Loading
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.
Councillors: Rose Seabourne (Chair) Stuart Ashley Catherine Bonera Nick Byrne Richard Clark (Deputy Leader) Lynda Clarkson Liam Cowles Fiona Cross David Daniels Giles Davies Steven Evans Joanne Gauden Karl Gauden Elizabeth Haynes Jon Horlor Nick Horler Anthony Hunt (Leader) Gaynor James Jon James Janet Jones Mark Jones Peter Jones Sue Malson Rosemary Matthews Susan Morgan Amanda Owen Norma Parrish Caroline Price Nicholas Simons Alan Slade Chris Tew Colette Thomas David Thomas Jayne Watkins David Williams Lucy Williams Nathan Yeowell Officers: Nigel Aurelius, Deputy Chief Executive Delyth Harries, Monitoring Officer and Assistant Chief Legal Officer Neil Jones, Head of Communications, Engagement and Civil Contingencies Dave Leech, Strategic Director, Adults and Communities Dave Lilly, Director, Financial Services Jason Lewis, Director Corporate Services Richard Lewis, Head of Planning & Development Dominique Redman, Team Leader Democratic and Member Services Tom Roberts, Business & Democratic Support Services Manager Jason O’Brien, Strategic Director, Children and Family Services Chris Slade, Assistant Democratic and Member Services Team Leader Rachel Standfield, Principal Planner Alan Vernon-Jones, Welsh Language Officer Stephen Vickers, Chief Executive Alan Vernon-Jones, Welsh Language & Armed Forces Policy Officer Dave Weaver, Group Finance Officer Adrian Wilcock, Principal Planner Peter Williams, Head of Internal Audit
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ron Burnett and Jason O’Connell.
The Monitoring Officer and Assistant Chief Legal Officer (MO&ACLO) referred to Agenda Item 9, Budget 2024-25 and Medium-Term Financial Plan and advised members that they would have a personal interest if they were a member of a Community Council. She also referred to Agenda Item 10, County Plan 2022-27: Delivery Plan 2024-25 which referred to Community Councils, namely Blaenavon, Pontypool and Cwmbran and she advised members of those community councils that they would also have a personal interest in relation to this item. The following members confirmed their personal interests: Nick Byrne Lynda Clarkson Jon Horler Gaynor James Jon James Sue Malson Rosemary Matthews Caroline Price Nicholas Simons Stuart Ashley David Thomas Peter Jones Sue Morgan Colette Thomas David Williams Liam Cowles The MO&ACLO referred to Agenda Item 16, Pay Policy 2024 and advised members that they would have a personal and prejudicial interest if they had a close personal associate who worked for the local authority. She explained that the Pay Policy covered Shared Resource Service (SRS), but it did not cover teachers or support staff. The following members confirmed their personal and prejudicial interests: Councillors: Janet Jones Sue Malson Alan Slade Jayne Watkins Giles Davies Joanne Gauden Colette Thomas Rose Seabourne The MO&ACLO explained that Councillor Stuart Ashley, Deputy Presiding Member would Chair the meeting for Agenda Item 16, Pay Policy 2024, in the absence of the Presiding Member. She also advised that all officers should leave the meeting for this item as the content of the report concerned them. Members agreed that Jason Lewis, Director – Corporate Services, and Democratic Services Officers namely Dominique Redman and Chris Slade who were assisting with the operation of the meeting could remain for this item.
Council confirmed the minutes of the Council meeting held on 23 January 2024 as an accurate record.
Council noted the action sheet
There were no petitions.
There were no public questions.
The Leader commented as follows: · It was a pleasure for him to attend the work being done on the new 3G pitch at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw in Trevethin. The new pitches taking shape over the next year at Trevethin, Abersychan and Llantarnam would really transform provision across the Borough, and he looked forward to attending opening events as soon as possible. · He thanked Croesyceiliog School Senedd for coming into the council chamber this month to meet with himself, Cllr Richard Clark and Cllr Joanne Gauden and to hold their Senedd meeting. He was impressed by the work they were doing to give a voice to their students. · He thanked all who had attended the Food Summit in Blaenavon last week. Over 200 residents, businesses and community groups took part, with free activities taking place in what was hoped would become an annual event as part of the Food Resilience Programme. · Along with Cllr Richard Clark, he welcomed Minister Julie Morgan to MYST to see the excellent work done by their staff across public services to help young people experiencing difficult times, keeping children in their local communities with their families, carers, schools, and friends, avoiding out of county placements wherever possible. This was an excellent example of best practice that made a real difference and which those staff should be proud of. · He thanked staff and volunteers at Torfaen Play Service for an inspiring evening at their Volunteer Awards last week. The service they provide, and the difference it makes to the lives of young people was hugely valuable. The Chief Executive informed members that he and the leader met with chief officers of the police and Mike Richards had agreed to come in to a future council meeting to provide an update on matters across the borough and to answer any questions that members may have.
