Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor P.M.Hughes.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Board held on the 27^th November, 2017 be signed as a correct record.

The Banks, in particular the recent announcement to close branches in Llandeilo and Ammanford are effecting the social fabric wellbeing of these communities and disadvantaging the Small Medium Enterprises that operate in our rural communities.  What can you suggest we do to get them to reverse the decision and also prevent further bank closures?

The Executive Board received the following Question on Notice submitted by Councillor E.G. Thomas to Councillor E. Dole, Leader of the Council:-

“The Banks, in particular the recent announcement to close branches in Llandeilo and Ammanford are effecting the social fabric wellbeing of these communities and disadvantaging the Small Medium Enterprises that operate in our rural communities. What can you suggest we do to get them to reverse the decision and also prevent further bank closures?”

Response by Councillor E. Dole, Leader of the Council:-

The consensus I believe, is until the Westminster government strengthens the banking code, they will continue on the same journey and this will then mean that they will ignore the rural needs of our communities.  For them this is a good thing to do, to close these banks.

Jonathan Edwards MP and Adam Price AM have asked on many occasions for a meeting regarding this and they have asked the Chief Executive of NatWest for a meeting to discuss the way banks are ignoring the needs of these rural communities.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith have also called on the Welsh Government to set a Bank for Wales in place, so that there is a way through that Bank to support our rural communities here.  That of course came as a result of the news that Barclays is closing the last bank in Llandysul at the end of this year, which leaves Llandysul without any banks at all on the main street.

The Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Bethan Williams, in the context of closing this bank said: "Here we have the last bank in Llandysul announcing that it will close its doors, and the Post Office in the town centre will soon close and move to a supermarket outside Llandysul.”

The Chair FUW President Glyn Roberts has also talked out the banks that have closed and the effect on towns and neighbouring rural areas.  He makes the point that the tax payers are still in ownership of many of these banks and is asking in that context that there are conditions set for the bail out which will ensure through that ownership that there will be way to ensure a continuation of the service of the rural areas.

The bottom line of the banks is profit and in the face of the kind of profit that they are announcing every year it’s shameful that they are so willing to ignore the needs of those people who depend on the services.  I am sure this service will be reviewed in the context of the Rural Forum under the leadership of Cefin and as part of their key work in that area they are saying of course that the tendency is that everybody is moving to work online with the banking but when there is no sufficient broadband within rural Wales, that reason doesn’t stand up. So I am sure that is something that will be considered as part of the Rural Forum. 

Personally, in my ward, I  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.1

The Chair advised that no public questions on notice had been received.

The Executive Board considered a report on the Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report 2016/17 which provided Members with a comprehensive overview of progress, achievements and future plans.  Detailed updates on each equality objective were provided within Appendix 1 appended to the report.

The Board noted that Strategic Equality Plans (SEPs) were important documents that set out how public bodies will consider the needs of groups with ‘protected characteristics’, as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. This was intended to ensure that all individuals receive just and equitable treatment in respect of service delivery and strategy/policy formulation.   Furthermore, the Equality Act 2010, now included a new public sector equality duty which covered all of the protective characteristics.  In accordance with the general duty public bodies were required to have due regard to the following three aims:-

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act;
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not;
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who not.

The aims of the general duty was to ensure that public authorities and those carrying out a public function consider how they can positively contribute to a fairer society through advancing equality and good relations in their day-to-day activities.

The Board gave recognition to the many achievements that had been made over the last year and appreciation was extended to Officers and staff members.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive and approve the Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report 2016-17.

The Executive Board considered the Annual Report 2016/17 on the Welsh Language necessary in order to comply with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s monitoring arrangements. The report included the statutory and local indicators which measure compliance with the Scheme. The Welsh Language Commissioner had given Carmarthenshire County Council a compliance notice regarding the Welsh Language Standards Regulations on 30^th September 2015 which required the Council to comply with most of the standards by 31 March 2016.

The Board noted that the Welsh Language Standards meant that the Welsh language must not be treated less favourably than the English language, and must also promote or facilitate the use of the Welsh language. This was in accordance with the two principles that form the basis of the Welsh Language Commissioner’s work:

• in Wales, the Welsh language should be treated no less favourably than the English language

• persons in Wales should be able to live their lives through the medium of the Welsh language if they choose to do so.

