| Minutes: | FLINTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL - SHADOW AUTHORITY Minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Flintshire County Council Shadow Authority held at the Shire Hall, Mold, on Tuesday, 30th May, 1995. PRESENT: Councillor Mrs. I. Fellows (Chairman) Councillors: L.A. Aldridge, K. Armstrong-Braun, E. Bagnall, J.A. Barker, R.C. Bithell, N.J. Brackenbury, D. Butler, A. Chilton, H.O. Clarke, K. Corbett, P.J. Curtis, A. Davies, Mrs. K. Davies, R. Davies, Mrs. G.D. Diskin, Q.R.H. Dodd, M Doran, D.J. Edwards, E.F. Evans, J.H.H. Evans, R.K. Evans, J.J. Griffiths, Mrs. R. Griffiths, R.J.T. Guest, Ms. A.M. Halford, E. Hall, R.G. Hampson, Mrs. M.R. Hanson, P.G. Heesom, M. Higham, R.V. Hill, Mrs. N. Humphreys, H.D. Hutchinson, Mrs. E. Jones, J.B. Jones, J.F. Jones, R.K. Jones, T.W. Jones, W.A. Jones, V.G. Kindlin, Mrs. L.S. Lee, R.P. MacFarlane, M. Matthews, D. Messham, T. Middlehurst, D.R. Parry, Mrs. V.L.H. Parry, N. Phillips, Ms. B. Roberts, G.B. Roberts, H.G. Roberts, I.B. Roberts, I.L. Roberts, S. Roberts, W.A. Roberts, C. Shone, Mrs. A. Slowik, G. Thomas, P.J. Walters, D.R. Wilkes, A. Williams, Mrs. E. Williams, G.D. Williams, G.R. Williams, R. Williams and Mrs. P. Yale. APOLOGIES: Councillors Mrs. E.M. Barratt, A.R. Cattermoul, H.T. Howorth, E.E. Matthews and N.R Steele-Mortimer. IN ATTENDANCE: R. Chamberlain (Acting Proper Officer) and Mr. G. Roberts (Principal Administrative Officer - Delyn Borough Council). JOINT SECRETARIAT: Messrs P.J. McGreevy and D. Salisbury. PRAYERS At the commencement of the meeting Councillor W.A. Roberts conducted prayers.
17. NOTIFICATION OF URGENT ITEM The Chairman referred to an urgent item which she was satisfied should be considered by the Council under Section 100B(4)(b). The item related to the appointment of a Proper Officer for the meeting. RESOLVED: Accordingly.
18. PROPER OFFICER RESOLVED: That in the absence of the Proper Officer and nominated deputies, Mr. R. Chamberlain, Clwyd County Council, be appointed to act as Acting Proper Officer for this meeting of the Council.
19. MINUTES The minutes of the Inaugural and Annual Meeting of the Flintshire County Council Shadow Authority held on 16th May, 1995 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman subject to the inclusion of Councillor R. Williams in the list of Members present.
20. MATTERS ARISING (a) Minute Number 5 - Standing Orders It was agreed that the leaders of the political groups on the Council should meet to discuss the draft standing orders prior to presentation to a future meeting of the Council. (b) Minute Number 11 - Appointment of Chief Executive The acting Proper Officer referred to a meeting held with Group Leaders on the suggested timetable for the appointment of Chief Executive following comments received from the Appointments Observer. It was proposed and seconded and agreed as follows:- (i) that the closing date for applications be 9th June, the despatch of information relating to applications to Members on the 12/13th June, the shortlist panel to take place on the 16th June at 9.30 a.m., the screening to be on 6th July preceded by lunch with the appointment by Council on 7th July preceded by a buffet lunch; (ii) that the political balance on the shortlist and screening panel be as follows: Labour Group 7 Members, Alliance Group 2 Members, Liberal Democratic Group 1 Member and Conservative Group 1 Member; (iii) that the membership of the Panel be as follows: Councillors T. Middlehurst, V.G. Kindlin, Ms. B. Roberts, A. Davies, I.L. Roberts, R.C. Bithell, Mrs. I. Fellows, T.W. Jones, M. Doran, Q.R.H. Dodd and Mrs. E. Jones; (iv) that the nominated reserves for the respective groups be Councillors L.A. Aldridge, G. Thomas, N.J. Brackenbury, Mrs. V.L.H. Parry and N.R Steele-Mortimer.
