Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Conference Room 1a, County Hall, Ruthin
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WELCOME The Chair welcomed
everyone to the meeting and conveyed a special welcome to Lesley Powell,
CEO Citizens Advice Denbighshire and Katie Goodwin, DWP Partnership Manager who were in attendance for agenda item 6 –
Universal Credit. |
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APOLOGIES Minutes: The Leader, Councillor Hugh Evans gave his apologies as Lead member for agenda item 7- Tourism Signage Strategy for Denbighshire. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS PDF 116 KB Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: Councillor Merfyn Parry declared a personal interest in agenda item 6 - Universal Credit. |
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APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIR PDF 58 KB To elect the Committee’s Vice-Chair for the municipal year
2018/19 (see attached copy of the role description for Scrutiny Member and
Chair/Vice-Chair) Minutes: Councillor
Graham Timms was nominated and seconded for the role of Vice-Chair of the
Communities Scrutiny Committee. No other nominations were received and it was: RESOLVED
that Councillor
Graham Timms be appointed Vice-Chair of Communities Scrutiny Committee for the
2018/2019 municipal year. |
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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: No urgent matters were raised. |
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To receive the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 22 March 2018 (copy enclosed). Minutes: The minutes
of the meeting of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 22 March were
submitted. Matters arising – Page 12- Agenda item 6 – Seagull Management
Update Report – The Scrutiny Coordinator confirmed that correspondence with
Betsi Cadwaladr University health Board (BCUHB) requesting information regarding
numbers of individuals who had attended Local Hospitals had not included the
number of individuals who attended General Practitioner’s (GP) surgeries. The
task to collate figures of all GP surgeries would be great. RESOLVED
that the minutes of
the meeting held on 22 March 2018, be received and approved as a correct
record. |
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To consider a report by the Contracts & Performance Project Manager
(copy enclosed) detailing the likely
effects of the introduction of Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) on Council services
and on the County’s residents and the planning and preparation taken to date. 10.10-11.00 a.m Additional documents:
Minutes: The Lead Member for
Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets introduced a report by Contracts and
Performance Project Manager: Finance (previously circulated) which
outlined the likely effects of the recent introduction of Universal Credit Full
Service (UCFS) on Council services and the county’s residents, and the planning
and preparation work undertaken to date by the Council and its partners for the
potential impact of its introduction. Prior to detailing the report’s
contents the Lead Member introduced the Council officers in attendance along
with the representatives from the key partner organisations, Department for
Work and Pensions (DWP) and Citizens Advice Denbighshire (CAD), with whom the
authority had been working closely with a view to managing the impact of the
UCFS introduction in the county. During his introduction the Lead Member
advised that whilst the majority of Denbighshire had formed part of the UCFS
roll-out which commenced in April 2018, as it was served by the Rhyl Job
Centre, residents in the southern part of the county had been subject to UCFS
from October 2017 as their local Job Centre was at Wrexham, whilst some
residing on the county’s western fringes were going a few weeks later as they are impacted by Llandudno Job Centre. Members were
advised that the introduction of Universal Credit formed part of the UK
Government’s programme of welfare reform. It was a means-tested benefit,
administered by the DWP, which was available to people of working age on low
incomes, either in work or out of work. The new benefit replaced the six
main benefits or tax credits which were available to people of working age and
combined them into one single household payment on a monthly basis.
Conscious of the potential implications of UCFS’s introduction on residents and
Council services alike the Council established a Universal Credit Board in July
2017. The purpose of the Board, which comprised of officers from a wide
range of Council services and key partner stakeholders i.e. DWP, CAD and
Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) was to develop a corporate approach towards
providing support and advice to residents affected by the changes to ensure
that they were not missing out on their benefit entitlement or any associated
entitlements i.e. Free School Meals FSMs etc. As part of the planning for
UCFS’s introduction in the county officers had liaised closely with other
authorities, such as Flintshire, where UCFS had been rolled-out earlier with a
view to learning from their experiences and capturing best practice. Council officers in attendance explained to the Committee the measures implemented to date in a bid to mitigate the effects of the benefit’s introduction on residents and on Council services, illustrating the linkages between the work of various groups and stakeholders. They outlined the risks identified in relation to its introduction and the mitigating actions instigated to manage those risks (as detailed in Appendix 3) and the various communications which had been issued to residents and stakeholders during the time leading up to, and following the benefit’s introduction (Appendix 5). With a view to providing a seamless service and a multi-agency approach CAD and the Council have staff located in Rhyl Job Centre to provide a range of support and advice to those claiming UC including budgetary advice (CAD) and housing advice, homeless prevention and access to other entitlements available from the Council. The Council had also improved its referral process to CAD, it now referred potential clients digitally. In addition two videos had been produced and were available on the UC webpage of Council’s website, the purpose of which were to signpost residents to where advice and help was ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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At this juncture (11:20 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break. |
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The meeting reconvened at 11:35 a.m. |
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TOURISM SIGNAGE STRATEGY FOR DENBIGHSHIRE PDF 155 KB To consider a report by the Traffic, Parking and Road Safety Manager and the Team Leader - Tourism,
Marketing and Events, updating members on the initial development of a tourism signage
strategy for Denbighshire. 11.15-12.00 p.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: In the absence of the Leader the Deputy Leader (Lead Member
for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets) introduced a joint report by the
Council’s Traffic, Parking and Road Safety Manager and the Team Leader:
Tourism, Marketing and Events (previously circulated) which updated members on
the initial development of a tourism signage strategy for Denbighshire.
