Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: BY VIDEO CONFERENCE.
No. | Item |
---|---|
POINT OF NOTICE Due to the current restrictions on travel and requirement for social distancing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic the meeting was held remotely by video conference and was not open to the general public. All members had been given the opportunity to attend as observers and the Local Democracy Reporter had also been invited to observe. |
|
APOLOGIES Minutes: There were no apologies. |
|
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: No declarations of interest had been raised. Minutes: No declarations of interest had been raised. |
|
URGENT MATTERS 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: No urgent matters had been raised. Minutes: No urgent matters had been raised. |
|
To receive the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 20 October 2020 (copy enclosed). Decision: Vote taken: 8 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 20 October 2020 be received and confirmed as a correct record. Minutes: The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 20 October 2020
were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 20 October 2020 be received and confirmed as a correct
record. |
|
To consider a report by Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for the Economy and Corporate Governance (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s endorsement of the key documents required to reach the Final Deal Agreement for the North Wales Growth Deal for submission to Council for formal approval. Additional documents: Decision: Vote taken: 8 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) formally endorses and
recommends that the Council approves the Overarching Business Plan as the
document that sets out the arrangements to deliver the North Wales Growth Deal
as the basis for entering into the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the
Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments; (b) formally endorses the
provisions in Governance Agreement 2 relating to executive functions,
recommends that Council approves the provisions relating to non-executive
functions, and that it specifically adopts the delegations and Terms of
Reference in “Governance Agreement 2: Appendix 1” thereof as the basis for
completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter
with the UK and Welsh Governments; (c) formally
endorses and recommends that the Council authorise
the accountable body, Gwynedd Council, to sign the
Grant Funding Offer letter on behalf of the Partners; (d) formally endorses and
recommends that the Council recommend approval of the method used to calculate
the cost of borrowing notionally required to facilitate the negative cash flow
for the Growth Deal, and to include a provision within the Council’s budget to
pay this contribution and the established core and supplementary contributions
as set out in Governance Agreement 2 (and in paragraphs 5.5 – 5.7 of the
template report attached as part of Appendix 1); (e) that the Chief Executive
in consultation with the Leader, Monitoring Officer and Section 151 Officer be
granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the documents with the
Partners as necessary to complete the agreement, and (f) that
Cabinet confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the contents
of the Denbighshire County Council Well-being Impact Assessment attached as
Appendix 2 to the report as part of its consideration. Minutes: Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for Economy and Corporate Governance presented the report seeking Cabinet’s endorsement of the key documents required to reach the Final Deal Agreement for the North Wales Growth Deal for submission to Council for formal approval. The report included some background regarding previous approvals of all partners leading up to the current position. The North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB) were committed to achieving Final Deal Agreement with the UK and Welsh Governments by the end of 2020 and the relevant documentation was currently going through the democratic processes of each of the local authorities. Cabinet and Council, along with all partners, had been asked to approve the various documents which would enable the Final Growth Deal to be concluded. The Leader reiterated the aim of the Growth Deal to build a more sustainable and resilient economy in North Wales in partnership with public and private sectors, supported by £240m funding from the UK and Welsh Governments over the next 15 years. The Growth Deal aimed to deliver investment of up to £1.1bn in the North Wales economy to create 3,400 – 4,200 new jobs and generate £2 – £2.4bn in net additional GVA by 2036. The Leader delivered a joint presentation with the Corporate Director: Economy and Public Realm; Head of Legal HR and Democratic Services and Head of Finance covering the following areas of the Growth Deal – · the Growth Vision and Growth Deal Portfolio of investment together with direct benefits to the region including economic prosperity; creation of better quality jobs and a more skilled workforce, and improvements in living standards · the portfolio of programmes which related to (1) Low Carbon Energy; (2) Digital; (3) Innovation in High Value Manufacturing; (4) Agrifood and Tourism, and (5) Land and Property together with programmes not directly funded but supported in relation to Skills and Employment and Transport · illustrated the geographical spread of the fourteen projects identified with each project delivering widespread benefits across the region ensuring a step change · elaborated on the specific projects identified in Denbighshire which related to (1) St. Asaph Business Park; (2) Former North Wales Hospital Site Denbigh; (3) Llysfasi Carbon Neutral Farm Project, and (4) Bodelwyddan Key Strategic Site · detailed the legalities of the Final Growth Deal Agreement between the NWEAB and UK and Welsh Governments for delivery of the Deal which would be signed on the basis of the portfolio business case and five programme business