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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: I. To consider the information contained within the report; and, II. To scrutinise and comment on the information provided.
RESOLVED: I. To note the content of the report, including the stated schedules of works contained within; II. To consider whether they wish to scrutinise in greater depth any further matters, including revisions of any of the stated work schedules; and, III. To receive a further report at a future Scrutiny Committee in respect of the potential use of bio-degradable dog fouling waste bags.
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, the following personal declaration of interests were noted: Item 3: · Cllr Gareth Jones: “I am a member of the Male Voice Choir “ Item 4 · Cllr Barton “I am a Member of the Senedd Cross Party Litter and Fly Tipping is referenced in the report and I am also the founder and Chair of Litter Free Beddau and Tynant”. · Cllr W Lewis “My son is a Biodiversity Officer in the Council”
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: I. To consider the information contained within the report; and, II. To scrutinise and comment on the information provided.
The Head of Arts, Culture and Library Services presented the report to Members and updated Members on the progress being made in delivering the Council’s Heritage Strategy 2025-2030. With the aid of a Power Point presentation, the Heritage and Outreach Services Operations Manager outlined the strategic priorities of the strategy as follows: · Secure our shared heritage – ensuring that we adopt the highest standards of conservation in our collection management; work in partnership to preserve and protect our built historic environment; and document our living history for posterity. · Advocate for our shared heritage – championing our roles as custodians of heritage and communicating the vital importance of our heritage, including the Welsh language, to all. · Valueour shared heritage – the heritage of Rhondda Cynon Taf is recognised as having worldwide significance. We will seek to increase the understanding of this rich heritage, including that of the Welsh language, by encouraging research and supporting heritage-based activities across the County Borough and beyond. · Engage communities with our shared heritage working with residents, visitors, communities, and partners to create opportunities to get involved with heritage, including through the Welsh language, to promote health and well-being and protection of our history and heritage. The Operations Manager demonstrated through various pictures, data and statistics how each of these priorities were being progressed and what will be the next steps going forward to continue delivering on each strategic aim. Following the overview, Members had the opportunity to ask questions. The Chair emphasised that Scrutiny needs to scrutinise tangible outcomes and asked if Committee Members could take another look at the last but one slide, which highlighted the next steps in terms of delivery, engagement, monitoring and outreach. In terms of delivery, the Chair queried if there were any challenges that they have faced that will hinder delivery of the strategy over the next 5 years. In terms of engagement, the Chair praised the service for engaging with Schools and queried how the service could better link in with the STEM elements being done in the Heritage Park to educational outputs within the Local Education Authority to better educate young people on their history and heritage. The Chair also sought figures on how many group pacts there are throughout RCT so that it can be monitored and compared to other Local Authorities and queried how all this can be linked together with outcomes for our young people and diverse groups throughout RCT. The discussion continued with a Member commending the report and expressing delight at the planned statue of Elizabeth Andrews for the Rhondda Heritage Museum. The Member enquired about further initiatives to honour other distinguished women from RCT and also asked for information regarding the total number of statues and blue plaques in the Borough. In response, the Operational Manager acknowledged the ongoing imbalance in female representation: of the 87 blue plaques currently in place, only five commemorate women. The Manager clarified that nominations for plaques are made by the public and decisions are taken by an independent panel, meaning the service can only act on those individuals who have been nominated and approved. Over the past two years, the service has installed five new blue plaques and a further two are pending with the blue plaque committee. The Manager stressed that the team is committed to addressing gender disparity in recognition but requires greater public participation to effect meaningful change. The Member also praised the service’s engagement with schools and asked about the potential to expand outreach to young adults in colleges and universities. The Operational Manager confirmed strong links with these institutions and, while highlighting the small size of the team, noted the considerable ongoing and future background work in this area. Members were further informed that an internal role has been repurposed as Educational Outreach Officer, and the service is making a concerted effort to embed STEM themes into heritage activities and increase engagement with young people. The Member also sought information about any plans to bring back the archaeology section to the Heritage Park. The Operational Manager confirmed that this will be re-introduced and there was a brief interruption to