Agenda and minutes

There were no items for the public open forum.

Upon opening the meeting the Chair requested that Council were upstanding and held a minute silence in memory of former Chairman, Jane Faulser, who had recently passed away.

The Chairman expressed the best wishes of the Council to the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, particularly those from Monmouthshire.

Council received the Chairman’s report.

There were no petitions received.

The Leader wished to recognise the hard work of the chairman throughout the Eisteddfod week, which had been a success, and expressed thanks and congratulations to all involved.  We heard that the managing director and officials, of the Eisteddfod, had commended all those involved.

County Councillors P. Clarke, S.B. Jones and B. Strong declared personal, prejudicial interests under the Member’s Code of Conduct in relation to Item 6 on the agenda, an update on the Velothon 2017-2020.

Any further declarations would be made under the relevant item.

Prior to discussion County Councillors Clarke, Strong and B. Jones left the Council Chamber having declared interests at item 4.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28^th July 2016 at 5.00pm were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, with the following amendment:

Item 9.1 Velothon

County Councillor R.J. Greenland confirmed the amended recommendation as:

That Council PROVISIONALLY agrees to support the 2017 Velothon subject to an annual post event review. This review will include pro-active and direct engagement with Town and Community Councils, and with the business community, particularly those businesses who have been adversely affected over the last two years.

A request was made that a progress update be added to the Action List.

We noted the action list of the meeting held on 28^th July 2016.

County Councillor R.J.W. Greenland addressed the Council in order to provide an update on the new Morrisons site in Abergavenny.  He thanked officers for pursuing the matter to this final position, especially noting the hard work of the Head of Community Led Delivery, D. Hill-Howells.

We noted the following press release:

“On Thursday 22^nd September Monmouthshire County Council and supermarket chain Morrisons signed a lease to finalise plans for a supermarket to be built on the cattle market site in Abergavenny.  The long awaited agreement will now allow the process to begin.  The structure of the agreement is in line with that previously agreed. However, the financial payments have been varied to reflect the change in market conditions since the contract was originally entered into in 2010.  A premium of £13,750,000 has been paid and rental payments of £160,000 per annum will be payable from February 2018 for a period of 25 years.  Both MCC and Morrisons are keen to move development of the site forward and a planning application for an amended supermarket scheme has been received by our planning authority.  The planning team are awaiting information to support the application and public consultation will commence as soon as these are received.  Our planning officers expect to receive the information and plans in a fortnight from today and aim to report the application to Decembers Planning Committee meeting.”

The Cabinet Member also expressed thanks to the senior executives of Morrisons who had helped push the matter forward.

Members were satisfied with the news and looked forward to the increase in footfall and prosperity and the overall confidence of Abergavenny.

Members acknowledged the work of the Cabinet Member in the process

It was emphasized that we could not foresee the outcome of the planning application, and any members requiring further detail could contact the Head of Community Led Delivery directly.

Emergency Motion

The Chair welcomed County Councillor R. Greenland who presented the following emergency motion:

Monmouthshire County Council agrees to support the 2017 Velothon coming through the County, providing the roads closed for the amateur race are re-opened as soon as practical after the amateur cyclists have passed through.  We would also welcome the professional race but only on a rolling road closure basis thus limiting the inconvenience to residents.

In moving the motion, Councillor Greenland highlighted the following points:

·         It was agreed the issue of toilets had previously been a problem and organisers would double the toilet provision.

·         Green zones would be placed around Monmouthshire and competitors would be urged to dispose of litter in these areas.

·         It had been agreed that there could be road closures between the amateur and professional races however another proposal was made that the road closure should stop following the amateur riders passing through.  This could be dealt with by a rolling road closure.  Police would close side roads, which would then be kept closed by volunteers.  The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

That at its next meeting this Council receive a full evaluation of Monmouthshire County Council's use of Zero Hour Ccontracts. The evaluation should detail the scale and scope of the practice within this Authority and its impact on service provision and staff wellbeing and morale.

That at its next meeting this Council receive a full evaluation of Monmouthshire County Council's use of Zero Hour Contracts. The evaluation should detail the scale and scope of the practice within this Authority and its impact on service provision and staff wellbeing and morale.

In moving the motion Councillor Taylor highlighted the following points:

·         The motion had been tabled in light of anecdotal evidence received and suggested in the spirit of gaining an understanding of our current position, rather than a suggestion that the contracts were being used inappropriately.