The Deputy Chief Executive commented as follows: · This time last year, the backdrop to the budget was very much the significant inflation, particularly with regards to energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis. The council’s approach to that budget therefore reflected those unusual circumstances and the use of reserves to cushion the impact. · Over the past couple of years, funding from the Welsh Government had increased significantly and had allowed the council to set solid budgets, keep council tax levels low, and improve the council’s financial resilience. Whilst helpful, these increases alone, could not reverse the significant impact experienced as a result of the years of austerity in public funding. · This was his 18th and last budget he would be presenting to council. Throughout this time he had seen a financial crisis of 2008, the years of austerity that followed, the covid pandemic, and rampant inflation. Local Government was a resilient sector, and the council had navigated these difficult times and tried to maintain and improve services against a backdrop of the rising cost of and demand for services. · The budget for 24-25 had seen a return to very difficult funding settlements, and an outlook which was as challenging as had been seen. Maintaining financial discipline was as important now as it had ever been. · With regards to the current financial year, in-year monitoring had been positive, with an expected underspend at year end. As a percentage of the overall budget this was relatively small, however, it had allowed the council to strengthen reserves, and it would be helpful going forward, especially as the council’s reserve levels had always been modest. · Decisions taken as part of previous budgets to fully fund pay inflation were a key contributor to the positive position. · The budget that the council would set today was only one part of a complex financial picture of a local authority. The current year and the outlook for the medium-term were all part of the complex picture and to focus on one in isolation was not a sound approach. · He had always advised against the use of significant reserves to fund recurring expenditure. Although it was right to do so for the current year due to the exceptional circumstances, it was important that this was not repeated in 24-25 and that the budget didn’t have a significant reliance on reserves. · Any budget and medium-term financial plan contained a range of assumptions that were often difficult to determine with a lot coming down to informed judgement. With all the uncertainty around currently, be that in respect of the funding outlook or general inflation and pay inflation, exercising that judgement was more difficult. · The papers presented were based largely on a provisional settlement, as the final settlement would not be received until later today. There would also be a budget debate in The Sennedd in early March. Where the council had been aware of potential changes, they had been reflected in the proposals before council, and he was not expecting any material or detrimental changes. The Deputy Chief Executive outlined the report which sought: i) Approval of the Budget for 2024/25, ii) Agreement of the level of Council Tax for 2024/25, iii) Approval of the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) to 2028/29, iv) Approval of the virement policy, and v) Approval of the Capital Strategy including the Prudential Indicators. He thanked Dave Lily - Director, Financial Services and Dave Weaver – Group Finance Officer for their support and professionalism and for personally contributing so much to the financial stability, standards, and performance of the council. He also thanked colleagues in financial services who had been at the forefront of meeting challenges during the year. He thanked Deb Smith, Head of Revenues and Benefits, who had been at the forefront of administering many of the benefits available to support the most vulnerable. He thanked the Strategic Directors and their teams for their support in developing this budget, and he felt that collective responsibility and discipline remained a real strength in the organisation. He also thanked Tom Roberts and his colleagues in respect of the overview and scrutiny of the budget and the democratic process. Councillor Sue Morgan, Executive Member Resources, commented as follows: · She thanked all that had supported the budget process and referred to the well-managed, calm, competent and collegiate approach by the Deputy Chief Executive, the Director – Financial Services and the Group Finance Officer, who brought together the expertise of the Resources Directorate and the Leaders and Managers across the organisation. · She was grateful to those that had taken the time to respond to the budget consultation from the communities. · She felt that the approach taken inspired member’s confidence and helped support effective scrutiny and management of the council’s finances, and she thanked members of the cross-cutting scrutiny committee. · She stated that the Deputy Chief Executive and the Director – Financial Services were presenting their final budget and she felt that the council would benefit from their skills and knowledge for some time, and she thanked them for their contributions to the borough and the legacy of strong and effective resource management that they would leave behind. · Welsh Government had delivered the expected uplift to the settlement, however, the tidal wave of post covid demand for vital services had swamped the uplift making it harder to keep services running. · It was a relief that Torfaen was able to present a report to council that outlined an affordable budget with minimal service implications. · The budget made sensible provisions for future pay awards and provided a like for like funding uplift to the council’s school community and allowed some development of services such as the running costs of an expanded Crownbridge Special School, continuation of the school