Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED to receive the update report.
RESOLVED to receive the report.
RESOLVED to receive the report.
RESOLVED to receive the report.
RESOLVED to receive the report.
RESOLVED that the Forthcoming Items be approved with the abovementioned amendment.
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs H. Davies, D. Owen and M. Thomas.
Councillor Minute No (s) Nature of Interest B.W. Jones 4. HOME ADAPTATIONS POLICY 2025 - 2029 - IMPACT ON DEMAND FOR ADAPTATION REQUESTS Her mother is in receipt of an adaptation. Remained in the meeting and voted on this item H.A.L. Evans 4. HOME ADAPTATIONS POLICY 2025 - 2029 - IMPACT ON DEMAND FOR ADAPTATION REQUESTS & 5. SUPPORTED HOUSING SCHEMES Sister is the chief executive of a housing association. H.A.L. Evans 7. TEN TOWNS UPDATE REPORT 35 - 62 She is a member of Newcastle Emlyn Town Council – one of the ten towns of the project. There were no declarations of prohibited party whips.
The Chair confirmed that there had been no public questions received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to receive the update report.
(NOTE: Councillor H.A.L. Evans, having earlier declared an interest in this item, redeclared that interest and left the meeting. Councillor B. Jones, having earlier declared an interest in this item, redeclared that interest and remained in the meeting.) The Committee was presented with an update report on the impact of the new Home Adaptations Policy since its implementation in November 2024. The New Adaptations Policy was approved by Cabinet based on the findings of the Communities, Homes and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee Task & Finish Group. The Scrutiny Committee subsequently requested a 6-month update on the implementation and impact of the new policy, which this report now provides. The Cabinet Member for Homes presented the report and advised the committee that the report reviewed some of the key changes introduced by the policy, including the reintroduction of means testing for applicants for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The pressure on the service has decreased, and this means that those in genuine need of adaptations get them, and those that do not qualify are not on the waiting list. The Cabinet Member advised of the importance of triaging applications; each application is assessed in detail so that urgent ones are prioritised, and unnecessarily long hospital stays are avoided. The Cabinet Member concluded by thanking the Committee for their input into the new policy. The Committee had the following questions or comments: - In response to a question regarding means testing in other authorities, and how Carmarthenshire compares, the Cabinet Member advised that there are others who have also changed their policy, and that others are going through the process to do so currently. - A question was raised regarding the public response to the new policy, and the Cabinet Member advised that most people were accepting of it, and that residents were generally aware and understanding if they do not qualify through the means testing. - In regard to additional funding from Hywel Dda health board, the Home Adaptations Manager advised that conversations are ongoing with the health board, and the authority had been looking for this funding due to the savings that the health board can make when patients are discharged earlier. The Committee was also advised that additional funding had been received from the Regional Partnership Board. RESOLVED to receive the update report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to receive the report.
(NOTE: Councillor H.A.L. Evans, having earlier declared an interest in this item, redeclared that interest and left the meeting.) The Committee considered a report on the current approach taken by the council to increase the supply of specialist supported accommodation for individuals with learning disabilities and mental health through the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). The Cabinet Member for Homes presented the report and advised the committee that £3.7m has been allocated in the HRA capital programme in the 3-year HRA Business Plan (2025-2028). Increasing the supply of these homes avoids costly out of county placements, can respond to need within the county and supports the independence of young people. The Committee had the following questions or comments: - The Cabinet Member for Homes advised in response to a question regarding a supported scheme in development using an old public house on Bryn Road, Seaside, that it should be completed by September 2025. - A question was asked about the assessment of learning disabilities and mental health conditions. The Cabinet Member advised that the assessments are undertaken by Social Services and that this ensures that all residents and potential residents in the schemes receive the support required. The Committee was also advised that there are additional robust services in house to signpost residents to the support required to sustain their accommodation or move on to more suitable homes if required. - In response to a question regarding the lack of Supported Housing in the west of the county, the Cabinet Member advised that the intention was to use the HRA capital programme to increase the authority’s amount of provision, including in areas which lacked current capacity, to ensure residents can stay in their local communities. - The Committee asked about revenue savings referred to in the report and were advised that there is a saving of approximately £1k per individual per week by having these services delivered in house. - Reference was made to additional funding sources for Supported Housing Schemes, and the Committee was advised that since 2021 £3.2m had been received from Welsh Government through its Housing Care Fund to help fund schemes and that there were applications in with Welsh Government to continue this. - In response to a question regarding the impact of these schemes, the Cabinet Member advised that an update could be provided to them at a future meeting, after more research was done into this. It was also requested that information on where the Supported Schemes were located be brought to the Committee. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive the report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to receive the report.