·         We heard that around 6% to 8% of the workforce were on casual contracts and assurance was sought that these members of staff were on the appropriate contract for the frequency of work.

During debate we noted the following:

·         The Cabinet Member explained that the information had been supplied to Councillor Taylor, and would be happy to circulate the information regarding the non-defined hours contracts. 

·         Presently there were 318 employees with no contracted hours. 67 people were employed as exam invigilators and 35 were supply teachers.

·         It was clarified that the figures referred to people who made themselves available on an as and when basis. 

·         Members would be able to view the breakdown prior to the discussion at next Council.

·         Members expressed that we should ensure that contractors used by the authority should also not use zero hour contracts, to ensure employees not directly employed should also be protected.

·          

Councillor K. Williams proposed an amendment to the motion, to add the line ‘where the contracts are deemed to be exploitative Monmouthshire County Council will remove the use of them’

The amendment was duly seconded and debate ensued:

·         The Leader recognised the sentiments of the amended motion but felt it inappropriate to pre-empt the information to be circulated, which would allow a considered response at the next meeting. 

·         The Chairman agreed that there would be opportunity to make amendments to the motion at the next meeting.

Upon being put to the vote the substantive motion was defeated.

The original motion was put to the vote, and was carried.

That members of this Council offer full and active support to the Democratic Services committee in their endeavours to encourage and increase democratic engagement in advance of and beyond the 2017 Local Government Elections.

That members of this Council offer full and active support to the Democratic Services Committee in their endeavours to encourage and increase democratic engagement in advance of and beyond the 2017 Local Government Elections

In moving the motion Councillor Taylor explained that as we move towards the 2017 elections, we have a duty to promote democratic engagement at all times, and a duty to support people to exercise their democratic rights.

Members were in agreement and were keen to pledge their support.

A Member noted an issue with attendance at Select Committees, and highlighted the responsibility of Members to attend scrutiny meetings.

A Member expressed that, as councillors, it was a key part of the democratic process to produce an annual report, but it was noted that only six councillors had submitted annual reports for the previous year.

The motion was duly seconded, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.

We welcomed Mr. D. Wilson and Mr. T. Lewis from the Wales Audit Office who presented the Annual Improvement Report 2015/16. 

The report provided key messages from the work carried out by WAO, Estyn, CSSIW and the Welsh Language Commissioner during 2015/16 and included the Auditor General’s assessment of whether the council is likely to comply with the Local Government Measure in 2016/17.

The overall conclusion in the report recognised the progress made by MCC, and based on the work carried out by WAO and relevant regulators, the Auditor General believes that the Council will comply on the measures during 2016/17, provided that it continues to maintain the current pace of improvements.

The report stated that the Council does recognise that there was still work to be done in certain areas.  It was recognised that Estyn no longer considers the Authority in need of special measures and has removed it from further follow up activity.  CSSIW reported good progress with a transformation in practice.

Members were invited to comment:

·         A Member referred to the Gwent Frailty Project, covered in the report, and wished to use it as an example of the range of activities inspected and reviewed.

·         The Leader thanked WAO officers for the report, and recognised the proposals for improvement.  He welcomed the challenges, which would in turn provide better outcomes.

·         A Member requested clarification on page 34 of the report, point 14 - ‘although the Council had taken action to improve the accuracy and quality of its performance data, those actions have not yet been fully effective.’  In response WAO explained that as part of the work carried out, six Performance Indicators had been tested and found three had been inaccurate.  Reasons being some information had been submitted late for the PI, and wrongly reported.  It was found that sickness absence was under reported, and an error in the recording of leisure centre visits. Further detail was requested regarding the incorrect recording of sickness data.

·         A Member referred to page 23 of the report –

‘The Council had generally effective financial governance, but its financial planning and control arrangements were not fully embedded or delivering effectively, in the face of some significant financial challenges.

The Council made progress in improving its governance arrangements, although, more work was needed to strengthen the transparency of decision making and recording.’ It was questioned if this was due to officers not keeping members fully briefed, or members not challenging officers in the correct way.  In response WAO advised that improvements to the process were needed, but must be balanced against the scope of the work done by the Council.  Members were able to request further information, where they felt they had received inadequate detail to make a decision.  

·         In response to the WAO recommendation for Cabinet decisions, the Leader noted that the procedures used were legal and not remiss.

Council resolved to accept the report.

The Cabinet Member presented the Statement of Accounts 2015/16 in order to for Council to consider the final annual accounts for the Authority for 2015/2016

Members were asked to note that, at the time of writing this covering report, the external auditors were still undertaking some work, which may still introduce late changes to the Statement of Accounts.

