Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 28 September 2021.

That the minutes be approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28 September 2021 were approved as a correct record, as moved and seconded by Councillors Chris Bithell and Ian Smith.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes be approved as a correct record.

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the communications as circulated, and to  include the Returning Officer’s verbal report from the 7^th October Penyffordd By-election and the welcome to the new councillor.

The Chairman presented his communications and commented on the following recent events: Shotton Walkers Group Reception, Mayor of Rhyl Town Council Civic Sunday, and Mayor of Flint Civic Service.

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Alasdair Ibbotson to the meeting. The Chief Officer (Governance) introduced Councillor Ibbotson who had recently been elected to fill the vacancy for the Penyffordd Ward following the resignation of Councillor David Williams.

Councillor Ibbotson expressed his thanks to residents of Penyffordd, Penymynydd, and Dobshill for their support and confidence in electing him as their new representative. He paid tribute to former Councillor David Williams for his work and support of the local community. He spoke of the future challenges facing the Penyffordd Ward and gave a commitment to work tirelessly and with respect, in conjunction with Councillor Cindy Hinds, his fellow Member, to achieve the best outcomes for the residents of their Ward.

This is an opportunity for Members of Council to submit petitions on behalf of people in their ward. Once received, petitions are passed to the appropriate Chief Officer for action and response.

None were received.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item by virtue of exempt information under Paragraph(s) 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

At this point, the livestreaming and recording of the meeting was paused.

(a)        That the proposals for (1) a replacement Chief Officer for the Housing and Community portfolio and (2) a new post of Corporate Manager, Capital Programme and Assets, be approved; and

(b)        That the current Member Appointments Panel be reconvened for the appointment of the replacement Chief Officer post.

The Chief Executive introduced a report to seek approval of a number of changes to the current operating model. He provided background information and reported on the main considerations as detailed in the report.

The Chief Executive Designate (Chief Officer, Housing and Assets) gave an overview of the current position and capacity in the Housing and Assets portfolio, and reported on the recommended proposals.

Members were asked to consider the proposals as outlined in the report.

In moving the proposals Councillor Ian Roberts spoke in support of the recommendations. Councillor Roberts paid tribute to the Chief Executive, Chief Executive Designate, and members of the Recruitment Panel for their diligent work. Councillor Billy Mullin seconded the motion.

Councillors Ian Dunbar and Chris Dolphin spoke in support of the proposals

Councillor Mike Peers said he supported the proposals in part, however, he expressed a number of concerns and proposed that the recommendations be amended as follows: that a Chief Officer for the Housing and Community portfolio be appointed. That an appointment to the post of Corporate Manager – Capital Programmes and Assets be deferred until after the Local Government Elections in May 2022; and that an officer from the existing Housing and Assets team be appointed on an interim basis for the intervening period. The amendment was seconded by Councillor Owen Thomas.

Councillor Ian Roberts spoke in support of the motion he had put forward and thanked Officers for their detailed responses to the questions raised by Members around salary costs. Councillor Roberts spoke against the proposal to defer the post of Corporate Manager – Capital Programmes and Assets until after May 2022.

A vote was taken on the amendment proposed by Councillor Mike Peers above. The amendment was not carried.

A vote was requested on the substantive motion which had been proposed by Councillor Ian Roberts as follows:   

(a)        That the proposal for (1) a replacement Chief Officer for the Housing and Community portfolio and (2) a new post of Corporate Manager, Capital Programmes and Assets be supported: and  

(b)        That the current Member Appointments Panel be re-convened for the appointment of the replacement Chief Officer post.

The motion was carried.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the proposals for (1) a replacement Chief Officer for the Housing and Community portfolio and (2) a new post of Corporate Manager, Capital Programme and Assets, be approved; and

(b)        That the current Member Appointments Panel be reconvened for the appointment of the replacement Chief Officer post.

RESOLVED:

That following consideration of the confidential item the live streaming of the meeting be resumed to enable the press and public to view the remainder of the meeting.

At this point, the livestreaming and recording of the meeting was resumed.

(a)        That the Annual Performance Report 2020/2021 be approved; and

(b)        That the appreciation of all Members of the Council for the outstanding work undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic be passed to Officers and their teams in all Services.

The Chief Executive introduced a report on the Annual Performance Report 2020-21. He provided background information and advised that the Report had been presented to the meeting of Cabinet held prior to County Council and had been recommended to Council for approval. The Chief Executive drew attention to the areas highlighted for improvement and advised that performance against the Council Plan measures was positive overall.

Councillor Ian Roberts commented on the challenge of the global pandemic and said he was proud of the exceptional performance of the Council’s employees in such difficult and unprecedented circumstances. He asked that Chief Officers forward sincere thanks to their teams on behalf of the County Council for their work.

