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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED to recommend to Council to approve the Reason for Recommendation: 1. MTFS for 2023-2028 as set out in Appendix A to the report. To aid business planning and development of the budget over a five-year period 2. Draft Revenue Budget for 2023-24 with the inclusion of a 5% increase in Council Tax in 2023-24 shown in the Financial Resource Model in Appendix B and Table 4 of this report. Statutory Requirement 3. Fees and Charges Register in Appendices D and E. To comply with Powys County Council Income Policy 4. Capital Strategy and Capital Programme for 2023-28 shown in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 5. Minimum Revenue Provision Statement as set out on Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 6. Treasury Management Strategy and the Annual Investment Strategy in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 7. Authorised borrowing limit for 2023-24 as required under section 3(1) of the Local Government Act 2003 is set at £490 million and the Operational Boundary is set at £476 million as set out in section 3.84 of the report. Statutory Requirement 8. Prudential Indicators for 2023-24 as set out in section 3.80 to 3.87 of the report and Appendix H. Statutory Requirement
RESOLVED 1. Not to delay further but to implement the decision made by the previous Cabinet to close Llanbedr C. in W. School. Implementation to take effect as from the 31st August 2023 as circumstances have not altered since the decision of the former Cabinet on 8th March 2022, such that implementation would be “inappropriate altogether”. 1. To retain primary provision at Crickhowell C.P. School, Llangynidr C.P. School and Llangattock C. in W. Primary School and to retain secondary provision at Crickhowell High School. 2. To support the Crickhowell catchment to deepen their collaboration as set out in their responses to the engagement exercise. 3. To support Crickhowell High School and Crickhowell C.P. School to explore the option of appointing a shared headteacher which would provide a basis for further consideration of the all-age model at a later date. 4. To undertake further work in the Crickhowell catchment, as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, including discussions with Mudiad Meithrin to explore the establishment of a Cylch Meithrin. This will also include discussions with neighbouring authorities. County Councillors Jackie Charlton and Sian Cox abstained. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys said he would visit the school to explain the decision. He also would be writing to the Minister to suggest that no decisions on school closures should be taken in a local government election year until the elections had been held. The Leader gave a commitment to work with the Diocese to find appropriate alternative uses for the site.
RESOLVED 1. That with effect from April 3rd 2023 the average rent in Powys will increase by 5.36% (the average rent being £101.44 per week) for all 5,500 Council owned homes, excluding service charges. 2. That service charges charged to HRA tenants are amended with effect from April 3rd 2023 (included in Table Two above) to allow the Council to recover the cost incurred in providing these services. 3. That the weekly cost effect from April 3rd, 2023 for Careline in 2022-2023 is £1.21 per week. 4. That HRA garage rents in Powys with effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 are increased by 6.5% to £13.73 per week. 5. That garage plot charges effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 increase by £10.66 per annum. 6. That the weekly occupation charge from April 3rd 2023 charges for Gypsy and Traveller pitches in 2023-2024 will be increased by 5.36% the average rent being £114.42. 7. That the charge for temporary accommodation increases, with effect from April 3rd 2023, for the year 2023-2024, by 5.36% 8. That all other rental, not detailed above, effective from April 3rd 2023 will increase by 5.36%. Service charges continue to be recovered on an actual basis.
Apologies for absence were received from the Director of Education and the Director of Social Services.
The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the last meeting held on 20th December 2022 as a correct record.
