Agenda and minutes

To receive disclosures of personal interest from Members in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

Note:

1.    Members are requested to identify the item number and subject matter that their interest relates to and signify the nature of the personal interest; and

2.    Where Members withdraw from a meeting as a consequence of the disclosure of a prejudicial interest they must notify the Chairman when they leave.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, there were no declarations made pertaining to the agenda at this stage of the meeting.

Note: During Item 6 of the agenda - Council Tax Premiums - Long Term Empty Properties and Second Homes,Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor K Morgan declared a personal and prejudicial interest in respect of the item of business and left the meeting whilst it was discussed and voted upon. (See Minute No. 6.)

To receive the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on the 29th April 2024 as an accurate record.

The Cabinet RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th April 2024 as an accurate record.

To receive the Leader’s Scheme of Delegation for the 2024-2025 Municipal Year.

The Cabinet RESOLVED to note the Leader’s Scheme of Delegation for the 2024-25 Municipal Year.

To receive the report of the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication, which provides the Cabinet with the proposed list of matters for consideration for the 2024-2025 Municipal Year.

The Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication presented, for Cabinet Members’ comment and approval, an update on the Cabinet Work Programme on the proposed list of matters requiring consideration by Cabinet over the 2024-25 Municipal Year.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care thanked the Director for the report and was content with the content of the Cabinet Work Programme, noting its flexibility.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To approve the Work Programme for the 2024-2025 Municipal Year (with appropriate amendment where necessary) and receive a further update on a 3 monthly basis.

To receive the report of the Director of Highways, Streetcare and Transportation Services outlining the proposed standardisation arrangements for the collection of residual waste from households, and the collection frequency of residual waste from premises that fall under the Workplace Recycling Regulations 2024.

The Temporary Head of Streetcare outlined the proposed standardisation for the collection of residual waste from households and the collection frequency of residual waste from premises that fall under the Workplace Recycling Regulations 2024. Further changes were also proposed to the collection of green waste during winter months, as well as a commitment to an ongoing review of the Council’s Waste Management Strategy.

It was noted that, at the current time, the collection of residual household waste across RCT was undertaken via wheelie bin collections in the Cynon and Taf areas, and via black bag only collections in the Rhondda. These collection arrangements pre-date the inception of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

Members’ attention was drawn to section 4 of the report, which detailed the anticipated benefits of standardising the Council’s waste collection arrangements across the County Borough. Officers proposed that the change would see significant benefits to the appearance of the County Borough, improved safety for pedestrians and provide a faster, more efficient waste collection service. It was explained that analysis of black bags presented and collected at the kerbside show an increase in recycling performance and participation, compared to wheelie bins, as the Council strives to meet the Welsh Government’s statutory recycling target of 70%. Furthermore, it was anticipated that the proposals would result in financial savings over the medium-term, for example, in the overall processing costs of waste and reduced costs of collection. 

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure firstly thanked officers for providing Cabinet with a detailed report, which contained a clear rationale for presenting the proposals. The Cabinet Member provided assurance that the Cabinet had considered the correspondence they had received to-date and the petitions which had formally been shared with them.

In terms of the proposals, the Cabinet Member noted that if agreed, the only change for residents would be that they would need to place their black bags at the collection point on their normal collection day as opposed to their wheelie bins.However, it was recognised that the proposal had raised a number of concerns with residents that needed to be addressed in advance of any Cabinet decisions being made.

The Cabinet Member continued, noting that during her time as an Elected Member, she had received concerns raised by residents about the impact large wheelie bins have on the footpath, causing hazards and obstructions in some areas. The Cabinet Member also noted that she had always been aware of the inconsistency of service across the three former authority areas.