Councillor Roberts formally proposed that the appreciation of all Members of the Council for the outstanding work undertaken by Officers and employees in all services be included as an additional recommendation in the report. Councillor Billy Mullin seconded the motion.   

In endorsing the comments made by Councillor Roberts, Councillor Mike Peers paid tribute to the work of Schools and the support provided for children of key workers throughout the pandemic Referring to page 62 of the agenda and the long term planning for recovery of town centres, he noted that charges for car parking had been reintroduced but asked that town centres continued to be monitored and adjustments made as necessary to encourage footfall in the future. Councillor Peers drew attention to the social value information on page 63 of the agenda and the success of the Marleyfield Care Home facility which he said was to be applauded.  

Councillor Ian Dunbar spoke in support of the work and services provided by the Housing and Assets team to support the residents of Flintshire.

Councillor Andy Hughes paid tribute to all employees in Social Services for their outstanding work during the pandemic.

The Chief Executive thanked Members for their support. He said that targets set for social value performance had been exceeded for the first 12-18 months and the Council was regarded as an exemplar authority by the Welsh Government and had been asked to mentor other authorities as a result.

Having been moved and seconded, the recommendations were put to the vote and carried.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the Annual Performance Report 2020/2021 be approved; and

(b)        That the appreciation of all Members of the Council for the outstanding work undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic be passed to Officers and their teams in all Services.

This item is to receive any Notices of Motion. One has been received and is attached.

Councillor Ian Roberts referred to the recent tragic death of Sir David Amess, Member of Parliament for Southend West, and said the Labour Group considered that it would be inappropriate to discuss the Notice of Motion which called for the UK Government to continue with the £20 enhancement to Universal Credit at the current time. He proposed that the Notice of Motion be deferred to a future meeting. This was unanimously agreed by Members.

This item is to receive any Public Questions: none were received by the deadline.

None were received.

To note the answers to any questions submitted in accordance with County Council Standing Order No. 9.4(A): none were received by the deadline

None were received.

To recognise the 14 years of service by Colin Everett as the Council’s longest serving Chief Executive.

The Chair of the Council invited the outgoing Chief Executive, Colin Everett, to speak. In his opening remarks the Chief Executive thanked Officers and colleagues in Democratic Services, Theatr Clwyd, Corporate Communications, and Picturehouse for their work in organising a technical and logistically complex meeting.

The Chief Executive said that when he joined Flintshire County Council in 2007, the Authority did not have the regional or national influence it deserved. He spoke of his brief on appointment which was to bring new energy, professional leadership, and make positive change happen. Today there was recognition from many sources including the First Minister, other Cabinet Ministers, and national commentators, that Flintshire County Council was a strong, high performing and innovative Council, providing leadership to other authorities and organisations, and the best authority in Wales for partnership working.

The Chief Executive gave a brief synopsis of his career in local government service which had spanned 40 years. He said that Flintshire County Council would hold a special memory for him and he had been privileged to serve its residents and local communities. He then gave a short presentation which highlighted a few of the many achievements and notable events during his period of office. He felt that the Authority was in a confident, resilient, and able position to move forward in the future under the new leadership of Neal Cockerton, Chief Executive designate.

In his closing comments, the Chief Executive said that the future was good for North Wales; and its location, landscape, heritage, and economy was unique. He had enjoyed living in North Wales during his time as a public services leader and was confident that it would recover well from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to be a safe place to live and work.

The Chief Executive expressed thanks to the current and former Chairs of Flintshire County Council, Leaders of the Council, Group Leaders, Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees, and Members, for their support. He also thanked senior officer colleagues, Chief Officers, Service Managers, and the Chief Executive team for their support and companionship throughout the last 14 years. He commented on his personal plans for the future and said he would make a return visit when the opportunity arose.

The Chief Executive welcomed Lord Barry Jones and Lady Janet Jones to the meeting. He paid special thanks to Lord Barry Jones for his personal support as a mentor. He paid tribute to his work and personal qualities and in summarising said he was the embodiment of advocacy for Flintshire and its people. In recognition of his service as a Member of Parliament for 50 years, the Chief Executive asked Members to stand in tribute to Lord Barry Jones.

The Chief Executive paid tribute to his successor Neal Cockerton, the incoming Chief Executive, and referred to his personal qualities and exemplary work ethic and values. Neal Cockerton thanked the Chief Executive for his counsel, mentoring, guidance, and professional support. He also passed on the thanks of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

There were no members of the press in attendance.

(The meeting started at 2.00 pm and ended at 5.05 pm)