Agenda and draft minutes

Derbyniwyd ymddiheuriadau am absenoldeb gan y Cynghorwyr B. W. Jones, D. C. Evans, A. D. Harries, H. Jones, C. Davies, J. Seaward a G.B. Thomas.

·       Cyhoeddodd y Cadeirydd ei bod wedi mynd i Wobrau Chwaraeon Actif Sir Gâr a gynhaliwyd yn Theatr y Ffwrnes, Llanelli ar 22 Chwefror 2024.  Estynnwyd diolch i aelodau’r Tîm Actif am eu hymdrechion i wneud y diwrnod yn llwyddiant mawr. Roedd yn braf gwobrwyo cynnydd athletwyr ifanc y Sir. Yn ogystal, cafodd yr arian a godwyd yn ystod y noson ei roi i Elusennau’r Cadeirydd - Hosbis T? Bryngwyn, Canolfan Deulu Sant Paul ac Ymatebwr Cyntaf Llanelli.

·       Cyhoeddodd y Cadeirydd fod disgyblion Blwyddyn 6 yn Ysgol Pen Rhos, Llanelli, wedi helpu i godi ymwybyddiaeth o ganser y coluddyn a sgrinio canser y coluddyn yn eu cymuned fel rhan o waith ar y cyd rhwng Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda (UHB), Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru a Menter Canser Moondance. Ysgol Pen Rhos yw'r ysgol gynradd gyntaf yng Nghymru i groesawu'r prosiect yn ei hystafelloedd dosbarth.

Nid oedd unrhyw gyhoeddiadau eraill.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of Council held on the 24^th January, 2024 be signed as a correct record.

The Council received a report, presented by the Cabinet Member for Workforce and Organisation.  Council was reminded that at its meeting on 9 February 2023, the commencement of a Community Review to examine existing Town and Community governance arrangements and make Final Recommendations for any appropriate change was approved. This review concluded on 11 October 2023. Recommendations approved will come into force with the next set of Town and Community Council elections scheduled for May 2027.

As part of this review, it was identified that there were anomalies with community boundaries which were highlighted in the relevant maps appended at Appendix A of the report.

Permission was granted at the Full Council meeting on 11 October 2023 to carry out a review under Section 25 of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013. The initial six-week consultation commenced on 12 October 2023 and was completed on 22nd November 2023.  Responses were appended to the report at Appendix B.

Council was asked to adopt the Draft Recommendations for the purposes of the Community Review and to support the Draft Recommendations being published for consultation purposes for a period of 6 weeks.  It was highlighted that the dates for the consultation would commence on 29^th February 2024 through to 11^th April 2024 and not the dates as cited within the report.

RESOLVED THAT

The Council received a report, presented by the Cabinet Member for Workforce and Organisation on the Recruitment to the Post of Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services (and Monitoring Officer), which provided detailed information on the post, the Monitoring Officer role, the Temporary Acting up arrangements and the proposed timetable.

Council was informed that the current Head of Administration & Law, (including the role of Monitoring Officer) would be leaving the Council with effect from 1st June 2024. Therefore, the Council would need to designate an Interim Monitoring Officer to discharge this statutory role until the conclusion of the appointments process and the new Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services was in post.

It was reported that discussions had taken place between the Chief Executive, Corporate Management Team colleagues and Cabinet members, to consider the way forward for the service, with a view to ensuring that this important post was fit for the future, as well as helping to deliver savings to the Authority.

With a view to reduce the number of direct reports to the Chief Executive, it was proposed that the Electoral and Registration Service would report to the Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services (and Monitoring Officer). The advantages of this would include maximising the synergies of services as well as helping reduce the number of direct reports to the Chief Executive, and creating a more manageable, balanced, and equitable portfolio.  These amended duties were reflected in the revised job profile appended to the report.

Council noted that the recruitment to the post of Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services (and Monitoring Officer) was unlikely to be in completed prior to the departure of the current incumbent, therefore interim arrangements would be required by way of undertaking an internal expressions of interest exercise to seek applications from legally qualified individuals who obtain a practicing certificate and relevant experience.

RESOLVED:

7.1 that the Job Profile and Person Specification appended to the report be approved.

