Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

On Agenda Item 7, Council Fund Budget 2018/19 Stage One, a personal interest was declared by Councillor McGuill following her comments on business rates for charities, due to having family members involved in the Scout organisation.

On Agenda Item 7, Council Fund Budget 2018/19 Stage One, a personal interest was declared by Councillor McGuill following her comments on business rates for charities, due to having family members involved in the Scout organisation.

To receive any Petitions.

None were received.

None were received.

To receive any Public Questions.

None were received.

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.

None were received.

To consider the Notices of Motion received.

(a)       That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Aaron Shotton be supported as follows: ‘That this Council recognises and supports the recent formation of a local Flintshire WASPI (Women against State Pension Inequality) Group and that we as a Council resolve to take action to call upon the Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the SPA (State Pension Age) and, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the SPA with lack of appropriate notification’; and

(b)       That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Aaron Shotton be supported as follows: ‘This Council calls upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer to end the UK Government’s policy of austerity in his Budget, due to be presented to Parliament on the 22nd November. This Council believes that after seven years of austerity, as a political and economic strategy, it is completely discredited and has inflicted untold damage on our public services and communities across Flintshire and the UK.  This Council believes that the public sector in Flintshire and across the UK can no longer endure the significant year-on-year reductions in funding. Welsh funding has reduced by 7% in real terms since 2010, equating to a staggering £1.2bn.  It is time for the UK Government to recognise the value of public services by delivering the funding levels required to meet rising demand for services.  This Council agrees to:

·         Continue to campaign over the coming weeks to communicate the need for an end to austerity.

·         Continue to be open about the scale of the financial challenges that the Council faces in the short and medium term if austerity is not ended, and the damage this could do to our local communities and services.

·         Request that the Leader of the Council writes to Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary State for Wales to request an end to austerity and for fair funding be delivered to Wales, particularly to enable the council to meet increasing need pressures in Education and Social Care.’

Two Notice of Motion had been received from Councillor Aaron Shotton:

(i)        Make Fair Transitional State Pension Arrangements for Women born in the 1950s

‘Hundreds of thousands of women had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little or no personal notification of the changes. Some women had less than two years notice of a six-year increase to their state pension age. Some women have had no notice at all.

Many women born in the 1950s are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Many of these women are already out of the labour market, caring for elderly relatives, providing childcare for grandchildren, or suffer discrimination in the workplace and therefore struggle to find employment.

Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation that they would be financially secure when reaching 60. It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute - But that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to the women affected, leaving women with insufficient time to make alternative arrangements.

Resolution:

That this Council recognises and supports the recent formation of a local Flintshire WASPI (Women against State Pension Inequality) Group and that we as a Council resolve to take action to call upon the Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the SPA (State Pension Age) and, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the SPA with lack of appropriate notification.’

In support of his Motion, Councillor Shotton hoped that the unfairness of the issue was recognised by all and he gave examples of the personal devastation caused to local individuals.  He called upon the Council to support the national WASPI campaign which included a local action group, some of whose members were present.

In seconding the Motion, Councillor Kevin Hughes provided background information to the WASPI campaign.  He stressed that the focus of the campaign was about the rapid rise in women’s state pension age where changes imposed without notification had left many in hardship and unable to plan for retirement.

Also speaking in favour of the Motion were Councillors Mike Peers, Rita Johnson and Paul Shotton.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was unanimously supported.

(ii)       An End to UK Government Austerity

‘This Council calls upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer to end the UK Government’s policy of austerity in his Budget, due to be presented to Parliament on the 22nd November. This Council believes that after seven years of austerity, as a political and economic strategy, it is completely discredited and has inflicted untold damage on our public services and communities across Flintshire and the UK.

This Council believes that the public sector in Flintshire and across the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

(a)       That the details of the Provisional Local Government Settlement and the impact on the budget forecast for 2018/19 be noted;

(b)       That the Stage One Budget proposals as set out in Appendix A be approved;

(c)       That the remaining stages of the budget process and timescales be noted; and

(d)       That the approach to the Provisional Settlement consultation be approved in accordance with the outline response to WG suggested in the presentation.

The Chief Executive and Corporate Finance Manager presented an update on the Council Fund Budget forecast for 2018/19 following the Provisional Welsh Local Government Settlement announced by Welsh Government (WG).  Members’ views were sought on a response to WG and to the Council’s portfolio business plan proposals which were presented for formal adoption.

Amongst the key outcomes from the announcement, it was reported that a number of specific grants were now included in the Settlement and the impact of a new responsibility for homelessness prevention was being assessed for which no additional base funding had been provided.  Further information received since the Provisional Settlement highlighted a reduction in the Education Improvement Grant and Single Environment Grant as areas of concern.  The overall effect had increased the previously forecasted £11.7m budget gap to £13.6m and could be further impacted by a projected £1.1m Council Fund overspend in 2017/18.

