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 approve the minutes of the 15th October 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
RESOLVED to: · Note the content of the report and the progress made to date in advancing youth participation in local democracy. · Endorse the proposed engagement programme that strengthens youth participation across the Council, alongside targeted actions to increase voting among 16–17-year-olds in the forthcoming elections. · Agree that the option of establishing a designated role to lead and coordinate this programme be explored further, with a full assessment of resource implications brought forward for consideration during the statutory required Sufficiency of Resources report by the Head of Democratic Services. · Agree the formation of a Working Group to meet as and when required to explore further the proposals within the report and to act as consultees on aspects of participation marketing and content material, with updates provided to Committee as and when appropriate. · Support the proposal for an expression of interest to be made for a graduate role to support the implementation delivery of this plan.
RESOLVED to: · Review the Councils revised Notice of Motions process following its implementation at recent Council meetings. · Consider the suggested clarification in 4.8 of the report and whether any further aspects of the process need to be amended or clarified to allow the original intended outcomes of the review to be achieved: · (The proposed alternative procedure would allow a simplified process at the Council meeting, allowing the public to have a better understanding on the process when Members are debating the item and the outcome within) · Subject to Members comments, and if required, propose any amendments for consideration to the Constitution Committee
In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, the following declaration of interest was made: County Borough Councillor S Evans declared a personal interest in respect of item 3 Strengthening Youth Participation in National and Local Elections: “I am a candidate in the 2026 Senedd Elections.”
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 15th October 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 15th October 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: · Note the content of the report and the progress made to date in advancing youth participation in local democracy. · Endorse the proposed engagement programme that strengthens youth participation across the Council, alongside targeted actions to increase voting among 16–17-year-olds in the forthcoming elections. · Agree that the option of establishing a designated role to lead and coordinate this programme be explored further, with a full assessment of resource implications brought forward for consideration during the statutory required Sufficiency of Resources report by the Head of Democratic Services. · Agree the formation of a Working Group to meet as and when required to explore further the proposals within the report and to act as consultees on aspects of participation marketing and content material, with updates provided to Committee as and when appropriate. · Support the proposal for an expression of interest to be made for a graduate role to support the implementation delivery of this plan.
The Service Director Democratic Services, Welsh Language and Communications presented the report which outlined the proposed approach to strengthen youth participation in democratic processes, in direct response to the Notice of Motion considered by Members at the meeting of the Council on 24th September 2025. The report placed particular emphasis on enhancing engagement ahead of the 2026 Senedd Elections and the 2027 Local Elections in Rhondda Cynon Taf. In discussing the report, a Member noted there are a number of examples within the report highlighting where work has started to improve in terms of strengthening Youth Participation and political literacy but acknowledged there is still more work to do. The Member queried whether there is opportunity to utilise the Council’s Graduate Scheme to recruit to support with the role of Programme Lead as identified within the report. The Service Director confirmed there would be opportunities within the Graduate Scheme to identify funding to support the role and outlined previous examples of success within Democratic Services through the Graduate and Apprentice Scheme. Members were supportive of this avenue and requested this be included as an additional recommendation with the report. The Chair welcomed the Electoral Services Manager to the meeting and Members were informed by the Officer that looking ahead to the next few months, there will be a lot of information available and it’s about finding the best way to circulate this information to young people working closely with schools and YEPS. The Officer outlined current material available and the methods being used to distribute this information. The Officer highlighted opportunities for collaborative working to identify the best way to share information, utilising channels such as social media and the Council’s website. In terms of registration, the Officer informed Members that utilising education data, letters will be produced and circulated shortly to encourage young people to register to vote. Looking ahead to elections in 2027 the Officer discussed there is potential auto registration although this is unconfirmed currently. The Chair also welcomed County Borough Councillor S Evans to the meeting as the proposer of the original Notice of Motion. The Member utilised their opportunity to address Members and shared their comments on the content of the report. The Member supported Committee Members comments on the opportunities to utilise the Graduate Scheme to fulfil the role of Programme Lead. The Member also commented that with regard to the potential to introduce automatic voter registration it must be acknowledged that there is still work to be done to educate young people about the wider process and encourage them to utilise their vote. The Member also acknowledged the work undertaken with the County Youth Forum and supported this but highlighted that the numbers who engaged represent a small percentage of young people across the County Borough as a whole and raised the query about optimising attendance at the Forum to widen the representation across the County Borough. The Member commented on the information within the report regarding engagement with schools and shared their view that work should also be undertaken to engage with further education establishments within the County Borough and those who are not in post 16 education. There was also the opinion that there should not be too much burden placed on schools and that engagement should be undertaken with young people with support shared for a ‘Let’s Talk’ platform providing this appeals to this audience. The Member shared the view that with regards to digital engagement that there should be a multi-channel approach rather than reliant on one sole platform. The Service Director acknowledged the points raised by the Member and commented on the ambitions to utilise the County Youth Forum to reach a broader audience of young people to facilitate conversations with those not already engaged. The Service Director also acknowledged the need for a multi-channel approach but shared reticence regarding some social media channels but assured Members that steps are being taken to consider how best to use the channels available and learning from the use of