the service based on a long-term staff absence. Discussions continued and a Member noted that we are now two years into this strategy and that there are 9 War memorials available online and queried the target number to achieve by the end of year 3 and queried if this was achievable. The Operational Manager advised that it depends on volunteers and because of this it is difficult to quantify but reassured Members that a Member of the team is very proactive in this area. Another Member praised the STEM engagement with schools, however, the Member emphasised how difficult it can be for a School to organise a school trip, particularly with the cost of hiring a bus and urged the team to continue to work with schools to also take school children into their communities and not just out of the communities to visit other attractions. The Member also queried if the team are working with Community Councils to promote local heritage and suggested that Community Councils and Local History Groups will be very interested in displaying artifacts in local buildings such as The Beddau Miners Hall. The Member also sought assistance from the Heritage team on researching history of local War Veterans whose names are on a blue plaque in the Library in Beddau/Ty Nant. The Member also sought information on pre-recorded translations for historic sites across the area. In respect of School transport, the Operational Manager advised that the Educational Officer has been working with Bus Companies to work with them on a service to provide a reduced rate in between school drop off points. In terms of displaying objects and artefacts in other places, the Operational Manager advised that it depends on the location as the team have a responsibility to maintain certain conditions. The Member further queried whose responsibility it was to clean memorialisation in public spaces. The Operational Manager advised that the team could liaise with the team responsible on any outstanding cleaning issues. In terms of War Memorial research, the Operational Manager advised that he would get a team member to liaise with the Member further on this issue. In terms of translation, the Member was advised that if someone has written a speech then this can be given to the Welsh Language Service to translate and subsequently upload to the translation equipment. Discussion ensued and another Member declared that he was a member of the local Male Voice Choir and that when he tried to organise an event to celebrate Caradog, the Choir were caught up in a lot of red tape and heavy cost implications from the Council. The Member sought clarification on how the Choir could carry out engagements to promote the Welsh Heritage culture without being caught up in so much administrative obstacles. The Operational Manager acknowledged that this can be a difficulty and advised that the problem sits with the Events team. Another Member supported an earlier point raised in respect of the team working closely with Town and Community Council Clerks to promote local Heritage. The Member also sought clarification as to when ‘current’ events become labelled as ‘heritage’ for the purpose of the team’s programme. The Operational Manager acknowledged that a current issue for the team to look at is how they deal with contemporary collections. The Operational Manager acknowledged that the team are collecting today for tomorrow and referenced recent history such as the Covid 19 Pandemic. In terms of liaising with Town and Community Councils, Members were advised to contact the team with any ideas and also to pass on the team’s details to the Town and Community Councils Clerk. The Operational Manager that a focus going forward will be to liaise more regularly with local Community Council and History Groups. Another Member queried who it is that covers the insurance for the artefacts when they go out into the community. The Operational Manager confirmed that this is currently covered by the Council and that insurance from a third-party organisation would be more problematic. The Chair thanked Members for their contributions and summarised the points noted in tonight’s meeting. The Chair stated that the Committee would appreciate a further report in the next Municipal Year on data and figures in respect of outstanding issues such as the number of War memorials in RCT and the cost implications to the Authority in trying to get all the War memorials done across the County Borough. The Chair also suggested seeing a future report which could map out exactly what heritage there is in RCT and see the heritage trail that is available. The Chair also summarised previous points raised on linking in opportunities with the Town and Community Councils and noted that the Scrutiny Committee would like to receive further information on this in a report in the next Municipal Year. The Chair also suggested building on the STEM work in the local Heritage Park and linking in with Educational opportunities, particularly in terms of Engineering and Mining and also linking in to employment opportunities throughout RCT. Following discussion, Members RESOLVED: I. To consider the information contained within the report; and, II. To scrutinise and comment on the information provided.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: I. To note the content of the report, including the stated schedules of works contained within; II. To consider whether they wish to scrutinise in greater depth any further matters, including revisions of any of the stated work schedules; and, III. To receive a further report at a future Scrutiny Committee in respect of the potential use of bio-degradable dog fouling waste bags.