The portfolio business plan options with a value of £3.1m had been endorsed by Cabinet and reviewed by the respective Overview & Scrutiny committees with no objections raised.  The main topic of public interest was the proposed introduction of charges for garden waste collection which was not one of the Council’s statutory services.  Details were available in the report to the forthcoming Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting.  Resilience statements for each portfolio showed the majority of service areas at an Amber risk rating, reflecting the risk of failure prior to entering Stage 2 of the process.

Timescales for the budget process were set out to enable the Council to approve a balanced budget to meet its statutory duty.  More challenging options for Stage 2 totalling around £6m-8m would be considered by Members at an informal workshop prior to seeking approval at the next meeting, to allow for early implementation and focus on remaining options at Stage 3 in the New Year.

Whilst some informal representations had already been made to WG on the Provisional Settlement, Members were asked to agree a corporate response to make the case that both WG and UK Government should recognise their own responsibilities for better funding to meet the needs of local government in protecting services, as was the case for the Health service.  As a reminder of the representations made to WG, copies of a letter previously sent to Mark Drakeford AM were circulated, highlighting the national impact, the importance of making a collective case and the need for Flintshire to receive sufficient funding to deliver its mandatory services.

Draft response to the Provisional Settlement

The Chief Executive asked Members to support the following draft response to WG which had been informed by discussions throughout the budget process:

That:

·         the Settlement is inadequate for the Council’s needs;

·         the Council re-supports the case made on 22 August as set out in the letter to Mark Drakeford AM;

·         the Council supports the three specific asks under consideration in Stage 2 - ICF funding ringfenced for the next three years, the £100 per week domiciliary care cap and 50% of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

(a)       That there be a formal response seeking a change to the name Alyn & Deeside to East Flintshire;

(b)       That the revised proposals made by the Boundary Commission for Wales on the 2018 review of the Parliamentary Constituencies of Flint & Rhuddlan and Alyn & Deeside be noted; and

(b)       That the Chief Executive be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council.

The Chief Executive presented a report to seek views on the revised proposals made by the Boundary Commission for Wales on the 2018 review of Parliamentary Constituencies of Flint & Rhuddlan and Alyn & Deeside.

Councillor Peers spoke in support of the report and highlighted an error in the wording for Alyn & Deeside in section 3.3 of the Assistant Commissioner’s report.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Bithell on the impact of the review on Wales.

On the naming of constituencies, Councillor Neville Phillips asked if the Council could make representations for Alyn & Deeside to be changed to East Flintshire.  Following officer advice, this was proposed as an amendment and duly seconded.

Councillor Evans questioned whether such a request could be made at this stage of the process.  The Chief Executive advised that whilst it may be a belated request, it could be submitted on the basis that it was a more recognisable name than Alyn & Deeside.

On being put the vote, the amendment was carried.

The recommendations of the report were proposed by Councillor Bithell and duly seconded.  On being put to the vote, they were carried.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That there be a formal response seeking a change to the name Alyn & Deeside to East Flintshire;

(b)       That the revised proposals made by the Boundary Commission for Wales on the 2018 review of the Parliamentary Constituencies of Flint & Rhuddlan and Alyn & Deeside be noted; and

(b)       That the Chief Executive be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council.

(a)       That the comments on the guidance document for principal councils on the review of communities be noted; and

(b)       That the Chief Executive be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council.

The Chief Executive presented a report to seek views on updated draft guidance on the conduct of community reviews by principal councils which had been produced by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.

The report contained the key findings from the guidance and the consultation process ending on 21 December 2017.  Details were shared on the community review carried out in Flintshire in 2013.

Following a query by Councillor Bithell, the Chief Officer (Governance) explained that proposals previously recommended by town/community councils, which would have resulted in differing boundaries at town/community and ward level, had not been implemented as part of the County Council’s most recent community review.  Those proposals had been forwarded to the Boundary Commission with a request that they be considered as part of the County Council ward boundary review in late 2018.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the comments on the guidance document for principal councils on the review of communities be noted; and

(b)       That the Chief Executive be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council.

That the Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report 2016/17 be received.

The Democratic Services Manager presented the Annual Report for 2016/17 to give assurance that the Overview & Scrutiny function was fulfilling its constitutional role.  Minor changes had been made to the report following consideration by the Constitution and Democratic Services Committee, including a foreword in tribute to the late Councillor Ron Hampson.

Councillor Heesom referred to capacity issues which had been mentioned in an audit report and he asked if consideration could be given to additional administrative support for Overview & Scrutiny to assist Members.

The Democratic Services Manager agreed to check committee membership dates which had been queried by Councillor Bithell at an earlier stage.

Councillor Peers asked about the outcome of recent discussion groups between Members and Wales Audit Office colleagues.  The Chief Executive expected that a report on the findings of this national exercise was likely to be published and that feedback would be shared with Members once this work had concluded.

RESOLVED:

That the Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report 2016/17 be received.

There was one member of the press and three members of the public in attendance.