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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
Executive Members (with Portfolios): Councillors: Anthony Hunt – Leader and Executive Member for Strategic Leadership David Daniels – Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing Peter Jones – Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance Sue Morgan – Executive Member for Resources Mandy Owen – Executive Member for Environment Joanne Gauden – Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration Fiona Cross – Executive Member for Children, Families and Communities Officers: Stephen Vickers – Chief Executive Justine Cass - Deputy Monitoring Officer and Solicitor Jason O’Brien – Strategic Director, Children and Family Services Rachel Jowitt – Strategic Director, Economy and Environment Dave Leech – Strategic Director, Adults and Communities Jason Lewis – Director of Corporate Services Dave Lilly – Director of Financial Services Mark Thomas – Deputy Director, Highways and Climate Change Simon Anthony – Head of Recycling and Environment John Clements – Public Protection Team Manager Gren Ham – Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager Kerrie Smith – PA to Leader and Deputy Leader (Maternity Cover) Niall Flack - Apprentice Democratic Services Officer
2.1 Apologies were received from Councillor Richard Clark, Executive Member for Education.
3.1 There were no declarations of interest.
4.1 The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 14 February 2023 were agreed as a true and accurate record.
5.1 There were no actions arising from the previous meeting.
6.1 The Executive Member for Environment informed the meeting that this report relates to the Council’s Public Protection Service Enforcement and Compliance Policy, which details the approach taken to delivering regulatory functions in accordance with legal frameworks, such as the Regulators’ Code. The policy serves to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to the principles of good regulation, and to working with businesses and the community to secure compliance with the regulations that we are responsible for enforcing. The policy, which covers enforcement practices undertaken by Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing, has recently been reviewed to ensure it is compliant with the law and official guidance, and remains relevant. The scope of the updated version has been extended to include the Council’s approach to civil parking enforcement. There have also been presentational changes and text inserted to provide clarification. The Council’s Licensing Committee approved the updated draft policy on 16 February 2023 6.2 The Strategic Director Environment informed the meeting that Officers use a prevention first approach with regards to inspections and enforcement, for most cases the act of enforcement is a last resort. The Team do look to use powers immediately in relation to flytipping incidents. Over the last year there has been an increase in the number of prosecutions especially within trading standards and food hygiene and there has been a concerted effort by the teams to make sure the public are safe. Notwithstanding this there are a lot of businesses doing a fabulous job and following the policy well, we don’t have appeals and the Executive Member has regular briefings on the different types of prosecutions. We are doing this to ensure that we have safe and trustworthy businesses within the County Borough. We are following the policy well, we haven’t received any appeals during the past year and the Executive Member has regular briefings and is kept updated on all the different types of prosecutions. 6.3 The Leader welcomed the news regarding appeals and costs and asked how the experience differs since coming back after the pandemic? 6.4 The Public Protection Team Leader advised that there was a deterioration during the time, especially relating to the food sector but the Teams are now getting the compliance levels where they should be which shows that if there aren’t any regulations there will be deterioration. 6.5 The Leader expressed his thanks to the Teams for all their hard work. 6.6 Cabinet agreed to: · note the review of the existing Public Protection Service Enforcement and Compliance Policy; and, · approve the draft updated Public Protection Service Enforcement and Compliance Policy be adopted by the Council.
7.1 The Executive Member Environment advised that this item is seeking cabinet approval to establish a two-year programme of work seeking to deliver significant energy consumption reductions across the Councils owned and operated property portfolio. Reducing energy consumption contributes to the delivery of the Councils Climate and Nature Emergency Action Plan, our goal of reaching Net Zero by 2030, and reducing the budgetary pressures from escalating energy prices. We as a Council has been reporting its carbon emissions since 2019-2020 through a mechanism developed by the Welsh Government. The carbon footprint of our property portfolio was originally calculated as being 8,100 tonnes. Our most recently completed assessment, for 2021-22, is calculated as 6,600 tonnes of carbon, a reduction of 19%. This demonstrates a strong initial performance on our journey towards Net Zero 2030, indeed, and I am pleased that following an analysis undertaken by Welsh Government recently indicated that we are one of the strongest performing Local Authorities for carbon emissions associated with buildings. However, with escalating energy costs potentially creating a budget pressure of up to £3.5million next year, I have asked officers to develop this programme of work. The Project Apollo Energy Savings Programme seeks to deliver energy savings of £300,000 next financial year, through a range of workstreams which includes improving efficiency, behaviour change and increasing renewable energy generation. It will also seek to establish a rolling programme of works for the coming years to position the Council to be well on the way to reaching Net Zero by 2030. This programme will result in a data-led whole-systems approach, will reduce the financial consequences of escalating fuel costs and support the Council’s transition to Net Zero 2030. The Executive Member thanked the team for all their hard work on developing the programme and getting us to where we are in relation to the targets. 