Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Conference Room 1a, County Hall, Ruthin
No. | Item |
---|---|
APOLOGIES |
|
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: No personal or prejudicial interests were declared. |
|
URGENT MATTERS AS AGREED BY THE CHAIR Notice of items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972. Minutes: In
accordance with the requirements of Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act
1972, the Chair declared that he intended to include for discussion the
following matter requiring urgent attention under Part II:- Erection of new signs on the Nant Y Garth Pass In response to a question from Councillor T.R. Hughes regarding the excessive size of the traffic signs erected on the Nant Y Garth Pass, the Chair explained that details relating to the provision of the signs had been referred to in the Traffic Update circulated on the 4th October, 2013. Officers agreed to enquire on the reasons why such large signs had been erected. |
|
To receive the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on the 12th September, 2013 (copy enclosed). Minutes: The Minutes of a meeting of
the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 12th September,
2013 were submitted. RESOLVED – that the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record. |
|
RHYL GOING FORWARD PROGRAMME - QUARTERLY REPORT PDF 78 KB To consider a report by the Economic and Business
Development Manager (copy enclosed), which seeks Members’ observations on the progress achieved to date with
delivering the Rhyl Going Forward Programme. 9.35 a.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: A
copy of a report by
the Economic and Business Development Manager, which provided
information regarding progress in terms implementing the Rhyl
Going Forward (RGF) Regeneration Strategy, had been circulated with the papers
for the meeting. Councillor
H.H. Evans introduced and provided a detailed summary of the report. The most recent Programme Update reports been
attached as Appendices 1a to 1d. These
demonstrated that in terms of the four workstreams of
the programme:- ·
West Rhyl Regeneration Area had a current status of Yellow ·
Town
Centre had a current status of Red ·
Seafront
and Tourism had a current status of Yellow ·
Live
and Work in Rhyl had a current status of Orange West Rhyl – Confirmation had now been received
from the Welsh Government (WG) with respect to the Compulsory Purchase Orders
(CPOs) on the respective blocks. The
selection process for the appointment of the Design Team for the Green Space
had been completed, but the final appointment would potentially be delayed
until receipt of confirmation of the CPO to avoid any potential abortive costs. Members were informed that the next phase of
demolition in Gronant Street had now commenced Town Centre – The
Leader explained that the bid submitted by Denbighshire, to the WG’s Vibrant
and Viable Places programme, for £12 million funding to support the
regeneration of the Town Centre had been unsuccessful. One possible reason for the bid’s failure was
the change of WG Minister responsible for the programme and the subsequent
change of emphasis towards housing. He
confirmed that work was continuing with partners, local Members and the Town
Council to develop a strategy for the Town Centre and to seek alternative
funding mechanisms as part of the wider process for developing the Town Plan
for Rhyl. In reply to
concerns expressed by Councillor W. Mullen-James regarding the change of criteria during the Vibrant and Viable Places
programme bidding process, the Leader confirmed he had made strong
representations to the respective Minister and it had been implied that the bid
to the Vibrant and Viable Places Scheme had not been appropriate for this
aspect of the Rhyl Going Forward Programme. Councillor Mullen-James agreed to pursue the
matter through the appropriate political channels. Options were
currently being explored to replace the Town Centre Manager post. These included having a more focused role
looking at promoting and finding tenants for empty properties in the town
centre. The scope of
similar posts in other towns were currently being studied. The opening of the LEGO Innovation Centre at
the former Bee and Station Hotel had taken place on the 20th
September. Seafront and
Tourism - Work was continuing on the development of the case for new leisure
facilities along the coast. The Honey
Club had been demolished and the Development Agreement with Chesham Estates had
been approved by Cabinet. Designs for
the new hotel were being developed and a planning application would be
submitted by the end of the year. The bridge was due
to be opened the following week and works on the harbour building and square were
scheduled to be completed in early 2014. Rhyl Going Forward Group Programme Board - The
Leader emphasised that the Rhyl Going Forward Group
Programme Board was a strategic group and that its remit was not to focus on
day to day issues. Live and Work in Rhyl – The new mountain biking track at Glan Morfa was almost complete, and the design of the new school building at Rhyl High School was progressing. The Coastal Team Leader (CTL) confirmed that smaller issues pertaining to Rhyl would be pursued through the ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
|
NORTH WALES GYPSY AND TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT PDF 57 KB To
consider a report by the Housing Care and Support Manager (copy enclosed),
which details the North Wales Gypsy
and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTANA) undertaken by Bangor University
and seeks the Committee’s observations on the Assessment’s recommendations and
on the composition and remit of the proposed steering group .
