Agenda, decisions and minutes

Read Construction awarded Best Regional Educational Project category of the North Wales Local Authority Building Awards for the newly constructed Ysgol T? Fynnon in Shotton.

The Chairman welcomed Richard Heaton from Read Construction, together with Council officers David Friend, Paula Vogt and John Wilkinson, in recognition of the award to Read Construction in the Best Regional Educational Project category of the North Wales Local Authority Building Awards for the newly constructed Ysgol T? Ffynnon in Shotton.

As Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Bernie Attridge congratulated all involved on their achievement and praised the company’s best practice approach to waste management on the site and commitment to maintaining high quality standards, particularly in regard to health and safety.  He went on to speak about the continuing excellent relationship between the company and the Council’s Building Control section throughout the process.

The Chair will announce the presentation of a long service award to Councillor Tony Sharps, who has achieved 44 years of local government service, starting at Holywell Rural District Council in 1968.  Councillor Sharps then served on Delyn Borough Council from 1973 to 1996, for many years as Leader of that Council and on Clwyd County Council from 1993 to 1996.  Councillor Sharps was elected to Flintshire in 1999.

The Chair will present Councillor Sharps with his Long Service Badge for 44 years service and ask him to give a short speech of acceptance.

The Chairman congratulated Councillor Tony Sharps on his award for achieving 44 years of local government service and made reference to his “first class” leadership whilst at Delyn Borough Council.

In celebrating the achievement, Councillor Aaron Shotton paid tribute to the contributions made by Councillor Sharps to public and civic life and expressed his gratitude that this was continuing.  He referred to changes in the Council over the years and spoke of Councillor Sharps being a driving force during times of significant challenge and his integral role in gaining support for the enterprise zone and improving housing conditions across the county.

In accepting the award, Councillor Sharps reflected on his time at Holywell Rural District Council through to local government re-organisation and his achievements on the enterprise zone and housing modernisation scheme.

Councillor Mike Peers praised Councillor Sharps on his achievement in serving on the different councils since 1968, adding that he and many other councillors had benefited greatly from Councillor Sharps’ knowledge and advice over the years.

Councillor Gareth Roberts paid tribute to the numerous achievements by Councillor Sharps, particularly during his leadership at Delyn Borough Council, and said that Councillor Sharps was admired by all for the right reasons.

Congratulations were also added by Councillor Chris Bithell who was pleased that Councillor Sharps had finally received his well-deserved award.  He spoke about Delyn Borough Council and Councillor Sharps’ achievements on the leisure service programme and on housing improvements which was a significant development at the time.

In paying his tribute, Councillor Clive Carver referred to Councillor Sharps as a local character and a household name.

This was echoed by Councillor Robin Guest who remarked on Councillor Sharps’ commitment to local government service and said that his achievements whilst at Delyn Borough Council were greatly appreciated in Mold.  He went on to say that it had been a privilege working with Councillor Sharps and hoped that this would continue.

Councillor Marion Bateman also paid tribute to Councillor Sharps and conveyed her gratitude that he was being honoured for his service.

Councillor Ian Roberts added his personal thanks for all that Councillor Sharps had done for Flint retail park and for all his advice and support.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the previous meetings held on 14 April and 12 May 2015 (copies enclosed).

That both sets of minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the meetings held on 14 April and 12 May 2015 had been circulated with the agenda.

14 April 2015 - Minute number 127: Welsh Government White Paper - Devolution, Democracy and Delivery - Reforming Local Government: Power to the People

Councillor Chris Bithell asked Councillor Hilary Isherwood if she would be willing to withdraw her comments which had been made in response to his remarks on Assembly Members.  He explained that his remarks emanated from his long-held views about the method used for electing Assembly Members and that he had made no reference to any specific individual.  He added that he had not had the opportunity to respond to this effect to Councillor Isherwood at the meeting.

Councillor Isherwood stated that she wished her comments to remain.  Although no names had been given, she felt that the intent was otherwise.

Councillor Bithell reiterated that his comments were about the system and not any individual Assembly Member.

Councillor Aaron Shotton said it was disappointing that the comments could not be withdrawn, however the minutes reflected the comments made by Councillor Isherwood at the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That both sets of minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

None were received.

