• Agenda and minutes
  • Agenda and minutes

    Venue: Hybrid

    Contact: Julia Nicholls - Democratic Services  01443 424098

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    Items
    No. Item

    94.

    Welcome & Apologies

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Presiding Officer welcomed everyone to the first hybrid Council meeting and announced those Councillors present in the Council Chamber as County Borough Councillors A Morgan, A Crimmings, G Caple, S Bradwick, R Williams, L M Adams, L Walker, J Davies, S Trask and L Hooper. The following Officers were also present, Mr C Bradshaw, Chief Executive, Mr B Davies, Director of Finance & Digital Services, Mr P Nicholls, Service Director Legal Services and Mr C Hanagan, Service Director Democratic Services & Communications.

     

    Apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillors S Belzak, A Chapman, J James MS, K Jones, M Fidler Jones, K Morgan, D Owen-Jones, S Pickering, S M Powell, S Rees-Owen, G Stacey, M Tegg, M Weaver and M Webber.

     

    95.

    Declaration of Interest

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

     

    1.     Members are requested to identify the item number and subject 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 prejudicial interest they must notify the Chairman when theyleave.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, a number of declarations of personal interests were made later during the meeting pertaining to the agenda (Minute Number 103 refers – Notice of Motion).

     

    96.

    Announcements

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Ø  Cllr S Powderhill and Cllr C Leyshon paid tribute to Melissa Foster and Christina Prewitt on their pledge to litter pick for 365 days, starting on New Year’s Eve 2020 and culminating on New Year’s Eve 2021. It was announced that to date they have litter picked in many local areas such as Trallwn, Treforest, Hawthorn, Beddau, Glyntaff, Cilfynydd, Radyr, Castell Coch and Ogmore as well as locations further afield such as Windermere and Kendall. A request was made that a letter from the Mayor is sent to both Melissa and Christina to acknowledge their huge efforts.

     

     

    Ø  Cllr Sera Evans announced that Parc Primary School in Cwmparc has been awarded with the Foundation of Community Engagement’s ‘Heart of the Community award’ and is the first school in Wales to achieve the accolade. The school has been supporting its students, families and community with activities such as baby massage classes, family and toddler sessions, community eco projects, visiting the local dementia group twice monthly, offering training opportunities as well as running community workshops and providing much needed food parcels. The School’s Family Engagement Officer, Leanne Gough was awarded the ‘Exceptional Community Champion’ award  which acknowledge her passion for the wellbeing of her pupils and families in Cwmparc. A request was made that a letter from the Mayor is sent to acknowledge the School’s achievement.

     

    Ø  Councillor A Cox announced that the ‘House of Hansen’ based in Hannah Street, Porth has won ‘Beauty Salon of the Year 2021’ in the Welsh Hair and Beauty awards. It is a stalwart of Porth having traded for over 10 years and the business is also a training academy for beauticians. Councillor Cox requested a letter be sent from the Mayor to the salon and to Stacey Hansen to acknowledge the award.

     

     

     

    97.

    Minutes pdf icon PDF 370 KB

    To approve as an accurate record, the minutes of the Extra-Ordinary Council Meeting held on the 24th November 2021 at 3.30pm.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Council RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 24th November (3.30pm) as an accurate reflection of the meeting.

    98.

    Statements

    In accordance with Open Government Council Meeting Procedure Rule 2, to receive any statements from the Leader of the Council and/or statements from Cabinet Portfolio Holders:

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Leader provided an update on the latest developments regarding Covid at a national and local level. He advised that a record number of cases, a total of 78,600 cases, had been recorded across the UK.  A more stable situation had been recorded in Rhondda Cynon Taf over the last 7 days, although this would likely change over the coming weeks with a rapid increase in case numbers, particularly with the emergence of the new variant Omicron. To date there have been 3 confirmed  cases of Omicron in Cwm Taf Morgannwg.

     

    The Leader formally thanked those officers from the local authority team for their involvement with the vaccine roll out programme, he added that the target of administering 50,000 vaccines per week has been supported by 105 council staff, a figure which would increase to between 140 and 150 staff in due course to support the NHS in view of new targets set by Welsh Governments.

     

    The Leader reiterated the message to all those who have not yet received their first or second vaccine, that they can attend a Vaccine Centre without an appointment. With regards to the Booster vaccine, he stressed the importance of attending the allocated appointments as a large number of council staff have had to be redeployed to deal with the increased volume of calls from residents wishing to change/query their appointments. The Leader urged everyone to use the online facility where possible and in the case of all housebound residents, local GPs are organising house visits and so it is not an issue for the Council’s call centre.

