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RESOLVED to approve 1. The revised Delivery Agreement (Appendix 1) for the preparation of Powys Replacement Local Development Plan and its submission to Welsh Government for agreement. 2. The Preferred Strategy for the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan (Appendix 2) for public consultation. 3. Final editorial rights for making minor editorial amendments to the Preferred Strategy ahead of its publication for public consultation are delegated to the Professional Lead – Planning.
RESOLVED to refer the matter of Member Champions back to the Democratic Services Committee.
RESOLVED to move to the next business.
RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
RESOLVED to approve a virement of £620,385 to support the implementation of the Business Case from the Spend to Save Reserve.
Apologies for absence were received from County Councillors DOCVARIABLE "MembersExcusesShortRoleList" \* MERGEFORMAT L Brighouse, T Colbert, B Davies, J Ewing, P James, J R Jones, K Lewis, G Mitchell, G Morgan, G Preston, G Pugh, J Pugh and S L Williams.
The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meetings held on 22nd February, 7th March and 16th May 2024 as correct records.
All members had a personal interest in item 11 Members Allowances and Expenses but had a dispensation to speak and vote on the item. County Councillors Gareth E Jones, Chloe Masefield, Claire Johnson-Wood, Danny Bebb, Ed Jones, Angela Davies, Les George, Graham Breeze, William Lloyd, Arwel Jones, William Powell, David Thomas, Beverley Byanham, Edwin Roderick, Kelly Healey, Adrian Jones, Gwynfor Thomas, Jonathan Wilkinson, Elwyn Vaughan, John Yeomans, Gareth D Jones, Peter Lewis, Bryan Davies, Jake Berriman, Ian Harrison and Benjamin Breeze declared personal and prejudicial interest in item 12 Notice of Motion Supporting Agriculture in Powys. County Councillors Benjamin Breeze, Graham Breeze and Raiff Devlin declared personal and prejudicial interests in item 14 Business Case for Fostering.
The Chair welcomed County Councillor John Yeomans, the newly elected member for Rhiwcynon to his first meeting and he thanked Heulwen Hulme who had resigned for her service to the Council. The Chair thanked the Elections team and all the staff involved in the running of the general election in the County. He congratulated David Chadwick and Steve Witherden on their election as Members of Parliament. He said how much he had enjoyed the Gurkha Annual Freedom parade in Brecon on 16 June.
The Leader congratulated everyone who had participated in the Urdd Eisteddfod in Meifod and County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan and the team who had helped deliver such an enjoyable and successful event. He advised that the Marches Agreement was making good progress and that the Council would be running a series of events at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show. The Leader paid tribute to Margaret Morris who had served as County Councillor for Glasbury and was a past Chair of Council who had passed away.
With the issues faced with the move from people plus to virtual wallet, will you be looking at reimbursing people who have been severely financially affected, ie those who will end up having 3 months worth of wages declared in 1 calendar month due to the delay in setting up Virtual Wallet accounts for those in receipt of Direct Payments or will you be ensuring that the missing months money will be reported in the correct month they should have been paid, therefore making sure peoples tax is correctly paid and not taking away any financial help they are entitled to from Universal Credit? Response I acknowledge the delays with payment for some personal assistants during the transition from the previous commissioned provider of payroll services for Direct Payments, People Plus, to the new provider, PPL-Virtual Wallet. Over 550 people in Powys use Direct Payments and over 300 of those accounts have now been transferred from People Plus to PPL-Virtual Wallet. In a small number of cases the transfer was delayed, resulting in delayed payments, and the Direct Payments team is working one to one with each of those account holders to complete the set-up of each account. The work includes understanding the unique circumstances of each historic direct payment arrangement, ensuring that employer and suitable person responsibilities are fully understood, and undertaking a detailed assessment to ensure employers and suitable persons are equipped to complete financial transactions for personal assistants which are timely, and timesheets are assigned to their respective pay-periods and in compliance with HMRC requirements. The work includes ascertaining the cause of each delay, and the team is finding that the causes are varied. Each delay is being considered on a case-by-case basis and the appropriate action taken to rectify and address the impact of the delay. This work sits within the wider transformation of domiciliary care and direct payments in Powys which has been ongoing for a year and is focused on ensuring that people have greater choice, voice and control in the care and support they receive. The commissioning of the new managed account and payroll service in April this year, and the bringing of the Information and Advice service for direct payments in-house, has made the system easier and smoother for people to use. The transfer of all of those accounts to