Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: remotely via Video Conferencing
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APOLOGIES Decision: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Anton Sampson and Glenn Swingler. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Anton Sampson and Glenn Swingler. |
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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. Decision: Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies declared a personal interest in agenda item 4, ‘Minutes’ as a member of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. The following members declared a personal interest in agenda
item 5, ‘Impact of Ruthin Primary Area Review’: Councillor Huw O Williams – parent of a pupil attending one of the schools Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies – School Governor Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts – Parent and School Governor Ysgol Pen Barras Councillor Merfyn Parry – School Governor Ysgol Bryn Clwyd and Ysgol Gellifor Co-opted Member Neil Roberts – School Governor Ysgol Borthyn Councillor Cheryl Williams – School Governor Christ the Word School Councillor Emrys Wynne – School Governor Ysgol Brynhyfryd & Ysgol Borthyn Councillor Martyn Holland – School Governor Ysgol Bro Fammau Councillor Andrew
Thomas – governor at one of the County’s schools Councillor Tina
Jones – governor at Ysgol Melyd Councillor Graham
Timms – governor at Ysgol Dinas Bran, Llangollen Minutes: Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies declared a personal interest in agenda item 4, ‘Minutes’ as a member of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. The following members declared a personal interest in agenda
item 5, ‘Impact of Ruthin Primary Area Review’: Councillor Huw O Williams – parent of a pupil attending one of the schools Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies – School Governor Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts – Parent and School Governor Ysgol Pen Barras Councillor Merfyn Parry – School Governor Ysgol Bryn Clwyd and Ysgol Gellifor Co-opted Member Neil Roberts – School Governor Ysgol Borthyn Councillor Cheryl Williams – School Governor Christ the Word School Councillor Emrys Wynne – School Governor Ysgol Brynhyfryd & Ysgol Borthyn Councillor Martyn Holland – School Governor Ysgol Bro Fammau Councillor Andrew
Thomas – governor at one of the County’s schools Councillor Tina
Jones – governor at Ysgol Melyd Councillor Graham
Timms – governor at Ysgol Dinas Bran, Llangollen |
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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. Decision: Review of Cabinet Decision Relating to the Disposal of Land Adjacent to Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh: the Chair invited the Vice-Chair to address the Committee in relation to Cabinet’s response to the Committee’s recommendations following its examination of the above decision. Whilst Cabinet had debated the Committee’s recommendations in some detail and half the Cabinet members had supported the Committee’s recommendations the Executive had, on the Chair’s casting vote, confirmed its original decision. The Committee’s Vice-Chair registered his disappointment with the outcome, and questioned whether Scrutiny could ever persuade Cabinet to review their decisions. Executive members in attendance at the present meeting advised that in their view Scrutiny had effectively held decision-makers to account and generated constructive debate. A number of matters had been aired which were likely to be considered when determining future planning policy. The use of the casting vote had highlighted that the Council’s Cabinet was balanced, and comprised members of different viewpoints. Minutes: Review of Cabinet Decision Relating to the Disposal of Land Adjacent to Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh: the Chair invited the Vice-Chair to address the Committee in relation to Cabinet’s response to the Committee’s recommendations following its examination of the above decision. Whilst Cabinet had debated the Committee’s recommendations in some detail and half the Cabinet members had supported the Committee’s recommendations the Executive had, on the Chair’s casting vote, confirmed its original decision. The Committee’s Vice-Chair registered his disappointment with the outcome, and questioned whether Scrutiny could ever persuade Cabinet to review their decisions. Executive members in attendance at the present meeting advised that in their view Scrutiny had effectively held decision-makers to account and generated constructive debate. A number of matters had been aired which were likely to be considered when determining future planning policy. The use of the casting vote had highlighted that the Council’s Cabinet was balanced, and comprised members of different viewpoints. |
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To receive the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 3 September 2020 (copy enclosed). 10.05am – 10.10am Decision: Agreement on the recommendation was by consensus. No formal vote was taken. All members indicated they were in favour of
the recommendation, no one indicated they were against it and no one indicated
they wanted to abstain. Resolved: - that the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny
Committee meeting held on 3 September 2020 be received and approved as a true
and correct record Minutes: The minutes of the Communities Scrutiny
Committee meeting held on 3 September 2020 were submitted. Matters Arising - · The Scrutiny Officer informed the committee that a Mooreland officer had been appointed however the fire service were not jointly funding the post. Members expressed their disappointment with the lack of funding. Agreement on the recommendation was by consensus. No formal vote was taken. All members indicated they were in favour of
the recommendation, no one indicated they were against it and no one indicated
they wanted to abstain. Resolved: - that the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny
Committee meeting held on 3 September 2020 be received and approved as a true
and correct record |
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IMPACT OF RUTHIN PRIMARY REVIEW PDF 220 KB To consider a report by the Principal Manager - School Support (copy attached) which seeks the Committee to assess the impact of the Ruthin area primary education review against the well-being goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. 10.10am – 10.45am Additional documents:
Decision: Vote taken: 10 in
favour, 0 against, 1 abstention. The Committee: Resolved: having considered the findings in the report and
presented during the discussion – (i)
to receive the information on the impact of the