He briefed members on the background to the project and explained that once the
‘brown’ tourist signs were erected on the side of the A55 to direct visitors to
Rhuddlan, St. Asaph and Denbigh, there would need to
be other signs to signpost them to other attractions across the county.
Lead Members and officers were of the view that erection of the A55 signs and
the introduction of the Welsh Government’s (WG) tourism initiative ‘The Wales
Way’ (attached at appendix C to the report) which focussed on promoting three
core tourism routes in the country, provided an ideal opportunity for the
Council itself to develop a tourism signage strategy for Denbighshire which
complemented both the A55 signs and the WG’s vision, whilst developing the
county’s urban and rural economies. In addition to working with town and
community councils, tourism and other businesses to develop and provide ‘traditional’
signage it would also be advisable to maximise digital information portals and
business opportunities, such as ‘i-beacons’. Officers advised that North Wales
local authorities had recently submitted a successful joint bid under ‘The
Wales Way’ project to develop winter tourism in the region. Work was currently underway with local businesses
across the region with a view to engaging them with a project that would see
tourist related businesses open all year round and thriving, whatever the
season. Whilst technology was developing on a daily basis, roadside signs
were still an important way of drawing attractions to the attention of
tourists, digital information was supplemental to signs. Responding to
members questions the Lead Member and officers advised that: ·
tourist
operator usually paid for ‘brown’ signs, but that the Council usually paid any
maintenance costs relating to them despite not having a specific budget for
maintenance costs of the signs; ·
the proposed elected member and officer working
group could work out the details of preferred and alternative tourist routes
throughout the county, as part of its work in developing ‘tourist
trails’. The Group could also discuss with city, town and community councils
the benefits of developing and purchasing signs which had a consistent
branding. This working group would solely look at a signage strategy,
including the inclusion of easily identifiable symbols etc., for the county’s
highways network, it would not examine trunk road signage as they were the
responsibility of WG. Once established it was envisaged that there would
be an opportunity for the Working Group to work with other neighbouring
authorities with a view to ensuring that each authority’s ‘tourism trails’
would complement each other’s trails and those identified as part of the
pan-North Wales Way bid; ·
whilst
the Council no longer had its own ‘Sign Shop’ it could still procure road signs
at a competitive rate, albeit that there would be some time delay for delivery; ·
the Working Group charged with progressing the A55
tourist signs for the Vale of Clwyd attractions had re-convened following the
Committee’s November meeting with a view to progressing the project.
There was a slight shortfall in the funding available for the signs which the
Assembly Member (AM) was attempting to solve via WG; ·
whilst
tourist were increasingly relying on digital information about where to visit
etc. there would still be a need for paper documentation such as maps and
guides; and · political ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME PDF 139 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. 12.00-12.15 p.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Scrutiny
Coordinator submitted a report (previously circulated) seeking members’
review of the Committee’s work programme and provided an update on relevant issues. Discussion
focused on the following - ·
the two
items on the work programme for the Committee’s next meeting were re-affirmed
and it was agreed to invite the relevant Lead Cabinet Members to that meeting; ·
it was
agreed to include an update report on Universal Credit and Tourism Signage Strategy
for Denbighshire on the Committee’s Forward Work programme in 12 month’s time; ·
reference
was made to the Committee’s information
brief which included an update on actions from the last meeting together with
further information as requested It was: Resolved:
- subject to the above to confirm the Committee’s
forward work programme |
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FEEDBACK FROM COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES To receive any
updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups 12.15-12.20 p.m. Minutes: Committee
representatives reported upon their attendance at meetings as follows – Councillor Huw Williams had attended the Service Performance Challenge for Finance and noted that an update report had been included in the information update brief. |
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The meeting concluded at 12:25 p.m. |