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RESOLVED: 1. To scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 16th March 2025 – 17th July 2025; and, 2. To Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change.
RESOLVED: 1.To scrutinise the contents of the report in respect to: i. The list of 26 candidate roads identified by officers (as set out in table 1 in point 3.15 of the report), following a formal technical assessment undertaken in accordance with Welsh Government’s (WG) revised guidance. ii. The proposal to revert the speed limit on these 26 roads from the default 20mph (introduced in 2023) back to 30mph, subject to a pre-statutory consultation exercise on the proposed speed limit changes, followed by a statutory period of Public Notice. 2. To note that: i. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) will review all feedback received during both the pre-statutory consultation exercise and statutory consultation periods to assess public support before proceeding with the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process and implementation of any changes. ii. A further report will be presented to the Committee upon completion of the consultation process to report the findings of the exercise and set out any recommendations to proceed with the making of the TRO. iii. Any subsequent reports and decisions relating to the TRO process would be considered in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.
The Chair welcomed Members and Officers to the first meeting of the Climate Change, Frontline Services and Prosperity Scrutiny Committee of the 2025-2026 Municipal Year. The Chair welcomed the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change to the meeting. The Chair also welcomed new Members to the Committee, Councillor A Roberts, Councillor W Lewis and Councillor SJ Davies. The Chair also thanked the previous Vice Chair, Councillor G Warren, for her hard work and dedication and welcomed Councillor W Hughes to his new role as Vice Chair of the Committee. A special thanks was also given to Councillor Treeby and Councillor Watts for their support and had work as previous Members of the Committee during the 2024-25 Municipal Year.
The Members Researcher and Scrutiny Officer referenced the research facilities that were available to Members within the Council Business Unit. Members were advised that if they have any specific queries to email them to the Council’s scrutiny team who would accommodate their requests.
In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, Councillor W Lewis declared the following personal interest: Item 4 - “My son works in the Biodiversity Office For the Council”
The minutes of the hybrid meeting held on the 26th March 2025 were approved as an accurate record.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: 1. To scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 16th March 2025 – 17th July 2025; and, 2. To Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change.
The Chair introduced Councillor C Leyshon, the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change, and welcomed her to the meeting. Councillor Leyson thanked Members for the opportunity to respond to scrutiny questions from Members. The Service Director, Democratic Services and Communications presented the report to Member and advised Members that the purpose of the report is to scrutinise any arising matters with the portfolio holder responsible for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Changeand to ensure that the appropriate mechanisms are in place to effectively scrutinise the Executive. The Service Director reminde Members that questions need to focus on the decisions taken over the specific time period referenced in the report. The Chair invited questions from Members. A Member asked a query in respect of the Carbon Project and the Member asked how this project aligns with the Welsh Government route map to Net Zero. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change advised that the Council’s alignment with the Welsh Public Sector Route Map is due now in September and advised Members that the Welsh Government has launched an interactive link about public sector carbon emissions for Wales. Members were advised that in RCT these practices are embedded into all operational planning and will help us with carbon counting, procurement and our fleet department carbonisation. Members were advised that the online interactive dashboard will be launched soon. The Cabinet Member also referred to the Coed Ely Solar Farm Project which inks directly with the National Grid and Royal Gamorgan Hospital, which proves RCT’s partnership working. Discussions continued and a Member noted that Climate Change is across all Departments and queried what the plans are in terms of planning applications to ensure that future developments, both commercial and residential, are fit for the future. The Cabinet Member advised that progress in this area is ongoing and advised that all planning across RCT must incorporate our Biodiversity plans, Solar Panel plans etc. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that incorporating the Council’s Climate Change plans into Planning is vital as this is what will effect our future generations. It was agreed that further information on these plans would be provided to the Member directly as and when necessary. Another Member referred to the Climate Change Cabinet Sub Committee report and queried how, as Members, they could effectively communicate the positive elements of this to residents. The Cabinet Member agreed on the importance of this and advised that members of th public are always advised about the Council’s Carbon Toolkit and noted that we are the first Authority in Wales to embed carbon into our practices and agreed that whatever work is happening in RCT Council we should share with the public. The Cabinet Member advised that there is a pan to increase face to face engagement in Council Committees and also to interact more with Schools to promote what is happening in communities across RCT. The