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Agenda and decisions

Venue: Conference Room - Usk, NP15 1AD. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

2.

Declarations of Interest

3.

2021/22 REVENUE & CAPITAL OUTTURN STATEMENT pdf icon PDF 351 KB

Division/Wards Affected: All

 

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to provide Members with information on the Authority’s financial results for the 2021/22 financial year in respect of the revenue budget, capital programme, and associated reserves position.

 

Author: Jonathan Davies, Assistant Head of Finance (Deputy S151 officer)

 

Contact Details: Jonathandavies2@monmouthshire.gov.uk

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet recognises a positive net revenue budget position at outturn of £5.62m prior to transfers to earmarked reserves of £4m, and that this represents a significant improvement of £5.3m from the position forecast at month 9, primarily as a result of:

 

Receipt of £1.87m of Welsh Government Covid-19 hardship funding since month 9 to compensate the Council to support its enhanced costs of service delivery and loss of income as a direct result of Covid-19 impact;

 

Receipt of circa £1.3m in unbudgeted grants that were communicated to and received by the Authority late in the financial year and that have offset core budget funding;

 

Improved income and reduced expenditure across many service areas as a result of in-year budget recovery action as well as the impact of the ongoing operating conditions experienced during the financial year and where services have been reduced or stopped, travel requirements have reduced, office and buildings have remained closed and substantial staff vacancies have remained unfilled.

 

That Members acknowledge the extent that the Welsh Government Covid-19 Hardship Fund has covered all Covid-19 related additional costs directly incurred during the financial year of £12.3m together with compensation for loss of income of £3.6m, noting that the Hardship Fund closed on the 31st March 2022 and that continued budgetary pressures and risks result for 2022/23 and beyond.

 

That Members endorse the strategy applied to replenish reserves as noted within the report to support future financial challenges and ensure financial resilience during a period of continuing uncertainty and as we continue to recover from the pandemic and as the delivery of our services take shape in light of a severely altered socio–economic landscape, a period of significant economic uncertainty, and as wider policy commitments both locally and nationally begin to take shape.

 

That Cabinet acknowledges the continued improvement in Schools reserve balances of£3.5m as contained in Appendix 1 and Appendix 4 that reflects the significant levels of grant support from Welsh Government that was notified late in the financial year.

 

That Cabinet reaffirms the requirement for schools carrying significant surplus balances that are above levels guided by Welsh Government to provide investment plans setting out how they intend to spend their significant surplus balances, whilst also appreciating that the inherent structural budget deficits that led to 17 schools being in deficit prior to the pandemic will in some cases still require resolution, irrespective of the unprecedented funding received.

 

That Members acknowledge the capital outturn spend of £25.2m, introducing an underspend of £1.1m and that subsequently releases £640k of capital receipts back to reserve to support future capital investment.

 

That Members approve the capital slippage requests of £68.5m as listed in Appendix 5,acknowledging the challenging operating conditions and external influences impacting progress during the year.

4.

HOUSING SUPPORT PROGRAMME STRATEGY 2022-26 pdf icon PDF 261 KB

Division/Wards Affected: All

 

Purpose: To approve and adopt the proposed Housing Support Programme Strategy 2022-26 and associated documents, as required by Welsh Government.

 

Author: Ian Bakewell, Housing & Communities Manager

 

Contact Details: ianbakewell@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet considered the findings of the Homeless Need Assessment (See Appendix 1) and the current related homeless risks and challenges.

 

That Cabinet approve and adopt the draft Housing Support Programme Strategy (Appendix 2) and Action Plan (Appendix 3).

5.

UK SHARED PROSPERITY FUND UPDATE - REGIONAL INVESTMENT PLAN/ALLOCATION OF MONMOUTHSHIRE FUNDING pdf icon PDF 535 KB

Division/Wards Affected: All

 

Purpose: To update Cabinet on progress of the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UK SPF) as part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Programme and to seek approval to proceed as detailed in the recommendations that follow.