Furthermore, the Executive Board Member for Culture Tourism and Sport highlighted to Members that whilst this report provided detail in relation to the individual Standards, it had been proposed that the Report for 2017-18 would be streamlined to report on the group of Standards rather than the individual areas.

The comprehensive report was commended and appreciation was extended to the Officers and staff involved in the development of the report.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive and approve the Annual Report

2016-17 on the Welsh Language.

The Executive Board received the Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan 2006 – 2021 which was had been produced following the resolution of the County Council on the 20^th September 2017 wherein consideration was given to the second Local Development Plan (LDP) Annual Monitoring report (AMR) and its recommendations.

The Deputy Leader explained that in accordance with statutory requirements the Council had already prepared and published two Annual Monitoring Reports (AMRs) to date and that the purpose of each AMR was to assess the extent to which the LDPs strategy, policies and development sites were being delivered.  In order to ensure that regular and comprehensive assessment of whether an LDP remains up-to-date, Councils were required to undertake a full review of their adopted LDP.

The Board was advised that the Authority was in receipt of a letter from Lesley Griffiths AM which suggested that the Council consider preparing an LDP on a regional basis in future.  Members were informed that arguments for not preparing a regional LDP were included on Page 12 of the report.

It was commented with emphasis that this was a ‘Local’ Development Plan and should therefore remain local, however, it was acknowledged that consideration would of course be given to Carmarthenshire’s adjoining Counties.

Reference was made to a comment from Lesley Griffiths, AM within the content of her letter which referred to the length of time it had taken the Council to produce the LDP. A comment was raised that it had taken Inspectors within the Welsh Government considerable time ratify the plan which has added to the Councils timescales.

The Leader stated that the additional points raised would be included in response to the letter from Lesley Griffiths AM.

In accordance with CPR 11.1, Councillor D.M. Cundy commented that the LDP was one of the most important set of documents that the Council produce, strategically, tactically and operationally.  It is the main document that underpins the relationship between the Welsh Government, the Council, Community Councils throughout Carmarthenshire as well as the interactions and collaborations with other Counties throughout Wales.  The plan influences the requirements of a wide range of services and all stakeholders.  It was expressed that due to the technical nature of the LDP it was felt Council Members, particularly new Members had little understanding of the LDP and the other documents which linked to the LDP.

Taking on board the recommendations from the Community Scrutiny held on 14^th December 2017, Councillor Cundy asked, if the Executive Board felt it would be advantageous, for a full presentation of the LDP review report and methodologies to be presented as a seminar to full Council?  The Deputy Leader agreed with the comments, and took the opportunity to remind Members that in October 2017, each political party had been contacted and offered an opportunity to discuss the plan, which unfortunately, no uptake had been received.  Furthermore, it was expressed that an informal workshop approach may prove to be more conducive for discussion and increased interaction.  As a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Executive Board considered the Revised Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan 2018-2033, Draft Delivery Agreement and Draft Site Assessment Methodology report which included a Delivery Agreement containing a timetable of the key stages for preparing the revised LDP and a community involvement scheme.  The timetable consisted of information on how and when stake holders and the community are able to engage and contribute during the Plan’s preparatory process.

The Deputy Leader urged all stakeholders, interested parties and communities to consider and contribute to the preparation of the revised LDP during the formal consultation period.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL:

9.1     that the Draft Delivery Agreement for the Revised Carmarthenshire Local Development Planfor a 6 week formal consultation be approved;

9.2     that the commencement of the initial stages of the LDP preparatory process in advance of any agreement on the final Delivery Agreement be approved;

9.3     that the content of the Draft Site Assessment Methodology be approved;

9.4     to grant officers delegated authority to continue preparatory discussions and to make typographical or factual amendments as necessary to improve the clarity and accuracy of the Draft Delivery Agreement and to refine the usability of the Draft Site Assessment Methodology.

The Executive Board considered the report on the Council Tax Base 2018-19.  The Board was reminded that the Council was required to determine, on an annual basis, its Council Tax Base and the Council Tax Base of each community within its area, for the purpose of calculating the level of Council Tax for the forthcoming financial year and, under the provisions of Section 84 of the Local Government Act 2003 and the Local Authorities Executive Arrangements (Functions and Responsibilities) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2004, the annual calculation had been delegated to the Executive Board.