the new system has been a complex and resource-intensive process involving meticulous and patient direct work by telephone and, where required, in person, with each direct payment holder. Following this one to one guidance and support, all direct payment holders have been sent clear written information to support their ongoing management of the new system. This has included: · Notification of the change sent by the previous payroll provider, People Plus, to all Direct Payment holders known to the provider · A letter from our Direct Payments team explaining the process of transition, including full details and guidance of what employers are required to do · A welcome email from the new provider, Virtual Wallet · Text message updates and check-ins from both our Direct Payments team and Virtual Wallet. The new system provides a robust service which significantly improves on the previous system and which significantly reduces the risk of delays in payments to personal assistants. The work of the team with the small number of account holders who experienced delays during transfer will continue until each case is resolved. This direct work is being conducted with compassion and meticulous attention to detail, at the pace that works for each individual, with awareness of the impact of the delays on the individual, and with the aim of mitigating the impact as far as is possible. Where PAs are paid in arrears due to delays in the setting up of their accounts, they will receive separate payslips for each backdated period – so someone being paid today for April, May and June will receive three separate payslips for each of those months. This means that eligibility for universal credit will not be affected and that HMRC are aware of the period in which earnings occurred. Ms O’Connor-Lowe’s supplementary question highlighted the difficulties that personal assistants had been placed in by the delays in payments. She said that written information had not been received until two weeks ago and that she had not received text updates. In response, the Cabinet Member for a Caring Powys apologised and said she would look into the points raised by Ms O’Connor-Lowe and respond directly to her.
Can the County Council guarantee that in its role as the Local Planning Authority it will rigorously enforce all conditions attached to DNS applications for wind turbines in Powys, as is a legal requirement? Response Planning and Environment Decision Wales (PEDW) provides the following advice on planning enforcement in Developments of national significance guidance: the decision | GOV.WALES “6.8 The LPA has the sole responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the permission and ensuring that it is in accordance with the plans and any conditions. 6.9 If the LPA considers that the development does not comply with the permission, it has the power to take enforcement action.” Powys County Council will investigate any alleged breaches of planning condition of a DNS project in line with its planning enforcement policy: Planning Enforcement Policy and Procedure - Powys County Council. The Council has invested in its planning enforcement service in the last 12 months with the appointment of two enforcement officers who prioritise the investigation of reported breaches. Answers to frequently asked questions about the Council’s planning enforcement service can be found here: Planning Enforcement Policy and Procedure - Powys County Council In her supplementary question Ms Chryss asked if, with the recruitment of additional enforcement officers, the public could now have faith that PCC will robustly enforce planning breaches. The Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys encouraged members and communities to report any planning control breaches on the Planning Service portal to trigger an investigation. He noted that any planning fees for DNS applications did not go to the Council even though the Council had to bear the costs of dealing with these applications. This issue was being raised with government.
Nine highway obstructions on minor country roads on the Council’s statutory List of Streets have been reported over a number of years yet these are still obstructed today. There is net zero cost to PCC, as the council can charge remedial costs against the obstructor. Why is the Council failing to take action? Has the council given up on highway obstructions? Response With regard to obstructions on minor roads, the highway authority will take a reasonable approach to seek to resolve such matters. Whilst such obstructions may sometimes be a nuisance, the highway authority will endeavour to take a reasonably practical approach to prioritising its actions by having a due regard to the character of the routes by their nature and amount of traffic by which is ordinarily used, in comparison to the resources and manpower required to carry out such work; as it is for the highway authority to determine the priority of its resource in comparison to using it elsewhere on the highway network. Mr Marsden noted that two of the routes had been blocked for over 30 years. He asked when the Council would take action to have them cleared in accordance with the requirements of the Highways Act as he did not consider the Council’s response reasonable. The Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys said that she would look into the routes further and get back to him and that the Council would support any legal action he took.