None were received.

A copy of the Chairman’s communications had been circulated to all Members before the meeting.  In presenting the paper, the Chairman thanked all those who had attended the Civic Sunday event which had raised £500.  He also thanked Councillor Carolyn Thomas who had taken part in a 17 mile sponsored walk to raise funds for Gobaith Cymru.

The Chief Officer (Governance) confirmed that none had been received.

The Chief Officer (Governance) confirmed that none had been received.

The Chief Officer (Governance) confirmed that none had been received.

The Chief Officer (Governance) confirmed that none had been received.

The following questions had been submitted by Councillor Chris Bithell:-

“In relation to Planning Application Number 052377 regarding proposed redevelopment at Bank Farm, Lower Mountain Road, Penyffordd, which was dealt with by the Planning & Development Committee on 17 December 2014.  Can you please provide the following information:

(i)      Who made the decision to refer the handling of this application to an external planning consultant?

(ii)     Why was this course of action felt to be necessary in this case given that we have a fully qualified paid staff to deal with planning applications and who do so with all other similar applications?

(iii)    What did this course of action cost Flintshire CC?

(iv)    Will this course of action be taken with all other applications from this particular applicant and will other applicants be afforded and allowed the same course in the determination of their applications and if so in what circumstances?”

Copies of the response to the question, provided by the Cabinet Member for Environment, had been circulated to all Members before the start of the meeting.  Councillor Bithell advised that he had no supplementary questions.

The following questions had been submitted by Councillor Rosetta Dolphin:-

“The Greenfield Dock and other areas within Flintshire had in April been occupied by Travellers.  The coastal path was used as an open air public convenience.  The Greenfield Dock area is a local attraction for residents and promoted as a tourism destination.

(i)      Can the Council supply figures for all the financial costs associated with the individual cleansing of the Greenfield Dock area and the total cost across the whole of the County for the last financial year.

(ii)     Will the Council also comment on the accrued costs and environmental harm deriving from such encampments?”

Copies of the response from the Cabinet Member for Environment had been circulated to Members before the meeting.

On the response to her first question, Councillor Dolphin asked whether the costs included officer time of the Policy, Performance & Partnerships team members along with that of the Legal team, Bailiffs, Streetscene operatives and the cost of protecting the site from unauthorised encampments.  She went on to express her appreciation to the officers for their hard work in helping to restrict unauthorised access to sites and asked if details of the costs could be made available if they were not already included.

The Chief Officer (Governance) explained that the figures shown in the response did not reflect these additional costs which were not currently recorded.

The Minute Book - Edition 1 2015/16 - has been circulated to Members.  Members are now entitled to ask questions on these minutes, subject to certain limitations, and answers will be provided at the meeting.  Members are requested to bring to the meeting their copy of the Minute Book.  Any questions must have been received by the Democracy & Governance Manager prior to the close of business on 17 June 2015.

None had been received.

None had been received.

Councillor R. Dolphin

“At present the Council must follow lengthy procedures to remove unauthorised encampments and those delays increase the cost and disruption to local residents.  Once evicted, travellers are free to return to the site after a relatively short period has elapsed meaning that officers must begin the process over again.

The Council therefore seeks an urgent review of the legal process to evict Travellers from all Council, public and private owned sites.  Thus, the Council directs the Deputy Leader and Chief Executive to lobby the Flintshire MPs, new Westminster government and Welsh Government to address the local and national problem of trespass and environmental damage created by Travellers.”

That the Notice of Motion be supported.

Councillor Rosetta Dolphin had submitted the following Notice of Motion:

“At present the Council must follow lengthy procedures to remove unauthorised encampments and those delays increase the cost and disruption to local residents.  Once evicted, travellers are free to return to the site after a relatively short period has elapsed meaning that officers must begin the process over again.

The Council therefore seeks an urgent review of the legal process to evict Travellers from all Council, public and private owned sites.  Thus, the Council directs the Deputy Leader and Chief Executive to lobby the Flintshire MPs, new Westminster government and Welsh Government to address the local and national problem of trespass and environmental damage created by Travellers.”