leaver employment scheme, and one-off reserve funding to ensure the transformation of Greenmeadow Farm. · The most vulnerable children and adults were protected from the worst of the funding pressures, thought the council would always want to do more. · All of this was being delivered with the very lowest Council Tax increase in Wales for the third year running. Continued funding of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme would also ensure that pressure could be alleviated for many families. · Thanks to good in-year management, the council was able to buffer against those future pressures with modest but prudent levels of reserves. · The medium-term financial picture still presented a very challenging outlook, with £35.2million to address. · The authority was not immune to the pressures facing the whole of the UK and austerity had pared away any room for manoeuvre. · Preparation for the 25-26 budget was already underway, and Project Apollo which was being led by the Chief Executive continued to drive efforts for greater efficiency and effectiveness. · The Leader of the council continued to play an important role in shaping funding relationships and polices across Wales. · She was confident that members of the council would continue to make measured and informed decisions in relation to the council’s use of resource. In summary, Members commented as follows: · They commended the work of officers and thanked them for the work they had undertaken during such challenging times. · With regards to presentation of the report, the following was helpful: - To note that the Social Care Workforce Development Grant had come through, which had addressed some concerns around a mitigation issue. - Four further grants had transferred to the 2024-25 budget settlement, which would give the council greater control of this sort of funding rather than a pendency of coming back from Welsh Government. - Continuation of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme. It would also be helpful to know what proportion of households this relates to in terms of Torfaen. - To see the corporate proposals brought together which highlights the collective work undertaken by the authority. - The figures and detail of public engagement around the budget. The council should continue to with these processes to obtain feedback. The details set out in Appendix 7 around public consultation should be reviewed to consider addressing any constructive elements. - to see the council tax increase presented as a figure as well as a percentage; - the inclusion of details in Appendix 7 provided an opportunity to review and consider if there were constructive elements that could be addressed; · It was pleasing to see that the input and comments from cross-cutting scrutiny had been taken on board, particularly around the pay provision. · It was suggested that the helpful graphic on the council’s funding on page 51 of the agenda should be made available on the council’s website for transparency and accessibility. · In the light of budget pressures faced by the council, it would be beneficial to consider a review of Fees and Charges. Social Care and Housing did this each year, however, there were some areas that hadn’t been considered for some time. · Although it was a statutory requirement to show Council Tax increases in Band D properties, Torfaen accommodated far more properties in Band B and C, therefore, it would also be helpful to show information in relation these properties. · Consideration should be given around making further provision in reserves and considerations in relation capital spend, as this showed considerably in 24-25, significantly reducing in 26-27. · The next 12 months were set to be challenging with difficult decisions needing to be made. There was a need for members to work with officers and to talk to communities across the borough to discuss priorities going forward. · Although the council tax increase was low, it had still increased, which may not be affordable for some, particularly those who were experiencing poverty, accessing foodbanks and struggling to pay energy bills. The Deputy Chief Executive clarified that in relation to the current year’s budget, the reserves were used to protect services and not to cushion council tax. He explained that it was right to do this rather than to cut services, as the hike in costs was a spike, and once services had been cut, you could not bring them back. The Leader commented as follows: · He thanked members for the way in which the debate on the budget had been conducted. · He thanked the Executive Member Resources for her hard work, and also the Deputy Chief Executive, the Director – Financial Services and the Group Finance Officer for the work they had undertaken this year and for many previous years. He praised their skill and their care for the borough and the services provided. He stated that the advice, expertise and support provided to him had been invaluable in his positions as Executive Member, Deputy Leader and Leader. · He commended the calm and prudent approach and recognised that long-term budget planning was necessary work. He also welcomed the collective responsibility taken by the council. · He thanked the cross-cutting scrutiny committee for the work they had undertaken during the budget setting process and commented around the importance of discussing proposals prior to decisions being made. · He referred to the cost-of-living crisis and recognised the pressure on households, and he explained that although inflation was down slightly, not all services followed inflation and therefore, there were other demands and cost rises. · Every effort had been made to avoid increased costs being reflected in the Council Tax rises of 1.9% last year and 4.9% this year, however, a responsive approach to balance Council Tax with plans for sustainability was required. No rise at all would be dishonest and unrealistic, and where this has been applied in other councils, they’ve had to bump