7.2    that the proposed interim arrangements be approved and implemented, following an expressions of interest exercise to be operational until such time as the new Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services (and Monitoring Officer) takes up their position.

7.3to note that, once the appointments Committee ‘B’ has been convened to appoint a new Head of Law, Governance and Civil Services, that a further report be brought back to a future meeting of County Council to note the appointment, and for County Council to designate the new appointee as the Council’s Monitoring Officer pursuant to Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

(NOTE: Councillors A Vaughan Owen, Ll.M. Davies, N. Evans, R. Evans, M.D. Cranham, G. Morgan, T. Higgins, J.P. Hart, F. Walters, D. Nicholas, L.R. Bowen, C.A. Jones, D. Cundy, E. Skinner, R. Sparks, L. Roberts. M. Palfreman, B. Davies, T.A.J. Davies, P.M. Hughes, A. Davies, J. Lewis, R. James, K. Madge, E. Rees and S. Godfrey-Coles had earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting and took part in the discussion and voting thereon).

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on the 19^th February 2024 (Minute 6 Refers) had considered the Revenue Budget Strategy 2024/25 – 2026/27 and made a number of recommendations, as detailed within the report of the Director of Corporate Services, for Council’s consideration.

The report summarised the latest budgetary position, providing an update on the budget validation, spending pressures, the Welsh Government final settlement and the responses from the budget consultation.

In presenting the report, the Cabinet Member for Resources stated that adopting the proposals detailed in the report would allow the Council to provide a fair and balanced budget, which responded to the views fed back from the consultation process. However, he felt it was incumbent upon him to highlight the inherent risks within the strategy in addition to the uncertainties over future pay awards and inflation which must be accepted as a normal part budget setting.

A number of risks were identified as a consequence of the unresolved funding of both teachers’ and firefighters’ pensions, the delivery risk of investments into Children’s Services and the delivery risk of the budget reductions across all areas of council services.

In addition, it was emphasised that this budget was possibly one of the most difficult in this Council’s history and voiced his concern that it was a very challenging time with Local Authorities being put in the impossible position of trying to deliver frontline services whilst continuing to put up with cuts from central government.  There was a duty on all Councillors over the next few months to make the case about the importance of local government and public services generally and the need for additional investment because what we have at the moment was just not sustainable.

It was emphasised that, in setting the budget, work was endured to try and protect front line services whilst trying to keep any Council Tax increase to a minimum and whilst 7.5% was higher than desired it was much better than some other Local Authorities who were facing double digit rises in council tax with some facing bankruptcy.

The Cabinet Member expressed his sincere thanks to all who took part in the consultation or responded to the surveys.  Also, for the commitment and engagement of fellow councillors who participated in the budget seminars in such a positive spirit, despite the huge challenges ahead. The budget proposals were also examined in detail by the Scrutiny Committees.

It was reported that in general, those who took part in the consultation process appreciated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.1

The Council considered a report which brought together the latest proposals for the five-year capital programme 2024/25 to 2028/29, taking account of the consultation exercise undertaken and the revenue implications arising from the programme.

The Cabinet Member for Resources in presenting the report stated that the proposed gross expenditure on the capital programme for 2024/25 was £86.930m with the projected funding being £50.374m from the County Council’s own resources through the application of borrowing, reserves, direct revenue financing, capital receipts and general capital grant, with the balance of £36.556m coming from external sources.

The new capital programme would be fully funded over the five years, however, it was proposed to under commit some of the available funding to give flexibility across the programme to cover any unexpected additional costs. The Authority’s capital strategy, required by the prudential code for capital finance in Local Authorities, had been updated and sets out the long-term context in which capital expenditure and investment decisions are made. It gave due consideration to both risk and reward and impact on the achievement of priority outcomes. The capital strategy covered expenditure on both Council Fund and HRA capital and was included as Appendix C to the report.

It was highlighted that the new programme would see £193m of investment over the next five years, £61m of which was for continued commitment for improving  school buildings, £12m toward Disability Facilities Grant to help transform the quality of life for many people in their own homes, £34m for Regeneration projects to boost economic activity, £16m to complete the City Deal backed Pentre Awel project which included a new leisure centre for Llanelli, £43m to improve local economic highways infrastructure and Recycling Infrastructure, £21m for critical digital IT hardware and infrastructure.    

