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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED – T H A T the minutes of the meeting held on 7th April 2025 be approved as a correct record.
AGREED – T H A T the apologies received from Inspector Childs be noted.
AGREED – (1) T H A T the verbal update provided by Group Manager O’Keefe be noted. (2) T H A T a written update from Group Manager O’Keefe be provided to all Committee members, via the Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer following the meeting, including advice specific to warmer weather. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to updated information since the last Committee meeting (April 2025). (2) So that Committee Members may share both the Fire Service update and warm weather safety advice with their respective Town and Community Councils.
AGREED – T H A T the report be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee. Reason for decision To allow the Committee further time to consider relevant nominations and to take the matter to a vote with a higher number of Town and Community Council Representatives in attendance.
AGREED – (1) T H A T the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review and comments on the same, as set out within the report, be noted. (2) T H A T both the report and Committee comments be referred to Council on th the 14 July, 2025. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to the contents of the report to apprise the Community Liaison Committee of the Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review. (2) To update Council and to approve the response to the initial consultation phase of the review.
These were received from Councillors M.R. Wilson (Vice-Chair), S. Campbell, S. Hodges (Barry Town Council), M. Cuddy (Penarth Town Council), R. Cox (Penarth Town Council)(Substitute), B. Morris (Colwinston Community Council), J. Radcliffe (Ewenny Community Council), M. Narusberg (Llanmaes Community Council), C. Wride (Pendoylan Community Council) and A. Cory (St. Georges and St. Brides Super Ely Community Council).
Decision as recorded
AGREED – T H A T the minutes of the meeting held on 7th April 2025 be approved as a correct record.
AGREED – T H A T the minutes of the meeting held on 7th April 2025 be approved as a correct record.
No declarations of interest were received.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – T H A T the apologies received from Inspector Childs be noted.
The Principal Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer advised that, despite best efforts to arrange a replacement representative, the South Wales Police Service were unable to attend the meeting that evening. Therefore, apologies were received from Inspector Childs and his colleagues who were sadly paying their respects at a funeral service. However, Inspector Childs had advised that they would be in attendance at the next meeting of the Committee to provide a six-monthly update. AGREED – T H A T the apologies received from Inspector Childs be noted.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (1) T H A T the verbal update provided by Group Manager O’Keefe be noted. (2) T H A T a written update from Group Manager O’Keefe be provided to all Committee members, via the Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer following the meeting, including advice specific to warmer weather. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to updated information since the last Committee meeting (April 2025). (2) So that Committee Members may share both the Fire Service update and warm weather safety advice with their respective Town and Community Councils.
Due to technical difficulties, the verbal update provided by Group Manager O’Keefe was unable to be livestreamed however, the update provided by the Group Manager is set out in detail below. Group Manager O’Keefe advised of the following: 1. Incident Activity and Trends Following an extremely busy start to the year which saw a 3000% increase in wildfires activity across the service area over the same period last year, which also contributed to the busiest period ever recorded for UK Fire and Rescue Services since the second world war incident numbers have notably decreased throughout Q2. Fire-Related Incidents During Q2, a total of 114 fire-related incidents were attended within the Vale of Glamorgan: • 15 incidents involved domestic dwellings or other residential properties. • 6 incidents involved non-residential buildings such as commercial or public use properties. • 19 outdoor fires, including incidents involving grassland, trees, or outdoor structures. • 64 refuse and bin fires, indicating a notable concentration of fire activity in public or open spaces. • 10 vehicle or machinery fires, reflecting risks on roads, industrial sites or car parks. Fire Cause Analysis in the Vale of Glamorgan • 39 fires were found to be accidental in nature. • 8 fires were deliberate, involving the individual’s own property. • 66 fires were deliberately ignited, affecting the property of others or unknown ownership. This figure marked an increase from 53 incidents of this kind recorded during the same quarter in the previous year. Preventative Response and Strategy In response to this rise, the Service has: Increased school and youth engagement focusing on the dangers of wildfires and open fires and undertaken proactive multi-agency operations in areas such as Barry, targeting at-risk locations and demographics through education, patrols, and early interventions 2. False Alarm Incidents A total of 62 automatic false alarm calls were attended during Q2 in the Vale of Glamorgan. This represented a notable reduction from the 100 false alarm attendances recorded during the same period in the previous year. This decrease followed the successful implementation of a revised policy in Q1, which limited the Service’s attendance to automatic alarms in non-residential buildings and the policy change had freed up resources for frontline emergency responses and prevention work aimed at improving overall service efficiency. 