their Council Tax up by double figures or they’ve had to put in a Section 114 Notice. Without the rise over the last council term, this council would be £25M per year worse off. Taking this from other provisions such as schools, social care, and early intervention and preventative services such as play services and youth services other services that impact upon the health and wellbeing of people, would result in negative consequences and load more pressure on other services such as health and the police. · There was a need to balance Council Tax with financial sustainability. The prudent use of reserves is the right thing to do but they cannot be used for recurring spend. · Difficult decisions had been made throughout the year to save money for the running of council services, and the council had lost valued colleagues. This had resulted in increased pressure and demand with staff having to do more with fewer people at a time when wages had been cut in real terms across Local Government and the UK. He recognised that this was not easy, and he commented on the importance of well-being. He commended the collective efforts that helped the people of the borough get by. · He referred to the national picture and his role in Welsh Local Government Association and he felt that Welsh Government deserved credit for the way they had approached the budget and had done their best to protect council budgets as much as possible. · He recognised the real pressure coming down the line in terms of capital budgets and questioned how these pressures could be addressed, whilst also addressing capital issues such as climate change and net zero, without capital funding coming through. He hoped the UK government reflected upon these discussions being held in Councils across the UK as they looked to set their budget. · He commended the budget commenting that it was not ideal or easy, however, it was one that did strike the right balance between all priorities. The Presiding Member thanked Members and Staff. Council agreed, with the majority voting in favour, that: Part One: (i) The Budget for 2024/25 and the Medium-Term Financial Plan, as set out in Appendix One (and Annexes 1-4 within that Appendix) to this report, are approved. Part Two (statutory recommendations): (ii) It is noted that at its November 2023 meeting, Cabinet approved the following amounts for the year 2024/25 in accordance with regulations made under Section 33(5) of the Local Government Act 1992 (as amended): a) 34,457 being the amount calculated by the Council in accordance with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (Wales) Regulations 1995 (as amended), as its Council Tax base for the year. b) the Council Tax base estimate for each Community Council levy for 2024/25 is as follows: Council Tax Base Cwmbran 13,913 Pontypool 13,197 Blaenavon 1,975 Henllys 1,156 Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon 3,478 Ponthir 738 c) Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent proposes the following amounts in precept issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40(2)(b) of the Local Government Act 1992 for each banding of dwellings: A B C D E F G H I £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 233.01 271.85 310.68 349.52 427.19 504.86 582.53 699.04 815.55 (iii) That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2024/25 in accordance with the Section 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992: a) £343,873,339 - being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32(2) (a) to (e) of the Act. b) £110,324,084 - being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32(3) (a) to (c) of the Act. c) £233,549,255 - being the amount by which the aggregate at (iii) (a) above exceeds the aggregate at (iii) (b) calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 32(4) of the Act, as its budget requirement for the year. d) £89,000 - being the amount the Authority estimates in relation to Section 37 and 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (as amended), discretionary non-domestic rate relief. e) £178,426,000 - being the aggregate of the sums the Council estimates will be payable for the year into its Council Fund in respect of the redistribution of Non-Domestic Rates and Revenue Support Grant. f) £1,602.35 - being the amount at (iii)(c) above plus the amount at (iii)(d) and less the amount at (iii)(e) above all divided by the amount at (ii)(a) above calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 33(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year. g) £1,784,265 - being the amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act. h) £1,550.57 - being the amount at (iii) (f) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (iii) (g) above by the amount at (ii) (a), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special item relates. i) The County Borough Tax including Community Council Precepts Valuation Bands for 2024/25. A B C D £ £ £ £ Cwmbran 1,064.32 1,241.71 1,419.09 1,596.48 Pontypool 1,071.02 1,249.52 1,428.02 1,606.53 Blaenavon 1,099.28 1,282.49 1,465.70 1,648.92 Henllys 1,054.59 1,230.36 1,406.12 1,581.89 Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon 1,062.39 1,239.46 1,416.52 1,593.59 Ponthir 1,058.04 1,234.39 1,410.72 1,587.07 E F G H I £ £ £ £ £ Cwmbran 1,951.25 2,306.02 2,660.80 3,192.96 3,725.12 Pontypool 1,963.54 2,320.54 2,677.55 3,213.06 3,748.57 Blaenavon 2,015.35 2,381.77 2,748.20 3,297.84 3,847.48 Henllys 1,933.42 2,284.95 2,636.48 3,163.78 3,691.07 Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon 1,947.72 2,301.85 2,655.98 3,187.18 3,718.38 Ponthir 1,939.75 2,292.43 2,645.11 3,174.14 3,703.17 Being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at (iii)(f) above by the number which in the properties set out in Section 5 (1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which is that proportion applicable to dwellings listed in Valuation band D calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuations bands. j) That