Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Housing and Community Development (copy enclosed) which reviews the effectiveness of Town Plans in beginning to deliver their objectives.

                                                                                                            9.35 a.m.

A copy of a report by the Head of Housing and Community Development, which reviewed the effectiveness of Town Plans in beginning to deliver their objectives, had been circulated with the papers for the meeting.

The Strategic Regeneration Manager (SRM) summarised the report which outlined the development of economically viable and sustainable towns which would boost the local economy, improve outcomes for local businesses and residents and attract visitors to the area.

Town Plans for the seven largest settlements, apart from Rhyl, had been endorsed by Cabinet.  Consultation had been undertaken with newly elected Members to familiarise them with the contents of the previously approved Town Plans and to initiate a review of their contents to ensure that they were still valid and to enable any additional priorities to be incorporated.  The six Member Area Groups (MAGs), including Rhyl, had been invited to nominate a Lead Member per Town Plan to work in a Plan Co-ordination Group to update the Town Plans.  The revised versions would be presented to the MAGs in their current round of meetings.  The Co-ordination Group had considered the allocation of funding for delivering the Corporate Priority for improving the local economy and this would enable those priority actions identified for early implementation to proceed. 

The Plans approved had not yet addressed the needs and priorities of smaller and more rural communities.  Relevant ward Members had been requested to identify initial issues including the appropriate geographical coverage for Area Plans which may not necessarily correspond with the MAG boundaries, and priorities for discussion through the MAGs.  Town Plans would be expanded into broader Area Plans and it had been envisaged that Area Plans would have 3 broad sections as detailed in the report.  A similar consultation process would be adopted to that undertaken for the original Town Plans.  MAGs would review and then recommend Area Plans for formal adoption ensuring that the needs and priorities of all communities covered by the Plan, including smaller and more rural communities were reflected appropriately.  The role of the Lead Member for Rural Development in ensuring that Area Plans incorporated rural priorities, and the process for monitoring the performance of the Town and Area Plans had been developed in conjunction with the Business Planning and Performance service to complement the reporting arrangements for the Corporate Plan, had been highlighted in the report.  A performance report would be presented to the MAGs on a quarterly basis highlighting the delivery confidence attached to each of the live priority actions in the relevant Town and Area Plans.  A sample quarterly performance report for Rhuddlan had been attached as an Annex to the report as an example of the format which had been approved and adopted.

The information contained in the individual Town and Area reports would be aggregated and included in the Quarterly Performance Report to be submitted to Cabinet in the first quarter of the 2013/14 financial year.  An annual report would be presented to County Council and Members agreed that future monitoring reports on the Plans be presented to the Scrutiny Committee.

Members were informed by the SRM that the Town Plans would support implementation of the Corporate Priority for improving the local economy and would also assist the Council in meeting its ambition of being closer to the community. 

Details of the budget implications and possible effects on other services in respect of the Town and Area Plan priorities for 2012/13 and 2013/14 had been outlined in the report.  It was confirmed that the Rhyl Going Forward projects would be largely funded either from the corporate allocation for regeneration made in 2011/12, or in the case of larger scale projects, through specific proposals to be considered by the Strategic Investment Group prior to decision by Cabinet.  However, there may be some call on the funding allocation for Town and Area Plans for Rhyl Going Forward projects.

The risks associated with implementation of the Town Plans were highlighted.  The risk of not delivering the actions identified for completion in the early years of the Town Plans had been reduced by creating the roles of Town and Area Plan Champions to drive the delivery of the priorities identified within the relevant Town and Area Plans, and by allocating budgets to enable priority actions to be funded which otherwise could not be delivered through existing service budgets.

The SRM responded to concerns raised by Councillor T.R. Hughes and confirmed that following recent Cabinet approval the delivery of the objectives of the Town Plans could now be progressed. 

A number of Members expressed their support for the current structure of the Member Area Groups and it was the general consensus of opinion that the present groupings should not be reviewed as they seemed to be working well.  Councillor H.Ll. Jones outlined his role as Lead Member of overseeing the rural area of the County which included 9 areas where there were no towns.  He explained that Members in the rural wards had been requested to submit details of three priorities which they wished to be progressed in their respective areas, and explained that a meeting would be arranged for the Members in question to ensure their input to the relevant Town Plans.  Members representing the rural areas confirmed that they would be consulting the respective Community Councils to seek their views.  

In response to a question from Councillor T.R. Hughes, the SRM explained that flexible parameters had been set by the Committee with regard to the allocation of funding for schemes and projects within the Town Plans.

The Committee confirmed the need to monitor the implementation and delivery timescales of the Town Plans, the standard service deliveries, the responsibility of elected Members to take ownership of the Plans and their implementation.  The importance of involving elected Members in the redefining of the areas, if areas needed redefined, was highlighted, particular reference being made to the inclusion of the associated smaller and rural communities.

Councillor G.M. Kensler expressed the view that the under the current scrutiny structure it was not clear which Scrutiny Committee should receive future reports in respect of this matter.  Members agreed that future reports in respect of the Town Plans should be included on the Communities Scrutiny Committee forward work programme.  Following further discussion, it was:-

RESOLVED – that the Communities Scrutiny Committee:-

(a)          approves the arrangements put in place to progress the delivery of Town Plans,

(b)          supports the proposals to develop Area Plans to identify priorities in rural communities, and

(c)           agrees that Communities Scrutiny Committee receives future reports in respect of the Town Plans.