The Service Director, Public Spaces and Integrated Transport presented the report to Members on the work of the Council’s Public Spaces Department, following the merger of the former Streetcare Cleansing and Operational Parks sections, and to provide the Committee with performance management data, with which to monitor progress against Key Performance Indicators. The Service Director explained the merger in detail to Members and noted that the Public Spaces Department was formed in April 2025, as a result of the merger of the Streetcare Cleansing and Operational Parks sections. Members were advised that the rationale for the merger of these key frontline services was to help achieve a greater level of co-ordination of resources to tackle grass cutting, overgrowth, cleansing activities on highways, in parks, open spaces, countryside trails and cemeteries. It was emphasised to Members that by integrating the services, it has also provided opportunities for working more efficiently and effectively on common tasks as part of an area-based service, with both Parks and Cleansing tasks / functions split into 6 areas / teams, (2 Rhondda, 2 Cynon and 2 Taf), based at the following sites / depots: Dinas Depot and Pentre Park Depot, (Rhondda), Aberdare Park, (Cynon), and Ty Glantaf and Hepworth Park Depot. Members were told that the main aims of the merger were: • Merging operational staff and supervision based in depots covering the 6 areas. • Sharing resources of specialist activities. • Coordinating and sharing of plant / equipment to achieve efficient works programmes and potential savings. • Improving the consistency of staff supervision and working practices – shift times / break times / overtime / etc. Achieving a greater clarity of a single service provision to help eliminate confusion regarding responsibility for various common tasks – e.g. grass cutting / shrub beds / overgrowth, etc. The Service Director noted that whilst the merger was successful, a recent independent review of the Service identified that prior to the merger, “staffing levels have reduced incrementally over time, which has had a consequential impact on departmental capacity. This has increased pressure on existing resources and resulted in the use of seasonal agency staff to alleviate some of the pressures. As a result, the ability to consistently operate at previous resources levels of has been compromised, but the service operates at higher efficiency and to a high standard”. It was noted that following the review a number of recommendations were made and the department has been working to address these recommendations. The Service Director also addressed a number of other issues including fly tipping and provided reassurance to Members that these issues would continue to be addressed as proactively as possible. Following the overview, Members had the opportunity to scrutinise the report. A Member praised the department on its allocation of additional resources and queried if the Service Director felt that he had enough staffing resources to achieve the department’s aims. The Service Director reassured Members that the department is confident that it now has enough staffing resources to meet the demands of the service. The Member also emphasised that the Council needs to persuade residents to love where they live and to take care of their communities. In terms of the strategic placement of bins, the Member questioned if any progress had been made in respect of developing a QR Code system on waste bins across the County Borough. The Member further queried if there was any co-ordination between waste collections and litter picking. In respect of grass verge overgrowth, the Member acknowledged the benefits of letting the grass grow, however, the Member also queried if the Council could invest in planting wildflowers to let residents know why we are simply letting the grass grow wild. The Service Director advised Members that in terms of QR Codes on bins, it was confirmed that this is something the Service will consider investigation the practicalities of in line with available budgets.In terms of co-ordination between waste collection and litter picking, it was confirmed that these teams do work in conjunction. In terms of grass verges, the Service Director advised that would be a matter for the Council’s biodiversity management team, rather that for the Public Spaces Department.. The Director of Environmental Services confirmed to Members that staff numbers have increased,, however, it was emphasised that this cannot account for behaviour and that if residents are willingly littering then staffing resources cannot solve the issue. In respect of alignment of waste collection and street littering, the Director noted that a problem is that some residents put their waste out throughout the week, do not secure waste bags properly and that on a windy day this can cause excess street litter and noted that unfortunately resources are limited. Members were informed that the Council is starting a campaign for waste awareness and to get waste Awareness Officers more targeted to certain areas. Additionally, in terms of street bins, the Director advised Members that the approach is now to look at footfall and legitimate use. Discussions continued and a Member referenced that a lot of bins do not have lids and noted that when a lid is put on a bin that it hinders residents from abusing the use of that bin. The Member also queried if the same weed killer is being used this year as was used in previous years and sought reassurance about what is contained within the week killer. In terms of bin lids, the Service Director confirmed that if the Council becomes aware that a bin type needs to be changed then they will absolutely do that. In terms of the weed killer, the Service Director provided reassurance to Members that the chemicals contained within it are sage and stated that he will circulate an email to Members following the meeting with information on the technical elements that are contained within it. The Member suggested that this information should be sent out on social media so that the wider public also have the same information. Discussions continued and a Member queried if street cleansing in Zones 1 and 2 differ due to the different tasks involved. The Member also questioned if a ward was in Zone 2 would it be able to make a request to move to Zone 1. The Service Director advised Members that in terms of what is in Zone 1 and Zone 2 is based on legislative criteria, The