The Planning Committee met on 6 November 2024 to consider its planning application schedule and note recent planning appeal decisions. It also agreed to reschedule a site visit for application 24/0524. The minute does not list individual application decisions, and the schedule it refers to was not in the material provided.
The Committee considered the annual performance report for the Newport Norse joint venture for 2023/24, and asked officers and Norse representatives questions about rebates, customer satisfaction, staff data, environmental impact and the move to a new council company from 2026. The Committee made two recommendations, asking for more specific information in future reports on climate change and social value, and asked for two sets of figures to be provided.
Cancelled
The committee considered the Gwent Regional Partnership Board annual report for 2023-24. Members questioned officers on funding, the workforce, dementia services and how the partnership communicates with residents. The minute records requests for updates and recommendations for an easier-to-read report, but no formal vote on the report.
Cabinet met on 16 October 2024. It recommended the Strategic Equality Plan report and the corporate self-assessment to full Council, and agreed changes to the Band B school building programme.
The Planning Committee met on 9 October 2024 to decide planning applications and to consider two reports on planning performance and Section 106 contributions (money developers pay towards local facilities). The minutes record that the committee endorsed the Annual Performance Report for 2023/24. The minutes record no decision on the Section 106 report, although councillors asked questions about it.
The Performance Scrutiny Committee - Partnerships met on 9 October 2024 to review two partnerships: the Shared Resource Service (SRS), a shared IT service Newport joined in 2017, and Safer Newport, the city's community safety partnership. The minutes record no votes. Instead, the committee's conclusions asked for ongoing updates on digital matters, called for clearer communication about safety, and asked for community surveys to be extended to rural areas.
The committee looked at Estyn inspection results for Newport schools from January 2022 to July 2024. It asked to be told of reports that show progress on Welsh language in education, and said it was content with the report. It also noted the action sheet and work programme, and a correction to the dates of its next meetings.
The Committee questioned officers, said it was content with the report, and made nine recommendations, including a breakdown of the most common reasons for contact and a six-monthly update in person. It also felt the Placemaking Plan should be postponed until a working group has finished.
Full Council considered appointments to school governing bodies and outside bodies, and an update from Gwent Police.