Ruthin Primary Area Review as assessed against the seven well-being goals of
the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015; (ii)
to confirm that, as part of its
consideration, it had read, understood and taken account of the Well-being
Impact Assessment (Appendix 1); (iii)
that an information report be prepared for
circulation to members on the economic impact on Rhewl
following the closure of the school as part of the Ruthin primary area review; (iv)
that information be provided to members
detailing the statistics of the Welsh Language Survey undertaken across
Denbighshire recently; and (v)
that members’ gratitude be conveyed to all
school based, Education Service, and other Council Services’ staff for their
efforts and commitment in securing the delivery of education and support to the
county’s pupils throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Minutes: Interim Head
of Education, Geraint Davies (GD), Principal Manager – School Support, James
Curran (JC) were in attendance for the item. Councillor
Huw Hilditch-Roberts introduced the report providing information regarding the
impact of the Ruthin Primary review against the seven well-being goals of the
Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015. Denbighshire’s Cabinet agreed in
November 2012 to commence informal consultation regarding a review of Primary
Provision in the Ruthin area. It was agreed that the area review would focus on
the following objectives; Ensuring the sustainability of high quality education
provision; improving the quality of school buildings and facilities and providing
the right number of places, of the right type in the right location. Cabinet
reviewed the findings of the informal consultation and made six recommendations
which would impact on school provision in the area. In essence of the report the majority was a
good one, the area had intensive investment, and there were matters such as
Ysgol Pentrecelyn and Ysgol Llanbedr and the consultation. The experience
gained from the consultation had been beneficial. Children were being educated
in good environments and there had been good investment in the Ruthin area.
There has also been a healthy increase with Welsh speakers in the area. GD agreed with Councillor Huw
Hilditch-Roberts, it was also added that the investment made to the schools
made the whole process of education easier for teachers and pupils. It was also
stated that there had been an unforeseen circumstance of the investment as the
larger builds had made keeping COVID compliant much easier. During the debate
the following points were raised: ·
The
chair informed the committee that following the case to keep Ysgol Llanbedr
open, the number of pupils had been increasing. ·
Members
queried whether there was a follow up impact meant to be carried out since the
school was closed to see the impact on the community and the economy, and if anything
had been carried out. Officers responded an information report was meant to be
circulated which was an exercise to see the impact of what happened with the school,
they informed the member that can get the discover the report and resend to the
local member. The local member there had been a report promised which would assess
the community and economic impact in the Rhyl area. Officer responded stating
they would review past minutes to see what was discussed and carry out the
work. ·
Members
highlighted the impact on the Welsh language in the area, had there been an
increase with the Welsh language. There had been an increase with children
attending Welsh schools and also the Welsh language offer had increased. ·
The
committee enquired whether the new builds were economically viable and green as
all the new schools were built with large open spaces. There were also concerns
with safety of the new schools. The wide open spaces has made it easier with
the current perspective. It’s easier to manage the movement of children in an
open space, there were no negative comments received from school Governors with
large spaces. The wellbeing aspect can be looked at, schools felt more secure
with fobs to gain access to the schools and having fencing surrounding schools. ·
The new
Ysgol Pen Barras and Rhos Street School were mentioned, the outside space
needed to be fair and balanced between two schools, the professionals involved
did not work it out correctly and after substantial lobbying from governors and
parents the change would be implemented. Proposed by Councillor
Graham Timms, seconded by Councillor Merfyn Parry. Vote taken: 10 in
favour, 0 against, 1 abstention. The Committee: Resolved ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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COMMUNITY BENEFITS POLICY PDF 131 KB To consider a report by the Community Hub Manager (copy attached) which seeks the Committee’s observations and support for the Council’s Community Benefits Policy and recommendations in relation to its use 10.45am – 11.15am Additional documents:
Decision: Agreement on the
recommendation was by consensus. No
formal vote was taken. All members
indicated they were in favour of the recommendation, no one indicated they were
against it and no one indicated they wanted to abstain. The Committee: Resolved: - having considered the policy – (i)
to
support its aims and objectives; (ii)
to
confirm that, as part of its consideration, it had read, understood and taken
account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 2); and (iii)
recommended
that on page 4 of the policy, under the ‘Environmental Sustainability
Initiatives’ section that the words “limiting pollution” be replaced by
“limiting pollution where possible”. Minutes: Deputy
Leader and Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets Julian
Thompson-Hill, the Community Benefits Manager Karen Bellis and the Framework
Manager Tania Silva were all in attendance for the item. Councillor Julian
Thompson-Hill, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Finance, Performance and
Strategic Assets presented the report (previously circulated) for the committee
to consider and comment on the proposed Community Benefits (CB) policy and its
alignment with the Council’s corporate plans and priorities. June 2019 the DCC
Programme Board for Young People and Housing approved the creation of the
Community Benefits Hub (CB Hub), along with the inclusion of community benefits
in all relevant contracts. The Hub wouldprovide
support, and enable Services to include CBs in contracts at the earliest
opportunity. The commissioning
cycle process is central to achieving best value and outcomes for DCC spend and
it is to be expected that by applying a CB approach at an early stage this wouldgo toward increasing value for DCC spend. A CB Hub
Officer was appointed in February 2020 and CB Hub manager appointed in March.
