Agenda and minutes

The Presiding Officer welcomed everyone to the hybrid Council meeting and apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillors D Evans, G Hopkins, W Owen, S Powderhill, M Powell, J Turner, D Williams and T Williams.

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.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, the following declarations of interest were made pertaining to the agenda:

Agenda item 8 – Notice of Motion

County Borough Councillor D R Bevan – “ I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor S Emmanuel – “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor W Hughes – “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor K Johnson – “I am a member of the Trade Union and a member of the Licensing Committee”

County Borough Councillor D O Jones - “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor G Jones – “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor M Maohoub– “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor C Middle -  “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor C Preedy - “I am a member of Unite the Union”

County Borough Councillor S Trask – “I am a member of Unite the Union, and I am also a shift worker”

County Borough Councillor R Williams – “ I am a shop Steward and Branch member of Unite the Union”

To approve as an accurate record, the minutes of the Council Meeting held on the 19^th October 2022.

The Council RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 19^th October 2022 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.

The following announcements were made:

Ø  The Presiding Officer welcomed County Borough Councillor A Dennis to his first Council meeting after his success at the recent By-Election

Ø  The Presiding Officer also wished to congratulate a Tonypandy resident, Mr Mason Harris, who recently competed in the WCKA Kick Boxing World Championship held in Cardiff. He added that Mason was already the Welsh Champion but won a gold, silver and two bronze medals at the competition which secured him the World Champion title. Mason has been competing in this field since he was 4 years old and the commitment he has shown to the sport with daily training sessions has been an inspiration to other younger members of the team and the Presiding Officer asked if the mayor would send Mason a letter of congratulations.

Ø  The Presiding Officer welcomed Mr Paul Mee to this, his first Council meeting as Chief Executive. The Leader of the Council also advised that Mr Chris Bradshaw had officially finished working for the Council. The Leader commented on the Council’s strong and sensible leadership, and he wished the new Chief Executive well. Mr Mee gratefully acknowledged the comments and stated that it was a tremendous honour to be in post as the Council’s Chief Executive.

Ø  County Borough Councillor A Ellis congratulated Mr Dane Blacker on his selection to the Welsh rugby union squad. She added that hopefully Dane will follow in the footsteps of Garin Jenkins and Staff Jones, both Ynysybwl boys. Councillor Ellis commented that Ynysybwl is very proud of Dane’s achievement, and we wish him huge success for the future  

Ø  County Borough Councillor A O Rogers acknowledged the following

achievements of the following residents from within the Hirwaun Penderyn & Rhigos ward:

·       Mr David James was awarded the Scouts Cymru Lifetime Achievement award and has made a great contribution to the Hirwaun Scout Group;

·       Ms Amy Williams has won the Ladies British Isles Bowls Singles championship in addition to her bronze medal in April;

·       Mr Tyler Lee-Jones won a few awards in the recent Kickboxing World championship in Cardiff including achieving Gold in the Continuous Fighting section; and

·       Mr Alistair Cope has been recognised with the Fostering Excellence Award 2022 for his contribution to the fostering community.

Ø  County Borough Councillor W Jones referred to the recent opening of the 3G pitches in Treherbert and Treorchy and thanked the Leader, Cabinet Members and the Council for the superb facilities. He acknowledged the Cabinet Members A Crimmings and R Lewis and the Secretary State for Wales who attended the opening event. Councillor Jones thanked Mr Keith Nicholls, Head of Leisure, Sports and Parks and his staff as well as the primary school children who also attended the launch.

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:

The Leader provided an update in respect of the Council’s Budget and commented that although the latest figures from the UK Budget does provide some additional resources for Wales, the Council is waiting to see if there will be any consequential for Education and Social Care as part of the Welsh Government Settlement to be announced before Christmas. He emphasised that even an increase in the Rate Support Grant (RSG) would not impact the £47M budget deficit. The Leader advised that following recent correspondence, the UK Chancellor advised that Local Authorities need to operate within their budgets which with rising energy costs, food costs, presents huge challenges.

The Leader commented that the Council will manage the cost pressures by tweaking services and delivering them to residents in different ways. He added that the Council has given a commitment to the Trade Unions that it will work hard to avoid compulsory redundancies and look to voluntary redundancies, staff seeking voluntary early retirement and deleting vacant posts where appropriate. He assured Members that the Council will continue to work with Trade Union colleagues to address these issues, but he concluded that the Budget last week did not deliver the level of support to avoid a significant budget gap next year.

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.)

1. Question from County Borough Councillor L. Addiscott to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan:

“What impact has the U.K. Government’s economic plans had on energy prices, in particular for local authorities?”

Response of the Leader, Councillor A Morgan:

Councillor Morgan responded that in terms of non-domestic energy, there was no clarity provided on how the scheme will work beyond March meaning that businesses, voluntary sector organisations and local authorities have no certainty on what they will be paying next year.

For households the cap will increase in April next year from £2,500 to £3,000 (for average use) which is a significant increase. The Leader advised that there is no equivalent cap for Local Authorities, so the Council is looking at alternative energy options and identifying opportunities to generate its own power, by such means as wind turbines, hydro, solar farms and where it generates its own energy it will be essential to use it all (as it is more valuable than selling it back to the National Grid).