 

Author: Frances O’Brien, Chief Officer Enterprise

 

Contact Details: francesobrien@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Decision:

Cabinet considered the three investment priorities of the UK SPF and the opportunities for investment which contribute significantly to the Council’s strategic aims of the ‘Plan on a Page’ Looking Ahead, Delivering Now: Our Strategy to Summer 2022, which are namely:

 

· Communities and Place.

· Local Businesses.

· People & Skills

 

Cabinet agrees that Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council (RCTCBC) acts as the Lead Local Authority for the UK SPF for the ten Local Authorities across the South East Wales Region. RCTCBC, will therefore have overall accountability for the funding and how the fund operates.

 

Cabinet endorses submission of the Regional Investment Plan, by RCTCBC, which incorporates Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC’s) outline Local Investment Plan, to UK Government in readiness for the submission deadline of 1st August 2022.

 

Cabinet agrees to enact a ‘Monmouthshire People and Place Partnership’ to inform and assess the appropriateness of MCC’s outline Local Investment Plan, and monitor progress over the funding period.

 

Cabinet delegates powers to the Chief Officer – Communities and Place, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services and the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Economy, Deputy Leader, to agree the legal agreements associated with the UK SPF, with RCTCBC, on behalf of the Council.

 

Cabinet extends the contracts of NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training) related staff who are currently at risk of redundancy in December 2022, due to the cessation of the European Social Fund programmes – Inspire2Achieve, Inspire2Work andSkills@Work. Staff will be funded via UK SPF until March 2025 by taking a locally delivered, regionally coordinated approach. Should confirmation of UK SPF be delayed beyond December, and the statutory three months’ notice period required, a further report will be brought to the Chief Officer – Communities and Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Economy, Deputy Leader, to seek approval to extend the staff contracts to March 2023.

 

Cabinet agrees to utilise up to 4% of the funding for financing the administration of the Monmouthshire element of the Fund to establish a delivery team from within the existing Economy, Employment and Skills Team.

6.

PLAY SUFFICIENCY ASSESSMENT 2022 & PLAY ACTION PLAN pdf icon PDF 223 KB

Division/Wards Affected: All

 

Purpose: To approve the Play Sufficiency Assessment and Action Plan as submitted in draft to Welsh Government by the statutory deadline of 30 June 2022.

 

Author:Matthew Lewis, Environment and Culture Manager

Mike Moran, Community Infrastructure Coordinator

 

Contact Details:matthewlewis@monmouthshire.gov.uk

mikemoran@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet approved the 2022 Play Sufficiency Assessment and the Action Plan for 2022/23

7.

REGENERATION FUNDING AND DELIVERY pdf icon PDF 290 KB

Division/Wards Affected: ABERGAVENNY, CALDICOT, CHEPSTOW, MAGOR, MONMOUTH, USK

 

Purpose: The Council’s ambition for regeneration activity, and the ambition of the communities it represents, far outstrips the resources and funding available to deliver everything, and therefore decisions on priorities and sequencing are required. The purpose of the report is to invite Cabinet to agree the indicative package of Placemaking Grant projects (which will form the bid for Welsh Government Transforming Towns grant for the next three years) and to agree to develop ‘Placemaking Plans’ for Monmouth, Magor and Abergavenny. It is proposed that a decision on strategic projects is deferred until the Autumn of 2022, by which time the Council should have received a decision on its bids for Levelling Up Funds.

 

Author: Mark Hand, Head of Placemaking, Highways and Flooding

Daniel Fordham, Regeneration Manager

 

Contact Details: markhand@monmouthshire.gov.uk danielfordham@monmouthshire.gov.uk

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet agrees to the co-production of ‘Placemaking Plans’ for Monmouth, Magor and Abergavenny with the respective Town Councils. These documents will provide an overarching masterplan for each of the towns to support future grant funding bids.

 

That Cabinet agrees the proposed indicative package of smaller Placemaking Grant projects (Appendix 2) for delivery in 2022/23 to 2024/25, and authorises the Chief Officer for Communities and Place to make adjustments to that package of projects as needed, in liaison with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Economy, Deputy Leader.