having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts (ii)(c) and (iii)(i) above the Council in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the following amounts as the Council Tax for the year 2024/25 for each of the categories of dwellings shown below: A B C D £ £ £ £ Cwmbran 1,297.33 1,513.56 1,729.77 1,946.00 Pontypool 1,304.03 1,521.37 1,738.70 1,956.05 Blaenavon 1,332.29 1,554.34 1,776.38 1,998.44 Henllys 1,287.60 1,502.21 1,716.80 1,931.41 Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon 1,295.40 1,511.31 1,727.20 1,943.11 Ponthir 1,291.05 1,506.24 1,721.40 1,936.59 E F G H I £ £ £ £ £ Cwmbran 2,378.44 2,810.88 3,243.33 3,892.00 4,540.67 Pontypool 2,390.73 2,825.40 3,260.08 3,912.10 4,564.12 Blaenavon 2,442.54 2,886.63 3,330.73 3,996.88 4,663.03 Henllys 2,360.61 2,789.81 3,219.01 3,862.82 4,506.63 Croesyceiliog & Llanyrafon 2,374.91 2,806.71 3,238.51 3,886.22 4,533.93 Ponthir 2,366.94 2,797.29 3,227.64 3,873.18 4,518.72 Part Three – Related plans and assessments (iv) The assessment of equality and well-being in appendix 4 be noted, (v) The virement policy in appendix 5 is approved, Part Four – Capital Strategy and Prudential Indicators: (vi) The Capital Strategy as outlined in paragraph 8 and appendix 6 is agreed. Pupils from Ysgol Byn Onnen sang to council to celebrate St.David’s Day. The Presiding Member thanked the pupils and wished them a Happy St.David’s Day.
The Chief Executive presented the County Plan Delivery Plan 2024-25 (attached as Appendix 1 to the report) for approval and adoption by Council, which outlined the Council’s commitments for delivering the County Plan during the 2024-25 financial year. Councillor Peter Jones, Executive Member Corporate Governance and Performance commented as follows: · that since adopting the plan in September 2022, the council had produced and published an Annual Delivery Plan for each financial year and would continue to do this throughout the lifespan of the County Plan highlighting the key activities planned for the year ahead. · Appendix 1 set out the latest Annual Delivery Plan and described planned activities that would be used to assess progress during the year ahead. · Last year the publication of the Council’s Delivery Plan in 2023-24 was for the first time approved alongside the 2023-24 budget, more closely aligning with council’s service and financial planning. · The council has continued to bring planning process closer together for 2024-25, with the council’s draft budget and annual delivery plan received by scrutiny in January 2024. · Scrutiny was an extremely useful process in terms of fine tuning the final product, particularly in ensuring the Delivery Plan was clear to all members, staff, and residents regarding the council’s commitments as it aimed to further strengthening culpability across the council. · The basket of activities, milestones and performance measures described within the 2024-25 Delivery Plan aimed to bring the council’s commitments to improving the well-being of those who lived and worked in Torfaen, using the budget available. · He recommended approval of the report, re-affirming previous commitments to keep council informed of progress in the year ahead. Council would continue to receive update reports twice a year, keeping all members appraised of progress made in delivering the priorities. · He thanked members for their input during the year. In summary, Members commended the work of officers, and the following comments were made: · Members highlighted the value of the scrutiny process and thanked officers for taking their comments on board in relation to providing greater detail around targets and milestones. · At paragraph 7.2 of the report, it would be useful to indicate, as well as the range of organisations and groups engaged with, the number of attendees at some of those meetings. · The budget consultation process had set the bar, and it was suggested that this should be an opportunity to demonstrate public engagement and to have consistency with regards to the council’s approach. · To build on Wellbeing Objective 5, there was an opportunity for the involvement of the Climate Ambassador Group to monitor progress and it was hoped that this would be taken on board, as this would benefit a whole Torfaen approach. Further to a question around how the percentage of young children not in education, employment or training compared to national figures across the UK, and whether a rise from the current figure of 2% was expected, the Strategic Director Children and Family Services explained that this figure compared favourably to figures across Wales. He referred to the on-going impact from covid and disengagement, however, he was confident that the direction of travel in the County Plan and focus on the cohort would mitigate an increase in the figure. There was also focus and work ongoing from the youth engagement team, schools and Torfaen Learning Zone in order to keep control of the figure. Further to the above question, the Chief Executive referred to the budget and focus over the coming medium-term financial period on the review of early intervention and prevention work and how effective this was. He stated that this work would help to mitigate the risk and to ensure that work was focused in right areas. With regards to updating members with ongoing work and progress being made, the Chief Executive explained that the delivery plan would provide twice yearly updates, and whilst every effort would be made to keep members updated with ongoing work and progress being made, some areas of the plan would not be easy to report on in terms of progress updates due to the long-term nature and complexity of the work. The Executive Member Corporate Governance and Performance reminded members that the County Plan was a live document and that helpful suggestions could be incorporated. Council unanimously agreed to approve the Council’s delivery plan for 2024-25, aligning its key activity with the Council’s agreed budget for the year ahead.