Cabinet Member also noted that in the future it would be useful to use more interactive videos and real life stories to engage with the public. The Cabinet Member also noted that the Council is working with the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Services Board in respect of Climate Change and that three task and finish groups are currently ongoing. The Chair asked the Cabinet Member if she could elaborate more on the School Eco Awards and what success, if any, has been had to date. The Cabinet Member advised that we have had bronze, Silver and Gold Eco Awards and we are working through them and emphasised that the Eco Awards are not just about the work we do in schools with children, it’s also about the information they bring home to parents. Members were also advised that those awards will also be given now in the Council Chambers as it will be useful for Young People to come inside the Council Chamber to see what the Council is all about as well. Discussions ensued and a Member noted that as there seems to be a growing mistrust of the Climate Change tarets and moving towards Net Zero, what impact does initiatives such as the School Eco awards have on people and impact the very real threat that Climate Change is having. The Cabinet Member advised that the purpose of initiatives such as the Eco Awards is to give knowledge to the children and also the parents and advised that it would be a good idea for Members of the Scrutiny Committee to attend when the awards are being given out to children so that they can pass this information on in their own communities. Discussions continued and a member noted that it’s positive to see that we are the first Authority in Wales to develop a carbon toolkit to help our suppliers count their carbon footprint and asked for an update on rolling this out. The Cabinet Member advised that unfortunately there have been some delays but that this is beginning to be rolled out to a small number of businesses. The Cabinet Member praised the procurement team for developing the toolkit and noted how shocking it was that only 40% of businesses knew ow to count their carbon footprint and noted that the toolkit will make this easier for them, particularly for smaller businesses. The Cabinet Member reassured Members that it will be rolled out soon and thanked the procurement team for all their hard work. The Chair asked what the Council’s plans are for the toolkit around procurement are and queried ow the Council intends to reduce its own carbon footprint from the use of the toolkit. The Cabinet Member advised that the toolkit is just for businesses and emphasised that the toolkit will help businesses, small and large, to calculate their own carbon footprint and subsequently this will help to reduce RCT Council’s carbon footprint as well. Discussions ensued and a Member referred to the Peatland Programme and queried how this will enhance engagement with the heritage of the Dare Valley Country Park. The Cabinet Member advised that RCT Officers have attended a steering group and that site meetings have also been held. It was noted that RCT Officers have plans to work with Cynon Valley school children and that they will be going on a site visit to Dare Valley Park soon. There will also be many opportunities for volunteers and a strong emphasis on community engagement. Discussions ensued and a Member queried if a study has been conducted to see the projected increase in the number of cars on the road due to the Council’s Home to School Transport policy on days where there is really bad weather due to the effects of Climate Change. The Chair reminded the Member that we can only scrutinise the decisions that are listed in the report that have been made under the Cabinet Member’s portfolio over the last six months. The Cabinet Member advised that this issue is cross cutting over different Cabinet Members portfolio that it would not be possible to give an answer to the question. The Chair reminded all Members to keep all questions relevant to the Cabinet Members portfolio and the decisions listed in the report. Discussions ensued and the Member referred to planning applications and the use of the Future Generations Act and queried if the Cabinet Members thought that this Act should be used as part of a planning applications to ither deny or approve an application. The Cabinet Member advised that this decision would be up to the Scrutiny Committee Members to decide whether to take this forward. Another Member queried what the Cabinet Member thought the Council could do to stop using their cars and to use more public transport. The Cabinet Member advised that this is something we all need to promote as individuals and noted that making electric cars more reasonably priced would be a good step forward. The Cabinet Member also noted that the Council has ensure that there is a charging outlet within a mile of most people’s homes in RCT. The Member queried if the Cabinet Member thought that everyone should be using the Bus. The Cabinet Member felt that using the Bus is a good idea for everyone, however, it was noted that public transport isn’t in the Cabinet Members portfolio to comment on. Another Member noted that most schools within RCT have Eco Council Groups and queried if these groups are ever invited into the Council. The Cabinet Member advised that School Eco Councils have been invited in to the Chambers and that they have on one occasion received information on food waste. It was also noted that the Cabinet Member has also gone out to Schools and spoken to the Eco Councils and seen the good work that they are doing. Discussions continued and a Member referred to Electric Vehicle charging points and the fact that there is a charging point within one mile of homes in RCT and queried how this would work in practice. The Member felt that we haven’t got the infrastructure to handle every home in RCT having an electric car and we haven’t got the supply from the National Grid. The Cabinet Member advised that a recent decision hasn’t been made on this under her portfolio and advised