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.
AGREED to note the report.
AGREED to note the report.
AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Enforcement of parking issues including pavement parking · Consideration of trialling permit parking in Aberystwyth · Consideration of parking permits for workers in Aberystwyth and Cardigan · Invite representatives from Transport for Wales and Welsh Government to provide an update on the new bus network routes that commenced in 2021 and future plans. · Update on the grid’s capacity The Chair encouraged Members to send an e-mail to the Clerk and himself with specific details on the reports mentioned above.
Councillor Shelley Childs, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services and Clive Davies, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Carbon Management apologised for having to leave the meeting early due to other Council commitments.
Councillor Gareth Davies declared a personal interest under item 5.
The Chair welcomed Councillor Shelley Childs to his first meeting as Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the report.
Councillor Shelley Childs (Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services) presented the report on the progress of the Ash Dieback Action Plan. He explained that Ash Dieback would lead to the decline and death of up to 90% of Ash trees in the UK, with the Ash being widespread across Wales and Ceredigion. This included outside of woodlands in the form of hedgerows and trees along roads, other public rights of way and in public spaces. Ash was one of the three main hedgerow trees, alongside oak and beech. The risks were that dead and diseased trees were likely to pose a health and safety danger to the public, together with the significant economic, environmental and landscape impact. Due to the nature and severity of the risk, it had been included as a Corporate Risk on the Corporate Risk Register (R020). An overview of the timeline as outlined in the report was provided. Phil Jones, Corporate Manager: Highways Services stated it was key that the Council concentrated and prioritised addressing trees at greatest risk on Council-owned land, and on private landowners whose trees posed a risk to highways and other public areas, or Council premises. It was noted that the process inspecting trees, identifying landowners, and of serving legal notices (S.154 & S.23) to private landowners could be lengthy, especially as many properties in Ceredigion are unregistered. The aim was to lower the risk to what was deemed acceptable. In moving forward, it would be key to review the Action Plan as appropriate. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Officers. The main points raised were as follows: · In response to suggestions by Members that some of the affected trees appeared to improve by themselves, Officers stated it was difficult to assess this at present, as not enough time had passed to allow for the process of natural regeneration and resistance to happen. The unpredictable weather at times meant that the fungal infection thrived, whilst, at other times, the tree appeared to recover for a short period before it succumbed to the disease. · In terms of future prognosis, 90-95% of Ash trees could be lost in a worst-case scenario, and in the best-case scenario, it was around 50-60%. More trees would be impacted in West Wales compared to the east of England due to the difference in weather. It was noted that the local authority cut trees affected by Ash Dieback once they had reached Class 3 or 4 (when a tree had lost 50% or more of its leaves, as per national guidance from The Tree Council). Officers clarified that 3 native species of trees were replanted for every council owned tree the local authority fell due to Ash Dieback. Members were encouraged to contact CLIC to report issues with trees suffering from Ash Dieback. · There were 3 contractors on the framework, which is split into north and south areas (with 3 in the north and 2 in the south of the county), and the solutions for felling trees depended on the circumstances and are assessed on a case-by-case basis. At present, there were no issues with the contractors’ capacity. The biggest issue was the capacity within the team to process the work, as the team only consisted of 2 Officers. HES has restructured to include 2 additional ‘green infrastructure officers’ in order to assist and address all tree issues. · The Ash Dieback survey had been completed in 2022. As it had not been possible to complete the work identified due to a lack of resources, there was no intention to carry out another survey at present. Two Highway Officers had been appointed to monitor and investigate trees on the local authority’s roads, though this is only part of their role and they are primary focus is not on Ash Dieback. · Officers explained that there were plans to hold a training session on basic inspections of trees for a wider cohort of staff such as property maintenance and Rights of Way Rangers. Elected Members suggested involving Rights of Way volunteers in the training in the future. · In cases where an S.154 legal notice had been issued to a private landowner, but the work had not been completed, the local authority would arrange for a contractor to visit. Following this, an invoice would be sent to the private landowner, and if they were not able to pay, it would be dealt with by the Debt Recovery Team. Not many issues had raised with payments to date. It was AGREED to note the report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the report.