The Principal Planner outlined the report seeking approval: · for the adoption of the ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem Resilience & Development’ and ‘Green Infrastructure’ SPGs following consideration of comments received; · of a list of extant SPGs to either be kept or withdrawn; and · to give the Head of Planning and Development delegated powers to make any necessary factual updates to all adopted SPGs. In response to comments and questions asked by members, the following points were made: · The purpose of SPGs was to expand on adopted policies within the Local Development Plan and provide detailed guidance on their implementation. Council will be asked to agree a forward programme of SPGs as part of the Replacement Local Development Plan during the coming summer. · The Traditional Shopfronts Design Guide SPG would apply to Abersychan, as well as other more traditional settlements and locations throughout the county borough. Additional costs associated with converting shop fronts would be taken account of when determining applications. · It was felt that there was considerable detail and to some extent some duplication in terms of the comments being referred to in the covering report and also at Appendix 2, and therefore it was suggested that due to the volume of information being presented to members, information should be condensed in the future where possible. · It was useful to see a listing at 43P of bio secure native species, which would help inform not just the council, but developers and others who were looking to plant within the borough. · The consolidation of SPG in one place was commended. · An executive summary of each SPG was available and would be published bilingually when all SPGs had been adopted. The Executive Member Economy, Skills and Regeneration commented that using SPGs would give confidence to developers and communities, so that when they were submitting a planning application, they could be more confident that they were meeting the council’s standards that would protect and enhance the natural environment and mitigate climate change. She recognised the volume of information concerned with SPGs and made particular reference to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience and Development, which meant that biodiversity could be protected, and ecosystems could be strengthened. She also referred to the SPG on Green Infrastructure and explained that this guidance would lead to well designed developments and enhance the council’s green features, including sustainable urban drainage and giving opportunities for outdoor recreation. The PP referred to the recommendation for the Shopfront Design Guide on page 189 of the agenda. She explained that this SPG stated that it was written to aid in the determination of improvement grants and related planning permissions for traditional shopfronts within the Blaenavon and Pontypool Commercial Renewal Areas and was also to be used for all commercial properties in local centres throughout the Borough, except for Cwmbran Town Centre - where modern shopfronts are more appropriate. However, the Commercial Renewal Areas were no longer in place, but the traditional shopfront design advice was still valid. Therefore, she proposed the following recommendation: · that Council resolves to rename this SPG the ‘Traditional Shopfronts Design Guide’ and the wording within be changed for the SPG to apply to areas or sites where traditional shopfronts would reflect the context of the area, including Blaenavon and Pontypool, neighbourhood centres such as Abersychan & Old Cwmbran, and local shops; but not Cwmbran Town Centre; and note that it will be republished in a digital format and updated in due course. Council agreed, with the majority voting in favour, to: 1. Resolve to adopt the Council Draft ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem Resilience & Development’ SPG (attached at Appendix 3); 2. Resolve to adopt the Council Draft ‘Green Infrastructure’ SPG (attached at Appendix 4); 3. Agree to delegate to the Head of Planning and Development: - a. any final minor amendments / corrections to the text of the adopted ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem Resilience & Development’ SPG and the ‘Green Infrastructure’ SPG prior to publication; b. any factual updates of the adopted ‘Biodiversity, Ecosystem Resilience & Development’ SPG, the ‘Green Infrastructure’ SPG, and all adopted SPGs over time, as necessary; and 4. Resolve to agree the various recommendations in the review of the adopted Torfaen LDP’s (Appendix 2) List of Extant Adopted SPGs contained in the Table at paragraph 4.10 of this Report, subject to the following amendment: 5. That Council resolves to rename this SPG the ‘Traditional Shopfronts Design Guide’ and the wording within be changed for the SPG to apply to areas or sites where traditional shopfronts would reflect the context of the area, including Blaenavon and Pontypool, neighbourhood centres such as Abersychan & Old Cwmbran, and local shops; but not Cwmbran Town Centre; and note that it will be republished in a digital format and updated in due course.
