £1.655m (as noted in paragraph 4.6 of Appendix 1).
RESOLVED- (a) That the options for the indicative Council Tax increase and the budget reductions to be applied to services, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. (b) That the risks identified in Section 8 within Appendix 1 of the report be accepted.
RESOLVED- That the Public and Press be excluded from the meeting under the provisions of Section 100A of the above Act during consideration of the following items as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that in all the relevant circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor Nigel Smith.
Councillors Cathy Augustine, Chris Cater, Cheryl Carlisle, Sian Grady Julie Fallon, Goronwy Edwards, Alan Hunter, Gareth Jones, Paul Luckock, Anne McCaffrey, Charlie McCoubrey, Jo Nuttall and Dilwyn Roberts all declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 8 (a) (Revisions to the Procedure for the Appointment of Local Authority Governors (LEA) in Schools)), as they are all LEA School Governors within Conwy County Borough. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they all remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 26 November 2024 and 10 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 26 November 2024 and 10 December 2024 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 26 November 2024 and 10 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
None.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Cabinet Forward Work Programme be approved.
Members were presented with the Forward Work Programme for the Cabinet. RESOLVED- That the Cabinet Forward Work Programme be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the revised procedure for the appointment of Local Authority Governors, as outlined in the flowchart, be approved. Note: Councillors Cathy Augustine, Chris Cater, Cheryl Carlisle, Sian Grady Julie Fallon, Goronwy Edwards, Alan Hunter, Gareth Jones, Paul Luckock, Anne McCaffrey, Charlie McCoubrey, Jo Nuttall and Dilwyn Roberts all declared a personal interest in the above item, as they are all LEA School Governors within Conwy County Borough. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they all remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
The Cabinet Member for Education sought approval for the revised procedure for the appointment of Local Authority Governors (LEA) in Schools. The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 17 December 2024 and supported the recommendation. The revised procedure was welcomed as it broadened the consultation on the nominations of LEA Governors to headteachers. RESOLVED- That the revised procedure for the appointment of Local Authority Governors, as outlined in the flowchart, be approved. Note: Councillors Cathy Augustine, Chris Cater, Cheryl Carlisle, Sian Grady Julie Fallon, Goronwy Edwards, Alan Hunter, Gareth Jones, Paul Luckock, Anne McCaffrey, Charlie McCoubrey, Jo Nuttall and Dilwyn Roberts all declared a personal interest in the above item, as they are all LEA School Governors within Conwy County Borough. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, they all remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That a Capital Programme of £16.025m (net of specific grant funding) for 2025/2026 be recommended to Council for approval, which includes the previously agreed commitment of £1.655m (as noted in paragraph 4.6 of Appendix 1).
The Leader sought approval for the proposed Capital Programme 2025/2026. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 January 2025 and supported the recommendation. Discussion ensued as follows:- · In terms of the interest rates on capital borrowing, the forecast was based on current rates and it was not expected that rates would decrease, with the assumption that they would rise. The estimate had been prudent but assurances could not be provided. · In relation to bond rates and base rates, a proportion of borrowing had been taken out on fixed rates. There was an element of exposure in terms of short-term debt, which had been taken out when interest rates were low, much of this borrowing had been moved to a fixed term-rate. Appropriate advice was taken on the forecast for interest rates and borrowing. · It was noted that there could be an impact on building costs as a result of inflation. RESOLVED- That a Capital Programme of £16.025m (net of specific grant funding) for 2025/2026 be recommended to Council for approval, which includes the previously agreed commitment of £1.655m (as noted in paragraph 4.6 of Appendix 1).
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- (a) That the options for the indicative Council Tax increase and the budget reductions to be applied to services, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. (b) That the risks identified in Section 8 within Appendix 1 of the report be accepted.
The Leader presented a report on the Local Government Budget 2025/2026. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 January 2025 and requested that Cabinet supported organising a meeting of the Budget Working Group to discuss the school budgets. Cabinet were further requested to propose the lowest Council Tax, which would allow the setting of a balanced budget, as well as putting money into reserves and that Council balances were not utilised. In relation to the Budget Working Group (BWG), the Leader advised that a meeting of the BWG would be organised to discuss school budgets and noted the recommendation in relation to the Council Tax level. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Staff were thanked for their hard work and contribution to enable the production of a balanced budget. · It was acknowledged that Members wanted to keep the Council Tax increase as low as possible, but this had to be balanced with the continuation of services. · Both the UK and Welsh Government should prioritise funding to Local Government, as demand for services was growing across all sectors, which Local Authorities were delivering on year on year reduced funding. This had been highlighted by Audit Wales which had noted the disparity in funding between health and Local Government. · In relation to the BWG and the information that would be made available, the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that the BWG would be provided with the required financial data, as the purpose of the BWG was to discuss funding to schools for the 2025/2026 budget. It was noted that at the beginning of this financial year, schools had a reserve of £7m with an anticipated spend of £3.4m. · There was a process in place to plan appropriately on the future of schools in Conwy County Borough. · An indicative budget would be circulated to schools but that figure would still have to be presented to democracy for approval. · Further to the above the redundancy timetable had already been shared with schools. Members were advised that some school redundancies would not be as a result of budget reductions, as there could be alternative reasons such as falling roll numbers, or the cessation of grant funding. · Education was the only service linked to the Council Tax, as it outlined the consequences of the Council Tax figure on school budgets. · Members were reminded that schools were the only service that was not requested to put forward budget reductions. It would be fair and proportionate to pass on some of the additional income to schools and how would that support schools and the impact on other services; this would also be for discussion at the BWG. · In relation to reviewing school budgets on an individual basis, this would be considered in terms of future budget discussions. · It was anticipated that the budget allocation to the North Wales Fire and Rescue Services would be approximately 0.67% and the final figure would be confirmed in time for the next 2025/2026 budget report. RESOLVED- (a) That the options for the indicative Council Tax increase and the budget reductions to be applied to services, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. (b) That the risks identified in Section 8 within Appendix 1 of the report be accepted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Public and Press be excluded from the meeting under the provisions of Section 100A of the above Act during consideration of the following items as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that in all the relevant circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
RESOLVED- That the Public and Press be excluded from the meeting under the provisions of Section 100A of the above Act during consideration of the following items as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that in all the relevant circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
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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