Agenda item

To scrutinise the Council's performance against the Community & Corporate Plan.

Leader Mary Ann Brocklesby introduced the report and answered the members’ questions with Will Mclean and Matthew Gatehouse. 

Key Questions from Members: 

·            Are more pupils from deprived families being encouraged to take up universal free school meals? the council subsidising families with better incomes? 

·            How do we prioritise the needs of those children not in school? What support is being provided to children who have dropped out of formal education due to anxiety and mental ill health? Do we have a comprehensive suite of datasets for those pupils before dropping out of formal education setting? 

·            For clarity, the report identifies the latest position of secondary schools is 1 in not attending? For FSM pupils it’s1 in 5? 

·            The committee would like to remind pupils, parents and guardians that the best place for children is at school. 

·            Other than food schemes and community fridges what else is being done to tackle inequalities in our communities?Are you expecting the budget proposals to exacerbate inequalities? 

·            Are we signposting residents to services or resources to help them back into work? 

·            What is being done to help homeless people to live independently e.g. return to education or employment? 

·            Is it correct that children from age 5-11 are being given the same sized portions at lunch, are not allowed seconds if they are still hungry, but at the end of lunch leftovers are thrown away? 

·            There are concerns about theimpact of placemaking plans on small businesses in Monmouth, particularly in relation to active travel routes, parking costs, and lower footfall. How does the council plan to address these issues?– ACTION (written response about plans to address concerns in Monmouth) 

·            Isolation in rural areas, and the stress and poverty faced by rural dwellers, particularly in relation to increased costs and poor incomes, is a big concern.Can we see something in the Community & Corporate Plan to help to reach these people? 

·            How does MCC compare to other authorities across Wales in terms of reporting outcomes and budget impacts? 

·            Some pupils are not choosing to have school meals – does that mean they aren’t having anything? Do we know what they’re having, and should we enlist supervisors? 

·            When will the completed VAWDASV strategy be shared with members, and how? 

·            With reference to active travel funds for quick and effective changes, how easy is it to get small projects done such as pavement repairs and dropped curbs? 

·            How far are we able to influence Aneurin Bevan Health Board on partnership issues? 

·            Is any work being done with schools to make them more sustainable, e.g. installing solar panels, them on their energy costs? 

·            Regarding the Benthyg cafes, is there a risk of volunteer burnout? Will recruitment of secondary economy project officers come through the shared prosperity fund, how is that progressing, and how long will they be in post for? 

·            On page 20, why is there no target for 23/24 for the number of affordable homes granted planning permission in year? – ACTION (provide written responsewith details) 

·            Given that the proposed council tax increases are 3 times the forecast inflation rate for 24/25, can we afford this plan? 

·            Do you think residents, service users and businesses would agree with us scoring our assessments? Could we not hand over scoring to them? 

Chair’s Summary: 

Thank you to the Leader and officers for this report. A lot of work goes into the daily activities of the Council and the committee celebrates improvements where they have been congratulates the employees who have achieved them.The report was moved.