The Equalities, Partnership and Policy Officer outlined the report seeking approval for the publication of Torfaen’s Strategic Equality Plan 2024-2028. The Executive Member, Corporate Governance and Performance commented as follows: · The Strategic Equality Plan presented today demonstrated that Torfaen County Borough Council remained committed to the principles of inclusion, fairness and equity of outcomes and social justice. It was important to ensure that this was demonstrated in the council’s employment practices, in the everyday behaviour of all representatives of the council, and in the council’s service delivery. · The setting of equality objectives provided a clear area of focus for staff to use to address the action plan, and to find the balance around being realistic about resources, but also aspirational and expressive of the council’s determination to tackle inequality. · He appreciated the efforts of officers and role they had played in identifying possible improvements of the way the organisation worked and ensured that everything possible within the resources available was being done to tackle equality. · This was an ongoing journey, and members would have the opportunity to see the final action plan and ongoing progress via the Annual Equality Report as legislation dictated. Dialogue around any of the equality issues would be welcomed during the year. · For many years he had worked with two national disability charities, and in those roles, he had to deal with councils across Wales, his experience at that time was that this council was at the forefront of dealing with equality issues. The Equality Plan before members today demonstrated this. · The Plan had been through detailed scrutiny and members would continue to have a dialogue in the living document. There was further work to do around one objective due to the late arrival of the report from Human Rights Commission for Wales . · He commended the amount of work carried out to date and he recommended approval of the Plan. Members commented that it would be useful to see the scrutiny recommendations drawn out in the report as it showed consistency, the value of scrutiny, and how the report had responded to the scrutiny process. Transparency around what the public feedback had been and how it had been acted upon and incorporated into the Plan was also important. It was pleasing to note the high proportion of responders who had registered a level of disability, which showed that the council was reaching out. The Executive Member Corporate Governance and Performance explained that comments would be taken on board and a final version of the Plan would be presented to members in due course. Council unanimously agreed to approve the Equality Objectives and Strategic Equality Plan 2024-2028, allowing it to be published by the statutory deadline.
The Executive Member Corporate Governance and Performance introduced the report explaining that the Council was required to develop a five-year Welsh Language Strategy in accordance with the requirements of the Welsh Language Wales Measure 2011. The aim of the Strategy was to identify actions and how the council intended to promote use of the Welsh language and increase the number of Welsh speakers within the borough, contributing to Welsh Governments long term strategy Cymraeg 2050. He stated that this was the second Strategy produced as a Council since the introduction of the Welsh Language Standards in 2016. Although the council was responsible for writing the Strategy it was very much a collaborative document for all partners listed within the Strategy to contribute to its success. He thanked the Welsh Language & Armed Forces Policy Officer for the work he had undertaken. The Welsh Language & Armed Forces Policy Officer outlined the report seeking Council approval of the Welsh Language Strategy. Members thanked officers for their work, and in response to comments and questions, the following points were made: · Children in Welsh medium schools were provided with support and given opportunities to use the language outside of school and school leavers were supported with opportunities within the public sector. Work was also ongoing with parents around support with matters such as homework. · The increase of staff with Welsh language speaking skills was due to the dedication of the council promoting Welsh language training and for going above and beyond to help staff that wanted to learn the language. · A proposal from scrutiny had been implemented around asking what level people were at in terms of Welsh speaking, rather than giving a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option of whether they spoke Welsh. · Moving forward, a list of those who had been consulted would be included in the covering report. · The figure for pupils in Welsh medium education was provided from census data for 2021 and was relevant to an age group of 3-16. There had been a significant drop in this figure despite the promotion of Welsh medium education. This was the case across Wales, not just Torfaen. · The Strategy had sight from the Welsh Language Commissioner who looked at how standards were being achieved. The annual monitoring report was also submitted to the Welsh Language Commissioner and published on the council’s website. · Fines could be issued to the authority if any of the Welsh Language Standards were being broken/not being met. Fines would not be issued for not reaching targets. · It was positive to see school children visiting the council chamber and demonstrating their Welsh language skills. It was commended as a demonstration of the active work being done. Council unanimously agreed to approve the proposed Strategy.
The Head of Planning and Development outlined the report informing Members of updates to Appendices 9 (Planning Committee Scheme of Delegation) and Appendix 12 (Third Party Speaking Rights at Planning Committee of the Council’s Constitution relating to: · The functions delegated to the Strategic Director, Economy and Environment (hereinafter referred to as Strategic Director) and Head of Planning and Development in Appendix 9; and · Alterations to Third Party speaking rights at Planning Committee – Appendix 12. Members were asked to note a correction in the report in relation to paragraph 4.7 where the word ‘covic’ should read ‘covid’. Council unanimously agreed to: · approve the update to Appendix 9 of the Constitution as set out in Draft Appendix C of this report; · approves the update to Appendix 12 as approved by Planning Committee on 20 March 2018 and as set out in draft appendix D of this report; and · authorise the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution accordingly
The Head of Internal Audit outlined the report seeking Council approval to a minor change in the Head of Procurement delegation levels contained in CSO3, CSO 5 and CSO10 in the Contract Standing Orders Council unanimously agreed to: · Amend CSO 3, CSO 5 and CSO 10 in the Contract Standing Orders to reflect the proposed amendment to the Head of Procurement delegation levels. · Agree that the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Members Constitution Working Party amends the constitution to reflect these changes. Members and officers with interests left the council chamber.
