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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 Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 November 2024 and 2 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the informal meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 2 December 2024 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 25 November 2024 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined forward work programme be approved.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Trystan Lewis and Jenny Williams (Strategic Director – Social Care and Education).
None.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 November 2024 and 2 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 November 2024 and 2 December 2024 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 November 2024 and 2 December 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the informal meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 2 December 2024 be noted.
The minutes of the informal meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs meeting held on 2 December 2024 were submitted. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the informal meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 2 December 2024 be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 25 November 2024 be noted.
The minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting held on 25 November 2024 were submitted. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 25 November 2024 be noted.
Councillor David Carr had submitted the following question to Councillor Nigel Smith, Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Economy : “Pensioners in Conwy who live below the Poverty Line and fall just outside the remit for Pension Credit will struggle without the Winter Fuel Allowance. Analysis from the Department of Work and Pensions has revealed that the large majority of poorer Pensioners will lose help when support is restricted to only those on Pension Credit. Potential deaths and hospital admissions for the elderly and poor Pensioners in Conwy can be avoided by having in place arrangements of financial assistance similar to arrangements put in place by other Local Authorities in the UK. Can arrangements be put in place immediately for Pensioner households in Conwy, which are in receipt of Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit, but do not qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment to automatically receive a payment of £300.00 to help them pay for energy, water fuel or other essentials. “ As the Cabinet Member was away and in line with the protocol for questions to Cabinet Members, a written response would be provided to Councillor Carr by 10 January 2025.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined forward work programme be approved.
The Scrutiny and Committee Services Officer presented Members with the individual Forward Work Programme (FWP) for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined FWP. At the last meeting there were a number of queries in relation to the FWP and Members were updated as follows: · A report on –the Financial Sustainability of Conwy and local government would be reported to the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 20 January 2025. · A report on the Equal Pay Audit would be presented on 7 April 2025. · In respect of a report on the Waste Transfer Station, Officers were working on the options appraisal and funding. A business case would be drawn up, which should be presented to the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee in June 2025. · Officers would meet with the Cabinet Member in respect of the Asset Management Plan and an update would be provided to Members in respect of timescales. RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined forward work programme be approved.
The Leader, as the portfolio holder for Finance and Finance Strategy, introduced the Proposed Capital Programme for 2025/2026 and the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources highlighted key points from within the report. It was noted that the general capital funding provided in the 2025/2026 provisional settlement was £7.550m and it was proposed that a capital programme of £16.025m (net of specific grant funding) be approved for 2025/2026, which included the forward commitment, previously made by Council, against the 2025/2026 capital programme of £1.655m. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Whilst the Capital Programme Selection Panel had not met this year, the capital business cases had been reviewed by Cabinet Members and finance officers and those deemed essential had been submitted for consideration. • It was envisaged that the Project Match Fund would be utilised for low levels of match funding. • Alternative funding was being sought for the painting of Venue Cymru’s exterior, along with a possible use of the theatre levy. • The Head of Environment Roads and Facilities advised that the Empire Hotel retaining wall, Llandudno had been made secure, however further work was subject to funding. • Further to a query regarding the responsibility for repairs to the Llandudno Town Hall roof, Members would be provided with details of the lease agreement. • In respect of relocating the library to Venue Cymru, it was noted that the results of a consultation were currently being reviewed. • Work was being carried out to improve energy efficiency within schools, which included the installation of solar panels. The use of heat pumps was also being explored and funding was being sought. • A schedule of works was in place in respect of school maintenance with urgent works being prioritised and whilst some grant funding was available, the Cabinet Member for Education had raised the need for additional funding with Welsh Government Ministers. • A rolling programme was in place in respect of road maintenance, however there were financial constraints. • Consideration would be given to developing a forward plan in respect of replacement programmes such as vehicle and laptop replacement as well as maintenance programmes; this would give Members an oversight of potential expenditure over the longer term. • Vehicle replacement was prioritised on a needs basis and grants had been utilised in respect of specialist vehicles. • A Governance and Audit Committee Lay Member had sought assurance in respect of the Capital Programme from the