Member further queried if there was a team that looks at cleaning up broken glass in areas around local pubs for example a cleaning team that looks at broken glass around local pubs every Monday morning. The Service Director advised that this is a part of the Street Cleaning teams tasks, however, if there are any specific sites then the Service Director confirmed that these can be targeted. Discussions continued and a Member queried what are the costs to the Authority in terms of cleaning up fly tipping. The Member also questioned if there are any areas where residents are constantly fly tipping and queried if there are any measures that the Authority could take to address this issue. The Chair also sought clarification on fly tipping around allotments and queried the cost implications. The Service Director advised Members that it all depends on the definition of ‘fly tipping’ and noted that there is a difference between general fly tipping and general littering. In terms of cost implications to the Authority, it was confirmed that this is a problem for many Local Authorities across Wales and the UK and emphasised that there are a lot of costs involved when it comes to enforcement action and gathering evidence. The Service Director advised that in terms of specific costs then this can be provided to Members following the meeting. The Director of Environmental Services advised Members that this has become a national problem and emphasised that resources are limited. The Chair suggested that perhaps the cost of recycling large items could be a barrier to some people, for example trade people, and noted that this may be something for Scrutiny to look at in a future meeting. The Chair also referenced the educational campaign and noted that the Authority pays for PCSO and Community Wardens and queried if more could be done to use these resources to support the Environmental Services department in addressing fly tipping across the County Borough. The Service Director confirmed that Community wardens report fly tipping incidents through to the awareness and enforcement teams so that a joint up approach is taken. The Chair sought information on how many fines are given out on an annual basis and requested that this data comes back to the Scrutiny Committee in a table format in a future meeting. The Chair also suggested seeking this information from the Police in terms of the number of prosecutions being made so that the data as a whole can be captured. Discussions ensued and a Member queried if the Council could look at changing the type of dog fouling bins being used and noted that quite often residents leave dog fouling bags on top of the bin rather than putting the mess inside. The Director of Environmental Services confirmed that the Council recently changed the design of the dog fouling bins to put the lids at a 45 degree angle. The purpose of this change was to prevent residents leaving dog fouling bags on top of the bins and to prevent a continuous pattern of behaviour. The Member also queried how many dog fouling enforcement officers do the Council employ and noted that this seems to be a big problem across the County Borough. The Service Director noted that this is part of the Community Wardens team and reassured Members that when an incident is captured that enforcement action is taken. The Director of Environmental Services noted that this is a difficult aspect to control and that a behaviour and culture change is needed. In terms of dog waste bags, a Member queried if the Council uses biodegradable bags. Another Member informed the Committee that biodegradable dog bags are pointless as when they brake down they go into micro plastics. The Member also noted that having sat on the Cross Party Senedd Group on Litter and Fly Tipping that RCT is an Authority that is often praised for its enforcement action on fly tipping, however, the Member noted that even when action is taken and an individual goes in front of the Magistrates the fine given can be too lenient and suggested that perhaps Magistrates need additional training in this area. The Member also queried whose job it is to clean the environmental signs around the County Borough and also queried if there is any local register of waste carriers/unlicensed waste collections that residents could use. The Service Director confirmed that NRW will have a register of waste carriers. In terms of signage, it will be the responsibility of the street cleansing team however, the Director of Environmental Services noted that this process isn’t on a scheduled work programme and is only done as and when its needed. In terms level of fines issued by Magistrate, the Service Director acknowledged that these were inconsistent, which was a source of frustration for all. Another Member queried if there were any contingencies in place to look at street cleansing and litter picking in wards located within Zone 2 during the summer months when there may be an increase in litter in our parks and outdoor spaces. The Service Director confirmed that the schedules will be adapted on a seasonal basis. In terms of biodegradable dog fouling bags, a Member queried if these could be made of the same materials as food waste bags. The Chair recommended that we look at this further and that the issue comes back to the Scrutiny Committee in a future report. The Director of Environmental Services agreed with this recommendation, however, it was noted that the Council only provides a small percentage of dog bags as a number of people purchase their own bags. Following discussion, Members RESOLVED: I. To note the content of the report, including the stated schedules of works contained within; II. To consider whether they wish to scrutinise in greater depth any further matters, including revisions of any of the stated work schedules; and, III. To receive a further report at a future Scrutiny Committee in respect of the potential use of bio-degradable dog fouling waste bags.
There was no urgent business.
The Chair thanked Members and Officers for attending tonight’s meeting and praised the constructive and focused based scrutiny questioning. The Chair also noted that tonight’s meeting was the last meeting of the 2025-26 Municipal Year prior to the Council’s Annual General Meeting on the 29th April 2026. The Chair therefore thanked all Committee Members for all their hard work and dedication through the Municipal Year.
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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