the Member that this would fall under the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for Council Business and Corporate Estates. Th Chair asked that if we are to achieve Net Zero by 2030 does the Council have plans to link in with the National Grid and queried if we have a good working relationship with them. The Cabinet Member advised that we do have a good relationship with the National rid and emphasised that the National rid’s plans and the Council’s Climate Change plans are linked. It was noted by the Cabinet Member that th Council feeds some of its energy into the National Grid and advised that further information on the Council’s work with the National Grid could be provided to Scrutiny Members following today’s meeting. The Chair noted that Electric Vehicles will be coming as an item to the Scrutiny Committee in the future. A Member suggested that when the Committee looks at this item it would be a good idea to invite external experts to the Committee to give more wide-ranging advice to Members. The Chair acknowledged this point and noted that RCT Officers are very experienced and knowledgeable and would be able to answer Members queries on any questions raised on this issue. Following discussions, Members RESOLVED: 1. To scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 16th March 2025 – 17th July 2025; and, 2. To Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Corporate Services, Youth Participation and Climate Change.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: 1.To scrutinise the contents of the report in respect to: i. The list of 26 candidate roads identified by officers (as set out in table 1 in point 3.15 of the report), following a formal technical assessment undertaken in accordance with Welsh Government’s (WG) revised guidance. ii. The proposal to revert the speed limit on these 26 roads from the default 20mph (introduced in 2023) back to 30mph, subject to a pre-statutory consultation exercise on the proposed speed limit changes, followed by a statutory period of Public Notice. 2. To note that: i. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) will review all feedback received during both the pre-statutory consultation exercise and statutory consultation periods to assess public support before proceeding with the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process and implementation of any changes. ii. A further report will be presented to the Committee upon completion of the consultation process to report the findings of the exercise and set out any recommendations to proceed with the making of the TRO. iii. Any subsequent reports and decisions relating to the TRO process would be considered in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.
The Chair advised Members that he has received a number of representations on this item and advised Members that representations have been received that MS Heledd Fychan as well as other residents across RCT in respect of proposals contained within the report. Members were told that these representations have been forwarded on to the relevant officers for their consideration. The Chair reminded Members that the proposals will be open to the pre statutory consultation exercise thereby giving all interested parties the opportunity to consider and scrutinise the outcomes of the review process. The Chair noted that once it goes out to public consultation it will then come back to Scrutiny later. Following this notification from the Chair, the Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation presented the report to Members with the aid of a Power Point presentation. The Officer also ave a brief overview in respect of road signage maintenance, which had previously been information requested by Scrutiny Members. In respect of road signage, the Chair requested confirmation from the Officer that, other than the cost of Labour, there would not be a financial cost to the Council is changing the signs back to 30mph as the Council has kept all the 30mph road signs that had previously been removed. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation confirmed that the change in respect of road signae would not involve any extra costs to the Council. The Chair also informed the Officer that a number of concerns have been raised to him by Members of the Scrutiny Community in respect of some Members not being consulted prior to the 26 roads being identified by the Council. The Chair noted that the only Members who had the opportunity for face to face consultation is the 26 Members who’s wards have been identified on the list. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation advised Members that a Listening Exercise was conducted as part of a Wesh Government wider consultation and for people to have the opportunity to engage with the Council. In terms of the specific consultation review process, Members were advised engagement took place with Members who’s wards were directly effected by the proposed changes. It was emphasised that the pre statutory public consultation will be open to everyone. The Chair quried that the presentation referred to 313 initial requests received in RCT and questioned what public consultation or campaign went out to the public to get those responses. The Officer confirmed that those responses resulted from the National Listening Exercise that was announced by Welsh Government. The Officer also emphasised that there were a number of letters that went out to Members through Members Services at each step of the process and noted that the process has also been brought to the Climate Change, Frontline Services and Prosperity Scrutiny Committee on a number of occasions. The Chair subsequently invited questions from Members. In respect of the section of the report titled ‘Ward Member Engagement’, a Member advised that he found this to be misleading. The Member explained that out of the 26 roads identified, two of the roads were in his ward, however during the engagement session he could only discuss those two roads and any other roads that they had to discuss in that ward was not up for discussion. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation advised that the Welsh Government Listening Exercise was conducted in the summer of 2024 where people had the opportunity to formally raise requests. The Officer advised Members that once this process closed, the requests were assessed and this allowed the tea to come back and re engage and re visit new requests and to progress the process. When it came to the point of engaging with Ward Members this was to go through the lit that had already ben provided to Officers. They would have to re start the process again if they were given a new list to consider. It was emphasised that this is not the end point as there is still a duty on the team to review daily request and maintain our highways. Members were advised that if members of the public have any further requests for any roads not on the list then they will log these requests as part of their ongoing duty of care. The Chair emphasised that Members will have the opportunity to input any wider concerns that they may have as part of the forthcoming consultation process. The Officer advised that the consultation is specifically targeted towards the 26 roads, however, if there are requests for any other roads then they will be documented and go forward for a further review at some point in the future. Discussions ensued and a Member sought clarification in respect of how the 313 responses from the Listening Exercise were broken down and how the 26 roads were specified. The Member then referred to the place criteria in section 4 and Berw Road and Station Road argued that these roads does not fit the criteria set out in the report and pointed out that these roads are two of the 26 roads that are listed. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation advised that these points have been taken into account as part of the assessment process and that there will always be some in the community who would like this to be taken back to 30mph and others who want these roads to stay at 20mph. The Officer referred Members to point 4.3 in the report and noted that 30mph speed limits could be used on main or strategic roads outside the town centres, roads outside of high density areas and, specifically relevant to Berw Road, is roads with residential premises on one side with very little need or requirement to cross. It was emphasised to Members that Berw Road and Station Road do tick some of the elements and in the new guidance by Welsh Government it does allow an element of flexibility to seek opportunities to ise speed limits where the previous guidance may not have. The Member then referred to the forthcoming consultation and questioned if this will only be open to those residents directly effected by the 26 roads or if it will be open to every member of the public/ Members were advised that the consultation process will be open to all residents in all locations and that it will be a map based exercise as well digitally online. The Chair also noted that residents can also make representations to their local Councillor, Member of the Senedd and Member of Parliament. Discussions ensued and a Member sked about the Ystrad Road section and questioned how much of that road would be 30mph and questioned if this could cause confusion amongst residents and wondered how far up it would be at 30mph before drivers slow down when approaching the school. The Member was advised that the full extent of that section is being considered and that, unfortunately, the full level of detail is not available at present to be able to clarify this. The Member was advised that the Officer will look into this and give further advice to the Member before it goes public. The Chair questioned if the impact on the environment is being taken into consideration when reducing or increasing speed limits on roads that are uphill. The Officer confirmed to Members that all characteristics play a part n the process and emphasised that the flexibility in the new guidance means that where there is opportunity to increase the speed limit on a section of a road to 30mph it was felt important that the public have the opportunity to consider this and give feedback. Another Member referred to Brithweunydd Road in Tealaw going into Cemetery Road and questioned what the guidance is around Schools. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation confirmed that it was within 100 metres. The Member noted that there are schools both sides of the road and the Officer confirmed this ws 600 meteres and that when looking at the guidance there is very little room to designate a higher speed limit. The Chair suggested that perhaps this road should be added to the list of 26 roads. The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation noted that at this stage it is just the 26 roads that will be a part of the consultation but it will be noted and logged and can be reviewed in the future. Another Member emphasised that before the implementation of 20mph on roads across Wales there should have been a consultation conducted then by Welsh Government. The Member also emphasised that where roads are 20mph, police involvement needs to take place as there appears to be no enforcement action taking place. The Member questioned if the Council had confidence in the Police taking enforcement action on roads that are 20mph and may possibly go back to 30mph. The Member also sought reassurance from Officers that whoever is elected today in Pontypridd Town by-elections would be afforded the same opportunity as other Councillors to engge with Officers on specific roads in the Ward and give feedback. The Chair reassured the Member that whever is elected today will be treated the same as any other Councillor and therefore will have the same opportunity as a Ward Member to engage with Officers in a briefing session. In respect of police enforcement, the Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation, advised the Member that he cannot comment on Police resources in Wales, however, Members were advised that following a recent positive