Council’s Treasury Management advisors. Once received, the response would be shared with Members. - It was suggested that advice from Treasury Management advisors be included as part of the Capital Programme report in future. • It was suggested that a spend to save approach should be considered, particularly for repairs and maintenance programmes. • In respect of UK Government grants for adaptations to private sector housing, any consequentials of the grant would be explored. • In response to concerns regarding the scrutiny of grant spend, it was confirmed that the majority of grants were subject to specific terms and conditions. - The process for UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) grants was approved by democracy and the tight timescales for delivery had been recognised. - A panel was established to consider applications and outcomes were reported to Scrutiny. - In respect of Education Grants, it was confirmed that the Social Care and Education Capital Programme Board was not a decision making Board and updates on grant usage was provided to Overview and Scrutiny. • Sponsorship costs for public toilets had increased due to ongoing running and maintenance costs. - Once public toilets had been decommissioned they would be advertised on the open market to generate capital receipts. • There was concern that an SPF application for playground maintenance would not be successful and that some playgrounds may have to close, therefore, it was proposed that funding allocated to ERF business cases 21 and 11 be reduced by £100k each and allocated to the playground maintenance business case. - It was confirmed that there were budgets relating to play areas totalling around £500k in the current capital programme. - The Head of Neighbourhood Services confirmed that the column testing business case had already been reduced and a further reduction in the business cases would result in less work being carried out. Following the debate, the following amendments to the recommendation (which were seconded) were put forward. • That funding allocated to business cases ERF 21 (Highway Structures – Planned Strengthening and Replacements) and ERF 11 (Column Testing, Painting and Replacement) both be reduced by £100k in order to support business case ERF 23 (Playground Maintenance) • That funding allocated to business case ERF 13 (fleet replacement) be reduced to £5,360,000 in order to support business case EC 5 (Venue Cymru external decoration). Following the vote, the amendments to the proposal were lost. RECOMMENDEDTO CABINET 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 Strategic Director – Finance and Resources presented a report, which set out the indicative Local Government Budget for 2025/2026 following the announcement of the Local Government Provisional Settlement on 11 December 2024. The provisional settlement included an increase in Conwy’s Aggregate External Finance (AEF) of 3.6% with an average increase of 4.3% across Wales. It was noted that Conwy’s estimated funding shortfall after allowing for the provisional settlement and other adjustments, for 2025/2026 was £9.936m. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • The use of independent care providers and the implications in respect of an increase in national insurance contributions was being discussed with Welsh Government (WG). • In response to a suggestion that financial contributions to the North Wales Economic Ambition Board and other such quangos should be reviewed, the Leader advised that several beneficial projects were coming forward as part of the Growth Deal. • The Cabinet Member for Education advised that the Strategic School Planning Group was reviewing the footprint of the Council’s school estate and that a number of federalisation and merger proposals had been brought forward. - Cost per pupil was variable due to factors such as the size of school or whether it was a special needs school. - Whilst there had been a decline in primary school pupil numbers, secondary school numbers were increasing and it was predicted that primary school numbers would increase over the next few years. - Reductions had been made to school budgets over the last two years. - Appropriate funding of schools was required in order to attract young families to the County. - Concerns were noted in respect of the increase in pupils with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). · Whilst the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority (NWFRA) had not set their budget for 2025/2026, assurance had been sought that the proposed increase to their levy which equated to 0.69% increase in Council Tax, would not increase. - Information in respect of the levy and costs to the council tax payer would be included within the supplementary information, which accompanied the council tax bill. · The need to rebuild reserves. - It was noted that some borrowing costs associated with the Capital Programme would not be realised within the first year and therefore, could be utilised to rebuild balances. - A new income stream in respect of plastic packaging responsibilities could assist with balances. - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that a recurring figure of approximately £500k per annum to rebuild balances would be prudent. · Responses to the public budget consultation would be taken into consideration. · Reference was made to a suggestion that Denbighshire County Council’s (DCC) had a surplus in their homeless budget.. - It was noted that Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) had regular meetings with DCC as well as some collaborative working. - Plans were in place to reduce costs associated with homelessness, with a focus on early intervention. • Services were not using reserves to meet recurring costs. • The use of school balances was a Governing Body decision, not a Council decision. • It was proposed that an additional Budget Working Group be held in respect of the viability of budget reductions for schools. RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: a) That a further Budget Working Group be held so that full consideration can be given to schools and the viability of further budget reductions. b) That a budget and council tax increase which is as low as possible be proposed to allow the setting of a balanced budget as well as putting money into reserves and that council balances are not utilised.
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