The Wales Audit Office highlighted some pertinent issues identified through the course of the audit.  There were no adjustments to be made, but some changes to coding were to be made for future reporting.

The Head of Finance confirmed that with regards to a Members’ concern surrounding CMC², the correction had been made in the Statement of Accounts that was before Council today.  The Chief Officer, Resources clarified that the £122,000 adjustment referred to a loss that had previously been written off.  A report had been to Cabinet in July 2015 to write of losses of £140,000, which included the £122,000 under discussion.  We noted that CMC² was currently carrying debtors of £90,000 which would be managed going forward.

Council resolved to agree the recommendation within the report:

·         That the final Monmouthshire County Council Statement of Accounts for 2015/16, as reviewed by audit, be approved.

The Cabinet Member presented the Audit of Financial Statements Report.

The Wales Audit Office highlighted that there were no errors, and the audit had been completed with an unqualified opinion.  The good working relationship with MCC officers was commended and had resulted in the smooth audit process.

We noted there were no specific concerns going forward to the next years’ audit.

Council resolved to accept the report.

The Cabinet Member presented the report in order for Members to consider the allocation of up to £50,000 of capital funding to the development of designs for an Abergavenny community hub, pending a detailed business case to be presented in due course.

County Councillors J. Prosser, P. Jordan, M. Hickman, D. Edwards, R. Harris and M. Powell declared personal, non-prejudicial interests pursuant to the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of their roles as Abergavenny Town Councillors.

During discussion we noted the following points:

·         A Member stated that in his role as Deputy Mayor of Abergavenny Town Council and the Member for Priory Ward, the Town Council were in full agreement with the proposals.

·         The modern facility would be fully accessible, retaining the Mayor’s parlour and a modified council chamber, and will ensure the hub remains a focal point in the town for the coming years.

·         Clarity was requested regarding the floor space, and the size of the new library in comparison to the current library. In response we were assured new library model would be a shared space, which currently worked well in other areas. Further information regarding the floor space would be provided outside the meeting.

·         In terms of the Borough Theatre, we were advised that we would soon be at the end of the three year funding agreement and the expectation was, that as far as possible, the Borough Theatre would be a self-sustaining, self-funding organisation.  We were awaiting sight of the business plan.

·         In terms of planning advice had been taken from a conservation officer.

·         It was confirmed that the library storage space would be doubled

·         Members would appreciate an opportunity to view and comment on the plans.  We were informed that members of the public, and interested groups, had been given the opportunity to offer views on the plans. The plans could be put on display at County Hall to allow all Members chance to view them.

·         It was clarified that the Library staff would be transferred to the new setting, transferring the skill base across.

·         With reference to the Carnegie building, the details of the trust are contained within the business case.

Upon being put to the vote, Council resolved to accept the recommendations in the report:

·         That a sum of up to £50,000 is released to fund the costs of finalising the detailed designs and business case to be funded by prudential borrowing

·         That Council agree that the preferred location for the development of the community hub is within the Town Hall, Abergavenny

·         That a further report is presented to Council following the completion of the detailed designs and business case to seek approval for the scheme to be undertaken.

The Leader presented a report to seek council approval of the Stage 2 Improvement Plan for 2015/16, and to ensure that members have access to comparative performance information for 2015/16.

During debate we noted:

·         The Chief Officer for Social Care and Health responded to concerns by explaining that in terms of the number of people supported in the community we held a challenging demographic, and it was hard to provide an answer on what good looked like.

·         With regards to the delayed transfers of care, the Chief Officer for Social Care and Health explained that there were at least 12 people who were indicated as a Monmouthshire resident, when in fact they were not.  DETOCs were back to the levels they had historically been, which was very low.

·         The Cabinet Member added that the low level number of people in community care could be seen as a positive reflection.

·         The percentage of homeless households had been removed as a measure from the national framework by Welsh Government as it was considered not comparable across the 22 authorities.

·         Concerns were raised regarding the increased sickness levels.  The Chief Officer, Resources explained that headline messages were that figures were driven by long term sickness cases, and furthermore we were seeing an increase in sickness relating to stress and psychological reasons.  A number of measures have been put in place to address the issue.   Further training for managers, to identify early signs of stress, had been implemented, as well as an increase in well-being courses for staff. 

·         We heard that we have an Occupational Health Service, providing support where appropriate

·         A Member suggested that we register for the Welsh Government sponsored Corporate Health Standard. 