Councillor Clive Davies (Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Carbon Management) explained that climate change was one of the biggest environmental challenges we faced, and although failure to meet carbon emission and energy reduction targets would have both financial and environmental impacts for the Authority, there were wider implications for the County as a whole. It was recognized that the Council must lead by example and do all they could to reduce future climate change and address and mitigate the risks associated with it, and to that end, the Council declared a Climate Emergency in March 2020. Policy initiatives and strategies to include ecosystem resilience, biodiversity enhancements and flood reduction schemes had to be developed and implemented if the Council were to succeed in reducing carbon footprint and reducing the risk to major infrastructure, assets, residents, communities and the County’s landscape. Failure to reduce the effects of climate change could have reputational, financial and environmental consequences for the Council including in the form of financial penalties for failing to meet Welsh Government targets for carbon management and biodiversity. An overview of the mitigating actions as outlined in the report was provided. Rhodri Llwyd, Corporate Lead Officer: Highways and Environmental Services provided a presentation to the Committee outlining the following:- · Background · Evidence of risk · Potential consequences · Monitoring the coastline · Climate change strategy · Carbon sequestration · Energy generation · Flood alleviation · Seeking funding Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by Officers. The main points raised were as follows: · There were ongoing discussions on the fleet’s source of energy for the future, different grants, further investment and the use of technology at the Council’s depots. Hydrogen’s development was slightly behind electricity, although electricity appeared to be the preferred choice of the Welsh Government at present. · Credit was given to the work of the Local Places for Nature Programme, which included local partnership groups and various organisations. · Concerns were raised that the Welsh Government’s policies on home improvements and the energy efficiency upgrade grants were not always suitable for older homes such as old farmhouses. · In response to a question by a Member, it was noted that the local authority followed the Welsh Government’s guidance on net zero. There was a regional energy plan for Mid Wales and grants would be shared according to prioritisation and needs. · Concerns were raised about the grid’s capacity to accommodate the demand for energy in Ceredigion in moving forward. Officers agreed to update the Committee on the grid’s capacity. · In response to a request to install more rapid EV chargers in Lampeter, Officers noted there would possibly be an opportunity to review the chargers at different sites during the next round of funding. It was suggested that an update be presented to the Carbon Management Group on the EV Charging points across the county. · Concerns were raised that the completion of the protection and prevention works guaranteed by National Resources Wales (NRW) in Llanbadarn Fawr within 6 months of the severe floods that affected areas in north Ceredigion in June 2012 had not yet been completed. Officers sympathised with all affected and explained that unfortunately, the Council did not have any influence over NRW’s programme of works. · Officers were unaware of any feasibility studies on tidal regeneration for Ceredigion but agreed to discuss with the Welsh Government and Officers to confirm this. · The Chair requested that evidence be presented to the relevant Committee on the environmental benefits of hybrid working. It was AGREED to note the report.
It was AGREED to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2025. Matters arising: In relation to item 4 (Ceredigion Highways Asset Management Plan), Members praised the service for the work undertaken on the local authority’s roads in the past few weeks. In response to a query by a Member, Rhodri Llwyd explained that a list of the work planned would be sent to each Elected Member in due course, and if they had any queries following this, Officers were open to discussion.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Enforcement of parking issues including pavement parking · Consideration of trialling permit parking in Aberystwyth · Consideration of parking permits for workers in Aberystwyth and Cardigan · Invite representatives from Transport for Wales and Welsh Government to provide an update on the new bus network routes that commenced in 2021 and future plans. · Update on the grid’s capacity The Chair encouraged Members to send an e-mail to the Clerk and himself with specific details on the reports mentioned above.
It was AGREED to note the contents of the Forward Work Programme presented subject to the following: · Enforcement of parking issues including pavement parking · Consideration of trialling permit parking in Aberystwyth · Consideration of parking permits for workers in Aberystwyth and Cardigan · Invite representatives from Transport for Wales and Welsh Government to provide an update on the new bus network routes that commenced in 2021 and future plans. · Update on the grid’s capacity The Chair encouraged Members to send an e-mail to the Clerk and himself with specific details on the reports mentioned above.
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.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.