DCC Community Benefits Policy wouldsupport the work
and actions of the CB Hub in achieving intended outcomes and targets. The Council spent
£116m in 2017/18 so with a modest 1% CB return this could be generate £1.16m in
new benefit per annum. This Policy would support the work of the CB Hub, and
the council officers it supports, to access such funding and benefits to
reinforce our corporate plan priorities that would help our communities to
become more independent and resilient. The Council delivers its services
directly through its own workforce, and through private and third sector
organisations. The Council procures a wide range of goods, services and works
from over 4,500 suppliers, service providers and contractors. The CB Policy would
provide a framework for internal and external stakeholders to be active in
continued and developing engagement allowing us to monitor and evaluate, learn
lessons, measure impact, and design fit for purpose CB planning the future.
Policy would also support the CB Hub to track, monitor and report on community
benefit outcomes across the council and become a means of assessing the
strength, vitality and performance for the Corporate Plan 2017-2022. This in
turn would use to formulate strategies for improvements and influence policy
decisions. There could be opportunities to involve local communities in the
delivery of community benefits. The Hub was doing
what the future generation act and ensuring that there was not only a financial
gain from the contractors but also to have a long term impact. During the debate
the following points were raised: ·
The
committee queried whether the officers for the CB would work closely with
elected members, officers responded stating they would be having correspondence
with local members as they had the best communication with local people and
matters. ·
The
committee queried whether wording within the policy could be changed from ‘limiting
pollution’ to ‘preventing pollution’ officers ensured this could be done. ·
Head of
Legal, HR and Democratic Services, Monitoring Officer – endorsed the work which
was carried out by both Officers Tania Silva and Karen Bellis. Proposed by
Councillor Graham Timms, seconded by Councillor Brian Jones. Agreement on the
recommendation was by consensus. No
formal vote was taken. All members
indicated they were in favour of the recommendation, no one indicated they were
against it and no one indicated they wanted to abstain. The Committee: Resolved: - having considered the policy – (i)
to
support its aims and objectives; (ii) to confirm that, as part of its consideration, it had read, understood and taken account ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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NORTH EAST WALES ARCHIVES AND RUTHIN GAOL PDF 135 KB To consider a report by the Business Information Team Manager (copy attached) updating the Committee on the Archives project and which seeks members’ views on the proposals put forward for the future use of Ruthin Gaol 11.30am – 12pm Additional documents: Decision: Vote taken: 6 in
favour, 1 against, 0 abstentions. Having considered
the report on the North East Wales Archive Service and Ruthin Gaol the
Committee: Resolved: (i)
to note the progress made to date and
support the proposals for the future use of Ruthin Gaol; (ii)
to register concerns that no contingency
plans currently existed for the Archives Service or the heritage offer at
Ruthin Gaol if the bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for funding to
develop a Hub in Mold for the North East Wales
Archives Service was unsuccessful; and (iii)
that the results of the current North East
Wales Archives Service Access Consultation be circulated to members for
information. Minutes: The lead member for
Housing and Communities Tony Thomas, the Head of Business Improvement and
Modernisation, Alan Smith, the Countryside and Heritage Services Manager
Denbighshire Huw Rees and the Business Information Team Manager Craig Berry were
all in attendance for the item. Councillor Tony
Thomas - Cabinet Lead Member for Housing and Communities presented the report
(previously circulated). This follows a report presented to Communities
Scrutiny Committee during October 2019, where the plans were outlined for North
East Wales Archives (NEWA) and the possible move to Mold in 2025 (subject to
National Lottery Heritage Funding). During this meeting, the Committee
requested an update during 2020 on the utilisation of the potential vacated
space at Ruthin Gaol. A working group was
established earlier this year to develop plans for the long-term use of Ruthin
Gaol. The working group consisted of Local Members, selected key officers and a
representative from Ruthin Town Council. The Working Group has developed
exciting and innovative plans for expanding the heritage attraction at the
Gaol, so that the vacated space was used to develop the following, Development
of immersive Cell Experiences. Alan Smith had put a £65k reserve in place with work
with the old gaol. The plans for the
