Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr David Simpson (Pembrokeshire County Council), Cllr Rob Stewart (Swansea Council), Eifion Evans (Ceredigion County Council) and Mark Campion (Estyn). Cllr Jen Raynor (Swansea Council) and Cllr Guy Woodham (Pembrokeshire County Council) attended the meeting as deputies.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the ERW Joint Committee meeting held on 9 February 2021 be signed as a correct record.

Minute Item 7

The meeting was advised that both Carmarthenshire County Council and Swansea Council had temporarily rescinded their notice to leave the Consortium to facilitate an extension of the new implementation date to 31 August 2021.

The Joint Committee received an update on the draft budget for April to August 2021, relating to the following areas:

·         Outline draft budget for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

·         Outline Local Authority Contributions for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

·         Outline Grant Allocations required from Local Authorities to ERW for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

·         Outline of risks for 1 April to 31 August 2021.

The Joint Committee was advised that no increase of Local Authority Contributions had been added to account for the withdrawal of Ceredigion County Council in line with the approach following the withdrawal of NPT, where the shortfall had been covered by unused funding carried forward.

With regard to grant funding, the meeting was advised that PDG and RCSIG funding would be disaggregated to each Constituent Authority and not paid to ERW directly as done in previous years. In order to fund ERW and allow for the delivery of the Business Plan until 31 August 2021, each Local Authority would need to transfer a proportion of received grant funding to ERW as detailed in the report. The same applied to the PDG LAC, subject to the funding being approved by Welsh Government.

Risks continued to be identified around dependency on grants, the future ERW footprint and diminishing reserves.

In response to a query, the meeting was advised that risks relating to potential staffing chances/redundancies had been estimated but these would not affect the draft budget for April to August 2021.

RESOLVED to

5.1.        Note the assumptions and estimates made in compiling the outline budget for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

5.2.        Note the risks associated with the uncertainty over ERW from 1 September 2021 onwards;

5.3.        Approve the outline budgets for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

5.4.        Approve the Local Authority Contributions for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

5.5.        Approve the use of reserves and unused funding carried forward to support the outline core Central Team budget for 1 April to 31 August 2021;

5.6.        Approve the transfer of RCSIG, including EIG, and PDG funding from each Local Authority to ERW as outlined in the report;

5.7.        Approve the transfer of PDG LAC funding from each Local Authority to ERW as outlined in the report;

5.8.        Authorise the ERW S151 Officer to make amendments to the outline budget as assumptions and estimates are confirmed.

The Joint Committee considered a letter from the Leader of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPT). The Joint Committee was advised that the letter requested to continue current service provisions to NPT schools until 31st March 2022 or until the date of the dissolution of the existing consortium, if earlier.

The meeting was advised that the Variation to the Legal Agreement had not yet been signed and reminders had been sent to the Constituent Authorities. Work on the preparation of a separate legal agreement between NPT and the remaining Constituent Authorities could only commence once this had been completed.

RESOLVED to

6.1.        Extend the current arrangements to provide Neath Port Talbot schools with access to agreed services until 31st March 2022 (or on the dissolution of the existing consortium, if earlier) on the current terms and subject to a formal contractual agreement;

6.2.        Establish clear lines of communication with the consortium over the next period, in particular in regard to their financial liability attached to the dissolution of the current arrangements.

[NOTE: Councillor E. ap Gwynn had earlier declared interests in this item and was not present during consideration thereof.]

The Joint Committee considered a letter from Councillor Ellen ap Gwynn, Leader of Ceredigion County Council, regarding the provision of services to Ceredigion County Council schools. The meeting was advised that Ceredigion County Council would leave the ERW Consortium on 31^st March 2021 and had requested that the provision of specific programmes and services be extended until 31^st August 2021.

The Chair thanked Cllr ap Gwynn for her contributions to the Joint Committee.

RESOLVED to

  7.1.        Agree to provide Ceredigion County Council school with programmes and services as specified in the report until 31st August 2021;

  7.2.        To develop a formal contractual agreement to agree the terms and conditions of the temporary service provision to Ceredigion County Council.

The Joint Committee considered a report on the lease agreement of the office space at Y Llwyfan. It was advised that notice would need to be given before 30^th April 2021 to terminate the current lease agreement and vacate the offices by 31^st October 2021.

The meeting was advised that, from 1^st September 2021 the new partnership would require a base with a limited amount of office space, a registered postal address and storage space to carry out its activities. A quote had been received from the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) to lease reduced office space at Y Llwyfan from 1^st September 2021, but availability could only be guaranteed if the existing lease was carried forward rather than terminated by 31^st October 2021. This would require that the current lease be continued and taken over by the new partnership from 1^st September 2021.

The meeting was advised that the current lease was held by Powys County Council on behalf of ERW. As Powys County Council would leave the partnership by 31^st August 2021, the lease would need to be transferred to another Local Authority.

RESOLVED that the Leaders of the Constituent Authorities further discuss the lease arrangements before the notice deadline on 30^th April 2021.

The Joint Committee considered a report on the provision of Legal and Monitoring service arrangements from 1^st April to 31^st August 2021.

A proposal was received to appoint Swansea Council as Lead Authority responsible for Legal and Monitoring Officer Services for the period specified.

The Chair thanked Elin Prysor for her support as Monitoring Officer to the Joint Committee.

RESOLVED to appoint Swansea Council as the Lead Authority responsible for Legal and Monitoring Officer Services from 1^st April to 31^st August 2021.

The meeting was advised that Carmarthenshire County Council and Swansea Council had temporarily rescinded their notice to leave the Consortium. The existing partnership would continue from 1^st April to 31^st August 2021 with Carmarthenshire County Council, Powys County Council, Pembrokeshire County Council and Swansea Council, to facilitate implementation of a new partnership model from 1^st September 2021.