Agenda and decisions

Divisions/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: To provide Cabinet members with a review of safeguarding progress

Author: Claire Marchant, Chief Officer Social Care and Health; Jane Rodgers, Head of Children’s Services and Safeguarding

Contact Details:janerodgers@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That Cabinet note the progress and challenge the self-assessment of the Whole Authority Safeguarding Co-ordinating Group (WASCG).

That Cabinet support the intention to focus the safeguarding programme approved by the Council in July 2016 against five key priority areas.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: To provide Cabinet with the latest quarterly update on how the council is performing against a set of measures that are important when forming an opinion on the current effectiveness of council services.

Author: Sian Schofield, Data Analyst; Richard Jones, Policy and Performance Officer

Contact Details: richardjones@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That Cabinet use this report to help their continuous monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of services and the extent to which they are contributing to the council’s priorities of the education of children, support for vulnerable people, enterprise and job creation and maintaining locally accessible services.

That Cabinet use this report as an opportunity to identify any action that may need to be taken to drive improvement, ensuring that services are as effective and efficient as possible in the context of current resources.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: To seek approval for the revised structure as proposed in this report to be implemented within the Waste & Street Services department.

Author: Rachel Jowitt, Head of Waste & Street Services

Contact Details: racheljowitt@monmouthshire.gov.uk

To approve the proposed structure and changes to the core establishment.

To approve that minor adjustments, which may result when staff consultation has concluded, be delegated to the Head of Waste and Street Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Operations on the provision that the funding envelope as outlined is maintained.

Division/Wards Affected: Magor with Undy

Purpose: To agree the allocation of the Section 106 (S106) off-site recreation funding from the Kingfisher Rise (Magor West) development site.

Author: Mike Moran, Community Infrastructure Coordinator

Contact Details: mikemoran@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That a capital budget of £219,710 be created in 2017/18 to contribute towards the cost of the projects set out in 2.2 below and that this is funded by a corresponding contribution from Section 106 balances held by the County Council in respect of the Kingfisher Rise development, Magor (Finance Code N579).

That £73,236.50 be allocated to each of the following three projects and that officers work closely with the organisations concerned to help bring the projects to fruition:

·         Three Fields Site Development

·         Sycamore Field Recreation Improvements

·         Undy Playing Field Improvements

That the grants to Undy Athletic Club and Magor with Undy Community Council be made subject to the Council’s standard S106 terms and conditions and subject to the respective applicants submitting, in advance of any payments being released, a satisfactory business plan to support their proposals, including details of existing and projected future usage.

That all business plans must be submitted, and approved by the Cabinet Member for Resources and Head of Finance, no later than 31^st December 2017.

Division/Wards Affected: Undy

Purpose: To consider the proposed Community Asset Transfer of Undy AFC Playing Fields, to Undy Athletic Football Club to provide the ongoing provision of community playing fields and the development of further community sports facilities.

Author: Ben Winstanley, Estates Manager; Nicola Howells, Estates Surveyor

Contact Details: benwinstanley@monmouthshire.gov.uk

To agree to dispose of the freehold interest in Undy AFC Playing Fields at Nil Value to the Trustees of Undy Athletic Football Club using the powers provided via the General Disposal Consent Order (Wales) 2003.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: This report presents the South East Wales Education Achievement Service (EAS) Business Plan 2017-2020. The plan sets out the priorities, programmes and outcomes to be achieved by the EAS on behalf of the South East Wales Consortium. The report also focuses upon the expected outcomes in Monmouthshire, these are contained in the Local Authority (LA) Annex.

Author:Debbie Harteveld (Managing Director EAS)

Contact Details: Debbie.harteveld@sewaleseas.org.uk

That Cabinet endorse the EAS Business Plan and the LA Annex.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to present to Cabinet for approval the 2017/18 Investment and Fund strategy for Trust Funds for which the Authority acts as sole or custodian trustee for adoption and to approve the 2017/18 grant allocation to Local Authority beneficiaries of the Welsh Church Fund.

Author: Joy Robson, Head of Finance

Contact Details: joyrobson@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That the proposed Investment and Fund Strategy for 2017/18 for the Monmouthshire Farm School Endowment Trust Fund be approved.

That the proposed Investment and Fund Strategy for 2017/18 for the Welsh Church Fund be approved.

To delegate responsibility for the execution and administration of treasury management decisions to the Head of Finance (S151 officer) who will act in accordance with the Investment and Funds Strategy (appendix 2).

To approve the 2017/18 grant allocation to Local Authority beneficiaries to the Monmouthshire Welsh Church Act Fund of £200,000 to be distributed in accordance with population shares as per the 2010 Census.

To endorse the principle that 2017-18 grant allocation in respect of Monmouthshire Farms trust fund accord closely with the previous years’ investment return at the end of March 16, to avoid eroding the overall fund. As a guide investment returns are predicted as being circa £15,000.

To endorse the Welsh Church Fund Principles, Policy Considerations and Grant Allocation Criteria for 2017-18 (Appendix 7) as considered by the Welsh Church Fund Committee on the 19th January 2017.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to make recommendations to Cabinet on the Schedule of Applications for the Welsh Church Fund Working Group meeting 4 of the 2016/17 financial year held on the 19th January 2016

Author: David Jarrett – Senior Accountant – Central Finance Business Support

Contact Details: davidjarrett@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That the following grants be awarded as per the schedule of applications, noting the following amendment:

Monmouth Methodist Church requested £4,000 to assist in refurbishing the Kitchen and 'Upper Room' for regular breakfast and lunch clubs for senior citizens and the wider community as well as provision of an after school club for Monmouthshire pupils.

Recommendation - £2,000 was awarded to assist in the refurbishment of this community asset to provide enhanced facilities for community provision.

Division/Wards Affected: All

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to seek approval to create a Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service Manager to provide leadership to whole authority safeguarding and manage the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit.

Author: Claire Marchant, Chief Officer Social Care and Health                   

           Jane Rodgers, Head of Children’s Services and Safeguarding

Contact Details: clairemarchant@monmouthshire.gov.uk

That Members approve and endorse the proposal for creation of a Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service Manager and the revised structure for the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service Unit set out in Appendix 2 to this report.

That Members agree that the additional the cost would be managed through the year and be the first call on any outperformance in corporate finance budgets.

That Members agree to reserve fund c£60k for 2017/18, which represents the resource pressure as a consequence of the creation of this post. The budget will need to be substantiated in the 2018/19 Council budget.