In terms of data, the Cabinet Member noted that it clearly evidenced that there was a direct connectionbetween the better recycling performance in the Rhondda and waste collection arrangements operated there. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that officers were continually charged with identifying how to operate services more cost efficiently and recognised that the standardisation of collection arrangements would not only deliver financial savings but would also support a quicker transition to a greener fleet and reduce the capital cost of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive the Joint report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director – Finance, Digital and Frontline Services and Director, for Prosperity and Development seeking Members consideration for a formal period of consultation on a proposal to amend the level of Council Tax premiums from 1st April 2025. 

The Head of Revenues and Benefits provided Cabinet with an update regarding the discretionary powers that the Council has to charge higher amounts of Council Tax (a premium) on certain properties as provided for by the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which it has been using since 1st April 2023.

Despite the introduction of the premium in April 2023, it was noted that there had only been a modest reduction in the number of long-term empty properties and there remained over 1,500 long-term empty properties across Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Having regard to the discretionary powers, Cabinet were asked to consider a formal period of consultation on a proposal to amend the level of premium from 1st April 2025.  It was proposed that the prospect of paying a higher level of premium on the council tax bill may encourage more property owners to bring their empty homes back into use in a timelier manner.

The Cabinet Member for Prosperity and Development was in support of the recommendations contained within the report and was of the view that the proposal would further build upon the positive work of the Council to bring back empty properties back into use. The Cabinet Member added that the CPO would be useful tool going forward.

With the agreement of the Chair, Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor A Rogers addressed the Cabinet on this item.

In response to the comments made by the Non-Committee Member, the officer clarified that in such cases whereby the property owner has passed away and the property is passed onto family owners, the property would be exempt until probate is granted and for six months thereafter. It was explained that if a property is unfurnished, it could be granted for a further six-month exemption; and if the property is for sale, it could be subject to exception from the premium for a year to allow it to be marketed.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director of Finance, Digital and Frontline Services added that Cabinet were being asked to initiate a formal public consultation and emphasised that the Council would write to homeowners who would likely be impacted by the premium.

The Cabinet Member for Prosperity and Development commented that the year exemption following probate was reasonable and moved the recommendations contained within the report.

Following discussion, Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.             To note the details of the discretionary powers relating to Council Tax Premiums as outlined in the report;

2.             To initiate a consultation exercise on the proposed use of these powers in respect of long-term empty properties as set out in Section 7 and on the option of further intervention through the use of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO); and

3.             That a report, including the results of the consultation exercise, be presented to Cabinet to consider and determine the proposed way forward which they would recommend to full Council as appropriate.

Note: Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor K Morgan declared a personal and prejudicial interest in respect of this item of business  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive the report of the Director, Education & Inclusion Services, seeking formal approval to begin the relevant and required statutory school organisation consultation to establish a new Welsh medium primary school for 3 to 11 year olds as part of the Llanilid housing development and the proposed change of language medium of Dolau Primary School from dual language to English medium.

The Director of Education and Inclusion Services presented the report, which sought formal approval to begin the relevant and required statutory school organisation consultation to establish a new Welsh medium primary school for 3 to 11 year olds as part of the Llanilid housing development and the proposed change of language medium of Dolau Primary School from dual language to English medium.

It was proposed that the new Welsh medium primary school would have a capacity for 480 statutory school (reception to year six) age pupils plus 60 for nursery age pupils, with Dolau Primary School becoming an English medium primary school at the same time, with an increased capacity of 488 plus 63 nursery places.

The Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language took the opportunity to thank the Director for the report. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that it was the duty of the Local Authority to assess areas of demand for school places and noted that there had been significant growth within the south of the County in recent decades with the Llanillid development requiring further school places.

The Cabinet Member was in support of consulting upon the proposals and commented that they would positively support the Council in meeting its ambitious WESP targets. In terms of funding, the Cabinet Member was pleased to note that the capital costs would be met by a mixture of funding from CIL payments and Welsh Government.

With the agreement of the Chair, Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor K Morgan addressed the Cabinet in respect of the item.