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RESOLVED to approve 1. The revised Delivery Agreement (Appendix 1) for the preparation of Powys Replacement Local Development Plan and its submission to Welsh Government for agreement. 2. The Preferred Strategy for the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan (Appendix 2) for public consultation. 3. Final editorial rights for making minor editorial amendments to the Preferred Strategy ahead of its publication for public consultation are delegated to the Professional Lead – Planning.
Council was asked to approve a revised Delivery Agreement for the preparation of the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan (LDP) and its submission to Welsh Government for agreement and the Preferred Strategy for the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan (2022-2037) for statutory public consultation. In presenting the report the Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys encouraged fellow councillors to go back to their communities and ensure that the Preferred Strategy reflects their interests and help ensure it was robust and representative. County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan speaking as Chair of the Welsh Language Panel said that the Panel would like to review the section on Welsh Communities when it was drafted. It was proposed and seconded and by 49 votes to 0 it was RESOLVED to approve 1. The revised Delivery Agreement (Appendix 1) for the preparation of Powys Replacement Local Development Plan and its submission to Welsh Government for agreement. 2. The Preferred Strategy for the Powys Replacement Local Development Plan (Appendix 2) for public consultation. 3. Final editorial rights for making minor editorial amendments to the Preferred Strategy ahead of its publication for public consultation are delegated to the Professional Lead – Planning.
Claire Moore, the independent Vice Chair of the Standards Committee, presented the Committee’s report for 2023/24. She thanked group leaders for taking time to meet with the Standards Committee. The Committee had identified a number of issues which they would they would action including developing a guide for group leaders on their new duty to promote and maintain high standards of conduct, and to promote the role of the Standards Committee to all members. The report noted that at the time of writing the report, a number of members had yet to complete their code of conduct training and Ms Moore said that she would follow up comments from a member that he had not had support to complete the training. A member asked about cases of whistleblowing and the Deputy Monitoring Officer explained that neither the Standards Committee nor the Governance and Audit Committee saw the details of cases. Ms Moore confirmed that the level of complaints the committee dealt with were similar to other local authorities in Wales.
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RESOLVED to refer the matter of Member Champions back to the Democratic Services Committee.
Council considered the recommendation of the Democratic Services Committee that Member Champions were not required. Several members spoke of the value of the role but of the need for a reporting back mechanism. The Leader asked that the Democratic Services Committee look at who should make the appointments: in his opinion it should be Council, not the Leader. The recommendation of the Democratic Services Committee that Member Champions were not required was lost by 5 votes to 46 with 2 abstentions upon being put to the vote. It was proposed and seconded that the matter be referred back to the Democratic Services Committee and by 52 votes to 0 with 1 abstention it was RESOLVED to refer the matter of Member Champions back to the Democratic Services Committee.
The Director of Social Services and Wellbeing presented her annual report for 2023/24. The last year had been challenging with increased demand, complexity and cost, but despite difficulties there had been significant improvement across the service. Positive feedback had been received from external regulators and inspectors. She thanked all staff and partners who had supported Social Services over the last year. She thanked Councillors, particularly the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee for their support. She was confident that there was a strong foundation and clear direction to continue the service’s journey of transformation. The Director confirmed that she would be happy to report the results of the remuneration benchmarking exercise to the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee. In response to a member’s question about the further roll out of the home support trial, the Head of Adult Services explained that work was underway to analysis the benefits to build a business case to support a further roll out. The Chair of the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee said she would welcome focus on key areas where the Committee could add most value. The Director would follow this up at their next monthly meeting. A member asked how the waiting list for assessments for older people and backlog for reviews would be addressed. The Director said that this would be a focus for work in the autumn with business cases being brought forward. A member referred to the need to reduce the number of agency staff and welcomed steps being taken to develop our own staff and retain staff. There was also a need to utilise technology.