(NOTE: This item was taken after Item 7 at the discretion of the Chair.) The Committee considered a report on the delivery of the UKSPF in Carmarthenshire, including the: - conclusion and impact of UKSPF 1 (original programme); and - transition to and launch of UKSPF 2 (extension / ‘transition’ programme) The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism presented the report and advised the Committee that SPF1 had a total of £38.6m of funding, but that this had decreased to £12.9m for SPF2. The Committee was also advised that there were three main priorities: Communities & Place, Supporting Local Business and People and Skills. These are delivered through three primary funding routes: Anchor Programmes, Standalone (Strategic) Projects and Commissioned Projects, as detailed in the report. The Committee had the following questions or comments: - A request was made for a list of successful applicants for SPF funding, to show the geographical spread across the county, and the Committee was advised that this would be provided to the Committee. - In response to a question regarding the communication of grant opportunities, the Economic Development Manager advised that the authority had advertised through all known networks, had utilised social media, and had a dedicated officer in each of the three strategic towns in the county (Carmarthen, Ammanford & Llanelli) going out to business to inform them about the grant opportunities. - In response to a question regarding the decrease in funding from SPF1 to SPF2, the Economic Development Manager advised that Strategic Projects had their award reduced pro rata, in line with the reduction in overall funding. The Anchor Programmes also had a reduction, and the Committee was advised that only 26 of the 118 applications that met the threshold for funding from the communities fund were funded. The Committee was also advised that the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) was meeting with the Welsh Government on behalf of local authorities, and that officers were meeting regularly with the WLGA to discuss a successor to the SPF. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive the report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to receive the report.
(NOTE: This item was taken after Item 7 at the discretion of the Chair.) (NOTE: Councillor H.A.L. Evans, having earlier declared an interest in this item, redeclared that interest and left the meeting.) The Committee received a report providing an update on the work of the Ten Towns initiative. The Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Community Cohesion and Planning Policy presented the report and advised the Committee that from the Ten Towns funding, 20 new jobs had been created, 5 vacant properties were returned to everyday commercial use, 95 business underwent improvement to their appearance, 11,600 people had received valuable support through the Hwb Bach y Wlad and other projects have contributed greatly to the visitor industry. The Committee was also advised that landfill had been reduced through the principles of the Circular Economy and businesses had been supported through third party grants. With an additional £1.1m of transition funding for this year, the authority has been able to extend funding and develop new initiatives, including working with secondary school pupils to build business plans for new projects in their areas. There have also been 35 applications for a new grant funding scheme to develop projects that run alongside the objectives of the green and blue infrastructure strategy. The Committee had the following questions or comments: - In response to a question regarding future funding for satellite villages around the Ten Towns and general funding for villages as well as towns, the Cabinet Member advised that the Hwb Bach y Wlad was there for people outside the town to travel in to and would benefit villages as well as the towns. The Committee was advised that this economic benefit to the villages could be monitored more in future. As the Ten Towns project is a brand, the focus would remain on these towns, but villages could fund projects using other grants such as the SPF. - A question was asked regarding further details on the schools’ project, and the Committee was advised that the idea came from a recognition of the lack of youth facilities. The project will use a small cohort of secondary school pupils who will have the opportunity to identify what sort of project they want to set up, develop a business case for it, and engage with stakeholders. The Committee was also advised that the hope was that this would increase the use of community assets and increase intergenerational links. RESOLVED to receive the report.
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RESOLVED to receive the report.
The Committee considered a report on the proposed re-location of the Outdoor Education Service from Pendine to Pembrey Country Park. The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture & Tourism presented the report and advised the Committee that as the current location at Pendine was coming to the end of its useful life, this site would be sold to be developed for housing and the outdoor education provision would be moved to Pembrey Country Park, which would also be used out of term for the general public. The Committee had the following questions or comments: - Regarding a question about staff training, the Senior Outdoor Recreation Manager advised that there is a heavy investment every year for continued development, and that they work with sport governing bodies, which helps to provide a high level of service. - The Committee was also advised that services outside of the centre are used, including North Dock for water sports and other centres as detailed in the report. A question was asked regarding the status of the canoeing centre at Llandysul, and the Committee was advised that there was no change, but North Dock was used more often for canoeing because of the consistent depth. - In response to a question about the wider community programme and the facilities being open outside of term time, the Committee was advised that this was already the case at Pendine, and would continue to be the case at Pembrey. - The Committee was advised that with the move, a new nature and conservation curriculum would be developed. Grant aid has recently been received to develop high and low rope areas which would benefit the Outdoor Education Centre and the community in general - In answer to a question regarding when the new site would open, the Committee was advised that a feasibility study was currently ongoing, including confirming the utilities at the site, the planning process, and the business feasibility. The Committee was advised that this may cause a slip in the start date, but that it was important to maintain continuity of service. - It was proposed and agreed by the Committee that a site visit be made to the new Outdoor Education Centre in future. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive the report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the Forthcoming Items be approved with the abovementioned amendment.
The Committee received a list of forthcoming items due to be considered at its next meeting on 30th September 2025. It was noted that due to a light agenda otherwise, the items currently due to be received by email be put on the formal agenda for the meeting. RESOLVED that the Forthcoming Items be approved with the abovementioned amendment.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 27th May 2025 be signed as a correct record.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
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Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.