It was acknowledged that despite the difficulties of the current economic environment, the proposed capital programme committed a significant investment over the next five years. It aimed to optimise the funding opportunities and maximise the funding from potential external sources. A combination of existing and new schemes in line with the Council’s corporate vision would develop the local economy, create jobs, and enhance the quality of life for Carmarthenshire citizens and visitors, while safeguarding our resources for future generations.  

Furthermore, it was reported that £15.5m was successfully obtained in Levelling Up funding for Llanelli Town Centre which would be match funded with an investment of £2.5m from resources and that work would commence with the UK Government to agree a viable project.

Other areas were highlighted:-

-   More than £20m of funding was included in the programme for the replacement of aging and more polluting vehicles.

-   £14m is towards new vehicles for the roll-out of kerb-side sorting and recycling. 

-   To improve recycling infrastructure, it was proposed to make available a £10m loan facility to CWM environmental to develop and improve recycling provision at Nantycaws.  

-   £4.2m over the next five years will be needed for developing and improving digital infrastructure and was, therefore, proposed for inclusion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.2

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on 19^th February, 2024 (minute 8 refers) had considered the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy 2024/25.

The report had been produced in accordance with the requirements of the revised CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management 2017, whereby the Council had previously agreed to maintain a Treasury Management Policy detailing the policies and objectives of the Authority’s treasury management activities.  It was noted that it was also a requirement that the Council approved a Treasury Management Strategy annually before the start of the financial year to which it related. In addition, under the Local Government Act 2003, the Council was required to approve the Treasury Management Indicators for the coming year.

RESOLVED:

8.3.1     that the Treasury Management Policy and Strategy for 2024-25 and the recommendations contained therein be approved;

8.3.2     that the Treasury Management Indicators, Prudential Indicators, Minimum Revenue Provision Statement, the Investment Strategy and recommendations therein be approved.

[NOTE: Councillors J.P. Hart, C.A. Jones and P.M Hughes having earlier declared an interest in this item, left the meeting during the deliberation and voting thereof.]

Council was informed that the Cabinet, at its meeting held on 15^th January, 2024 (minute 11 refers) had considered a report detailing the review of the Authority’s Licensing Policy and Cumulative Impact Assessments (CIA).  Legislation required the licensing policy to be reviewed every five years and the CIAs every three years, to ensure that they were still appropriate.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability, in presenting the report explained that the during the recent review of Station Road, Llanelli and Lammas St, Carmarthen, Officers had consulted on the potential to include other areas in the Cumulative Impact Areas namely Nott Square, King Street and Queen St, Carmarthen. This was done following a request from Carmarthen Town Council and others as a response to the increased level of complaints they had received.

The report detailed strong evidence that had been gathered from a consultation on comments that have been received from the stakeholders.

Cabinet after noting the advantages and disadvantages and considering the 3 options, as stated in the reported recommended that Council select option 3 – ‘Adopt a new CIA for Nott Square, King Street, Queen Street, Carmarthen and retain the existing assessments within the updated Policy, to include an ‘exceptions’ policy as per current Statement of Licensing Policy.’

RESOLVED that

8.4.1     option three, as detailed in the Executive Summary, be selected as the most appropriate policy option for the Cumulative         Impact Assessments to best promote the licensing objectives within Carmarthenshire;

8.4.2  the Statement of Licensing Policy that reflects the chosen option be approved.

[NOTE: Councillor F. Walters had earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting and took part in the discussion and voting thereof).

RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 15^th January, 2024 be received.

RESOLVED that the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 29^th January, 2024 be received.

‘A recent meeting in Ferryside organised by local members to respond to January's flooding seemed to establish that:

-   Bad actors may have contributed to flooding risk or otherwise failed to maintain assets

-   A history of engineering and maintenance lapses contributed to the flooding

-   No clear plans are in place for responding to a flood incident

-   No plans exist for after care of people impacted by flooding

-   Despite long standing awareness of risks associated with climate change and biodiversity loss there is no strategic plan for mitigating increased risks

-   There is a lack of coordination between agencies responsible for local resilience.