Councillor Dolphin thanked Councillor Bernie Attridge, the Cabinet Member for Environment, for the briefing note which had been shared with all Members.  She referred to unauthorised encampments as a widespread issue, particularly in Flintshire at the current time, and pointed out the lack of intervention by the Police and legal restrictions which led to additional time and cost implications for the Council.  Whilst respecting the rights of Travellers to reside in designated areas, she pointed out the rights of residents not to be disturbed and said that other Authorities should be encouraged to provide their own designated sites as had been done in Flintshire.  In submitting the Notice of Motion, she asked that representations be made to grant more powers to Council officers to address the matter more swiftly.

Councillor Attridge said that as explained in the briefing note, the process for dealing with unlawful encampments was not swift or easy and that officers did their best under difficult circumstances.  He agreed that representations would be made to local Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to lobby for action to be taken on improving the legal process.  He would also request that the Welsh Local Government Association take up the issue of other Local Authorities providing their own designated sites for Travellers.

RESOLVED:

That the Notice of Motion be supported.

That the Improvement Plan 2015/16 be adopted.

The Chief Officer (Organisational Change) introduced the report to seek adoption and publication of the Improvement Plan 2015/16, which was a statutory requirement of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.  He explained that the Plan was about sustaining performance in the current challenging climate and demonstrated a clear performance framework, whilst meeting criteria from regulators such as the Wales Audit Office (WAO).  This was better integrated with financial planning, linked to other corporate plans such as the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), Council Governance Framework and the Corporate Resources Plan.

A presentation was delivered, covering the main points:

·         How we built up the Plan

·         Choosing in-year priorities

·         Member consultation

·         Benefits of this approach thus far

·         Plan for 2014/15

·         Plan for 2015/16

·         Priorities for Living Well, Skills & Learning and Modern & Efficient Council

·         Using the Plan

·         Positive feedback from the WAO Corporate Assessment 2015

·         Next steps

The consultation process involving a Member workshop and discussion at the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee had resulted in a number of agreed changes and that later in the year, suggestions would be sought from Overview & Scrutiny on sub-priorities for next year’s Plan.

As part of an overview of the 2014/15 Plan, the Policy & Performance Manager reported generally positive outcomes and outlined the key highlights in respect of housing, education, extra care facilities and job creation.  Out of the 22 sub-priorities, 68% had made good progress in achieving outcomes which the Council had set out to deliver whilst 32% had made satisfactory progress.

The Plan for 2015/16 retained the eight priorities, with a structure of 17 sub-priorities up to 2017, including some new emerging issues and some which had been carried over from the previous year for continued focus.  Other sub-priorities had been broadened or merged, or removed as they were time limited.  Once the Plan was published, the second appendix detailing how achievements would be measured would be accessible through a hyperlink and used by Overview & Scrutiny to review progress throughout the year.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) detailed the objectives of the sub-priority on safeguarding vulnerable people and children.  These involved the creation of a single safeguarding unit under one manager and preparations for the full implementation of the Social Services & Well-being Act which would equip councils with new powers on safeguarding.

On the sub-priority for apprenticeships and training, the Chief Officer (Education & Youth) thanked all those involved in helping the Council to secure the highest level of 16 year olds in education, employment or training last year: this was the highest ever achieved by the Council and across Wales.  Many of those individuals not included in this group had more complex needs, and work would be undertaken at an earlier stage to help them through the provision of skilled mentors and maximising access to employment or training opportunities.

On the sub-priority for developing communities, the Chief Officer (Organisational Change) explained the emphasis on supporting communities to become more resilient and continued support for the development of social enterprise, linked to a forthcoming Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

That the proposed Webcasting Protocol be adopted.

The Chief Officer (Governance) presented the proposed protocol for webcasting future meetings which had been recommended for adoption by the Constitution Committee and Cabinet.  The protocol had been developed using similar protocols in operation at other Authorities where webcasting had been introduced.  The report detailed the legal issues relating to the protocol and its use.

As Chairman of the Constitution Committee, Councillor Robin Guest proposed that the protocol be adopted to assist the Council in implementing webcasting in line with other Authorities.  This duly seconded and supported.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed Webcasting Protocol be adopted.

One member of the press and one member of the public were present.