 

That Cabinet notes the schedule of potential Strategic Projects and the scale of funding required for delivery, and agrees to defer making a decision on strategic projects until the Autumn 2022, allowing for alignment with the emerging new Corporate Plan and in formed by the decision on our bids for Levelling Up Funds from the UK Government.

8.

DRAFT HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT POLICY 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 668 KB

Division/Wards Affected: All

 

Purpose: The Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 sets out the legal responsibilities

for the provision of school transport. Within the legislation they place a duty on local

authorities to review their transport policy on an annual basis. The policy needs to be

confirmed by the 1st October for application in the following academic year.

 

This report presents the proposed Transport Policy for 23-24 and seeks Member

approval to undertake consultation. It is intended that a further report will be presented

to Members in September following a review of the consultation responses.

 

Author: Debra Hill-Howells, Head of Decarbonisation, Transport & Support Services

 

Contact Details: Debrahill-howells@monmouthshire.gov.uk

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet agrees to the commencement of public consultation on the proposed transport policy.

9.

MUCH (MAGOR & UNDY COMMUNITY HUB) REPORT pdf icon PDF 152 KB

Division/Wards Affected: Magor East and Undy, Magor West

 

Purpose: To seek approval for the construction of a new community hub at the site known as ‘Three Fields’ in Magor and Undy.

 

To enter a long lease agreement with the ‘MUCH’ Community Group, for occupation and management of the site.

 

Author: Nicholas Keyse – Estates Development Manager

 

Contact Details: nicholaskeyse@monmouthshire.gov.uk

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

To add the £2,864,316 development of the Magor and Undy Community Hub to the capital programme.

 

To delegate responsibility to the Chief Officer for Resources and Cabinet Member for Resources for approval of the business case and lease terms with the MUCH group, inclusive of a rent-free period of two years.

 

That the development is conditional upon granting of £400,000 additional contribution from Welsh Government’s Economic Stimulus Fund.

 

That the development is funded via £800,000 S106 contributions from the Rockfield Farm development, and £222,120 advanced call on the Vinegar Hill development’s S106 contribution.

10.

WYE VALLEY VILLAGES FUTURE PLAN pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Division/Wards Affected: Trellech United CC, Devauden CC, Wye Valley CC,

St Arvans CC

 

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to brief Cabinet on the background to the co-produced Wye Valley Villages Future Plan, how the project might develop going forwards, and to seek Cabinet’s agreement to adopt the Plan to inform future activity and decisions. It is intended that the Plan will be adopted by all parties (community councils, Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) office and MCC). If adopted, a delivery group will be established.

 

Author: Mark Hand, Head of Placemaking, Highways and Flooding

Daniel Fordham, Regeneration Manager

 

Contact Details:Markhand@monmouthshire.gov.uk

danielfordham@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet adopts the Wye Valley Villages Future Plan for implementation and to inform future decision-making (Appendix 1).

 

That Cabinet authorises the Chief Officer for Communities and Place, in liaison with theCabinet Member for Sustainable Economy, Deputy Leader and advised by the delivery group, to source funding, undertake community and stakeholder consultation as needed, and to decide to proceed with any of the projects outlined in the Wye Valley Villages Improvement Plan where those projects involve MCC.

11.

RE-OPENING CHEPSTOW HIGH STREET TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC pdf icon PDF 121 KB

Division/Wards Affected: Chepstow

 

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to invite Cabinet to decide whether or not to revoke the Experimental Order that closes Chepstow High Street to traffic except for blue badge holders accessing the parking bays on Bank Street and except for deliveries to businesses between 4pm and 10am. Revoking the Order would re-open the High Street to all vehicular traffic as per the pre-pandemic arrangements.

 

Author: Mark Hand (Head of Placemaking, Highways and Flooding)

 

Contact Details: markhand@monmouthshire.gov.uk

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Cabinet supports the unanimous request of the locally elected County Councillors for Chepstow and the Transforming Chepstow Masterplan Steering Group and revokes the Experimental Order that closes Chepstow High Street, thereby re-opening Chepstow High Street to vehicular traffic.