So what actions does the council plan to take to alleviate the impact of floods on the residents of Carmarthenshire?’

‘A recent meeting in Ferryside organised by local members to respond to January's flooding seemed to establish that:-

Bad actors may have contributed to flooding risk or otherwise failed to maintain assets- A history of engineering and maintenance lapses contributed to the flooding

-   No clear plans are in place for responding to a flood incident

-   No plans exist for after care of people impacted by flooding

-   Despite long standing awareness of risks associated with climate change and biodiversity loss there is no strategic plan for mitigating increased risks

-   There is a lack of coordination between agencies responsible for local resilience. 

So, what actions does the council plan to take to alleviate the impact of floods on the residents of Carmarthenshire?’

Response by Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen – Cabinet Member For Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability:-

Thank you very much Mr Jenkins for your very important question and timely. Before answering, I would like, on behalf of the Authority, to sympathise with all the residents of the County who have faced a very difficult time over the last few months with flooding and severe weather and also to thank the communities who have pulled together to overcome challenging situations. I would also like to thank the Officers of Carmarthenshire County Council who assisted during that period. Including Councillor Carys Jones in Llansteffan for her tireless work during the floods and also to Councillors Crish Davies and Lewis Davies who have arranged a meeting in Ferryside to discuss the situation there. In fact, there is huge gratitude for your leadership and for organising conversations in the Community. I was not at the meeting in Ferryside to hear the comments, but I can refer to some of the points you have identified as part of the answer.

As I have said on many occasions here in the chamber, humanity is at a critical juncture in its history, mounting evidence from across the world point to us being at the eleventh hour in the fight against the climate and nature breakdown, and the decisions we take or fail to take will have consequences now and for future generations. That is why I feel honoured to be part of this Council who have unanimously voted in favour of declaring two emergencies and demanded that this administration puts climate and nature at the centre of the decisions we take.

Climate Breakdown is not something that is happening to other people in some distant country, here in Wales we are witnessing first hand examples of extreme weather events, particularly flooding, as communities grapples with sea level changes and erratic weather patterns and aging infrastructure that was never designed to deal with what we now are experiencing.  Mitigating the worst effects of Climate Breakdown must be a priority, that is why I am proud of our plans on decarbonisation across all departments of this Council, but it is now necessary to start adapting our communities to the climate change that is locked in and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.1

‘In the light of declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and the Future Generations Act, would the Council consider reviewing their approach to planning permission for solar panels and other energy saving initiatives in areas of conservation? It seems there can even be a conflict with installing these on quite ordinary buildings with Welsh slate roofs if the building is pre-1919. Conservation should adopt a wider definition in this case - not only focused on the historic conservation of buildings but on the long-term conservation of our communities and our environment by allowing greater freedoms to install measures to save and generate local green energy.’

[Note:

·       Councillor Linda Evans, Cabinet Member for Homes responded on behalf of Councillor Ann Davies, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Community Cohesion and Planning Policy as she had to leave the meeting prior to this item;

·       Councillor N. Lewis had earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting.

‘In the light of declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and the Future Generations Act, would the Council consider reviewing their approach to planning permission for solar panels and other energy saving initiatives in areas of conservation? It seems there can even be a conflict with installing these on quite ordinary buildings with Welsh slate roofs if the building is pre-1919. Conservation should adopt a wider definition in this case - not only focused on the historic conservation of buildings but on the long-term conservation of our communities and our environment by allowing greater freedoms.’

Response by Councillor Linda Evans, Cabinet Member for Homes:-

Thank you for the question.  Apologies that Councillor Ann Davies is not here, she is in another meeting. As Carmarthenshire County Council was the first Authority in Wales to declare a climate change emergency and published it’s net-zero plan.  It takes its responsibilities and in this regard very seriously.  It has an ongoing commitment to a transition towards a low carbon economy in order to safeguard the future of communities and future generations.  It is the only Local Authority in Wales which has a training and information centre dedicated to the sustainability of pre-1919 buildings and ensuring that they meet the needs of future generations. Delivering regular training courses on repair, maintenance and energy efficiency in all buildings in the core part of this programme. 