The calculation of the Tax Base for the County Council for 2018-19 was detailed in Table 1a and summarised in Table 1b, which were appended to the report.  The calculation for individual Town and Community Council areas for 2018-19 was summarised in Table 2 and detailed in Appendix A, which were also appended to the report. 

The Board noted that the Tax Base report provided calculations that were Authority-wide as well as broken down into all community and town council areas for their precept purposes and that the Council Tax Base for the financial year 2018-2019 was calculated at £72,153.24.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:

10.1. the Council Tax Base calculations for the financial year 2018-19, as detailed within Appendix A of the report, be approved;

10.2. a Council Tax Base of 72,153.24, as detailed within tables 1a and 1b of the report, be confirmed in respect of the County Council area;

10.3. the relevant tax bases for the individual community and town council areas, as detailed in table 2 of the report, be confirmed.

The Executive Board considered the report on the Modernising Education Programme – Strategic Outline Programme – Band B Update which included the Programme of Projects, Band A progress to date, submission of Programme of Projects for Band B, information regarding funding and Mutual Investment Model (MIM).

The Executive Board Member for Education and Children confirmed that the Authority was in receipt of all of the Band B funding which equated to £129.5m in order to improve the schools throughout the County.

The Executive Board Member for Education and Children explained that the preparations for the national 21st Century Schools Programme commenced in 2010 through an invitation by the Welsh Government to local authorities to submit a Strategic Outline Programme. 

Since 2010 the Executive Board had approved an updated MEP three times in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and would continue to be monitored bi-annually. Following the initial submission process Carmarthenshire’s Band A programme which was funded 50% by grant from Welsh Government and 50% from the Council’s own resources.  The work for Band A was due to be completed by 2019.

The Executive Board Member for Education and Children reported that there had been some changes to the document since the production of the report and gave reference to Section 8, Application for Mutual Investment Model (MIM) funding. The Llandeilo and Ammanford Area Schemes have now been replaced with the Ysgol Gwenllian, Hendy and Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman projects.  The Director of Education and Children further explained that this report had been presented to Welsh Government in July 2017 and confirmed that since then there had been an amendments relating to the offer for Llandeilo and Ammanford Primary Schools.  It was confirmed that both schemes would introduce a Welsh medium foundation phase with option at year 3 to choose a Welsh or English stream, subject to consultation.

Reference was made to Section 9 of the report, which provided Band B’s priority projects.  In response to a query raised regarding the plans to consult with school governors and staff, the Modernisation Services Manager stated that similar to Band A an informal consultation with school governors and staff would commence at the start of the programme and that a formal wider consultation would take place as part of the schools organisation process.

The Chief Executive stated that the programme would be carried out over the next 7 years and as timescales tighten, consultation with local members and the community would take place at specific points of the programme. 

The Director of Children and Education offered to organise a workshop for all Councillors to raise awareness of the plans and provide an opportunity for discussion.  Members of the Board agreed that a workshop would be beneficial.

RESOLVED:

11.1    that the report on Modernising Education Programme – Strategic Outline Programme – Band B Update be received;

11.2       that the recommendations received from Education and Children Scrutiny Committee held on 27^th November be noted;

11.3       that subject to the inclusion of the amendments, the updated Strategic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

[Note: Councillors C. Campbell, L.D. Evans and P. Hughes-Griffiths declared an interest in this item and left the Chamber.]

The Executive Board received the report on the Model Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18 which had been revised to reflect legislative changes introduced by the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2017.

The Deputy Leader informed Members that following consultation, the HR Group of the Education Regional Working (ERW) Consortium had updated the current Pay Policy which would be offered to all schools across the region. In addition, teaching associations had agreed the Model Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18, both regionally and locally.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive and endorse the Model Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18.

[Note: Councillors C. Campbell, L.D. Evans and P. Hughes-Griffiths declared an interest in this item and were not present whilst this item was being considered.]

The Executive Board received the Model Unattached Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18 which had been updated to reflect legislative changes introduced by the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2017.

Members noted that following consultation, the HR Group of the Education Regional Working (ERW) Consortium had updated the current Pay Policy which would be offered to all schools across the region. In addition, teaching associations had agreed the Model Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18, both regionally and locally.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to receive and endorse the Model Unattached Teachers’ Pay Policy 2017/18.