Councillors Giles Davies, Joanne Gauden, Janet Jones, Sue Malson, Rose Seabourne, Alan Slade, Colette Thomas and Jayne Watkins left the meeting for this item as they had a personal and prejudicial interest. All officers present also left the meeting, with the exception of Chris Slade and Dominique Redman who were assisting with the operation of the meeting. Councillor Stuart Ashley, Deputy Presiding Member, replaced Councillor Rose Seabourne, Presiding Member, as Chair of the meeting. The Executive Member Resources introduced the report and commented as follows: · The council was required to approve and publish a Pay Policy Statement by 31 March each year. · The statement set out decision making arrangements for pay including the role of council, The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales, and described the relationship between senior and medium or average pay. · There were no significant amendments to the Policy members approved last year, however, the council set pay relationships well within the recommended ranges. · The council’s focus was to ensure that lower paid staff were protected in difficult times while preserving appropriate grade distinctions. · She was pleased to note that rations between senior and average pay stood at 4.95/1 for the Chief Executive, and 2.86/1 for senior officers. · The council had been able to increase the pay of the 900 lowest paid staff. · She recommended approval of the Pay Policy Statement. The Director – Corporate Services outlined the report seeking approval of the 2024 Pay Policy Statement in accordance with the Localism Act 2011. He commented in particular as follows: · There had been a change to the scope of the responsibilities of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales, which had been altered by an amendment to legislation. · There was an ongoing commitment within the statement to align the lowest pay rate with that recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, moving the council’s lowest pay rate to £12 per hour, which compared to the national living wage set by central government at £11.44 per hour. · With reference to section 8 of the statement which described the relationship between the Chief Executive’s pay, Chief Officer pay and medium pay rate, the Hutton Fair Pay Review which encouraged pay transparency and informed the Localism Act, recommended that top pay in the public sector should not be more that 20 times that of the lowest paid. He was pleased to report that Torfaen ratios remained amongst the lowest in Wales, largely as a result of the pay restraint adopted by the council. · The rate of pay for the Chief Executive was one of the lowest in Wales, if not the lowest in Wales, and is equivalent of that paid to Chief Officers in some larger authorities. The Leader commented as follows: · The Chief Executives to average pay ratio was down at 4.59/1 which was well below the 8/12 ratio that was standard across public services. · The Chief Officer average was also down to 2.86/1, and the number of Chief Officer’s was also down, which showed that the council was working accordance with the pressures on the council’s general budget. · He commended the report to colleagues. Council unanimously agreed to approve the 2024 Pay Policy Statement (attached as Appendix 1 to the report) as an accurate summary of the council’s current policy for the purposes of publication under the Localism Act. Members and officers who had left the meeting due to their personal and prejudicial interests returned to the meeting and Councillor Rose Seabourne resumed her position as Chair.
The Leader proposed the following motion: ‘We resolve that this council expresses its support for the workers and their families in Port Talbot and beyond who have been affected by the recent decision by Tata Steel. We note the huge impact, not only on those directly employed but also on those employed in the supply chain and in related manufacturing operations across south Wales including Llanwern steelworks, where many local residents have worked. We stand side by side with all impacted, support the joint Trade Union plan to provide an alternative, more positive future for steelmaking at Port Talbot and urge Tata Steel and the Welsh and UK Governments to work together to fully explore these alternatives. We recognise the need for decarbonisation, but question the environmental logic of ceasing virgin steel production in the UK and instead importing it from other nations. We also question the national security implications of lacking domestic capacity in an increasingly uncertain world. We recognise the cost of subsidising production but also note the social and economic cost of the loss of good quality jobs on such a scale. We therefore express our support to the Port Talbot workers and their Trade Unions in their campaign to secure a more positive future’. The motion was seconded. Council unanimously agreed to support the motion.
Member questions with replies are set out in Appendix A to these minutes.
Council unanimously agreed to note the Cabinet Decisions.
The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 23 April 2024 at 10.00am.
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.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.