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.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 27^th February 2020.

It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 27^th February 2020 as an accurate reflection.

To receive verbal updates from the relevant officers in respect of the Council’s recovery response to date and future service planning.

The following updates were provided by Council Officers and Key Partners in respect of the major weather incident ‘Storm Dennis’:

Frontline Services, Highways and Infrastructure

·         The majority of the cleaning was complete with the exception of the odd property owner/tenant still making themselves known;

·         The team were assisting with the food collection and had begun delivering food parcels;

·         The cleansing team were revisiting the streets daily;

·         12 structures with issues had been identified, with officers working through the retaining walls;

·         Llanwonno/Tylorstown tip was still being monitored;

·         There was still traffic as a result of the Berw Road bridge being closed;

·         Approximately 19,000 sandbags had been distributed;

·         A number of CRMs were still being received;

·         There was currently no parking enforcement in Pontypridd;

·         There was currently no enforcement on black bag waste;

·         The Capital cost was approximately £44M and increasing; and

·         Praise was given to the Council, key partners, the community and businesses for pulling together at such a devastating time.

Housing

·         748 residential properties had been verified as having flood damage;

·         37 households had been placed in temporary accommodation but 24 had since been placed with family or given a six month tenancy;

·         Three central locations had been established for donations (1 for food and 2 for non-food);

·         40 cages of food had been received from Tesco, which consisted of a mixture of community donations and food provided from the store itself;

·         16 trolleys of food donations had been received from Asda;

·         Deliveries had also been received from food suppliers such as the Co-op and Aldi, along with a number of various financial donations;

·         The food boxes had been prioritised in terms of need (27 had been delivered to temporary accommodation, a further 238 were due to be delivered to vulnerable residents that day and the rest would be delivered the following day);

·         The Leader advised that the food boxes were made up to supply a whole family and as such, those with larger families would receive a bigger box to ensure they are all fed for the week. He spoke of the potential of providing a second food box to those most vulnerable for the following week;

·         As residents move back to their homes, there would be a greater need for cutlery and small electrical appliances;

·         Castell Howell had generously provided a £1000 financial donation due to the amount of food received;

·         The officer questioned whether there was potential for vouchers to be provided for clothes and shoes etc;

·         There was a possibility that some small businesses would need further support;

·         The Community for Work team were working with Finance to distribute the hardship payments through the drop in sessions, and most had successfully been issued; and

·         There were issues with people out of county applying for the fund, who were not eligible.

RCT Citizens Advice

·         Residents were being advised of the Discretionary Assistance Fund, which provides urgent grants to people in Wales, which do not need to be paid back. The grants are for certain electrical white  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.