Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors L.D. Evans and J. Tremlett.

There were no declarations of personal interest.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Board held on the 30^th July be signed as a correct record.

The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

The Executive Board considered the Council’s Draft Carmarthenshire County Council’s Annual Report for 2017/18 produced in accordance with the requirements of both the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. It was noted the report was the first of the Council’s Annual Reports to incorporate outcomes on its Well-Being Objectives and provided:-

Ø  An overview of the 2017/18 performance,

Ø  Two page progress reports for each of the 15 Well-being Objectives,

Ø  A link to track progress on every specific action and target set for each Well-being objective,

Ø  Within the appendicies, other performance information on Out-turn data and National Survey for Wales Results.

The Executive Board noted that although the report had been considered by the Council’s scrutiny committees, the appendicies thereto had been amended subsequent to that consideration for the purpose of updating the Out-Turn Data and National Survey for Wales’ results, which had not been available at the time of drafts’ preparation.

Reference was made to Well-being Objective No. 9 – Live Well/Age Well and to whether the report could be amended to incorporate the innovative work being undertaken in the Tyisha Ward of Llanelli by the Tyisha Steering Group to tackle poverty. It was confirmed the report could be amended accordingly.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL that the Draft –Carmarthenshire County Council Annual Report for 2017/18 be approved.

The Executive Board considered the Council’s Annual Complaints and Compliments report for the period 2017/18. It was noted the report detailed:-

·        the numbers of complaints investigated and responded to between April 2017 – March 2018 by department,

·        statistics on communications received by the Complaints Team and redirected. Those related to enquiries and requests for assistance which, once presented, offered the opportunity to try and rectify difficulties before complaints arose,

·        complaints with any equalities or Welsh language issues,

·        complaints determined by the Ombudsman,

·        analysis of complaints and compliments by department.

It was noted that whilst the report captured the complaints and compliments for the authority, complaints relating to Adult Social Care matters had, as of 2017/18, been managed separately by the Communities Department. A full end of year report thereon had been presented to the Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee on the 21^st May, 2018 and figures and analysis with regard thereto had been included within the Authority’s Annual Report.

The Board was also advised that whilst the report contained details of complaints and compliments received from service users/members of the public, future reports would incorporate complaints/compliments received from the authority’s elected members.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Complaints and Compliments Annual Report 2017/18 be approved.

The Executive Board considered the Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) 2017/18 which had been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the Local Development Plan (LDP) Regulations 2005 and was required to be submitted to the Welsh Government by the 31^st October, 2018

It was noted that the report had been considered and accepted by the Community Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on the 21^st September, 2018.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL THAT IT:-

The Executive Board was advised that the Council’s Plaid Cymru Group had nominated Councillor Karen Davies to fill its vacancy on the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to note that Councillor Karen Davies had been appointed by the Plaid Cymru Group to fill its vacancy on the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales.

The Executive Board was advised that the Council’s Labour Group had nominated Councillor Rob James to replace Councillor John Prosser as its representative on the Welsh Language Advisory Panel.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to note that Councillor Rob James had been appointed by the Labour Group to replace Councillor John Prosser as its representative on the Welsh Language Advisory Panel.

The Chair reported that there were no items of urgent business.

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,

That pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 12 above, to consider this matter in private, with the public excluded from the meeting as the report contained detailed financial information and legal opinion. Although the public interest would normally favour transparency and openness and the publication of reports, that was outweighed in this instance by the public interest in maintaining confidentiality because whilst a large part of the information in the report was background and factual, details of partners who may potentially engage in aspects of the project, whose own innovations and commercial interests would be jeopardised by disclosing their identities at this stage of the process, are identified in the report.

The Executive Board considered a report on the provision of the Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the recommendations, as detailed within the report, be approved.