Agenda item

The Leader presented his fifth Annual Report to the Council covering the period 2019/20 and looked back upon the achievements of the Council over the previous 12 months (copies of which had been provided to Councillors in advance of the meeting). He advised that whilst it was not his intention to go through the report in detail, he would like to highlight the following Council’s achievements over the year (including a video presentation) prior to commenting on the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on the county and the scale and measure of the Council’s response.

The Council viewed the video.

The Leader reminded the Council that only a year ago it had hosted the final stage of the OVO Women’s Tour of Britain when thousands of people had lined the county’s streets to cheer the cyclists on their 79 mile race through Carmarthenshire. Hosting the race had provided the opportunity to showcase the county’s beautiful scenery and the warm welcome that awaited visitors to the county. The Council had also set aside £20,000 for its Events Support Scheme for organisations and community groups to hold their own events. Those included Carmarthen’s St David’s Week, Llandovery Sheep Festival, Llanelli Pride and Gwyl Canol Dre.

He considered one of the Council’s proudest achievements over the year had been the “Moving Carmarthenshire Forward” Report. Over 60% of the county’s population lived in its rural areas and the council had a dedicated portfolio to represent the needs of those people. The Ten Rural Towns Initiative outlined the long-term strategic vision for the regeneration of the county’s rural communities by securing economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability for those towns i.e. Llandovery, St Clears, Whitland, Newcastle Emlyn, Laugharne, Cwmamman, Llanybydder, Kidwelly, Llandeilo and Cross Hands. However, in light of Covid-19, it was realised, more than ever, that the need to look locally, and in supporting and developing that economy the county would become even more resilient and robust.

The Council’s plans to increase its housing stock across the County would also support the rural strategy. Over the next five years the council had committed to invest £150m to build 900 new council homes across the county, with many of those being in the rural areas where there had been a shortage of housing for many years. Work was also underway in Pembrey and Bryn, Llanelli to build 300 homes before 2022 and, although, work on those had been halted at the start of the lockdown, the sites were beginning to re-open and work had restarted.

The Authority had renewed its commitment to climate change, becoming the first local authority in Wales to publish a climate change action plan outlining how it would be net zero carbon by 2030. The Plan was ambitious and the Council was committed to its success. A more energy- efficient vehicle fleet was being purchased and the council was collaborating with other bodies to deliver wider change and renewable energy generation on council owned land. To date, more that £2m had been invested in over 200 energy efficient projects, saving more than £7m in running costs and 41,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the projects’ lifetime. That was an exciting plan which would evolve to meet the challenges of the future for the benefit of our, and future, generations.

The Council was making significant investments in other areas too. It intended to invest almost £255 million in capital projects, with a focus on boosting the economy, creating jobs and enhancing the quality of life of our residents. The programme included a further commitment of £86 million to build and transform even more schools as part of our 21^st Century Schools programme. Improvements would also be made to our roads and bridges, and much needed changes would be made as promised for a ‘changing places’ facility for disabled residents and visitors to Llanelli.

In August last year, the Council celebrated the success of A-level and GCSE students across the county and saw marked improvements with pass rates again above the national average. Almost 71 per cent of pupils achieved grade C or higher, with 21.3 per cent awarded the top A-A* grades – both higher than the average for Wales. There was strong progress in Welsh and English language skills and pass rates in the sciences also continued to improve and surpass the national averages.

The Leader advised that whilst it was difficult to refer to all the council’s achievements, the annual report would provide a fuller understanding of its successes this year and its plans for the future.

The Leader thereupon referred to these extraordinary times and the way over the past few weeks where we had pulled together in ways that he considered had astounded everyone. Back in March, the authority had offered the NHS some of its sites in Carmarthenshire for use as field hospitals – the NHS was at a point where it feared there weren’t enough beds to cater for the projected scale of the pandemic. The local community had been asked for help to convert four venues into 600 emergency beds to deal with the expected pressures and within 24 hours we received more than 350 responses. Over a period of 21 days, volunteers, builders and contractors had come together to transform a rugby stadium, the Selwyn Samuel Centre and Carmarthen and Llanelli Leisure Centre into field hospitals.

The Leader paid tribute to all community groups, food banks, town and community councils, and individuals throughout the county who had volunteered during this period. He expressed his heartfelt thanks to those who had offered practical, emotional help or given of their time to support others, and to those workers who had continued to go to work and kept going.

The Leader also took the opportunity to draw attention to Sir Garedig, which had recently been established to connect people in need with those who could provide help. Sir Garedig's intention had been to be a focal point for community activities and to encourage people to share stories of kindness – helping to bring people together where necessary.  Whilst it was a new message, it had never been a secret that Carmarthenshire was a kind county (Sir Garedig).

The Leader referred to the commitment of the Council’s staff and their terrific response to the covid-19 pandemic had been humbling. They had worked tirelessly to ensure that residents, communities, organisations and businesses were kept safe and supported. The authority really must pay tribute to the front line staff who had shown great courage in continuing their work, often putting others before themselves and their families. Also, to those who had moved from their day-to-day work to cover other areas of front line service – those who usually worked in offices and were now working in care homes, driving buses, and delivering food. Their commitment and willingness to support others was truly inspiring and he thanked, in particular, those who worked to secure enough PPE for those who needed it, ensuring the safety of staff at all times.

He thanked Education and Children Services for their hard work and ability to adapt so quickly to the changing needs of our pupils and children. Whilst the authority had initially been forced to close its schools several of them reopened, literally a few days later, as hubs providing childcare for those needing it. He expressed the authority’s unstinting support as the Department started to reopen school sites over the coming weeks.

He also thanked those involved in creating, supporting or working in food hubs who had worked hard to support the most vulnerable members of the community.

He made particular mention of the Council’s Media and Marketing Team and I.T. Division who’d worked closely together to deliver key messages to our residents in order to keep them safe.

He expressed his thanks to each and every officer and councillor for their work during the pandemic, and to the chief executive for her direction and commitment as always.

The Leader expressed the hope that as we entered the recovery phase, people would quickly come to understand what normal meant again for us and that whilst there may be some difficult times ahead, the county was resilient and innovative and the Council would continue to do its best for all of its residents, in the way it had always done.

Inconcluding, the Leader expressed the view that all could agree it had been an extraordinary year, a year that had brought people closer together and thanked everyone for their support.

The Leaders of the Labour Group, New Independent Group and the Independent Group were afforded the opportunity of commenting on the Leader’s report. They all expressed their thanks and appreciation to all those who had provided help and assistance during the Covid pandemic.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Leaders 2019/20 Annual Report be noted.