Across Wales we have roughly 500,000 pre-1919 buildings which makes up one third of our housing stock.  Of these, 189,000 at 13% are in the conservation area and there are 30,000 listed structures, including homes, churches, bridges and milestones.  Research has proven that protecting historic buildings and environmental brings significant economic, social culture and environmental benefit to a place and often drawing business and visitors into the area.  The Local Authority recognises that conservation areas and listed buildings play an important role in the health and sustainability of our communities and therefore assesses assessment of any development.  Installation of solar panels is always considered on a case-by-case studies basing accordingly to the development and developed proposals.  In many cases, planning consent is not required for the installation of solar panels on roofs, for example on domestic dwellings inside or outside the conservation area, as long as certain conditions are met.  Where planning permission is required, planning assessment are set within national legislation framework, such as, the Town and Country Planning General Permitted Development Order 1995. 

Planning Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990 and Planning Policy Wales and a judgement on a board or a broad range of issues is made in the assessment process, including the long term sustainability of our communities and their ability to meet the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.2

‘In 2021 the Council secured £16.7m of Levelling Up funding from the UK Government for the Towy Valley Cycle Path. This had a requirement for all funds to be spent by 31st March 2024, or exceptionally by 31st March 2025. Further to which, and given delays to date, presumably the Council has scenario planned for the event that it does not meet the extended deadline. What forecast costs would fall to the Council should work be incomplete at 31st March 2025, and how has this been budgeted for?’

‘In 2021 the Council secured £16.7m of Levelling Up funding from the UK Government for the Towy Valley Cycle Path. This had a requirement for all funds to be spent by 31st March 2024, or exceptionally by 31st March 2025. Further to which, and given delays to date, presumably the Council has scenario planned for the event that it does not meet the extended deadline. What forecast costs would fall to the Council should work be incomplete at 31st March 2025, and how has this been budgeted for?’

Response by Councillor Edward Thomas – Cabinet Member For Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services:-

Thank you for your question. 

As you may already know part of the Tywi Valley Cycle Path is already open, the pathway linking Carmarthen Museum in Abergwili with Bwlch Bach to Fronun, and on to Whitemill opened a while ago. As we will expect form the completed path, it offers cyclists and walkers beautiful scenery including views of the Bishops Palace gardens. It provides a safe and traffic-free way for people to cycle and see the County.

Now, your question falls into three parts, ‘will the funds be spent by the original deadline?’, ‘have we extended the deadline for expenditure?’, and ‘what could happen if we don’t meet a revised deadline?’.

So, to cover the first two questions, will the funds be spent by the original deadline and have we extended the deadline for expenditure? As I mentioned earlier some of the path is already open and work remains ongoing, we’re currently working on a section within Nantgaredig. However, the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) Inquiry held in November is yet to provide a determination. In order to expedite the situation, we have written to the Minister for Climate Change to emphasise the need for early ministerial decision so that in the event the CPO is approved, the Council can progress to the next phase of acquiring the order land, ensuring scheme delivery at the earliest opportunity.  Bearing this in mind, under the terms of the funding a project adjustment request was made in July last year, following which we were granted a formal extension allowing the funds from the Levelling Up fund to be available until the 31^st of March 2025. In effect an extension of one year.

So, what will happen if we don’t meet a revised deadline? Well, we remain confident that even in the event that construction works cannot continue fully until later in the year, by tendering multiple construction packages to run concurrently, we will fully deliver against the Levelling Up Grant within the deadline. As part of the grant award, we were required to provide match funding for the project which amounts to £1.864m, this funding has already been committed to the project.

This element of County Council funding is not subject to time restrictions and any overrun beyond 31st March 2025 can therefore be accommodated.

The Tywi Valley Cycle Path is an important project for Carmarthenshire and for tourism  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.3

“In view of the council’s commitment in January 2023 to re-examine its relationship with Barclays bank, could the Cabinet Member outline what progress has been made with the re-examination - outlining the terms of the existing contract with Barclays, whether alternative banks have been approached and what is the view of this administration on allegations of continued greenwashing within Barclays?"

“In view of the council’s commitment in January 2023 to re-examine its relationship with Barclays bank, could the Cabinet Member outline what progress has been made with the re-examination - outlining the terms of the existing contract with Barclays, whether alternative banks have been approached and what is the view of this administration on allegations of continued greenwashing within Barclays?"

