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Agenda and minutes

Contact: Democratic Services 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

County Councillor L. Dymock.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

None.

3.

To confirm minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Minutes:

Confirmed and signed by the Chair.

4.

Public Open Forum

Minutes:

Phillip Boyer - Save our Seats Campaign Abergavenny

 

Mr Boyer addressed the committee regarding the issue of MCC’s street furniture policy.

 

He advised that the local business community look are willing to speak to MCC officers to reach an agreeable outcome for all.

 

 

Mr Rogers – Alltybela Road, Local residents concerns relating to hedgerows, verges, pollutants, highways management and the Section 6 Duty

 

Mr Rodgers wished to speak to the committee in regard to a case study regarding transport movements through a narrow lane in central Monmouthshire.

 

Mr Rogers is looking to work with MCC to achieve a solution.

 

Due to the limited time available the Chair advised Mr Rogers that the issue of HGVs is an agenda item for the September meeting and invited Mr Rogers to return and address the committee on this date.

 

Mr Rogers asked that we note that his concerns were regarding the implementation of legislation, not simply criticism of large lorries and vehicles.

 

Mr Peter Sutherland – Llanbadoc Community Council

 

Usk Island car park – there are 5 litter bins currently sited at Usk Island, there is a wish for more bins and subsequently increased collections.  

 

Also at Usk Island, the increase of anti-social behaviour has resulted in acts of vandalism. Police response has been poor and residents are worried to report incidents due to fears of recrimination.

 

Burger Van - the owner of the business wishes place CCTV cameras at the site and asked if MCC could assist with costs. There are also issues with visitors parking on yellow lines at peak times.

 

Llanbadoc Island – there is a possibility of the community council obtaining grant funding for resurfacing work and asked that MCC support this.

 

Mr Andrew Powell – Business Club of Abergavenny

 

Mr Powell presented the committee with a petition regarding MCC’s street furniture policy.

 

 

 

 

5.

Annual Performance Reports 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 233 KB

Minutes:

Context:

 

To present the 2017/18 performance information under the remit of Strong Communities Select Committee, this includes:

 

Reporting back on how well we did against the well-being objectives which the previous Council set for 2017/18.

 

2017/18 performance information on how we performed against a range of nationally set measures used by all councils in Wales.

 

 

Key Issues:

 

The council currently has an established performance framework, this is the way in which we translate our vision - building sustainable and resilient communities - into action and ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction to deliver real and tangible outcomes.

 

The information contained within the report, in many cases will cover the performance of service areas already scrutinised as part of the Select Committee’s work programme. The purpose of bringing the information together is to allow Select Committee to understand performance in the context of the strategic plan or performance framework within which it is set. Committee members are encouraged to utilise their time appropriately in consideration of the scrutiny the committee has already undertaken in service areas and has planned on the committee’s work programme. The report may identify further areas of scrutiny that committee may want to consider for inclusion on the forward work programme. Activity that contributes to the delivery of some objectives cross cuts select committee remits. Therefore it is suggested members particularly focus their scrutiny on the activity relevant to the committee with consideration of its contribution to the objective as a whole.

 

In March 2017 full Council set Monmouthshire County Council’s well-being objectives for 2017/18. These objectives were set just prior to local government elections in May 2017, in order to meet the legislative requirement of approving and publishing Wellbeing Objectives by 31st March 2017. Given the timing of the publication the latest available evidence from the Monmouthshire well-being assessment, as well as policy and legislation was used to set the Objectives.

 

The approval of the Corporate Plan ‘A Monmouthshire that works for everyone’ which sets five priority goals the Council will be working towards by 2022 supersedes the Council’s well-being objectives set in March 2017. Despite these objectives being superseded by the Corporate Plan it is important, and we have a duty, to report back on the progress we made in 2017/18 against the well-being objective set in March 2017.  The report in appendix 2 provides the progress with the objective that is under the remit of the select committee. This includes progress against areas of work related to the objective, an understanding of key performance information and future activity the Council has agreed as part of the Corporate Plan.  As well as being presented to select committees the objectives will be included alongside a fuller evaluation of the Council’s performance in 2017/18 that will be reported to Council in September 2018 and published by October 2018.

 

Performance data and information is essential to our performance framework to track and evaluate the progress being made. One important nationally set framework used to measure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Budget Monitoring Outturn Report pdf icon PDF 428 KB

Minutes:

Context:

 

The purpose of this report is to provide Members with information on the revenue and capital outturn position of the Authority at the end of reporting period 3 which represents the financial outturn position for the 2017/18 financial year.

 

This report will also be considered by Select Committees as part of their responsibility to,

 

Assess whether effective budget monitoring is taking place, monitor the extent to which budgets are spent in accordance with agreed budget and policy framework, challenge the reasonableness of projected over or underspends, and  monitor the achievement of predicted efficiency gains or progress in relation to savings proposals.

 

 

Recommendations proposed to Cabinet

 

That Members consider a net revenue outturn unspend of £653,000, an improvement of £694,000 on period 2 (month 7) outturn predictions.

 

Members consider a capital outturn spend of £46.8 million against a revised budget of £47.2 million, after proposed slippage of £11.8 million, resulting in a net underspend of £395k. 

 

Considers the use of reserves proposed in para 3.7.1,

 

Supports the apportionment of general underspend in supplementing reserve levels as described below, i.e.:

 

Priority Investment Fund                            £155k

Capital Receipts Generation Reserve     £50k

Balance Invest to Redesign Reserve       £448k

Total                                                               £653k

 

Members notes the extent of movements in individual school balances placing emphasis on schools to review the extent that recovery plans can be delivered over shortened timescales, and appreciates a net use of balances of only £94k instead of the original budgeted intention of schools to draw on balances by £877k.

 

Member Scrutiny:

 

A Member raised the issue of trade waste and asked what MCC can do to combat external competition.

In relation to non-domestic rates it was asked if there had been a drop in the collection rates in Monmouthshire.

 

 

 

Committee’s Conclusion:

 

The Chair thanked officers for the report and Members noted that the low level of earmarked reserves will notably reduce the flexibility the Council has in meeting the challenges of scare resources going forward.

 

 

 

 

7.

Strong Communities forward work programme pdf icon PDF 168 KB

Minutes:

Street Furniture Policy Review - Special meeting 30th July at 10am, public open forum will be added and increased to 30 minutes.

 

The Chair asked that modern slavery and trafficking is added to the work programme.

8.

Cabinet & Council forward work programme pdf icon PDF 137 KB

Minutes:

Noted.

9.

Date and time of next meeting

Minutes:

30th July 10am 2018 – Special Meeting

 

13th September 2018 10am