County Councillor Jackie Charlton advised that although she did not have a personal or prejudicial interest in item 4 Crickhowell Area Review, she was predetermined on the matter and would therefore abstain from voting. County Councillor Matt Beecham advised that he had an interest in the Crickhowell Area Review report as the parent of a pupil at Llanbedr CiW school. The Monitoring Officer advised that the Standards Committee had granted a general dispensation to allow Councillors to speak in these circumstances. County Councillor Matthew Dorrance declared a personal interest in item 6 Housing Revenue Account and Related Charges 2023-24 as his mother was a Council tenant.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to recommend to Council to approve the Reason for Recommendation: 1. MTFS for 2023-2028 as set out in Appendix A to the report. To aid business planning and development of the budget over a five-year period 2. Draft Revenue Budget for 2023-24 with the inclusion of a 5% increase in Council Tax in 2023-24 shown in the Financial Resource Model in Appendix B and Table 4 of this report. Statutory Requirement 3. Fees and Charges Register in Appendices D and E. To comply with Powys County Council Income Policy 4. Capital Strategy and Capital Programme for 2023-28 shown in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 5. Minimum Revenue Provision Statement as set out on Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 6. Treasury Management Strategy and the Annual Investment Strategy in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 7. Authorised borrowing limit for 2023-24 as required under section 3(1) of the Local Government Act 2003 is set at £490 million and the Operational Boundary is set at £476 million as set out in section 3.84 of the report. Statutory Requirement 8. Prudential Indicators for 2023-24 as set out in section 3.80 to 3.87 of the report and Appendix H. Statutory Requirement
Cabinet considered the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2023-28, including the Financial Resource Model (FRM) for 2023-28, the draft revenue budget for 2023-24 and a draft capital programme for 2023-24 to 2027-28. The MTFS captured the financial, regulatory and policy drivers affecting the Council and identified the Council’s service and resource priorities for the next five financial years. It delivered a balanced budget for 2023/24, and indicative budgets for the following 4 years to March 2028. The financial strategy was the link between the organisation’s long term service objectives and its financial capacity and would be aligned with the new Corporate Plan to ensure that the Council’s strategic objectives could be achieved within the confines of the financial resources available. In presenting the draft budget the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation noted that this was an unprecedented period of financial volatility with very high energy costs and inflation. It was clear that the Council would continue to face financial pressures that outweigh the funding available throughout the period of the MTFS and that the Council in its current form was not sustainable for the longer term. Initial plans to reimagine what the Council should look like in the future were currently underway and were critical to ensure that the Council remained financially stable and provide sustainable services in the long-term. The provisional settlement had increased by 8.7% after adjusting for transfers, equating to an additional £18.298 million for 2023-24. The Council also funded its expenditure by generating income from grants, fees and charges and Council Tax. Details of proposed rises in fees and charges were set out in appendices to the report. The balancing of the Council’s 2023-24 budget was dependent upon a 5% increase in the Council Tax in 2023-24, generating £4.6 Million, and £1.8 Million delivered through changes to the council tax base. 3.8% of this increase would support Council Services with a further 1.2% to support the £1.1 million increase in the Fire Levy. Cabinet noted that the increase in the Fire Levy at 17.4% was far in excess of recent rises but the Council had no say in this. The budget proposal included additional funding of £4.5 million directly into schools delegated budgets, which together with a further £1.1 million for the Education Service, passported all of the additional education funding included in the settlement from Welsh Government to schools. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation recognised that this would not meet all of the additional costs faced by schools and that Governing Bodies, like other council services, would need to consider how they managed these pressures, including utilising reserves. The level of increase across the Council’s services could not be fully supported by Welsh Government funding and increases in Council Tax and in order to bridge the gap the budget plan included proposals to remove £16.4 million from the revenue budget next year. These reductions had focused on limiting the impact of delivering services. The Section 151 Officer gave her opinion that the estimates used in the budget proposal for 2023-24 were adequately robust but a heightened level of risk remained. Based on the assessment of reserves, the overall level was adequate but remained at the lower end of acceptability given the ongoing economic challenge and the scale of savings required and the financial uncertainty facing the Council over the medium term. The Cabinet Member for Finance rejected criticism from the Leader of the opposition that this was a short term budget noting that plans were being developed to reimagine what the Council would look like in future, or that it was a raid on Council reserves, noting that it was proposed to put an additional £1 million into the risk budget. RESOLVED to recommend to Council