3. Special Service Incidents The Service attended 95 special service calls in the Vale during Q2. These involved a broad range of emergency support functions, broken down as follows: • 3 animal rescues. • 2 flooding incidents. • 33 incidents involved supporting other agencies where activities were undertaken in support of our partners including: Forcible entry into properties, Bariatric casualty extrication and supporting with emergency medical assistance. • 1 water rescue was attended within the Vale of Glamorgan, however specialist water rescue crews from Barry and Penarth assisted crews from across the service on numerous occasions with the wider service attending 12 incidents across the service area during the period. • The service attended 23 Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) in the Vale of Glamorgan over the period with a wider total of 184 RTCs attended across the entire Service area. 4 Operational Preparedness Crews from across the Vale of Glamorgan have undertaken ongoing operational training during Q2 to maintain high standards of emergency response capability. Notable activities include: • Joint exercises at Cardiff Airport, enhancing multi-agency co-ordination for high-risk aviation-related incidents. • High-rise fire exercises and assurance work, maintaining readiness for rescue and fire suppression scenarios. • Water rescue exercises maintaining preparedness for operational response to water rescue or wide area flooding. 5. Community Safety and Prevention Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSCs) 4,312 HFSCs were conducted across the Service area this quarter. These visits targeted the most vulnerable residents, aiming to reduce domestic fire risk through tailored advice and safety equipment installation Local Community Engagement Fire Safety Crews from across the Vale of Glamorgan stations had delivered fire safety advice during various community events across the area and beyond during the period which have included The Vale Aging Well Group, Llandow Community Group, Porthcawl Rescue Fest in Porthcawl, Barry Island White Ribbon Event, Age Connects Safety Group, Barry Veterans Group Coffee Morning as well as the delivery of Specific safety campaigns at the Vale Caravan Park, targeting holiday accommodation risks and High-rise safety events which were carried outby Penarth crews in the Anchorage area of Cardiff Bay. In addition, the service had launched a social media campaign highlighting the dangers of disposable BBQs and raised BBQ-related risks with partner agencies for support in tackling the issue of inappropriate use and disposal in Operation Elstree multi-agency meetings. Water Safety In partnership with Theatre an Anog, Penarth crews delivered a significant water safety campaign over a two week period delivering targeted safety messaging and demonstrations to over 1,500 children in Cardiff Bay. Road Safety The service Road Safety Team have led 27 public engagements across the service area related to road safety which included: • 23 Domino presentations. • 22 seatbelt intervention events working with the Police to deliver targeted advice to those caught not wearing seatbelts. • 49 Operation Atal events, delivered with police partners, targeting Speeding offences, Non-compliance with 20mph zones and Failure to wear seatbelts. Crews from Llantwit major also supported motorcycle safety education at Llandow Circuit, alongside South Wales Police, providing tailored road risk advice for riders in the Vale. Youth Education Programmes During Q2 of the calendar year the service delivered school fire safety sessions to 2,239 Key Stage 1 and 2,593 Key Stage 2 pupils across the service area. In addition, 282 young people received targeted education on grass and wildfire safety and 319 young people engaged in the Service’s Reflex and Phoenix outreach programmes, designed to: • Build citizenship. • Reduce risk-taking behaviours. • Foster community responsibility. • Promote safety, teamwork and self-confidence. 6. Post-Incident and Anti-Social Behaviour Work Following a tragic fire in the Vale of Glamorgan crews conducted a Hot Strike campaign, visiting surrounding properties to provide fire safety advice and reassurance to residents. Ongoing multi-agency partnership work in Holton Road, Barry, included Joint patrols to address anti-social behaviour, and targeted youth interventions to reduce fire and nuisance calls. Additional prevention activity has been carried out at Pencoedtre School to help reduce false alarm activations (FAMs). The Service remained committed to improving safety and resilience across the Vale through a co-ordinated and prevention-led approach, while maintaining the highest standards of emergency response. Following the Group Manager’s update, the Chair thanked the Officer for their time and noted the usefulness of receiving updates and advice in relation to matters that were more prevalent in warmer weather and therefore forthcoming months. In light of this, the Chair recommended that fire safety advice in relation to warmer weather issues, such as disposable barbeques and wild grass fires, be forwarded to all Committee Members following the meeting for sharing with their respective Councils. AGREED – (1) T H A T the verbal update provided by Group Manager O’Keefe be noted. (2) T H A T a written update from Group Manager O’Keefe be provided to all Committee members, via the Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer following the meeting, including advice specific to warmer weather. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to updated information since the last Committee meeting (April 2025). (2) So that Committee Members may share both the Fire Service update and warm weather safety advice with their respective Town and Community Councils.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – T H A T the report be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee. Reason for decision To allow the Committee further time to consider relevant nominations and to take the matter to a vote with a higher number of Town and Community Council Representatives in attendance.