Response by Councillor Alun Lenny, Cabinet Member for Resources

Since this matter was placed before Council, the Authority has undertaken significant work in researching the options for its banking service for the future.  Officers have engaged with a specialist banking independent adviser to seek the latest market information in respect of current banking organisations and services provided.  They have also engaged directly with Barclays in respect of its ethical, sustainable and governance policies or ESG seeking information on the future direction of that organisation.  Officers have now drawn together a report on the options which I am due to discuss with the Director over the next couple of weeks in which we will conclude the most appropriate way forward. I would remind Members of the importance for the County Council of a strong, sustainable, resilient banking organisation that processes millions of transactions annually for the County Council to ensure cash flow moves to and from residents, contractors and businesses in an efficient and effective manner.  The County Council currently operate in 128 bank accounts and turnover of investments alone is in region of £1.8 billion. 

Therefore, a resilient organisation that transaction, a timely and efficient manner is vital to the Authority to ensure an effective service delivery, as is the importance also of the ESG principles of that organisation. 

Thank you.

"Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce has announced their campaign to have Llanelli be recognised as a city.

The campaign has received a mixed response with the likes of Sir Douglas Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, Nia Griffith MP and Llanelli Town and Rural Councils backing the proposal, yet some have raised concerns.

Will you commit to Carmarthenshire County Council running a public consultation, in partnership with the Chamber of Trade, to assess the public appetite for submitting a city status bid?"

"Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce has announced their campaign to have Llanelli be recognised as a city.  The campaign has received a mixed response with the likes of Sir Douglas Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, Nia Griffith MP and Llanelli Town and Rural Councils backing the proposal, yet some have raised concerns.  Will you commit to Carmarthenshire County Council running a public consultation, in partnership with the Chamber of Trade, to assess the public appetite for submitting a city status bid?"

Response by Councillor Darren Price, Leader of the Council

Thank you for the question.  As you may be aware, I have previously publicly called on the Llanelli Chambe of Trade and Commerce to hold a full public consultation with the people who are Llanelli, before proceeding with any formal bid for a city status.  The importance of that public consultation for me is absolutely fundamental.  Indeed, I believe it is a duty on all politicians and businesses to listen to the views of the people before going any further on this.  In my view, the only way to do that fairly, is to appoint an independent organisation to hold a formal public consultation, independent of anybody or any Council.  Indeed, on 6^th February 2024, I provided the chamber with a list of possible organisations who could undertake that work on their behalf now I notice that you said in your questionnaire that the town and rural councils back the city status bid, however my understanding is that it is only the Town Council that has declared its support for the bid, whereas the rural councillors simply agreed to send a representative to the bid launch at the end of March. 

I understand that you seconded the motion at the Town Council in support of the bid, if I am totally honest, I believe that move was a little premature without consulting the public.

First, there are, of course, a number of unknowns presently.  There will therefore be a need, in my view for those proposing the change set out in detail prior to the public consultation, the proposed boundary of the city, for example, any benefits that they perceive, along with any costs.  These details can then be subject to that important public scrutiny and debate.

Unfortunately, and I have noticed, there are some early comments from one or two of those supporting the bid which don’t seem to be based in reality.  So, for example, I’ve heard some suggest that changing the town’s status to city would bring about a fully-fledged A&E in Llanelli, which clearly isn’t the case.  We know that Health Boards decide on service delivery models based on population factors and ease of access locally.  For example, we know that the preferred sites for the new hospital within Hywel Dda and in St Clears or Whitland. 

We also note the most recent critical care investment in South Wales, the Grange hospital in Gwent has been sited close to the town of Cwmbran as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.2

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4 (2) the following nomination has been delivered to the Chief Executive :-

Councillor Fiona Walters - Independent Group

No other nominations have been received.

RESOLVED that Councillor Fiona Hughes be appointed Vice-Chair of the Health and Social Services Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the 2023-24 municipal year.

13.1 RESOLVED that the nomination of Councillor Nysia Evans to take the  Labour Group’s vacant seat on the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee be approved.

The Chair stated that the minutes outlined on the agenda under 14.1 – 14.7 were available for information on the Council website.