channels in other Local Authorities. The Service Director also highlighted that if successful in recruiting via the Graduate Scheme the dedicated role will enable further work to be done with directly engaging with schools with the aim of the role being a long-term position within the team rather than a short term focus solely for the election period. Another Member commented on the need to develop staff expertise within schools on the subject matter and the importance of resources in this area and also echoed previous comments on the impact of engaging with further education establishments also. The Member also commented on the benefits of mock elections and the need for a multi-channel approach with social media. The Member also referred to previous work which has been heavily influenced and directed by the opinions of young people such as the period dignity campaign and emphasised the benefits of repeating such an approach with this area. Another Member also shared their view of the importance of political literacy and provided Committee with their own experience of being a young voter at the 2021 Senedd Elections and commented on the good progress that has been made so far by the Council in acknowledging the importance of engaging with young voters. The Member shared their view of the impact of different social media channels. The Chair acknowledged these points and highlighted the increasing engagement with schools through the offer of visits to the Council Chamber and sessions aimed at informing them about democracy matters, how the Council works and holding mock meetings which have seen an increase in uptake from schools throughout the County Borough. A Member echoed this point and commented on the opportunities to engage with wider youth groups including scouts and community groups. A Member highlighted on the opportunities presented through job fairs and the use of YEPS for dissemination were positive. The Member raised a question whether the objectives outlined within the report are achievable in short timescales given upcoming election periods and commented on the need for a timeline to be presented with the recognition of Comments from other Members regarding the need to be aware of the purdah period. The Member also referred to data available to electoral services and requested this be presented to Committee. The Member also commented on schools ability to provide dedicated timetable space to this work given that planning is done early within school settings. The Member also presented their opinion that young peoples views could be strengthened through Scrutiny and opportunities to present monthly updates of council work through social media channels. The Member also commented on the opportunity to invite young people aged 16 or 17 to join the Citizen’s Panel. The Member also shared their view that there are opportunities to utilise the expertise of current County Borough Councillors who are utilising social media effectively. The Member also commented on opportunities for schools to utilise their Local Councillors to invite them into schools for question and answer sessions. In concluding the discussions, a Member commented on the positive points raised by Members today and the need to explore every opportunity available to maximise the ability to engage, educate and advocate with young people. Following consideration it was RESOLVED to: · Note the content of the report and the progress made to date in advancing youth participation in local democracy. · Endorse the proposed engagement programme that strengthens youth participation across the Council, alongside targeted actions to increase voting among 16–17-year-olds in the forthcoming elections. · Agree that the option of establishing a designated role to lead and coordinate this programme be explored further, with a full assessment of resource implications brought forward for consideration during the statutory required Sufficiency of Resources report by the Head of Democratic Services. · Agree the formation of a Working Group to meet as and when required to explore further the proposals within the report and to act as consultees on aspects of participation marketing and content material, with updates provided to Committee as and when appropriate. · Support the proposal for an expression of interest to be made for a graduate role to support the implementation delivery of this plan.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: · Review the Councils revised Notice of Motions process following its implementation at recent Council meetings. · Consider the suggested clarification in 4.8 of the report and whether any further aspects of the process need to be amended or clarified to allow the original intended outcomes of the review to be achieved: · (The proposed alternative procedure would allow a simplified process at the Council meeting, allowing the public to have a better understanding on the process when Members are debating the item and the outcome within) · Subject to Members comments, and if required, propose any amendments for consideration to the Constitution Committee
The Service Director Democratic Services, Welsh Language and Communication presented the report which provided Members with the opportunity to consider the new procedure in relation to Notices of Motion, following the findings and recommendations of the Notice of Motion Working Group, which was approved by Council in May 2025 and the subsequent use of the process at recent meetings of Council. In discussing the report, a Member commented they were pleased with the content of the report and highlighted section 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9 and felt this provided better clarification. Another Member also agreed and confirmed that they felt the report made the process clear and streamlined and shared their view that this can be reviewed at a future date for effectiveness. A Member raised a query in relation to the wording in section 4.7 of the report and paid particular notice to point h requesting further clarification on this. The Service Director outlined the process for Members and confirmed amended wording could be added to this point for clarification that if the amendment falls, the Presiding Officers asks Members to vote on the original / substantive motion as amended Notice of Motion. If the amendment is supported a vote will be taken on the substantive motion as amended. The Member also requested further clarification on points f and g to emphasise the ability of wider Members discussion. The Service Director confirmed the wording could be amended to also highlight that no other Member is permitted to speak at this point in proceedings. Following consideration it was RESOLVED to: · Review the Councils revised Notice of Motions process following its implementation at recent Council meetings. · Consider the suggested clarification in 4.8 of the report and whether any further aspects of the process need to be amended or clarified to allow the original intended outcomes of the review to be achieved: · (The proposed alternative procedure would allow a simplified process at the Council meeting, allowing the public to have a better understanding on the process when Members are debating the item and the outcome within) · Subject to Members comments, and if required, propose any amendments for consideration to the Constitution Committee
The Service Director Democratic Services, Welsh Language and Communication presented the Annual Remuneration Report 2026 / 2027 to Members for information.
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