10.10 a.m. Additional documents: Minutes: A
copy of a report by
the Housing Care and Support Manager, which provided information regarding
the North Wales Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTANA)
undertaken by Bangor University had been distributed with the papers for the
meeting.
The study had
concluded that Denbighshire should be required to provide 2 residential pitches
for Gypsies and Travellers, each to accommodate up to 4 caravans, and one
transit pitch to accommodate up to 7 caravans on a short term basis to be
developed on a sub-regional basis with Conwy County Borough Council. It had been recommended that the Scrutiny Committee
support the proposed composition of the Steering Group to drive the
recommendations forward. The HHCD outlined the legal implications of failing
to take action which could also result in an increase in illegal
encampments. Details of problems
recently experienced by a local business were outlined by Councillor H.C.
Irving who highlighted the need to be proactive and address the issue. The Executive
Summary to the Bangor University North Wales GTANA contained key findings and
recommendations and had been attached as Appendix 1. Legal advice sought
had indicated that the GTANA be adopted as it had identified an accommodation
need within Denbighshire which the Council would be obliged to respond to. This requirement would be strengthened by the
WG in the forthcoming White Paper whereby LAs would be mandated to provide
sites for the Gypsy and Traveller Community where there was evidence that a
need existed. It would be important for
the Council to open up a dialogue with the Gypsy and Traveller Community to
ensure their needs would be met by the proposed sites which may be
offered. Conwy County Borough Council
was undergoing a similar process and it had been suggested that the Working
Group should take the opportunity to collaborate where appropriate,
particularly in relation to the provision of a sub-regional transit pitch. The HHCD confirmed that where sites had been provided
following dialogue with the Gypsy and Traveller Community the number of illegal
encampments had subsequently decreased.
Councillor C.H. Williams explained that he understood the legal
implications relating to the provision of sites, but would find it difficult to
voluntary support the provision of sites for people who continually flouted the
law. Members were informed of the statutory obligation to provide sites ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
|
SUPPORTING PEOPLE LOCAL COMMISSIONING PLAN PDF 60 KB To consider a report
by the Supporting People Team
Manager (copy enclosed), which seeks the Committee’s observations on the two-year Local Commissioning Plan
for the Supporting People Programme in Denbighshire. 10.55 a.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: A
copy of a report by
the Supporting People Team Manager, which detailed the two-year
Local Commissioning Plan (LCP) for the Supporting People programme in
Denbighshire, had been circulated with the papers for the meeting. Councillor
R.L. Feeley introduced the report and explained that
Supporting People (SP) was a policy framework and funding stream to provide
housing related support to vulnerable people, promoting independence and
preventing homelessness. The LCP for
2014/15 and 2015/16 would be submitted to Cabinet on the 29th
October, 2013 for agreement. Supporting People
provided housing related support services to a wide range of vulnerable people
and details of the services supported by SP in Denbighshire had been outlined
in the report. Housing related support
aimed to enable people to maintain their housing tenure and live as
independently as possible. The SP
Programme had been evaluated at national level and shown to deliver very
positive financial and other benefits. The report
incorporated details of changes to the administration of the SP programme which
included new guidance and governance, contractual arrangements and funding distribution
formula. The funding distribution
formula had cut the Denbighshire SP budget by 5% each year from 2012-13 until
2016-17. Plans had been introduced to
manage the cuts without significantly impacting on service levels in 2012/13,
2013/14 and 2014/5 and to develop and consult on a fair and transparent
strategic prioritisation framework to inform the management of cuts in 2015/16
and 2016-17. In July, 2013 the WG had
detailed further cuts from April, 2014 and the Council had been consulted on
options for managing the cuts. It was
understood that the total level of cuts in 2014-15 would be in the region of