The Executive Board considered a report which provided an initial view of the 5 year capital programme from 2018/19 to 2022/23, which would form the basis of the budget consultation process with members and other relevant parties.  It was noted that feedback from the consultation process, along with the outcome of the final settlement, would inform the final budget report which would be presented to members for consideration in February, 2018.

The Executive Board Member for Resources stated that this reported followed the approval of the capital programme in February 2017 and that the proposals contained within this report had developed the programme for an additional year and proposed amendments where necessary for changes in service demands and funding.

The main areas of change were outlined within Section 4 Funding of the report which included extra investment in the Pembrey Country Park, Highways and Bridge Maintenance.

In addition, the Modernising Education Programme had also changed for years 2018/19 to 2022/23 with the re-profiling of budgets and the introduction of some new schemes including Kidwelly, Pembrey, Five Roads and Heol Goffa Schools.  The Welsh Government had recently announced their approval for the Band B programme running to 2024 which had a scheme value for Carmarthenshire of £129.5m, it was anticipated that these schemes would be funded through Welsh Government Capital Grant and their Mutual Investment Model (MIM).

Members noted that the current programme proposed a capital spend of some £199m over the next 5 years and current funding proposals included external funding of £56m. Furthermore, the programme currently reflected a funding shortfall of £1.6m in year 4.

The Director of Corporate Resources highlighted the Financial Implications section of the report should read ‘The updated capital program is projected to have a shortfall of funding of £1.6m’.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the provisional capital programme be endorsed for consultation purposes.

THE REPORTS RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION AS THEY CONTAIN EXEMPT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH 14 OF PART 4 OF SCHEDULE 12A TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) (WALES) ORDER 2007. IF, FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST TEST, THE BOARD RESOLVES PURSUANT TO THE ACT TO CONSIDER THESE ITEMS IN PRIVATE, THE PUBLIC WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE MEETING DURING SUCH CONSIDERATION.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items as the reports contained exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

Following the application of the public interest test it was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 16 above, to consider this matter in private, with the public excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information).

The Executive Board considered a report on the long term lease partnership proposal for Burry Port Harbour.

Members noted that a partnering opportunity had presented itself, which should address the ongoing maintenance and management sustainability challenges associated with the Harbour.

In addition, the proposal would further develop the Harbour as part of the regeneration masterplan for the area. The provider was seeking a long term lease with a financial return to the Authority, whilst creating additional jobs and levering in almost half a million pounds worth of investment to the facility.

An additional recommendation was proposed and agreed, for delegated authority to be given to the Chief Executive, the Director of Corporate Services, and the Director of Communities, to negotiate final lease terms with the provider, in consultation with the Executive Board Member (EBM) for Resources, and the EBM for Culture, Sport & Tourism.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED:

17.1    to support and approve the proposal for the long term lease partnership of Burry Port Harbour;

17.2    that delegated authority be given to the Chief Executive, the Director of Corporate Services, and the Director of Communities, to negotiate final lease terms with the provider in consultation with the Executive Board Member (EBM) for Resources, and the EBM for Culture, Sport & Tourism.

Following the application of the public interest test it was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 16 above, to consider this matter in private, with the public excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information).

The Executive Board considered a report which provided information on the proposed leasing arrangements for Guildhall, Carmarthen.

The Executive Board noted that the private sector proposal would give rise to significant regeneration benefits for the town and ensure the long term sustainability and economic viability of the Guildhall.

Members acknowledged that there were significant costs associated with the running and maintenance of the Grade II* Listed Building and that private sector occupation of the main building would relieve the Council of all ongoing financial liability whilst also generating an income and adding vibrancy and footfall to Guildhall Square.

In addition, the investment in the property proposed by the private sector interest would ensure a sustainable long term future for the Guildhall and bring a quality national offer that will add vitality and vibrancy to the Square, whilst also allowing the people of the County to continue to be able to enjoy the building and its heritage.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to endorse the lease terms with current private sector interest and authorise Officers to proceed with the arrangements accordingly.

Following the application of the public interest test it was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 16 above, to consider this matter in private, with the public excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information).

The Executive Board considered a report on the purchase of land at Nantglas, Crosshands.

Members noted that the purchase would support the strategic development aims of the Council in the Cross Hands area and would facilitate future development and expansion either at Nantglas or within other strategic sites.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to endorse the purchase the land at the Nantglas, Crosshands as recommended within the report.