Gaol, were in line with the budget allocated which was £65k, this budget would
be used whether the Archives would move. Thanks for some funding from Craig’s
team who funded plans for some whole site offers, this would impact on 46 Clwyd
Street. During the debate
the following points were raised: ·
The
committee queried why the item was being discussed prior to the public consultation
being carried out and completed, responding officers clarified that public
engagement was required for the next stage of the bid. The consolation would be
promoted through social media to ensure there was adequate public engagement. ·
The archive
presence at the Gaol whether the archives would move was highlighted, members sought
clarification with what the link would entail. There would be a computer link,
alongside a physical presence during the week. The physical presence would keep
a presence at the gaol to cover local demand. However the details were yet to
be finalised. ·
The
partnership between Flintshire County Council and Denbighshire’s County Council’s
archive services was questioned and whether the NEWA were to fail would the
partnership continue. The committee were informed that the partnership was
informal, and both Councils could leave however the partnership was working
well. ·
The
proposals for the Gaol were they dependant on the Archives leaving the site. Officers clarified that whether the Archives
were not to move out it would be very difficult to carry out any works, the
plans which were presented were totally reliant if archives were to move out. ·
The differences
between DCC and FCC’s Welsh language policies were raised, member were seeking
assurance to which policy would be adopted if the NEWA was built. The committee
were assured that it would be the DCC policy which would be adopted. Vote taken: 6 in
favour, 1 against, 0 abstentions. Having considered
the report on the North East Wales Archive Service and Ruthin Gaol the
Committee: Resolved: (i)
to note the progress made to date and support
the proposals for the future use of Ruthin Gaol; (ii)
to register concerns that no contingency
plans currently existed for the Archives Service or the heritage offer at
Ruthin Gaol if the bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for funding to
develop a Hub in Mold for the North East Wales Archives Service was
unsuccessful; and (iii) that the results of the current North East Wales Archives ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME PDF 152 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 12pm – 12.20pm Additional documents:
Decision: Agreement on the
recommendation was by consensus. No
formal vote was taken. All members
indicated they were in favour of the recommendation, no one indicated they were
against it and no one indicated they wanted to abstain. Resolved:
having considered the information provided, and subject to the above
observations and suggestions– (i) to approve the Committee’s forward work programme; and (ii) that an additional meeting be arranged for early February 2021 to consider matters relating to the Waste Service Remodelling Project Minutes: The Scrutiny
Co-ordinator 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 Flood
Management Responsibilities in Denbighshire NRW have confirmed they are able to
attend the meeting, awaiting confirmation if Dwr Cymru could attend, members
were happy for the item to be discussed at the next meeting. ·
The Rhyl
Regeneration Programme and the Car Park Charging Policy and Residents’ Parking Schemes
were still scheduled for the January meeting, the Planning Compliance Charter was
scheduled for May, and this was to allow 6 months to pass to see whether the
charter was effective. ·
Waste Remodelling
was queried and whether members were happy to include the item on the agenda for
January, members suggested an additional meeting be organised in February 2021
to discuss the item. The Scrutiny
Co-ordinator reminded members of the scrutiny proposal form (Appendix 2
previously circulated) and advised that any proposals should be sent to her
directly, so these could be considered by the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group
for inclusion on the forward work programme. Agreement on the
recommendation was by consensus. No
formal vote was taken. All members
indicated they were in favour of the recommendation, no one indicated they were
against it and no one indicated they wanted to abstain. Resolved: having
considered the information provided, and subject to the above observations and
suggestions– (i) to approve the Committee’s forward work programme; and (ii) that an additional meeting be arranged for early February 2021 to consider matters relating to the Waste Service Remodelling Project |
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FEEDBACK FROM COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES To receive any
updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups 12.20pm – 12.30pm Decision: No feedback received. Minutes: No feedback received. The meeting concluded
at 13:17. |