cases · highlighted the financial considerations including the cost of the programme and how it would be funded including partner contributions over the 15 year term together with the annual partner contributions and the methodology behind the calculations which for Denbighshire equated to a range of between £64k - £90k · reported upon the Governance Agreement 2 to take the partnership into the implementation stage of the Growth Deal, continuing the governance model adopted in Governance Agreement 1 and defining the relationship between the Board and its partner organisations, the limits of delegation and accountability. The detail of the Growth Deal had been widely scrutinised and had more recently been subject to a Members Workshop. Councillor Jeanette Chamberlain-Jones, Chair of Partnerships Scrutiny Committee had been unable to attend Cabinet and requested the Leader read out her statement on scrutiny’s findings following consideration of the Growth Deal on 5 November. In brief the Scrutiny Committee – · acknowledged that while projects would be located in various areas across the region they would all, to a greater or lesser extent, benefit the entire region · agreed it was extremely important that the Deal moved forward to secure ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
|
LLYS AWELON PHASE 2 PDF 224 KB To consider a report by Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Well-being and Independence (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval to release the previously agreed £5m capital funding to contribute to the building of phase 2 Llys Awelon Extra Care Housing in partnership with Grwp Cynefin. Additional documents: Decision: Vote taken: 8 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms it has read, understood and taken
account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 2 to the report) as part
of its consideration, and (b) approves the
release of the previously agreed £5m capital funding to contribute to the
building of phase 2 Llys Awelon
Extra Care Housing. Minutes: Councillor Bobby Feeley presented
the report seeking approval to release the previously agreed £5m capital
funding to contribute to the building of phase 2 Llys
Awelon Extra Care Housing in partnership with Grwp Cynefin. In 2010 the Council had jointly
commissioned a 21 Unit Extra Care facility with Grwp Cynefin which adjoined Awelon
Care Home. The Care Home and Canolfan Awelon had closed in
2020 in preparation for the second phase of the scheme consisting of 35
additional units. The existing lease for
phase 1 of the development would be terminated and a new long term lease would
be issued to Grwp Cynefin
for the whole site. The development
would be taking an environmentally sustainable approach with a view to
achieving a BREEM Excellence rating. The
project would generate savings in the community care budgets and details of the
cost benefit of the £5m investment had been included as an appendix to the
report. Councillor Bobby Feeley explained
the delay in progressing the project due to Covid-19 and was pleased to now be
in a position to proceed with the development.
Councillor Emrys Wynne asked that the reference within the Well-being
Impact Assessment (WIA) to Welsh first language be removed given that Grwp Cynefin operated through the
medium of Welsh and were fully bilingual.
In response to that request and other comments the Lead Member and Head
of Community Support Services agreed to change the Welsh Language reference in
the WIA as requested; confirmed the food and mealtime arrangements for
residents, and noted that whilst there were plans to relocate the clinic on
Mount Road there was another larger surgery close by and the town had excellent
health care facilities. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms it has read, understood and taken
account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 2 to the report) as part
of its consideration, and (b) approves the
release of the previously agreed £5m capital funding to contribute to the
building of phase 2 Llys Awelon
Extra Care Housing. |
|
DRAFT HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY PDF 226 KB To consider a joint report by Councillors Tony Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities and Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Well-being and Independence (copy enclosed) presenting the draft revised Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Cabinet’s consideration prior to submission to full Council for approval. Additional documents:
Decision: Vote taken: 8 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet
recommends the draft Housing and Homelessness Strategy to Council for approval. Minutes: Councillors
Tony Thomas and Bobby Feeley presented the joint report and draft revised
Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Cabinet’s consideration prior to
submission to full Council for approval. The
Housing Strategy was being reviewed and revised to form a new Housing and
Homelessness Strategy for the county and would provide a clear statement of the
council’s vision and aims for the next five years. Ensuring everyone was supported to live in
homes that met their needs was a key corporate priority and the revised
Strategy would provide a framework for all relevant council functions to
successfully address the priority. It
was proposed to retain the 5 key themes within the current Housing Strategy with
the addition of a separate theme ‘Preventing and addressing Homelessness’. The draft Strategy included a new action plan
structured around the 6 key themes and set out the actions required to deliver
the desired outcomes. Councillor
Feeley welcomed the link made between housing and homelessness in the draft
Strategy and the approach taken to future working; she also thanked the
officers for their hard work in bringing the document together. The Leader also supported the approach taken
and queried how that work would link with the Local Development Plan
(LDP). Councillor Mark Young responded
that the LDP sat alongside the Strategy and they would inform each other. He also reported upon his attendance at
