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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: That Members approve the Draft Members’ Development and Training Programme (and Seminar Schedule) for 2025/26 contained in Appendix 1.
Resolved: It is recommended that members of the Democratic Services Committee note the progress made on the Action Plan and monitor progress on a 6 monthly basis.
Resolved: It is recommended that elected members be granted access to the Vivup platform and its full suite of services on the basis set out in this report.
Cllr. Mike Harvey, (Item 4) – Personal, Employee of South Wales Police
The minutes of the meeting held on 28th April 2025 were approved as a true and accurate record.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: That Members approve the Draft Members’ Development and Training Programme (and Seminar Schedule) for 2025/26 contained in Appendix 1.
Members questioned whether statement taking in relation to the appeals committee would be addressed within the Member Training Programme. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services, advised members that work was ongoing with the Council's Modernisation Group to look at the future operation of the appeals committee; there are plans for decisions to be taken by full council and this will be subject to full council consideration. Member involvement has not been factored into the process as yet; depending on the outcome of the work, members may no longer be involved in staff appeals. The matter is kept under review. It was noted that the Annual Member Training Programme was complimented by a wider network including the Members Seminar Programme. Further training can be factored in as required. Members questioned whether there would be in depth finance training included within the programme. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services confirmed that the training programme contained the corporate training elements. A request had been made to the Section 151 Officer and separate elements will be arranged as part of the overarching training programme for members. The Democratic Services Manager drew members attention to mandatory training elements for staff and members, in order to be legally compliant with several imposed duties. Mandatory training will be undertaken online, and support will be provided on how to use the new online training platform. It was noted that lay members and Cabinet Members had slightly different training programmes running alongside, due to different responses to the annual member survey. Committee specific training will also be provided. The programme will be under regular review and feedback was welcomed from officers and members. Members questioned when the seminar in relation to the new training platform would be held. Officers confirmed that this was planned for September 2025, the training would be held on a number of dates and would be recorded for members future reference Members question whether the Chair training would be for current Chairs or all members? The Democratic Services Manager advised members that Scrutiny Committee Chairs and Chairs of Planning and Licensing Committee received specific training; the proposal to open up training to future prospective Chairs would be given consideration. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised members that a member seminar on Scrutiny Procedures was planned to take place next week. Agreement will be sought at September's full council meeting regarding revisions to council procedure rules. If this is agreed a member’s seminar will be held on the revised procedures. Resolved: That Members approve the Draft Members’ Development and Training Programme (and Seminar Schedule) for 2025/26 contained in Appendix 1.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: It is recommended that members of the Democratic Services Committee note the progress made on the Action Plan and monitor progress on a 6 monthly basis.
Members referred to the mention in the Action Plan of developing local support through Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s). Concern is held regarding the decline in numbers of PCSO’s leading to decreased opportunities for engagement. Members questioned whether a single point of contact within South Wales Police would be identified. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised members that during previous approaches to South Wales Police, the advice was for members to contact PCSO’s. However, the issue of harassment and intimidation is often outside of a PCSO’s remit. A request has been made to South Wales Police through the Community Safety Team Manager for a named contact or a team contact that members could use in certain scenarios. A Members Toolkit is planned which would contain relevant contact details. The Head of Service advised members that the Standards Committee have been investigating how intimidation and harassment issues can link into member code of conduct issues. Work is being undertaken to develop a log where members can record instances of harassment and intimidation. This will enable Democratic Services to identify recurring patterns and collate evidence on behalf of members. Details will be updated on the Action Plan once Standards Committee have concluded their work. Members were in support of this approach. Members questioned whether there was a timeframe as to when a contact within South Wales Police would be identified. Officers confirmed that discussions were ongoing, and it was hoped that further details would be imminent. A final copy of the Members Toolkit would be brought to this committee for approval which it was hoped would contain the relevant contact details. The Vice Chair noted that the point of contact issue was being addressed but questioned whether the committee could highlight their concern regarding the decrease in PCSO numbers to South Wales Police, this was a concern not just for members but for the wider community. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised members that a letter raising concerns and requesting a named point of contact could be sent by the Chair of Democratic Services Committee. The Social Services Scrutiny Committee have the community safety function in their remit. Contacts could be made with the Scrutiny Committee Chair to ask that this wider issue is considered as part of their forward work programme. Members noted that an in person Community Safety seminar had been held recently which was poorly attended. Members questioned whether this seminar could be arranged in a different format in future, perhaps on a quarterly Teams call, to address member issues. The Chair encouraged members to speak with the Social Services Scrutiny Committee Chair to highlight the issues raised. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised members that officers would speak to the Community Safety Team Manager to highlight the points raised by members. If the Community Safety Members seminar was poorly attended, consideration may need to be given to alternative methods of engagement. Members commented that all members should call 999 if they are threatened at their home. Any concerns regarding home security can be referred to South Wales Police and arrangements can be made for a Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor to assess security. Following a discussion, members agreed for the Chair of the committee to write to South Wales Police to raise the concerns of the committee. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised the committee that the Democratic Services Committee had the remit of member safety and member issues. If the issue was wider ranging than member safety, then it might be appropriate for the matter to be considered by the Social Services Scrutiny Committee. Members agreed for the Chair to write to South Wales Police on behalf of the committee in relation to member safety, acknowledging that this was a wider issue that the committee would also look to address through appropriate channels. Resolved: It is recommended that members of the Democratic Services Committee note the progress made on the Action Plan and monitor progress on a 6 monthly basis.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: It is recommended that elected members be granted access to the Vivup platform and its full suite of services on the basis set out in this report.
Members welcomed the extension of the Employee Assistance Programme to members, and noted it was important for members to seek support when required, especially due to the rise in abuse and harassment faced by elected members. Members commented that the programme was good value for money and thanked officers for moving rapidly to include this. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised members that following the publication of the report, further details were provided regarding the cost of the scheme. The cost was £37.50 for the next six months and £75 a year thereafter, not £120 annually as stated in the report. Members will receive further communication from the Democratic Services Team with details on how the facilities can be accessed. It was emphasised that the service was independent to the council and confidential. Anonymised statistics will be available regarding how many members have accessed the service. Resolved: It is recommended that elected members be granted access to the Vivup platform and its full suite of services on the basis set out in this report.
The Forward Work Programme was noted.
There were no urgent items.
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