Minutes:
· Congratulations were extended to Councillor Liam Bowen who had recently attained a degree in Welsh and Politics at the University College of Wales, Cardiff. The Chair also extended his congratulations to Councillor Bowen on his recent engagement to be married.
· Congratulations were extended to the Dyfed Pension Fund who had been successful in achieving two awards at the Local Authority Pension Fund (LAPF) Investment Awards in London. The Dyfed Pension Fund were awarded with the Scheme Administration award and the LGPS Fund of the Year award (under £2.5bn). Appreciation was extended to all the officers involved for their dedication and hard work. The Pensions Manager and Treasury & Pensions Investments Manager collected the awards from the Chairman.
·
Congratulations was extended to
Cyfle Building Skills who was awarded
the Queens Award for Enterprise and Innovation earlier this year in
recognition of the ground-breaking Shared Apprenticeship
Scheme. Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprenticeship Scheme was
established in 2013 and was one of the first collaborative
apprentice employments schemes in the UK. Cyfle supports young
adults into sustainable employment within the construction industry
and currently covers the following trades: Bricklaying, Plastering,
Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, Painting & Decorating,
Maintenance, Accounting and Business and Administration.
Furthermore, in recognition of Carmarthenshire County
Council’s support for Cyfle, the
Chairman was presented with a replica award by the Lord Lieutenant
at a ceremony in the National Botanic Garden of Wales last
September.
· Appreciation was extended to all staff within the Council as they battled against the recent extreme high winds in order to ensure that business continued as normal. The Council’s attention was drawn to the work Highways Department who had attended 34 separate incidents throughout the County during the extreme high winds, which had resulted in fallen trees and electricity cables. The Met Office had recorded winds of up to 75mph. Recognition was given to the Council’s frontline staff who had worked tirelessly to re-open roads, duty officers, Contact Centre staff and Careline Agents who had dealt with a large number of calls from the public.
· Congratulations were extended to Miss Francesca Evans-Thomas, of Year 8 Ysgol Bryngwyn, Llanelli, who had won the Welsh championships of the National Baton Twirling Championships Wales held recently in Kidwelly. Good luck and best wishes was extended to Miss Evans-Thomas in representing Wales in the World Baton Twirling Championship in Norway later this year.
· Congratulations were extended to Mr Jason Thomas from Drefach Football Club who, out of over 7000 nominations had won an award for Community Coach of the Year within the FA Wales Community Awards. This award was a true acknowledgement of Mr Thomas’ dedication over the last 8 years in creating and building teams of youngsters within the Club.
· The Chair extended his condolences to the family of Lady Mary Mansel Lewis, widow of former Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sir David Mansel Lewis.
· The Council’s attention was drawn to the success of the Toy Box Appeal in previous years which had provided help to families who were facing difficult financial times particularly during the Christmas period. Similar to previous years, Members of Council were requested to make a donation and contribute to the Appeal. Appreciation was extended to the Managing Director of Nolan UPV who has allowed the project to be hosted at his premises in Johnstown. Members of Council were requested to make a donation at any of the collection points located throughout the County including County Hall, Ty Elwyn, Llanelli and Ammanford Town Hall.