meeting with many Chif Inspectors, the Police are certainly committed to taking enforcement action where issues arise.The Temporary Head of Traffic and Transportation confirmed that the Council has a very positive relationship with GoSafe. Another Member praised the briefing session that took place in respect of roads referred to in her Ward for changing to 30mph and had also been afforded the opportunity to put forward other suggestions, however, the Member emphasised how shocked she was to learn that not all Members had been afforded the same opportunity. The Member suggested that in future consultations all Elected Members should be consulted. The Chair emphasised that proposals will now go out to the public as part of the pre statutory consultation process where everyone will have the opportunity to provide feedback. Following discussions, Members RESOLVED: 1.To scrutinise the contents of the report in respect to: i. The list of 26 candidate roads identified by officers (as set out in table 1 in point 3.15 of the report), following a formal technical assessment undertaken in accordance with Welsh Government’s (WG) revised guidance. ii. The proposal to revert the speed limit on these 26 roads from the default 20mph (introduced in 2023) back to 30mph, subject to a pre-statutory consultation exercise on the proposed speed limit changes, followed by a statutory period of Public Notice. 2. To note that: i. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) will review all feedback received during both the pre-statutory consultation exercise and statutory consultation periods to assess public support before proceeding with the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process and implementation of any changes. ii. A further report will be presented to the Committee upon completion of the consultation process to report the findings of the exercise and set out any recommendations to proceed with the making of the TRO. iii. Any subsequent reports and decisions relating to the TRO process would be considered in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.
The Chair thanked everyone online and in the Chamber for attending the meeting and thanked everyone for contributing to a constructive meeting.
The Chair advised that it has been brought to his attention that Members have ongoing concerns in respect of the efficiency and adequacy of resources of Frontline services including Streetcare, grass cutting and hedge overgrowth. A Member commented that her concerns are in respect of frontline services being stretched so thin that service delivery is being affected in communities across RCT. The Member noted that residents have noticed hedge and grass overgrowth and that this has raised wider concerns about overall service delivery and resources. The Member praised the department and emphasised her gratitude for all their hard work. However, the Member felt that the department was significantly under resourced and cannot keep up with the demands placed upon them. The Member acknowledged that this item is on the Work Programme for later in the Municipal Year but felt that more immediate action needs to be taken and suggested forming a Working Group to conduct further scrutiny. A number of Members agreed with this proposal. The Service Director of Democratic Services and Communications noted that a report on Frontline Services is already part of the Work Programme and that the report is due to be scrutinised later in the Municipal Year. The Service Director suggested that Members use this opportunity to scrutinise Frontline Services and then if Members feel they need to scrutinise matters in greater depth a proposal to form a Working Group can be put forward to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at that time. The Service Director also suggested that, with the Chair’s agreement and subject to speaking to colleagues in Frontline Services, there may be an opportunity to bring an interim performance report forward in the Work Programme. The Chair agreed that the direction from Members is to bring an interim performance report to Committee early on in the year to allow Members to scrutinise Frontline Services as soon as possible. The Chair also noted that he was given reassurances by The Director of Frontline Services during the recent Overview and Scrutiny Committee that if Members have any urgent concerns then they can bring these concerns directly to The Director of Frontline Services for his attention. The Chair emphasised the importance of members of the public raising their concerns through the correct portal and ensuring they obtain a case reference number so that progress can be properly tracked and reviewed. In respect of hedge overgrowth and grass cutting, the Chair emphasised that departments are in the process of merging and that the Committee will receive a report on this in the next Quarter thereby allowing Members the opportunity to scrutinise the effectiveness of the merger and its impact on service delivery. A Member suggested that an interim performance report would not address the immediate issues and that a Working Group was still necessary. The Service Director, Democratic Services and Communications suggested that Members may benefit from an informal briefing session with Senior Officers from Frontline Services to ask questions, gather information and raise specific concerns prior to bringing an interim performance report to a committee meeting. This will allow the report to focus on key issues that are important to Members particularly matters that Members want to scrutinise and challenge further. Following discussions, Members RESOLVED: 1. To arrange an informal briefing session with Committee Members outlining the overall Structure and remit of Frontline Services, including details of recent efficiency measures and service delivery; and, 2. To bring forward an interim performance report at the next meeting of the Committee in respect of Frontline services, with specific reference to green space maintenance in RCT.
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