12%, though this had not been confirmed by WG. Members were informed that the Local Commissioning Plan (LCP) had
focused on managing known reductions whilst also being in a position to respond
to additional budget cuts while minimising the impact on service users. Planning the 2014/15 budget had involved
abandoning projects which had not been commissioned, decommissioning projects
with the consent of providers and negotiating reduced contracts for projects
which were not fully occupied or struggling to maintain service delivery. Confirmation was provided that the challenges for 2015/16 would
increase. However, the impact on
service users would be minimised wherever possible through negotiating
efficiency savings and reconfiguration with individual service providers. Concern had been expressed that not all the
savings for 2014/15 could be achieved and that contracts may have to be reduced
where savings had not been negotiated or identified by 10%. However, the Council was seeking to achieve
savings by consensus and had already negotiated 75% of the expected scale of
savings for 2014/15. While promoting a
strategic approach to identifying efficiencies, WG had explicitly required
constructive engagement from providers to deliver savings in 2014/15, and this
had proved helpful. It was explained that Denbighshire was committed to taking a strategic
approach to the difficult choices ahead, which potentially included the
decommissioning of some services, and the development of the Strategic Priority
to Fund framework would continue. Details of actions listed in the SP LCP for 2014/15 and 2015/16 had been
incorporated in Appendix 1. The main
strategic priorities which had been identified included:- ·
Women & Men experiencing
Domestic Abuse ·
People with Learning Disabilities ·
Young People with Support Needs
(16 - 24) ·
Generic/Floating
Support/Peripatetic (tenancy support services which cover a range of user
needs) The Supporting People Team Manager (SPTM) provided a summary of the SP Spend Plan included in the report. The final SP Spend Plan would be concluded following confirmation of the funding level. Summaries of the ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
|
SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME PDF 58 KB To consider a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator (copy enclosed) seeking a review of the committee’s forward work programme and updating members on relevant issues.
11.30 a.m. Additional documents: Minutes: A copy of a report by the
Scrutiny Coordinator, which requested the Committee to review and agree its forward work programme and which
provided an update on relevant issues, had been circulated with the papers for the
meeting. The Cabinet Forward Work Programme had
been included as Appendix 2 and a table summarising recent Committee
resolutions, and advising on progress with their implementation, had been
attached at Appendix 3 to the report. Draft Caravan Sites Strategy for Denbighshire – As a result of workload
pressures relating to the Local Development Plan and the associated urgent
Supplementary Planning Guidance, the Planning and Public Protection Department
had been unable to progress the development of the draft strategy as originally
intended. Members agreed that the
presentation of the draft strategy be deferred until the spring of 2014. Draft Flood Management Strategy - Due to the need to dedicate officers’
time and efforts to the investigations into the major flooding incidents in the
County it had not been possible to focus on the draft Flood Management
Strategy. As the Strategy should be
available in the near future the Chair had agreed for its presentation to be
rescheduled to November’s meeting. As a
result the report on the ‘Community Covenant with the Armed Forces’, scheduled
for the meeting in November, had been rescheduled to the meeting in January,
2014. Members were
informed that the next Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group meeting had been
scheduled for the 24th October, 2013. In response to a question from
Councillor H.O. Williams, the Scrutiny Coordinator explained that the Scrutiny
Chairs and Vice Chairs Group had been asked to consider a request that the Joint Board of the AONB be subject
to scrutiny in the future.. Councillor
J.S. Welsh informed the Committee that the rescheduling of the meeting of the
Committee from the 28th November, 2013 to the 25th
November, 2013 had not been noted in the Members diary. The Scrutiny Coordinator agreed that a
cancellation request for the meeting on the 28th November, 2013
would be issued. RESOLVED – that, subject
to the above amendments, the Committee’s Work Programme be approved. Meeting ended at 11.35 a.m. |