In response to the comments made by the Non-Committee Member in respect of the potential for Scrutiny involvement, the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication advised that although the school reorganisation code prescribes limited opportunity for Members to influence the approach, there would be an opportunity for scrutiny involvement during the proposed consultation period. As such, the Cabinet agreed to include the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee as part of the process.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the content of the report;

2.    To give formal approval to begin the relevant and required statutory school organisation consultation to:

-       establish a new Welsh medium primary school for 3 to 11 year olds as part of the Llanilid housing development. It is proposed that the new Welsh medium primary school will have a capacity for 480 statutory school age pupils plus 60 for nursery age pupils; and

-       make a regulated alteration to change the language medium of Dolau Primary School from dual language to English medium. Providing a capacity for 488 statutory school age pupils plus 63 nursery places.

3.    To give formal approval to report back to Cabinet to consider the Consultation Report and determine whether to publish the Consultation Report and approve the publication of the proposal in the form of a Statutory Notice.

4.    To give delegated authority to the Director of Education and Inclusion Services to make any minor changes required to the draft Consultation Document  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive the report of the Director, Education & Inclusion providing information to Members on the Council’s statutory duties to establish a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) and a Standing Advisory Council for Religion, Values and Ethics (SAC).

The Head of Secondary Achievement and Wellbeing provided the Cabinet with the Annual Report of the RCT SACRE and SAC for the academic year 2022-2023.

The Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language took the opportunity to thank officers for preparing the informative report and placed on record his thanks to Members of the SACRE Group. The Cabinet Member commented that the report provided Members with information in respect of the various changes regarding the statutory responsibilities in the area and wider curriculum.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, as a Member of the SACRE Group, was pleased to note the positive work delivered by schools as part of the curriculum and the valuable partnership work. The Cabinet Member also praised the work with the Central South Consortium, who were keen to engage with schools to provide materials.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the content of the Annual Report 2022-2023.

To receive the report of the Director for Prosperity and Development providing Members with an update on the development of regeneration proposals for the former Marks and Spencer/Dorothy Perkins site at 97-102 Taff Street, Pontypridd.

The Director of Prosperity and Development provided Cabinet with an update on the development of regeneration proposals for the former Marks and Spencer/Dorothy Perkins site at 97-102 Taff Street, Pontypridd.

The Director sought to outline the proposed funding, procurement and engagement strategies relevant to the project and provided an overview of the necessary next steps.

Members’ attention was drawn to the proposals attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The Director proposed that the development would seek to create a new high-quality public realm that provides a clear and legible route from the top of the town through to a much more inviting access to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park and National Lido.

He continued, proposing that the integration of soft landscaping would serve to ‘green’ the high street, whilst the creation of a new riverside plaza would re-orientate the high street, for the first time in over 100 years, to the river and surrounding natural landscape.

The Cabinet Member for Prosperity and Development was supportive of the proposals before Members and praised the multi-level design, easy disabled access for the site and flood mitigations. The Cabinet Member spoke positive of the idea to involve the construction experts from the former bingo hall site, which had provided a coherent connection between the two sites located at the bottom area of Pontypridd.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care echoed the positive comments and was pleased to note the Council’s investment in its major town centres and tourist areas.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    That the most recent redevelopment proposals for the site are considered and supported; and

2.    That associated funding, procurement, and engagement strategies outlined in the report are considered and endorsed, and Officers are authorised to progress their implementation.

To receive the report of the Director of Prosperity and Development, which provides details of the potential for the development of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Tonypandy with the support of funding from Welsh Government.

The Director of Prosperity and Development provided details of the potential for the development of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Tonypandy with the support of funding from Welsh Government.

Following the completion of a feasibility study between October - December 2023, the Director sought endorsement for further funding from Welsh Government for the purpose of pursuing the next stages of BID Development: - Development, Campaign and Ballot.