to approve the Reason for Recommendation: 1. MTFS for 2023-2028 as set out in Appendix A to the report. To aid business planning and development of the budget over a five-year period 2. Draft Revenue Budget for 2023-24 with the inclusion of a 5% increase in Council Tax in 2023-24 shown in the Financial Resource Model in Appendix B and Table 4 of this report. Statutory Requirement 3. Fees and Charges Register in Appendices D and E. To comply with Powys County Council Income Policy 4. Capital Strategy and Capital Programme for 2023-28 shown in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 5. Minimum Revenue Provision Statement as set out on Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 6. Treasury Management Strategy and the Annual Investment Strategy in Appendix H. Statutory Requirement 7. Authorised borrowing limit for 2023-24 as required under section 3(1) of the Local Government Act 2003 is set at £490 million and the Operational Boundary is set at £476 million as set out in section 3.84 of the report. Statutory Requirement 8. Prudential Indicators for 2023-24 as set out in section 3.80 to 3.87 of the report and Appendix H. Statutory Requirement
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED 1. Not to delay further but to implement the decision made by the previous Cabinet to close Llanbedr C. in W. School. Implementation to take effect as from the 31st August 2023 as circumstances have not altered since the decision of the former Cabinet on 8th March 2022, such that implementation would be “inappropriate altogether”. 1. To retain primary provision at Crickhowell C.P. School, Llangynidr C.P. School and Llangattock C. in W. Primary School and to retain secondary provision at Crickhowell High School. 2. To support the Crickhowell catchment to deepen their collaboration as set out in their responses to the engagement exercise. 3. To support Crickhowell High School and Crickhowell C.P. School to explore the option of appointing a shared headteacher which would provide a basis for further consideration of the all-age model at a later date. 4. To undertake further work in the Crickhowell catchment, as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, including discussions with Mudiad Meithrin to explore the establishment of a Cylch Meithrin. This will also include discussions with neighbouring authorities. County Councillors Jackie Charlton and Sian Cox abstained. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys said he would visit the school to explain the decision. He also would be writing to the Minister to suggest that no decisions on school closures should be taken in a local government election year until the elections had been held. The Leader gave a commitment to work with the Diocese to find appropriate alternative uses for the site.
Cabinet considered a report on the findings of the Crickhowell Area Review. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys reminded colleagues that the Cabinet had asked for a catchment review to be carried out in the Crickhowell area so that a decision on Llanbedr C.i.W school was not taken in isolation. An engagement exercise had been carried out to understand the views of stakeholders in the Crickhowell catchment about the current educational provision in the area and the way forward for the delivery of education in the catchment. 228 responses were received to an online questionnaire, as well as 5 separate written responses. Based on the findings of the options appraisal document and the engagement exercise carried out, the advice of officers was that the preferred way forward for the Crickhowell catchment was to retain primary provision in Crickhowell C.P. School, Llangynidr C.P School and Llangattock C.i.W Primary School, and to retain secondary provision in Crickhowell High School. Mr John Meredith, Director of Education for the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, was invited to speak by the Leader. He said that he did not believe all options had been explored in detail and he asked for a decision to be delayed until the Cabinet had the opportunity to assess a proposal he had sent to them the previous day for the establishment of a school of religious character for 3 – 18 year olds on multiple sites as had been done in Pembrokeshire. He urged the Cabinet to focus on growth not closure. Cabinet was reminded that the overwhelming response from the engagement exercise was that the community did not want a super school. The schools in the catchment did not want to be reorganised but for further collaboration and this was reflected in the recommendation before Cabinet. At the moment there was not a strong enough case for an all age school. County Councillor Matt Beecham spoke as the local Member. He and County Councillor Sarah-Jane Beecham had looked at ways of retaining schools in local communities and he urged the Cabinet to look further at the proposal made by the Diocese. He thanked the community, parents and governors of Llanbedr for their support. County Councillor Aled Davies spoke as the leader of the opposition arguing that nothing had changed and that resources had been wasted by delaying the closure of the school. The Leader reminded him that the decision had to be delayed because of the judicial review. County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas spoke as Chair of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee saying that the Committee had been clear in supporting the closure of Llanbedr CiW school and for the need for transformation to continue at pace. County Councillor Sian Cox advised that she would be speaking as a local member and abstaining from voting. She said she was persuaded by the all-age model being proposed by the Diocese and Councillors Matt Beecham and Sarah-Jane Beecham and that she would like to see the proposal costed. County Councillor Jackie Charlton also spoke as a local member to ask for more time to consult on the all-age school proposal. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys thanked Mr Meredith and Councillor Beecham for their proposal but said that in his view nothing had changed which would lead him to consider abandoning the proposal. No new information had come forward during the engagement exercise to suggest that the case for the closure of Llanbedr C. in W. School was no longer valid. He therefore moved the recommendation that there should be no further delay to the decision by the previous Cabinet to close Llanbedr C. in W. School, meaning that it would close on the 31st August 2023. RESOLVED 1. Not to delay further but to implement the decision made by the previous Cabinet to close Llanbedr C. in W. School. Implementation to take effect as from the 31st August 2023 as circumstances have not altered since the decision of the former Cabinet on 8th March 2022, such that implementation would be “inappropriate altogether”. 1. To retain primary provision at Crickhowell C.P. School, Llangynidr C.P. School and Llangattock C. in W. Primary School and to retain secondary provision at Crickhowell High School. 2. To support the Crickhowell catchment to deepen their collaboration as set out in their responses to the engagement exercise. 3. To support Crickhowell High School and Crickhowell C.P. School to explore the option of appointing a shared headteacher which would provide a basis for further consideration of the all-age model at a later date. 4. To undertake further work in the Crickhowell catchment, as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, including discussions with Mudiad Meithrin to explore the establishment of a Cylch Meithrin. This will also include discussions with neighbouring authorities. County Councillors Jackie Charlton and Sian Cox abstained. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys said he would visit the school to explain the decision. He also would be writing to the Minister to suggest that no decisions on school closures should be taken in a local government election year until the elections had been held. The Leader gave a commitment to work with the Diocese to find appropriate alternative uses for the site.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED 1. That with effect from April 3rd 2023 the average rent in Powys will increase by 5.36% (the average rent being £101.44 per week) for all 5,500 Council owned homes, excluding service charges. 2. That service charges charged to HRA tenants are amended with effect from April 3rd 2023 (included in Table Two above) to allow the Council to recover the cost incurred in providing these services. 3. That the weekly cost effect from April 3rd, 2023 for Careline in 2022-2023 is £1.21 per week. 4. That HRA garage rents in Powys with effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 are increased by 6.5% to £13.73 per week. 5. That garage plot charges effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 increase by £10.66 per annum. 6. That the weekly occupation charge from April 3rd 2023 charges for Gypsy and Traveller pitches in 2023-2024 will be increased by 5.36% the average rent being £114.42. 7. That the charge for temporary accommodation increases, with effect from April 3rd 2023, for the year 2023-2024, by 5.36% 8. That all other rental, not detailed above, effective from April 3rd 2023 will increase by 5.36%. Service charges continue to be recovered on an actual basis.
County Councillor Matthew Dorrance left the meeting while this item was being considered having declared an interest. Cabinet considered changes to Council Housing Rents, Garage Rents and all property and tenancy related Service Charges, for the financial year 2023-24 to ensure the HRA Business Plan remained both sustainable and viable. The recommendations took into account compliance with the Welsh Government’s Policy for Social Housing Rents (Rent Policy). The Council’s Tenant Scrutiny Panel had been consulted on the proposed changes and had commented that they understood that the increase must be financially viable for the service to continue. The Head of Service also reported that there had been a reduction of a third in the time taken to repair voids but that recruitment and retention of skilled craftspeople remained an issue. RESOLVED 1. That with effect from April 3rd 2023 the average rent in Powys will increase by 5.36% (the average rent being £101.44 per week) for all 5,500 Council owned homes, excluding service charges. 2. That service charges charged to HRA tenants are amended with effect from April 3rd 2023 (included in Table Two above) to allow the Council to recover the cost incurred in providing these services. 3. That the weekly cost effect from April 3rd, 2023 for Careline in 2022-2023 is £1.21 per week. 4. That HRA garage rents in Powys with effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 are increased by 6.5% to £13.73 per week. 5. That garage plot charges effect from April 3rd 2023 for 2023-2024 increase by £10.66 per annum. 6. That the weekly occupation charge from April 3rd 2023 charges for Gypsy and Traveller pitches in 2023-2024 will be increased by 5.36% the average rent being £114.42. 7. That the charge for temporary accommodation increases, with effect from April 3rd 2023, for the year 2023-2024, by 5.36% 8. That all other rental, not detailed above, effective from April 3rd 2023 will increase by 5.36%. Service charges continue to be recovered on an actual basis.
Cabinet noted the delegated decisions taken by Cabinet members since the last meeting.
The leader of the opposition criticised the lack of detail in the forward work programme and the Cabinet Manager undertook to follow this up with Heads of Service.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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