The Deputy Monitoring Officer reminded all members that they had an interest in this matter as they were in receipt of a salary but that there was a dispensation which permitted them to speak and to vote. Council received for information details of amounts paid and reimbursed to Members and Co-opted Members during the tax year 2023-24, relating to salary and expenses. The meeting adjourned at 12.37 pm and reconvened at 1.30 pm. PRESENT County Councillor J Wilkinson (Chair) County Councillors B Baynham, D Bebb, B Breeze, G Breeze, J Berriman, J Brignell-Thorp, J Charlton, R Church, S Cox, A W Davies, A Davies, B Davies, S C Davies, R Devlin, M J Dorrance, D Edwards, L George, J Gibson-Watt, C Hall, I Harrison, K Healy, A Jenner, A Jones, E A Jones, E Jones, G D Jones, G E Jones, A Kennerley, C Kenyon-Wade, P Lewington, P E Lewis, W Lloyd, Chloe Masefield, I McIntosh, DW Meredith, C Johnson-Wood, G Morgan, WD Powell, G W Ratcliffe, L Rijnenberg, L Roberts, P Roberts, C Robinson, E Roderick, D Selby, D A Thomas, R G Thomas, E Vaughan, C Walsh, A Williams, D H Williams, J M Williams and J Yeomans
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RESOLVED to move to the next business.
County Councillors Gareth E Jones, Chloe Masefield, Claire Johnson-Wood, Danny Bebb, Ed Jones, Angela Davies, Les George, Graham Breeze, William Lloyd, Arwel Jones, William Powell, David Thomas, Beverley Baynham, Edwin Roderick, Kelly Healey, Adrian Jones, Gwynfor Thomas, Jonathan Wilkinson, Elwyn Vaughan, John Yeomans, Gareth D Jones, Peter Lewis, Bryan Davies, Jake Berriman, Ian Harrison and Benjamin Breeze declared an interest in this item. Council debated the following motion proposed by County Councillor Iain McIntosh and seconded by County Councillor Les George. The Council Resolves: Part 1: To commit to working in partnership with all forms of agriculture within Powys, recognising the diverse contributions of each sector to our local economy and wellbeing. Part 2: To continually champion the produce of Powys farmers, recognising the superior quality and vital importance of supporting local agricultural endeavours. Part 3: To highlight, and promote where possible, access to new and additional on-farm funding, assisting farmers in diversification and in meeting environmental targets, thereby fostering a sustainable future for agriculture in Powys. Part 4: To encourage residents to shop locally where possible, highlighting the importance of reducing food miles and supporting the local economy through conscious consumer choices. Part 5: Following the successful motion by Cllr Iain McIntosh, seconded by Cllr Les George, on 8th December 2022, which called upon Powys County Council to serve high-quality meat and dairy products at all official meetings and events, Powys County Council should now extend this support to actively promoting red meat as part of a healthy diet for all residents, thereby assisting livestock farmers and ensuring the health of our community. Part 6: To promote agriculture as a desirable and sustainable career for young people in Powys. Part 7: To encourage Young Farmer Clubs in their mission to educate and train young people in modern, sustainable farming methods. Part 8: To encourage Young Farmer Clubs to take part in future consultation processes affecting farmers and agriculture, to ensure future decisions and strategies accurately represent and serve their interests. Part 9: For Cabinet to update Council within four months on the actions taken to implement this motion, to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the agricultural sector in Powys. The proposer of the motion said that he felt that it was ridiculous that so many Councillors were prevented from participating in the debate. In moving the motion Councillor McIntosh said that the Council needed to improve the way in which it engaged with the farming community. A motion to move to next business was moved by County Councillor Richard Church and seconded by County Councillor Jackie Charlton and by 31 votes t0 12 with 2 abstentions it was RESOLVED to move to the next business.
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RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
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RESOLVED to approve a virement of £620,385 to support the implementation of the Business Case from the Spend to Save Reserve.
County Councillors Benjamin Breeze, Graham Breeze and Raiff Devlin declared an interest in this item. Council considered a request for a budget virement to support the implementation of the Fostering Framework Business Case approved by Cabinet on 7 May 2024. It was moved and seconded and by 43 votes to 0 with 1 abstention it was RESOLVED to approve a virement of £620,385 to support the implementation of the Business Case from the Spend to Save Reserve.
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.