The Leader referred to the intense pressure on the Local Authority over the next 12 months.

Supplementary question:

“What long-term solutions can we look at to avoid situations like this in the future?”

Response of the Leader, Councillor A Morgan:

The Leader alluded to the need for a change in Government to avoid these situations with an economy that is growing together with continued investment in energy insulation, which would impact on the overall energy unit price. He also commented that becoming more sustainable at a local and National level is the way forward and that Council Officers are reviewing previous considerations regarding alternative energy options which are now more economical. He advised that Cabinet/Council will be asked to invest significant funds in alternative energy solutions such as solar, hydro so that the Council can become more self-sufficient.

The Leader referred to the hold that Russia has over the supply of gas to Europe in terms of the energy crisis which could be avoided should self-sufficiency and sustainability be sought.

2. Question from County Borough Councillor D. Parkin to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan:

“What representations are being made to the U.K. Westminster Government regarding the funding crisis that local authorities are facing in the forthcoming financial year?”

Response of the Leader, Councillor A Morgan:

The Leader responded that in his role as Leader of RCT Council and of the WLGA, he has written to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the UK Government in respect of the pressures facing local authorities next year which are unprecedented and have lobbied the UK Government for additional funding.

He added that the vast majority of the Council’s reserves have been set aside for specific services such as £21M for Schools. Despite the Council facing significant overspend it held its reserves to use this year and next year. He referred to the current lack of investment in public services such as the NHS, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

The Service Director Democratic Services & Communications presented the Council Work Programme for the 2022/23 Municipal Year and advised that details of a special Council meeting in December would be circulated closer to the time. He added that the scheduled Council meeting on the 18^th January 2023 would include council business as set out in the work programme with the Public Participation Strategy and Constitution Guide being reported subject to these matters being considered by the Constitution Committee and the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

To receive the report of the Director of Finance & Digital Services.

The Director of Finance & Digital Services advised  that as the administering authority for the RCT Pension Fund, Council is now presented with the final and audited accounts for the fund for the year ending March 31^st, 2022. He added that the external audit process is now complete, and he introduced Mr Mike Jones, from Audit Wales, to provide a summary of their end of year audit report.

Mr M Jones, Audit Wales presented the Audit Wales Audit of Accounts Report for RCT Pension Fund referring Members specifically to paragraphs 4 and 5 which set out the level of materiality this year of £45M. Mr Jones wished to acknowledge that the short and positive report reflects only minor typographical and presentational misstatements (as set out in paragraphs 11, 12 and 13 of the report) and he praised the efficiency of the Finance Service within RCT Council. Mr Jones also advised Members that there is a delay in signing off the RCT accounts due to issues relating to the infrastructure and how it is accounted for, he added that this is a national delay with Welsh Government currently looking at a statutory override.

The Director of Finance & Digital Services advised that there were no issues of concern identified and he added that the fund accounts are attached to his report along with a letter of representation. The Director commented that the Funds comprehensive governance arrangements have operated effectively throughout the year and the accounts had been reviewed by the Governance & Audit Committee on the 7th September 2022 with no issues raised at the meeting to prevent Council from approving the accounts.

The Leader thanked Audit Wales and acknowledged the successful joint working and engagement with them, he also wished to place on record the thanks of Full Council to the Director of Finance & Digital Services and his teams for the management of the Council’s accounts in view of the volume of grants which have been processed during the last few years.

Following discussion and consideration of the report it was RESOLVED to:

1.  Approve and note the Statement of Accounts for the Rhondda Cynon Taf Pension Fund (Appendix 1), and associated Letter of Representation (Appendix 2); and

2. Note the outcome of the 7^th September 2022 Governance and Audit Committee meeting as required by the Local Government Measure (paragraph 8.2).

To receive the report of the Director of Finance & Digital Services.

In accordance with the requirements of both the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management the Director of Finance and Digital Services provided Members with information on the Council’s Treasury Management activity during the first six months of 2022/23 and Prudential and Treasury Indicators for the same period.

The Director advised that against a backdrop of economic turbulence the Council can continue to run with its low-risk investment strategy which is performing well with a higher rate of risk weighted interest as compared to many of its peers. He added that any borrowing requirement in the near term, not likely to be substantial nor long term, will be satisfied by shorter term borrowing.

The Director advised that there is one risk associated with the Council’s LOBO debt being terminated, the amount of LOBO debt held in 2022/23 is £31m with the interest rate of 4.5%.  In such an event the Director stated that the Council will use an appropriate mix of borrowing to ensure the best value is achieved.

Following a discussion, it was RESOLVED to approve the content of the report.