     

    In conclusion, the Leader stressed that the new variant will lead to a large number of infections and could impact on staff shortages, particularly in the social care sector, which is always challenging. He added that further updates would be provided in due course.

     

    99.

    Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 542 KB

    To receive Members questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.2.

     

    (N.B a maximum of 20 minutes shall be allowed for questions on notice.)

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Members were advised that apologies of absence had been received from Councillors G Stacey and M Webber, Deputy Leader of the Council. The Service Director Democratic Services & Communications confirmed that question 6 would not be put to the Cabinet Member and written responses would be provided in relation to questions 5, 14 and 23.

     

    Question from County Borough Councillor A. Cox to the Cabinet Member for Education and Inclusion Services, County Borough Councillor J. Rosser:

    “What preparations are CBS RCT making for the proposed introduction of Free School Meals for all primary pupils in Wales?”

    Response from County Borough Councillor J Rosser:

     

    Councillor Rosser advised that RCT catering services are currently reviewing the existing meal provision in each of the Council’s primary and special schools by  assessing the kitchen equipment and storage facilities in order to estimate the increase in meal numbers and the additional requirements for staff, equipment, storage and dining hall space. Councillor Rosser added that the Council has met with other Local Authorities, suppliers and Welsh Government representatives to discuss the challenges faced across Wales and is currently waiting for the detailed proposals, funding arrangements and timescales to be confirmed by Welsh Government in order for implementation work to begin.

    Supplementary Question from County Borough Councillor A Cox:

    “Is the Council looking at the funding formulas internally and assessing whether it is the right funding for the service and assessing the benefits for the schools? Will the Cabinet Member join me in congratulating the work of campaigners who have fought long and hard for this to be adopted and to Plaid Cymru who have insisted on this as part of the agreement with Labour despite it being voted down in the Senedd?”

    Response from County Borough Councillor J Rosser:

     

    Councillor Rosser responded that the Council is waiting to receive further information regarding funding arrangements but gave assurance that everything would be assessed appropriately and in good time. She added that everyone is pleased with the result but added that without any guarantee of funding from UK Government it was the right decision to wait for the comprehensive spending review before making a commitment.

     

    Councillor Rosser reminded Council that the Motion from Plaid Cymru called for all children, including those in private schools, to be given Free School Meals and it also called for all families in receipt of Universal Credit to be eligible but, it was completely un-costed and gave no recommendation of where the funding would come from. In conclusion, Councillor Rosser advised that this is an instance where, instead of looking to score political points, it represents a celebration of co-operation in Welsh politics and the positive changes it is making.

     

     

    Question from County Borough Councillor G. Holmes to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan:

    “The Welsh Government has announced that families on low income and qualifying benefits will receive £100 to help them with their utility bills this winter. Can the Council Leader provide further information on this and how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

    100.

    Council Work Programme 2021/22

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Service Director Democratic Services & Communications confirmed that there were no changes regarding the adopted and published Council Work Programme 2021/22.

    101.

    Diversity in Democracy pdf icon PDF 284 KB

    To receive the report of the Service Director Democratic Services & Communications.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Service Director Democratic Services & Communications presented his report which sought Council’s approval of the ‘Diversity Declaration’ as the formal pledge of the Council to becoming a Diverse Council. He reminded Members that at the Extra Ordinary Council meeting on the 26th May, 2021, Members took a decision to became a Diverse Council following consideration of a series of recommendations from the WLGA, supported by all Political Groups. RCT became the first Council in Wales to make the pledge.

     

    The Service Director advised that Welsh Government has placed great focus on the diversity agenda and a number of recommendations have since arisen from the Welsh Government’s Diversity in Democracy work which are being addressed through the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

     

    Details were provided by the Service Director in respect of the Working Group established by the Democratic Services Committee to progress the matter and in the context of promoting participation and engagement in advance of the 2022 local government elections. In recognition of the work undertaken, it is proposed that the diversity declaration is adopted in recognition of the work and of the ongoing priorities as set out in the attached report.

     

    Following consideration of the report and associated appendices it was RESOLVED to:

     

    1.    Adopt the attached ‘Diversity Declaration’ subject to inclusion of the additional following point “to encourage participation in the Local Government Pension Scheme by all Members to assist in protecting them in their retirement” and take forward the declaration as the formal pledge of the Council to becoming a Diverse Council.

     

    102.

    Annual Reports 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 240 KB

    To receive a report from the Service Director Democratic Services & Communications.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Through his report, the Service Director Democratic Services & Communications presented the Annual Reports of the Democratic Services Committee and Audit Committee for the 202/21 Municipal Year. He added that both annual reports had been formerly approved by their respective Committees for presentation to Full Council.