meetings of the Strategic Housing and Homelessness Group and positive
discussions in that regard. In terms of
next steps data evidence would be considered by the Strategic Planning Group
(SPG) early in the New Year which would help inform the housing allocations moving
forward in the LDP. In terms of the
draft Strategy the Strategic Planning and Housing Manager highlighted the
significant consultation carried out which had informed that document. If approved by Council in December, delivery
of the Strategy and action plan would be overseen and monitored by the
Strategic Housing and Homelessness Group and regular reports would be submitted
to scrutiny. Councillor Meirick Davies felt that the Strategy should reflect the council’s future aspirations such as increasing the current 10% stipulation for affordable housing. Officers confirmed that the action plan referred to increasing the supply of affordable homes and the current approach and thresholds in LDP policies would be reviewed as part of the emerging LDP work. The 10% requirement referred to market housing schemes but there was a range of ways which contributed to affordable housing with the majority of affordable housing delivered via registered social landlords and housing associations. The overall percentage of affordable homes delivered from houses built in 2019/20 was 57%. The requirement for affordable homes delivered on private sector housing schemes had to be based on viability and be taken into account alongside other criteria and planning gain such as ecology or education contributions. Councillor Mark Young reiterated the role of the SPG in scrutinising the relevant data in order to agree a deliverable figure for affordable housing in the private sector as part of the new LDP. RESOLVED that Cabinet
recommends the draft Housing and Homelessness Strategy to Council for approval. [At this point (11.45 am) the meeting adjourned for a ten minute refreshment break] |
|
DENBIGHSHIRE AND FLINTSHIRE JOINT ARCHIVE PROJECT PDF 244 KB To consider a report by Councillor Tony Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s support for a proposed new purpose built Passivhaus Archive building in Mold to house the newly formed Denbighshire and Flintshire Joint Archive Service and associated grant funding and match funding requirements. Additional documents:
Decision: Vote taken: 7 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) agrees
to the Joint Archive Service submitting a bid to the next stage (Round 1) of
the NLHF Heritage Horizon Fund; (b) notes
the potential call on £2,034,521 of Council funds in order to deliver the new
archive centre.
This is subject to the bid being successful at the Round 1 stage of the
NLHF grant application process and receipt of a form offer of funds, and (c) endorses
the approach to Ruthin Gaol and the planned expansion
of the heritage attraction, as outline in section 4.8 of the report. Minutes: [The
Leader had to leave part way through this item and the Deputy Leader,
Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill took the Chair for the remainder of the
meeting.] Councillor
Tony Thomas presented the report seeking Cabinet’s support for a proposed new
purpose built Passivhaus Archive building in Mold to house the newly formed Denbighshire and Flintshire
Joint Archive Service and associated grant funding and match funding
requirements. The
joint archive service had been formed to enable both councils to meet their
legislative responsibilities with regard to documents of historical importance
and create a more sustainable and improved service. The joint service currently operated over two
sites in Hawarden and Ruthin (Gaol). An
NLHF Heritage Grant Horizons bid had been developed to fund a new purpose built
building in Mold and an associated 3-year activity
plan. The site had been selected from a
site feasibility study conducted by an independent consultant. The report made the case for the new build;
detailed the financial considerations, and proposals for Ruthin Gaol. Councillor
Thomas highlighted the council’s statutory responsibilities to safeguard its
historical items and the current difficulties faced in that regard given
capacity issues, the state of the current facilities and the substantial
investment required going forward. The
proposals would still allow for an archive presence in Ruthin with remote
access provision from all libraries which would strengthen the position and
provide ease of access to all residents.
There was also a commitment to improving the heritage offer at Ruthin
Gaol (using the space vacated by the archive service) with a view to doubling
the current 12000 visitors to the site.
There had been positive indications regarding the bid to the NLHF
Heritage Horizon Fund but no guarantee of final success. If successful a new purpose built facility
could be delivered to house the joint archive service which would benefit all
communities and a full commitment given to enhancing provision at the Gaol. Cabinet
debated the merits of the recommendations at length. There had initially been some reluctance and
reservations regarding the proposals for the service when they were first put
forward but they had largely been addressed and overall Cabinet was supportive
of the recommendations, particularly having considered the challenges faced in
terms of preservation and storage of historical documents and artefacts
together with the detrimental impact on service provision and significant
additional cost implications if the recommendations were not pursued. Whilst there had been some reluctance about
losing the facility at Ruthin Gaol and moving outside
of the county Cabinet also considered the sharing of services to be the right
one in terms of sustainability and modernisation
opportunities to ensure legislative duties were met and to preserve the local
history and heritage of the area. It was
also noted that the proposal would provide a wider access to information within
Denbighshire through the library service together with a part time presence in
Ruthin Gaol and greater access for schools which
should encourage a wider audience.