The Cabinet Member for Prosperity and Development spoke positive of the report before Members and advised that the majority of Traders he’d spoken to in Tonypandy were in favour of the proposals. The Cabinet Member was sure it would be another successful BID, following the examples of Pontypridd, Aberdare and Treorchy town centres.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the results of the feasibility study summarised in section 7 of the report which concludes that Tonypandy could benefit from BID development which would be similar to the BID operating in Treorchy;

2.    To support moving to the next stages of development for the establishment of a potential BID in Tonypandy as set out in Paragraphs 7.5 and 7.6 of the report; and

3.    To make an application to the Welsh Government Transforming Towns Fund for funding to carry out Development, Campaign and Ballot stages of BID development in Tonypandy town centre. 

To receive the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director- Finance, Digital and Frontline Services providing Members with an overview of the Council’s performance, both from a financial and operational perspective, for the financial year ended 31st March 2024.

The Service Director of Finance and Improvement Services provided the Cabinet with an overview of the Council’s performance, both from a financial and operational perspective, for the financial year ended 31st March 2024.

Members were informed that the Quarter 4 revenue budget position was a nil variance overall, following the drawdown of one-off earmarked reserves to fund additional in-year budget pressures, this being in line with Performance Report updates reported during the year. With specific regard to the additional in-year pressures, these were in respect of increased costs for social care services, reflecting the level of demand for services and the complexity and specialist nature of care required, along with continuing high inflation that resulted in cost pressures on home to school transport contract costs and foods costs within the Council’s Catering Service.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care commended the work of finance officers for providing a financial position in extremely challenging times.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure took the opportunity to thank officers for the positive work going on throughout the County Borough, which had been reflected in the report.

The Leader echoed the comments of the Cabinet Members and commented on the scale of the Capital Programme, which had increased compared to that of a decade ago. The Leader spoke of positive investment in infrastructure, extra-care, schools, road schemes and drainage works.

The Leader spoke of the difficulty in managing revenue budgets but praised service areas for their work. The Leader advised that the next financial year would likely be even more challenging due to the size of the budget gap and spoke of the difficult and unpopular decisions, which the Cabinet were faced with to ensure the Council delivers a balanced budget, which they are legally obliged to. The Leader concluded by commending the officers in Rhondda Cynon Taf for ensuring the Council does not have huge overspends to date and hoped that this would continue to be the case in the future.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note and agree the General Fund revenue outturn position of the Council as at the 31st March 2024 (Section 2 of the Executive Summary).

2.    To approve the virements listed in Sections 2a - e of the Executive Summary that exceed the £0.100M threshold as per the Council's Financial Procedure Rules.

3.    To note the capital outturn position of the Council as at the 31st March 2024 (Sections 3a – e of the Executive Summary).

4.    To note the details of the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators as at the 31st March 2024 (Section 3f of the Executive Summary); and

5.    To note the year-end position regarding progress against agreed Corporate Plan priorities (Sections 5 a – c of the Executive Summary) that includes updates in respect of the Council’s work to deliver its Climate Change ambitions.

To receive the report of the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication, which provides the Cabinet with the draft Annual Report of the Climate Change Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

The Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication provided the Cabinet with the Annual Report of the Climate Change Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Municipal Year 2023-2024.

The Service Director reminded Members of the changes to the Committee’s Terms of Reference and noted that it was a decision-making body, taking forward decisions in respect of the importance climate agenda. The Director spoke of the high-level reports considered by the Sub-Committee during the year, including updates in respect of the climate change specific performance information.

In the absence of the Chair of the Sub-Committee, the Vice-Chair and Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure took the opportunity to extend her thanks to officers and Members for their contributions during the Municipal Year and noted the positive work of the Committee. The Cabinet Member commented that in her opinion, a key area of work from the year was the visit to the two living landscape sites with young people to hear their views. The Cabinet Member added that the visit also highlighted the cross-working relationships between the Council.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note the content of the report attached as Appendix 1.