·         We noted how misleading percentages could be, and recognised the need for cohorts to provide detailed explanation. 

·         It was suggested that it would in the interest of Council to receive detail of the outcomes of scrutiny of the plan at Select Committees.

·         Members requested a copy of the staff engagement survey. The Chief Officer apologised for the oversight and would forward the survey to all Members.  We heard a pilot was currently running which may provide a real time tool to gauge staff views and opinions.

·         Issues regarding the recording of sickness referred to in the audit had been due to how the figures were calculated through the year.  These issues had now been addressed and resolved.

Council resolved to agree the recommendation in the report:

·         That the Stage 2 Improvement Plan 2015/16 be approved.

Council received a report in order to secure the appointment of members to the Monmouthshire Local Access Forum (LAF) for its next 3 year period and consider measures to increase the forum’s effectiveness.

During debate we noted:

·         The leader of the opposition nominated County Councillor P. Farley.

·         A Member proposed that Councillor A. Webb continue on the forum as the Council representative.

·         The Leader endorsed the proposal that Councillor Webb remain in the role, and expressed that in terms of recommendation (f), the LAF Chair reporting to the Council would be beneficial and provide an opportunity to appreciate the work of the forum.

·         It was agreed Councillor P. Hobson be notified of nominations.

Council resolved to agree the recommendations:

a)    That the following retiring members of the Monmouthshire Local Access Forum be reappointed:- Mr John Askew, Mrs Pat Benson; Mrs Irene Brooke and Ms Anne Underwood;

b)    That the following individuals be shortlisted for appointment as members of the Monmouthshire Local Access Forum: - Mrs Anthea Fairey, Mrs Sheila Hampshire; Ms Elizabeth Hepburn; Ms Gwyneth Jones; Mr Richard Micklethwait; Mr Philip Mundell; Mr David Smith; Mr David Steere and Mr Mark Storey;

c)    That a selection panel of three appropriate Members be established and delegated authority to select and appoint members from the shortlist and to appoint further members should the Forum after its first meeting ask the County Council to seek additional members to reflect any specific interests felt not to be appropriately represented;

d)    That the County Council nominate its representative to serve on the Local Access Forum;

e)    That the retiring members of the Forum, including the past Chairman, be thanked for their valuable contribution.

f)     Consideration be given to the LAF Chair reporting annually to the appropriate Select Committee and/or Cabinet.

Council received a report to set out interim governance arrangements to take forward the provisions of the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal Agreement, signed by Leaders of the 10 Local Authorities in March 2016. To approve the use of Invest to Redesign reserve (16/17) totalling £30,835 as Monmouthshire’s contribution to the central resource fund to enable the continuation of work on the programme, leading up to final agreement of the City Deal.

During debate we noted the following:

·         In response to a question relating to EU funding, the Leader explained that the 10 Leaders had met with the First Minister to get reassurance, and Wales Government were confident that, whatever happens with EU, the funding was safe.

·         A question was raised asking what the deal would specifically mean for Monmouthshire.  In response, the Leader explained it was difficult to quantify at the moment, but it was hoped that the nature of the areas being looked at would bring in further investment and opportunities.  Creating opportunities across the area would provide hope for the futures of our young people.

·         A Member questioned if it must be the Leader to represent Monmouthshire at the CCR City Deal.  It was explained that it was the responsibility of the Leader to represent the Council, and on occasions when not possible, Deputy Leaders would stand in.  The Deputy Leader added that the Leader was well respected by all the other leaders in the region, and carries the brief for Innovation, Digital and Business, one of the most important areas of the City Deal.

·         The Leader of the Opposition referred to 2.1, b, point 5 of the report, Independent Growth and Competitiveness Commission and questioned how the commission was populated, who was appointed, what was the process.  In response the Leader explained the Commission was a task and finish group, headed by Professor Greg Clarke task who undertook an in depth look to help things going forward.  The Lead on forming the group was Cardiff Council Leader, Phil Bale.

·         It was questioned if the roles of the Shadow Joint Cabinet were remunerated, and if so was it charged from money collectively put together? It was also questioned if expenses were claimed from MCC.  The Leader answered that there was no payment for the role, but was Leaders coming together for the good of the region and expressed disappointment in the question.  He confirmed that travelling expenses were paid by the individual authorities.