7.2 The Deputy Director Highways and Climate Change advised that the Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager has also provided assistance in creating this report. The report and proposals are an ongoing package of work to support Project Apollo which is designed to address the significant financial challenges that the Authority faces and also to make a step change in terms of how we progress to meet future targets. The programme is split into 4 workstreams and a phased approach will be applied on how we are going to address this challenge and reduce budget savings. There is going to be some resource needed to support this programme and work with schools and main buildings. Increase in renewable energy using solar panels, mainly in schools and Ty Blaen and how we manage our buildings more efficiently by adopting data systems to look at energy generation. Deep carbon savings this looks at our primary buildings which are the biggest generators of energy. There is going to be a mixed blend of how we fund this programme and the Team have been very successful in gaining support funding. We also have a climate reserve fund to support those, and match fund further grant funding. The first two years we have detailed plans and going forward further improvements will be brought forward driving towards the 2030 target of net zero. 7.3 The Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance asked if the post referred to in paragraph 8.3 will become permanent? 7.4 The Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager advised that this was something that was considered, and it was best to be cautious for the first two years. 7.5 The Strategic Director Environment advised that this temporary post is to look to do some more of the data led side of things so that a Senior Officer can free up their time to focus on the performance management side. This is data led and it has to be data led and a lot of the information comes from our energy bills. The aspiration is that the energy savings made by us being more data led would pay for the post in turn. 7.6 The Executive Resources asked how the balance is going to be struck to identify efficiencies and savings, given the fluctuations in the energy market how difficult is it proving to calculate payback? 7.7 The Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager advised that this is relatively tricky, and this has always been done on an annual basis. It has fundamentally changed, energy prices may half in 3 years’ time so it would not make sense for presumptions to be made. What we can be reasonably certain of is energy prices will not go as ow as they were a year ago. 7.8 The Executive Member for Children, Families and Communities asked if there is an opportunity to look at other buildings in the future, ie Community Halls? 7.9 The Strategic Director Environment advised that over the past few years we have been successful in securing community climate change energy project as part of the shared prosperity fund and the Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager was recruited to that post. This is on our radar, just need to get the team in place through SPF. 7.10 The Executive Member for Children, Families and Communities advised that this is an area that is being worked upon within her portfolio so there could be a possibility of working together. 7.11 The Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager informed the meeting that we have recruited to the two posts, and they will be joining the Authority shortly. 7.12 The Leader welcomed the news on the work that has already been completed and the acknowledges the work that still needs to be done over the next few years and would welcome further updates on this project. 7.13 Cabinet agreed to: · adopt the Project Apollo Energy Saving programme and its four workstreams; · approve the use of £150k of funding from the Climate Reserve Fund in 23/24 to initiate the four workstreams streams and establish the electrical and mechanical design framework; · approve £40k of funding from the Climate Reserve Fund in 23/24 and £40k in 24/25 to temporarily fund an officer post to support the delivery of the programme; · agree in principle to draw on the Climate Reserve Fund as match funding for the WG Capital Heat Grant. (If our application to the grant is successful a further report will be forthcoming with all relevant financial details).
8.1 The Executive Member Economy, Skills and Regeneration highlighted the key messages contained within the report: · in March 2022 the Strategic Director for Environment approved the appointment for project management led multi-disciplinary consultant design services for submitting a bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund with award based on RIBA Stage 1 and RIBA Stage 2 fees; · in January 2023 our UK Government levelling up funding bid was approved · and in accordance with the Council’s Financial Standing Orders, this report is to inform Cabinet that the consultant fee level for RIBA Stage 3 and RIBA Stage 4 pre-construction phase design services exceeds the contract value by 10%. 8.2 The Strategic Director Environment advised that this is for information. The contract has been awarded to allow us to proceed and take forward the levelling up projects within Pontypool. 8.3 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing raised a general issue around of capital projects going up in their quotes from contractors and asked why this is happening and why we are battling with these increases? 8.4 The Strategic Director Environment advised that it is her view that there is just so much work out there at the moment that it is literally name your price time and the private sector and picking and choosing and increasing their rates. We are seeing the beginning of where places are starting to put projects on hold due to the increase in costs. The inflation in the market is nothing the construction team have ever seen, and the contract indices is literally out of date the day it is published, and contractors are refusing to hold prices, even for 24 hours. We are looking to go on open procurement processes for some future projects rather than use our framework contractors. 8.5 The Executive Member Resources asked if we are able to look at a range of options regarding variation with delivery implications etc? 8.6 The Strategic Director Communities advised that the report is asking for the contract variation to ensure that we are complying with financial standing orders. In terms of projects of this scale within the LUF fund, we will always have the option to be able to value engineer components out of these projects as we progress through these projects. 8.7 Cabinet agreed to: · note that in accordance with the Council’s Financial Standing Orders, that following variation of the consultant contract for project management led multi-disciplinary design services, the variation exceeds the contract value by 10%.
9.1 Cabinet agreed to the exclusion of the press and public as the report was not for publication in accordance with Paragraph 14 of Scheduled 12A of the Local Government Act 1971 (as amended) as the report contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information) and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
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