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

A. Morgan, M. Webber, L. Addiscott, M. D. Ashford, J. Barton. D. R. Bevan, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, G. Caple, J. Cook, A. Crimmings, S. J. Davies, R. Davis, V. Dunn, E. L. Dunning, J. Edwards, J. A. Elliott, L. Ellis, S. Emanuel, R. Evans, A. S. Fox, R. Harris, S. Hickman, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, W. Hughes, G. Jones, G. O. Jones, R. R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, M. Maohoub, C. Middle, N. H. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, D. Parkin, S. Powderhill, C. Preedy, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Smith, G. Stacey, L. A. Tomkinson, W. Treeby, J. Turner, G. L. Warren, K. Webb, D. Williams, G. E. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams, R. Yeo:

Unite is running the ‘Get me Home safely’ campaign to ensure safe home transport is widely available for the night-time economy and shift workers who often struggle to find and pay for transport home after midnight.  You can read more about the campaign Get ME Home Safely | Make Our Communities & Workplaces Safer (unitetheunion.org) 

Councils have a key role to play in working with businesses and community safety partners  to ensure that people working and living within their local community can get home safely.

This Council notes that:

• Shift work is widespread in many industries, particularly hospitality as well as health and care workers, retail, cleaning, security and porter staff and can often entail late night working.
• Many workers, especially women are increasingly worried about their safety travelling to and from work at night.

• While employers may feel that their duty of care to staff ends when an employee finishes a shift, they also need to take into consideration journeys home, especially during unsocial hours.
• Information from Unite indicates the weakness of enforcement of the law against sexual assault, including up-skirting, on public transport is appalling and it is understood that only 2% of victims go onto report sexual harassment on public transport.
• Unite, the Union’s Get me Home Safely campaign which calls on all employers to take all reasonable steps to ensure workers are able to get home safely from work at night is greatly needed and should be supported.
• Greater numbers of public transport staff trained in how to identify and report sexual harassment  and stronger enforcement of the law against sexual assault and harassment on public transport are urgently needed.

This Council will:

• Support Unite, the Trade Union’s Get Me Home Safely Campaign. 
• Reaffirm its commitment to taking positive action to prevent violence against women and girls and ensuring that people feel safe in public areas across all areas of RCT. This Council will continue to actively contribute to achieving the goals of the Welsh Government Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy 2022-2026.
• Continue to work with the licensed trade to operate a safe night time economy in line with our Licensing Policy Objectives, working with licencees, employers,  ...  view the full agenda text for item 57.

The following Notice of Motion was received standing in the names of:

A. Morgan, M. Webber, L. Addiscott, M. D. Ashford, J. Barton. D. R. Bevan, J. Bonetto, S. Bradwick, J. Brencher, G. Caple, J. Cook, A. Crimmings, S. J. Davies, R. Davis, V. Dunn, E. L. Dunning, J. Edwards, J. A. Elliott, L. Ellis, S. Emanuel, R. Evans, A. S. Fox, R. Harris, S. Hickman, G. Holmes, G. Hopkins, W. Hughes, G. Jones, G. O. Jones, R. R. Lewis, W. Lewis, C. Leyshon, M. Maohoub, C. Middle, N. H. Morgan, S. Morgans, M. A. Norris, D. Owen-Jones, D. Parkin, S. Powderhill, C. Preedy, S. Rees, A. Roberts, J. Smith, G. Stacey, L. A. Tomkinson, W. Treeby, J. Turner, G. L. Warren, K. Webb, D. Williams, G. E. Williams, R. Williams, T. Williams, R. Yeo:

Unite is running the ‘Get me Home safely’ campaign to ensure safe home transport is widely available for the night-time economy and shift workers who often struggle to find and pay for transport home after midnight.  You can read more about the campaign Get ME Home Safely | Make Our Communities & Workplaces Safer (unitetheunion.org) 

Councils have a key role to play in working with businesses and community safety partners  to ensure that people working and living within their local community can get home safely.

This Council notes that:

• Shift work is widespread in many industries, particularly hospitality as well as health and care workers, retail, cleaning, security and porter staff and can often entail late night working.
• Many workers, especially women are increasingly worried about their safety travelling to and from work at night.

• While employers may feel that their duty of care to staff ends when an employee finishes a shift, they also need to take into consideration journeys home, especially during unsocial hours.
• Information from Unite indicates the weakness of enforcement of the law against sexual assault, including up-skirting, on public transport is appalling and it is understood that only 2% of victims go onto report sexual harassment on public transport.
• Unite, the Union’s Get me Home Safely campaign which calls on all employers to take all reasonable steps to ensure workers are able to get home safely from work at night is greatly needed and should be supported.
• Greater numbers of public transport staff trained in how to identify and report sexual harassment  and stronger enforcement of the law against sexual assault and harassment on public transport are urgently needed.

This Council will:

• Support Unite, the Trade Union’s Get Me Home Safely Campaign. 
• Reaffirm its commitment to taking positive action to prevent violence against women and girls and ensuring that people feel safe in public areas across all areas of RCT. This Council will continue to actively contribute to achieving the goals of the Welsh Government Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy 2022-2026.
• Continue to work with the licensed trade to operate a safe night time economy in line with our Licensing Policy Objectives, working with licencees,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

To consider any items which the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, is of the opinion should be considered as a matter ofurgency.

The Presiding Member advised that the report of the Service Director, Democratic Services & Communication regarding ‘Changes to Membership’ would be considered at this juncture, as a matter of urgent business.

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