·         A Member asked that, in terms of enhanced transport in South East, and North of Monmouthshire, every effort be made that Monmouthshire was well represented in terms of Metro.  In response the Leader highlighted that Welsh Government had set up Transport for Wales

·         Clarification was sought regarding the means by which the Leader will report back on the important undertakings.  It was suggested that a regular reporting mechanism be agreed. 

Council resolved to agree the recommendations:

·         For delegated authority to be given to the Leader of the Council to make and take such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11b

Item deferred.

Will the cabinet member please update Council on the progress on the rebuild for Caldicot and Monmouth schools?  In particular, can she advise councillors on the latest cost estimates in relation to the original (not updated) budgets for completion?

“Will the cabinet member please update Council on the progress on the rebuild for Caldicot and Monmouth schools? In particular, can she advise councillors on the latest cost estimates in relation to the original (not updated) budgets for completion?”

In response the Cabinet Member thanked County Councillor Hayward for his question and welcomed the opportunity to provide an update on the significant investment in the future of our children, young people and communities.  The four secondary school strategy within Band A is to develop two brand new comprehensive schools, one in the north of the county, and one in the south.  They are designed to be efficient schools that will inspire young people and children to learn and develop, and become confident members of our community.

The current position of Band A is:

·         Raglan School – completed last year, delivered on programme and budget.

·         Welsh Medium – in discussions with Dyffryn High School.

·         Caldicot Secondary School – started work in March 2016, due for completion September 2017.

·         Monmouthshire Comprehensive School – enabling works completed and main works due to start.

MCC are co-funders of the schools with Welsh Government, and working closely with contractors.  Since being awarded the funding, the June vote had created uncertainty in the construction sector.  This has caused some concerns and challenges, and led to extensive discussions between partners.  The Cabinet Member expressed confidence in the delivery, but due to the commercial nature was unable to disclose further detail.  It was confirmed that a full report would be brought to Council on 20^th October 2016.

Councillors were asked if they wished to visit Caldicot School, and to use the time to hold a question and answer session.

As a supplementary question:

Will the Cabinet Member please confirm that the promises made to residents of Monmouth would be kept, in particular that the swimming pool would be built to the same specifications and timescale as promised?

In response the Cabinet Member assured Council that the swimming pool would be built as promised, and would be better than the current pool.   

There has been recent bad publicity about the frequency of closure of Troy recycling facility due to the lack of space available when lorries are removing skips from the site. Traffic frequently backs up onto the main road causing a severe safety hazard. Will the cabinet member please advise if there are any plans to enlarge and improve the site in order that the public are not inconvenienced to the same degree?

“There has been recent bad publicity about the frequency of closure of Troy recycling facility due to the lack of space available when lorries are removing skips from the site. Traffic frequently backs up onto the main road causing a severe safety hazard. Will the cabinet member please advise if there are any plans to enlarge and improve the site in order that the public are not inconvenienced to the same degree?”

The Cabinet Member gave the following response:

“The Monmouth Household Waste Recycling facility is well used by the people of Monmouth and surrounding areas.  At peak times, particularly during the summer months citizens can be affected if the site has to close for containers to be moved and replaced. 

The ability to expand the sites is restricted on a number of fronts.  The first one is topography of the existing site.  The sites layout isn't ideal.  We have looked at trying to make extra room on site within the confines of the existing boundary but there are no solutions to be offered.  Extending into the hill is also difficult and costly. 

We have also undertaken assessments of the cost of a new site on the bottom field behind the depot but unfortunately the Council does not have £2 million pounds plus to build a new site.  We have looked at whether the increase in recycling would be enough to reduce costs and put that surplus into prudential borrowing, but again the maths didn't stack up.  Therefore we have to work with what we have. 

Logistically the site has to be shut when the containers are moved.  Our contractors do their very best to reduce the impact on citizens and turn-around times are kept to a minimum.  But I do appreciate that when it is busy that queues can form.  We also can't be rigid about closing times as the containers are only moved when they are full as there is no point moving a half empty container.  All we can do is encourage residents to make use of the kerbside service as much as possible, to reduce their waste overall, think of reusing and donating unwanted items so they reduce their visits to the site.  We will raise this once more with the contractor, but be assured they are working within the rules and doing ultimately what is best for the resident”

As a supplementary question:

Does the Cabinet Member think we have a moral duty to provide the facilities necessary for the people of Monmouth?

In response the Cabinet Member expressed it was difficult to hold moral responsibility without the wherewithal to provide.  However, a piece of work would be undertaken to identify possible improvements without too heavy a cost.