21. LEADER OF THE COUNCIL RESOLVED: That Councillor T. Middlehurst be elected Leader of the Council for the ensuing year 1995/96.
22. DEPUTY LEADER OF THE COUNCIL RESOLVED: That Councillor V.G. Kindlin be elected Deputy Leader of the Council for the ensuing year 1995/96.
23. FUTURE PROGRAMME OF WORK A report of the Proper Officer on future programme of work, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. The report advised Members that the Transition Committee had carried out a programme of preparatory work for the new authority organised by the Joint Secretariat and completed by the Joint Officer Working Groups in three phases concerning statement of current service provision, identification of the key issues facing services and identification of service delivery options. Members were invited to consider adopting a similarly structured approach to the work of the Shadow Authority, a detailed framework for which had been circulated with the report. The report also set out what would be covered in Phase 1 on Vision, Learning and Structures, Phase 2 on Preparation for Services and Phase 3 on Preparing for Vesting Day. Reference was made to the half day induction course which would be available for all Members and to the seminars to continue the learning exercise, which would eventually lead to Service Delivery Plans being drawn up for the Authority. On the matter of joint arrangements a Member referred to the minimalist approach being suggested which would follow on from the recommendation of the Transition Committee that Flintshire should be a traditional and direct provider authority, a matter which would be addressed during the Phase 1 programme of works. RESOLVED: (i) That the structured approach as outlined in the report of the Proper Officer be approved and that further reports be presented to future meetings as appropriate. (ii) That the Induction to Local Government take place at Shire Hall, Mold on Tuesday, 14th June, 1995 commencing at 9.15 a.m. and that the Proper Officer be authorised in conjunction with the Group Leaders to arrange a series of service seminars for Members.
24. INTERIM COMMITTEE STRUCTURE A report of the Proper Officer on interim committee structure, copies of which had been circulated to Members was submitted. RESOLVED: (i) That in the interim there be established a Policy Committee, Personnel Committee and Finance and Property Committee each consisting of twenty four Members and that the Group Leaders advise the Proper Officer of their nominations in accordance with political balance. (ii) That the Proper Officer report in detail to the next meeting of the Council on membership, terms of reference and political balance. (ii) That having regard to the fact that the Council's formal committee structure would be determined at the time of drawing up Service Delivery Plans Member Working Groups be created at the appropriate time in the interim, to give Members the opportunity to reflect upon and discuss service and other issues.
25. STAFF TRANSFERS A report of the Proper Officer on staff transfers copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. The report set out the principles considered by the government, the current guidance from the Staff Commission for Wales, the recommendation of the Flintshire Transition Committee, identification of staff for transfer, a suggested methodology and process and the introduction of a quota system linked to staff preference. In response to Members questions the Acting Proper Officer referred to the disaggregation exercise being undertaken by the Clwyd County Council and to the exercise being undertaken by all three Constituent Authorities concerning staff interest in voluntary redundancy and early retirement. The approach outlined in the report encouraged planning and long term sustainability and had a number of advantages. These were that it attempted to ensure the sustainability of numbers of staff transferred, it was in line with the national agreement on the issue of staff transfer, it minimised the uncertainty and cost of legal challenge, it reassured all staff their futures were being considered properly, ensured fairness between all employees, reduced the chances of unnecessarily incurring redundancy costs and losing key skills and experience together with the cost of subsequent replacements and most importantly was the best way of safeguarding continuity of service delivery during the changeover. RESOLVED: That the "all staff transfer" model be endorsed and fully supported and that the support of the other Shadow Councils in Clwyd be sought.
26. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION AND THE FIRE SERVICE A report of the Proper Officer on local government reorganisation and the fire service, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted, together with a letter from the Welsh Region of the Fire Brigades Union. The report was presented to Members on behalf of the Proper Officer by Councillor L.A. Aldridge. Members were advised that the Government had decided that the eight fire brigades in Wales would as from the 1st April, 1996 be replaced by three brigades and that in North Wales this would result in the amalgamation of the Clwyd and Gwynedd Fire Services to cover the six unitary authority counties and county boroughs. The report set out recommendations which had been approved by most of the Transition Committees for North Wales in relation to the name and membership of the Combined Fire Authority and it was noted that of the suggested membership of twenty eight Flintshire would be entitled to six representatives and that these would be on the basis of political balance. Notwithstanding the recommendation in the report of the Proper Officer Councillor L.A. Aldridge suggested that representations should be made to the Secretary of State for Wales for the retention of the eight existing fire brigades having regard to the fact that a similar reorganisation of the fire service was not being undertaken in England and Scotland along with local government reorganisation. RESOLVED: (i) That representations be made to the Secretary of State for Wales for the retention of the eight existing fire brigades in Wales. (ii) That in the event of the representations in (i) above not being successful then the following be agreed in relation to the Combined Fire Authority. (a) That the name of the new combined authority should be "Gwasanaeth Tan Gogledd Cymru/The North Wales Fire Service". (b) That the new Combined Fire Authority should have a membership of twenty eight with the seats allocated between the 6 unitary councils as detailed in the report of the Proper Officer. (c) That a Joint Committee be formed of twenty eight Members with the terms of reference to consider and advise the Shadow Combined Fire Authority or the Home Office as the case may be, on any matter which is expedient for the joint committee to consider in order to ensure the Combined Fire Authority will be able to function effectively as from 1st April, 1996.
27. TRUNK ROAD AGENCY A report of the Proper Officer on trunk road agency, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. On behalf of the Proper Officer Mr. M. Simkins, Director of Highways and Transportation Clwyd County Council, presented the report. The purpose of the report was to advise the Shadow Council of the issues relating to the appointment of a trunk road agent for North East Wales, to obtain confirmation of an agreement to the partnership proposals submitted jointly to the Welsh Office by the Transition Committees of Aberconwy and Colwyn, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham and to obtain authorisation for those proposals to be developed in accordance with Welsh Office requirements. In response to Members questions Mr. Simkins indicated that whilst there would be a review at the end of twelve months by the Welsh Office the Agency was for a five year period and having regard to the recommendations contained in the report it was expected it would complete it's term. RESOLVED: (i) That the proposal from the Transition Committees of Aberconwy and Colwyn, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham acting in partnership for the trunk roads in the area covering the present County of Clwyd together with the present Borough of Aberconwy be supported and agreed. (ii) That the four partner authorities act as host authority to the four specialist units as follows:- Trunk Road Management Unit - Flintshire Major Projects Group - Denbighshire Trunk Road Structures Group - Aberconwy and Colwyn Geotechnical, Soils and Materials Group - Wrexham (iii) That the Director of Highways and Transportation of Clwyd County Council in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader and Chief Technical Officers of the seven District Councils in the proposed agency area are authorised to continue to develop the details of the proposal for the agreement of this Shadow authority with regard to: (a) preparation of the Service Delivery Plan and the associated staffing requirements; (b) preparation of the draft Partnership Agreement between the four partner authorities; (c) in conjunction with the Welsh Office, preparation of the Agency Agreement; and (d) representing this authority and the partnership in dealings with the Welsh Office Highways Directorate.
