Agenda item

1.   Question from County Borough Councillor D. Wood to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan OBE:

“I was recently contacted by a member of the emergency services who is extremely concerned about the traffic issues and delays into Pontypridd from the Rhondda every morning. This has meant that it is taking him between 90mins or even 2 hours to arrive at work for 8am, when he is then struggling to find a parking space, which has meant that he is late for work. He would like to know whether there is an RCT plan to alleviate the ongoing traffic issues please?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader responded by stating that the Council’s Highways Department continues to invest in overarching integrated strategic transport schemes designed to improve the network across the RCT, including addressing the traffic issues and delays into Pontypridd from the Rhondda.

Councillor Morgan added that working alongside the South Wales Metro will encourage a modal shift towards sustainable transport provisions to reduce road traffic through providing regular and reliable alternative options. The Metro will see 24 trains per hour through Pontypridd which will mean reduced journey times and reduced congestion in Pontypridd, particularly reducing traffic on the A470. There is a significant amount of construction, engineering, and infrastructure work to do to upgrade the rail network and inevitably this has had a knock-on effect on journey times that will be reduced on completion.

Councillor Morgan advised that the Council is working with TfW on the development of the Porth Interchange to improve bus and railtravel and the Transport Hub will provide attractive alternative to the use of private vehicles. The Leader referred to the through ticketing, which is something the Council is looking to achieve. In addition to the Park & Ride facilities in Abercynon and Porth, the Leader proposed that an announcement would soon be made regarding a Park & Ride project for Treorchy  which would help with congested traffic.

The Leader explained that the Council looks at many options to relieve the congestion on the roads, simple alternatives like sensors on Puffin Crossings can make a difference.

Supplementary question from County Borough Councillor D Wood:

“With the Eisteddfod coming to Pontypridd next year and the need to encourage people to travel to the event from RCT and beyond, how are you utilising the Public PS under discussion at today’s meeting, to ensure residents have their say in any traffic alleviation and infrastructure works in Pontypridd?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader advised that there will be no reason to drive into Pontypridd to attend the Eisteddfod as there will be good park and Ride facilities with regular shuttle buses to Ynysangharad Park. He added that with 24 trains running through Pontypridd every hour and with good links to the, Rhondda, Aberdare and Merthyr lines this will alleviate the need to drive to the event. The Leader advised that the Council is also currently sourcing the location for siting caravans for those wishing to attend the event.

The Leader recognised that local traffic in Pontypridd is under pressure currently due to the closure of the White Bridge which can lead to tailbacks along Berw Road, he added that when the traffic lights are at capacity, the sensors are unable to identify the additional traffic during static queues. He assured the local Member that he would be more than happy to engage with residents and local businesses to ensure that the Eisteddfod is a successful event.

2.      Question from County Borough Councillor T. Williams to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan OBE:

“Could the Leader provide Councillors with an update on the Shared Prosperity Fund Community Fund and other Third Sector grants?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader provided the following information in relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund – RCTCBC Community Grants (From April 2022 to September 2023) as 121organisations have been awarded grants to the value of capital - £183,262 and revenue - £1,746,651. He added that a further allocation has been made for 2024-25 to 31 organisations to the value of capital £45,500 and revenue £814,831.

The Leader added that further details regarding the final grant arrangements for 2024-25 would be announced in January 2024. In relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund – RCTCBC Community Micro Grants, the Leader advised that grants of up to £1,000 are available to those providing community activities/food related support to residents and 92 organisations have been awarded grants to the value of £85,714.

With regards to the Neighbourhood Network Grant, an award of up to £1,000 is available for community activities and to date sixty-nineorganisations have received a total value of £49,046. This is currently paused for applications.The Leader added that awards of up to £1000 are available for direct food support for residents.

The Leader confirmed that thirteen organisations have received a total value of £12,534 in relation to the Food Support Grant, which is currently open for applications from Community Groups providing food provision to their communities. He continued to update on the Period Dignity in Communities Grant where 31 community organisations have been awarded products to the value of £30,065. The Leader commented that a limited number of product bundles are still available until March 2024.

The Leader explained that awards of up to £2,000 are available for the Winter Welcome Centres / Winter Hardship Fund but the application window closes on Friday 10^th November 2023. Those who signed up last year have been contacted through the Neighbourhood Network.

In conclusion, the Leader advised that direct offers of £540.00 will be going to 238 community organisations providing at least one community activity, such as coffee mornings, Foodbanks, Bingo and others known to the Neighbourhood Networks.