     

    Following comments by both the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee County Borough Councillor L Hooper and the Chair of the Audit Committee, Mr C Jones, it was RESOLVED to note the Annual Reports for the Democratic Services Committee and  Audit Committee for the 2020/21 Municipal Year (subject to a typographical error being corrected on page 3 of the Democratic Services Annual report).

     

    103.

    Notice of Motion pdf icon PDF 112 KB

    To consider the under-mentioned Notice of Motion standing in the names of:

     

    S. Bradwick, M. Forey, L. M. Adams, J. Barton, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, G. Caple, A. Crimmings, A. Davies-Jones, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, S. Evans, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, A. Fox, E. George, M. Griffiths, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, A. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, S. Pickering, S. Powell, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Rosser, G. Stacey, M. Tegg, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams,  R. Yeo

     

    Banks should be an essential service in our communities, giving residents convenient access to their finances and allowing them to take care of their affairs.  They are often situated in the heart of our town centres, in close proximity to other vital facilities and shops.

    The notice that Barclays are intending to close their branch at Victoria Square in Aberdare in March 2022 is the latest (potential) withdrawal of financial services from communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf and, should the plans go ahead, will have a detrimental impact, not just to our residents in accessing facilities, but also to the vibrancy of our town centres. The Council has worked hard to make our town centres attractive and welcoming hubs of the communities they serve, especially after the exceptional difficulties faced by local traders over the past 18 months.

    Aberdare has already seen NatWest and HSBC withdraw their services from the town, whilst Treforest, Treorchy, Porth and Mountain Ash are among the other areas to have also seen banks close over recent years.

    The assurances provided by Barclays that Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd are the closest services will be scant consolation to many, with both journeys taking between 40 and 50 minutes each way.

    This Council wishes to record its opposition to the closure of Barclays Bank in Aberdare and resolves to:

    ·       Request the Leader of the Council to write to the Head of Corporate Relations Wales and West and the Chief Executive of Barclays Bank to call for the plans to be reconsidered.

     

    ·       Requests that the Council seeks to ensure that the social benefits of maintaining a local banking presence in our communities forms part of our future relationships with the banking sector.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The following Notice of Motion was received standing in the names of: S. Bradwick, M. Forey, L. M. Adams, J. Barton, D. R. Bevan, H. Boggis, J. Bonetto, J. Brencher, A. Calvert, G. Caple, A. Crimmings, A. Davies-Jones, L. De- Vet, J. Edwards, J. Elliott, S. Evans, G. Jones, M. Fidler Jones, A. Fox, E. George, M. Griffiths, J. Harries, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, A. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, S. Pickering, S. Powell, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Rosser, G. Stacey, M. Tegg, G. Thomas, W. Treeby, R. K. Turner, M. Webber, D. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams,  R. Yeo

     

    Banks should be an essential service in our communities, giving residents convenient access to their finances and allowing them to take care of their affairs.  They are often situated in the heart of our town centres, in close proximity to other vital facilities and shops.

    The notice that Barclays are intending to close their branch at Victoria Square in Aberdare in March 2022 is the latest (potential) withdrawal of financial services from communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf and, should the plans go ahead, will have a detrimental impact, not just to our residents in accessing facilities, but also to the vibrancy of our town centres. The Council has worked hard to make our town centres attractive and welcoming hubs of the communities they serve, especially after the exceptional difficulties faced by local traders over the past 18 months.

    Aberdare has already seen NatWest and HSBC withdraw their services from the town, whilst Treforest, Treorchy, Porth and Mountain Ash are among the other areas to have also seen banks close over recent years.

    The assurances provided by Barclays that Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd are the closest services will be scant consolation to many, with both journeys taking between 40 and 50 minutes each way.

    This Council wishes to record its opposition to the closure of Barclays Bank in Aberdare and resolves to:

    ·       Request the Leader of the Council to write to the Head of Corporate Relations Wales and West and the Chief Executive of Barclays Bank to call for the plans to be reconsidered.

     

    ·       Requests that the Council seeks to ensure that the social benefits of maintaining a local banking presence in our communities forms part of our future relationships with the banking sector.

     

    At the meeting the Chair announced that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.4.1 the following amendment to the Notice of Motion had been received from County Borough Councillors P. Jarman, A. Cox, J. Williams, D. Grehan, G. Davies, J. Davies, J. Cullwick, K. Morgan, L. Jones, E. Stephens, S. Rees-Owen, M. Weaver, E. Webster, A. Chapman, S. Evans, H. Fychan and E. Griffiths.

     

    The amended motion read:

    Banks should be an essential service in our communities, giving residents convenient access to their finances and allowing them to take care of their affairs.  They are often situated in the heart of our town centres, in close  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103.