28. TIMETABLE FOR COMPULSORY COMPETITIVE TENDERING OF COUNCIL SERVICES A report of the Proper Officer on the timetable for compulsory competitive tendering of Council services, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. The purpose of the report was to invite the Council to consider whether or not to make representation to the Secretary of State for Wales on the proposed timetable for the resumption of CCT on Council Services under the provisions of the 1980/88 Acts together with the requirements for Housing Management and White Collar CCT. The report detailed the background and the impact of local government reorganisation, the implications of the timetable and the comparison with Scotland. With regard to the comparison with both Scotland and England, Wales was having to contend with a timetable which was considerably shorter. Up to October 1995 the new authority would have very few of its own staff in post, therefore the work relating to CCT would wholly fall to officers of the constituent authorities who may have to work without the benefit of the new authority having given consideration to standards to be achieved, the available budget for the service and there would also be little if any opportunity for consultation with service users on determining standards and priorities. RESOLVED: (i) That representation be made to the Secretary of State for Wales for a further extension of the timetable for the resumption and extension of CCT in Wales and that the Leader and Deputy Leader be authorised to represent the Council in any meeting which is agreed. (ii) That rather than fixing an arbitrary timescale, any revised timescale should follow from meaningful dialogue with the Local Authority Associations in Wales.
29. APPOINTMENT OF EXTERNAL AUDITORS A report of the Proper Officer on the appointment of external auditors, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. RESOLVED: That the proposal of the Audit Commission to appoint District Audit as external auditors to Flintshire County Council, be approved.
30. COMMUNICATION/INFORMATION STRATEGY A report of the Proper Officer on communication/information strategy, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. The report outlined the background to avoiding public confusion at a time of major change in the shape of local government and for effective communication with public and staff, the key issues, timescale and detailed some interim communication measures for the Council to consider. Members raised a number of points concerning the use of information technology, the distribution of information to both the public and staff to keep them informed and the need to respond to the public's comments to ensure information was a two way process. The Acting Proper Officer indicated that the three constituent authorities had been circulating regular newsletters to staff copies of which had also been previously forwarded to Transition Committee Members and that Clwyd County Council were now arranging for a roadshow for Clwyd County Council Staff to visit different areas as a further means of advising on the changes which were to take place to local government in the area. RESOLVED: That the following interim communication measures be agreed: (i) Keeping people informed through the media by issuing a regular flow of news releases. (ii) Workshop for Members on media relations and media interview skills which could form part of a general induction course for Members. (iii) Production of information leaflets introducing new Members, including photographs, addresses, telephone number and their distribution through Council offices, libraries, etc. (iv) To consider producing a newsletter for distribution to every Flintshire household when Service Delivery Plans, structures and senior appointments had been made. (v) Planning a series of publicity events to start early January, 1996 and leading up to vesting date to ensure more public awareness for the launch of the new Council. (vi) Newsletters for staff to run in parallel to existing Councils' newsletters to current staff. (vii) To begin preparation of a more detailed and long term communication/ information strategy for the new Council.
31. POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF STAFF REPRESENTATIVES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF TOWN AND COMMUNITY COUNCILS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS IN THE FORTHCOMING WORK PROGRAMME A report by the Proper Officer, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. RESOLVED: That consideration of the report of the Proper Officer be deferred to the next meeting of the Council.
32. PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE OF RENT OFFICERS IN WALES A report of the Proper Officer, copies of which had been circulated to Members, was submitted. The purpose of the report was to consider a response to a proposal from the Welsh Office for a change in the structure of the Rent Officer Service in Wales as a consequence of local government reorganisation. There were presently eight rent registration areas in Wales each covering one county area and the Welsh Office had indicated to replace the current arrangements with twenty two rent officer services would be inefficient and were therefore looking at alternative arrangements that could possibly be implemented. There were broadly two options being proposed by the Welsh Office. These were a Joint Committee of all Authorities which would allow them to have joint ownership or possibly appointing a single Lead Authority to act on their behalf to provide a rent officer service for the whole of Wales and two/three groups of authorities covering for example North, Mid and West and South Wales, each perhaps appointing one of it's members to act as Lead Authority. RESOLVED: That the Welsh Office be advised that this authority is of the view that the Secretary of State should retain the eight rent registration areas in Wales on the basis of the current county areas, with one Unitary Authority in each area acting as Lead Authority on behalf of the other Authorities in the area.
33. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The Chairman indicated that the next meeting of the Council would be held on Tuesday, 27th June, 1995 at 2.00 p.m.
34. DURATION OF MEETING The meeting began at 2.00 p.m. and ended at 3.05 p.m. ......................................................... Chairman |
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