Cabinet was also pleased to note the planned enhancement and expansion
of Ruthin Gaol as a consequence which would also
benefit the county. The
Business Information and Team Manager responded to questions raised by
Councillor Mark Young as follows – ·
whilst resources had been
concentrated on the bid application it was agreed that a contingency plan was
required in the event the bid was unsuccessful and work in that regard would
begin shortly · the Business Improvement and Modernisation Service would be building a £65k reserve as a one off cost in line with the indicative costs provided in order to progress the proposed plans for expanding the heritage ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
|
To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed budget strategy. Additional documents:
Decision: Vote taken: 7 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet note
the budgets set for 2020/21 and progress against the agreed budget strategy. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
report detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed
budget strategy as outlined below – ·
the net
revenue budget for 2020/21 was £208.302m (£198.538m in 2019/20) ·
an overspend
of £5.492m was forecast for service and corporate budgets (the overspend did
not assume receipt of further ‘income loss’ grants or claims) ·
highlighted
current risks and assumptions relating to individual service areas together
with the financial impact of coronavirus and Leisure ADM budgets ·
detailed
required savings and efficiencies of £4.448m agreed including corporate savings
relating to triennial actuarial review of Clwyd Pension Fund (£2m); 1% schools
savings (£0.692m); service savings (£1.756m) ·
provided a general
update on the Capital Plan, Housing Revenue Account and Housing Capital Plan. Councillor Thompson-Hill elaborated upon the latest
financial position in detail, particularly with regard to the financial impact
of Covid-19 including grant funding secured to date and the position on claims
for the council. He also highlighted
risks around Council Tax Yield and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme
(CTRS). The Welsh Government (WG) had
recently announced a small element of additional funding across Wales for the
CTRS. The Head of Finance added that
there was a projected reduction of 1.5% in the Council Tax Yield and the WG had
agreed to look into the possibility of funding provision in that regard. The risks around social care budgets, school
transport and waste services were also highlighted. The following issues were raised during the ensuing
debate – ·
Councillor
Brian Jones was keen to ensure that all were aware of the work of the council
in maximising funding opportunities to reduce the projected overspend and
mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the authority’s finances. The Lead Member for Finance confirmed WG
funding announced earlier in the year had included additional funding for loss
of income for the remainder of the financial year. Most of the Quarter 1 claim had been met and
the Quarter 2 claim was currently being evaluated. Claims would also be made for Quarters 3 and
4 at the appropriate time and the authority would continue to claim from any
funding streams available to them in order to maximise income ·
Councillor
Mark Young was sympathetic to those facing financial difficulties and
questioned the approach taken in the recovery of Council Tax. Assurances were provided that the council had a balanced view with a sensitive and flexible
approach taking into account individual circumstances. Whilst little recovery action had been taken
during the first six months the council was now engaging with residents and
working with Citizens Advice Denbighshire to target help where needed but also
to ensure recovery of arrears where appropriate. There was an expectation from Welsh
Government to undertake that recovery work ·
in response to
questions from Councillor Meirick Davies it was confirmed that the old school
sites in Clocaenog and Cyffylliog
were owned by the council and future use of the sites were currently being
considered in accordance with the council’s disposals policy. With regard to Ysgol
Llanbedr the basic principle of the land exchange had
been agreed as part of the original proposal in order to deliver the new school
and an update was provided on discussions for the future use of the former
school site, again in line with the council’s disposals policy. RESOLVED that Cabinet note
the budgets set for 2020/21 and progress against the agreed budget strategy. |
|
CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 279 KB To receive the enclosed Cabinet Forward Work Programme and note the contents.
Decision: Vote taken: 7 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
forward work programme be noted. Minutes: The Cabinet forward work programme was
presented for consideration and members noted the following amendments – ·
Contract
Procedure Rules – moved from December to February ·
Final
Budget Proposals 2021/22 – January ·
Welsh
Government Covid Homelessness Grant – to be confirmed RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 13.00 hrs. |