The report was presented in order to invite a representative of Town and Community Councils (TCCs) to join the Public Services Board (PSB) in line with the statutory guidance for the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and to continue the involvement of TCCs in the work of the PSB and the effective dialogue that had been established between TCCs. The Chair advised that on the 30th January, 2025, the Committee agreed a Motion that the TCC representative appointed to the PSB would be rotated between Town and Community sized Councils on a two-yearly basis. Councillor C. Hadley from Colwinston Community Council was duly appointed as the representative on the PSB for a period of two years to January 2027. Following the recent resignation of Councillor C. Hadley from Colwinston Community Council, from the Community Liaison Committee, and as its representative on the PSB, the Committee were requested to appoint a new representative to sit on the PSB until the 2027 Local Government Elections. Following some discussion relating to the timing of nominations being received, the Principal Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer suggested that the report be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee. This suggestion was subsequently agreed by the Committee to allow members of the Committee further time to consider relevant nominations and to take the matter to a vote with a higher number of Town and Community Council Representatives in attendance. AGREED – T H A T the report be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee. Reason for decision To allow the Committee further time to consider relevant nominations and to take the matter to a vote with a higher number of Town and Community Council Representatives in attendance.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (1) T H A T the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review and comments on the same, as set out within the report, be noted. (2) T H A T both the report and Committee comments be referred to Council on th the 14 July, 2025. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to the contents of the report to apprise the Community Liaison Committee of the Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review. (2) To update Council and to approve the response to the initial consultation phase of the review.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council Chief Executive and the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer began presentation of the report by highlighting that Members of the Committee would already be aware of the recent Community Review undertaken within the Vale of Glamorgan and that Welsh Government Ministers had recently accepted the recommendations of said review. Therefore, work would now be taking place ahead of the next Local Government Election in May 2027 to put the recommendations of the previous review in to place. As such, following the Community Review, it was important that the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (“the Commission”) followed up with a wider Electoral Review. The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru etc. Act 2013 required the Commission to review the electoral arrangements for each principal area in Wales at least once every 12 years. The electoral arrangements were defined as: • The number of Members of the Council for the principal area. • The number, type and boundaries of the electoral wards into which the principal area is for the time being divided for the purpose for the election of Members. • The number of Members to be elected for any electoral ward in the principal area; and • The name of any electoral ward. The report advised that the Commission commenced the Electoral Review for the Vale of Glamorgan on 5th June, 2025 and encouraged the Vale of Glamorgan Council to provide a scheme of effective representations as part of the consultation by 16th July, 2025. To this end, the report included a set of initial observations for consideration by the Boundary Commission, as detailed in Section 2 of the report, and the Council would have an opportunity to comment further at subsequent stages. In conclusion, the Chief Executive and the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer advised that individual Town and Community Council and indeed any individual member from any Town and Community Council could make representations directly to the Boundary Commission in the same way as any Vale of Glamorgan Elected Member or Political Group. Following the Officers presentation of the report, the Representative for Penllyn Community Council noted the importance of Town and Community Councils raising any matters which could improve effective and accountable representation across all electorates with both the Commission and Vale of Glamorgan Council, to highlight any particular/unique issues and measures that were not immediately apparent just from looking at councillor numbers and ratios. As such, the Representative urged Vale of Glamorgan Elected Members, when considering the response to be submitted to the Commission, not to simply consider it an exercise of balancing numbers and ratios, but also to meet the core objectives of the review to ensure effective and accountable representation for all areas across the Vale of Glamorgan. In response, the Chief Executive and the Council’s Electoral Registration Officer confirmed that the Vale of Glamorgan Council would be required to look at every area of the Vale of Glamorgan and not just those brought to the Council’s attention by the Commission by inclusion within the thematic map (Appendix 2). Town and Community Councils were the experts in their particular areas and therefore, now would be the ideal time to submit representations to the commission. The next stage of the review would involve the Commission publishing recommendations that all parties would have further opportunity to make comments upon, and it was expected that the Committee would receive a further report in the future as the review progressed. With no further comments or questions, the Committee subsequently AGREED – (1) T H A T the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review and comments on the same, as set out within the report, be noted. (2) T H A T both the report and Committee comments be referred to Council on th the 14 July, 2025. Reasons for decisions (1) Having regard to the contents of the report to apprise the Community Liaison Committee of the Council’s observations to the Commission’s initial consultation on the first stage of the review. (2) To update Council and to approve the response to the initial consultation phase of the review.
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