There was no supplementary question

3.   Question from County Borough Councillor J. Bonetto to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan OBE:

“Can the Leader make a statement on the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader advised that the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan have been considered by Cabinet recently and he outlined is a key policy to underpin our major investment in this area. The Strategy covers the potential flood risk from local sources, which include ordinary watercourses, surface run-off and groundwater and as the Lead Local Flood Authority, the Council has a requirement to monitor and revise the Strategy to ensure it is aligned with any national policy or policy changes.

The Leader added that Cabinet considered a draft version of the Strategy on July 17, and agreed for officers to undertake a 6-week statutory consultation between the 21st August – 2nd October 2023. He explained that Officers are reviewing the responses and areas in which the strategy could be improved, alongside developing a report to be submitted to the Climate Change, Frontlines Services and Prosperity Scrutiny Committee on the 22nd November 2023. Following review of the Scrutiny Committee feedback, Officers will finalise the strategy and submit to Cabinet in January 2024 for approval.

Supplementary question from County Borough Councillor J Bonetto:

“As you are aware, my ward was hit by river flooding, is the Council engaging with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) regarding River flooding?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader advised that RCT suffered significant river flooding across RCT during Storm Dennis following which the Rivers Rhondda, Cynon and Taff have undergone catchment studies developed by NRW and following the Storm Dennis events a Flood Board was established and continues to meet every 6 weeks which includes representatives from NRW, Welsh Water, WG and senior officers from the Council.

The Leader advised that desk top studies and modelling work has been undertaken by NRW and although this is a long process, there has also been a series of discussions and meetings with Ministers from WG such as Julie James MS. The Leader anticipated that by the summer there will be significant improvements but for those in areas that cannot be protected, it will be important to work closely with NRW and local residents to help them protect their properties with flood doors, flood gates, brick vent covers and other options until the studies are completed by NRW.

4.      Question from County Borough Councillor C. Middle to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan OBE:

“What progress is the Council making in achieving its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader responded by stating the Council is making good progress although challenging due to the costs associated with decarbonising yet the Council is saving more than 6,000 tCO2 by investing almost £13M since the programme began (2010).

He advised that a number of strategies, action plans and projects are in place to help drive the actions and to deliver the Council’s ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Initiatives include the installation of Solar PV, LED lighting, Boiler and Heating Control Upgrades and during this period, the Council has also made significant financial savings.

The Leader advised that the Council now has over 120 PV systems installed across its buildings, collectively generating over 1.4 MWh of renewable electricity each year. The Council also benefits from over £1m in Feed-in-Tariff payments that have been received to date.

Members were advised that the Council is progressing with the design of an energy generation project comprising a land based solar farm and he added that a progress report is due to be presented to Cabinet shortly. The Leader also advised on hydro projects on viable sites across the county borough. The Leader referred to the roll out of almost 100 operational EV charging baysacross RCT as well as the introduction of 25 Battery Electric cars and Light Goods Vehicles into the Council fleet. Other projects include the Taff’s Well Thermal Spring project went live last year where the adjacent school and pavilion are benefitting from reduced carbon emissions to heat the buildings.

In conclusion the Leader advised that the Council is in the process of calculating the cost of the actions contained within the Decarbonisation Strategy and a lot of other work going on in the background.

Supplementary question from County Borough Councillor C Middle:

“How can Councillors stay up to date with these projects?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader advised that the Council has launched updates via its Carbon Footprint dashboard which is available for Members to track progress. The Leader reiterated the challenges ahead for the Council in meeting its targets and commitments by 2030 and need to make bigger savings and work quicker but proposed that a report is presented to a future Full Council meeting which will set out the trajectories in the coming years, the schemes that can be delivered in the timescales and the associated costs.

5.Question from County Borough Councillor S. Emanuel to the Leader of the Council, County Borough Councillor A. Morgan OBE:

“What support is available to the hundreds of workers who recently lost their jobs following the closure of UK Windows and Doors?”

Response from Councillor A Morgan OBE:

The Leader commended the council staff who are working closely with the DWP and WG and he referred to the event which was held in partnership with DWP on 18^th October and held in Ystrad Sports Centre with 304 UK Windows and Doors employees in attendance. He proposed that a similar event could be held before Christmas to consider any gaps that need to be filled.

The event was well promoted and many attendees were able to receive support with their CV and hand it in to employers in attendance and a number of companies have proactively contacted the Council to offer employment for potential candidates for posts. The Leader considered that further, targeted follow-up work is undertaken to ensure that no-one is left without employment.

There was no supplementary question due to the lapse of the allotted time.