Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillors Aaron Shotton, Bernie Attridge, Kevin Jones, Christine Jones and Billy Mullin declared personal interests in the following agenda items as they were school governors:

Agenda item number 9 – Schools Funding Formula Review

Agenda item number 26 – Update on Statutory Notices for School Modernisation

            Councillor Chris Bithell declared a personal interest in agenda item number 20 – Domestic Abuse Policy as he was a Board Member and Trustee of DASU (Domestic Abuse Safety Unit), Deeside.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2013 had been circulated with the agenda.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes be approved as a correct record.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Director of Community Services presented the final revised Housing Revenue Account Business Plan which had been submitted to Welsh Government (WG) with two potential options to achieve WHQS, one for securing a 2022/23 deadline with no borrowing and one for a 2020/21 deadline with prudential borrowing.

A Task Force was established by WG to support delivery of the standard by 2020/21 and their final meeting with Flintshire County Council was held in May where the following two options to achieve WHQS by 2020 were discussed:

·        Further improved financial performance of the Housing Revenue Account over current forecasts and assumptions over the next 8 years, which could free up further revenue savings and efficiencies to close the £14.5m gap and enable achievement of WHQS without recourse to borrowing

·        Flintshire obtains borrowing permission for the capital funding gap it predicted at this point, and borrowed as required, following a mid-term review of the investment portfolio and the performance of the Housing Revenue Account

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance thanked all of those officers involved for the work undertaken to reduce the timetable for achieving WHQS from 2036.  He also thanked the Ministers for their involvement, in particular the establishment of the Task Force.

RESOLVED:

That the revised business plan be noted and that Flintshire is now able to achieve the WHQS by 2020/21.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update on the Flintshire Connects Programme.

The first Flintshire Connects centre opened in Holywell in November 2012 and on average received 350 customer service enquiries each week relating to key County Council services such as Housing, Council Tax, Benefits and Streetscene.  In addition, customers were also able to access Job Centre Plus and North Wales Police services and information at Holywell.

Plans were at various stages of development for Flintshire Connects centres in Flint, Connah’s Quay and Buckley. 

The Flintshire Connects centre at Flint would be located on the ground floor of the CountyOffices and the building would also accommodate North Wales Police and JobCentre Plus.

The preferred option for the Flintshire Connects centre in Connah’s Quay was the integration with Connah’s Quay Library and Learning Centre.  This would enable service integration and shared facilities.  It would also involve the creation of a dedicated Heritage Exhibition Centre which was welcomed by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment.

An options appraisal had been undertaken to identify a suitable site to house the Buckley Flintshire Connects centre and the Buckley Town Council building was identified as the preferred location.  It was proposed that the centre would occupy a section of the group floor with the integration of the existing Cash Office into Flintshire Connects.  North Wales Police had expressed an interest in occupying an office on the first floor.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the update report on the delivery of the Flintshire Connects Centre at CountyOffices, Flint and Connah’s Quay be noted;

(b)       That the preferred location for the Buckley Flintshire Connects Centre on the ground floor of the Town Council Building at Buckley, subject to further consultation with partner organisations and local Buckley Members be agreed; and

(c)        That lead officers be authorised to proceed to design approval and conclude negotiations with North Wales Police on their proposed occupation at Buckley Town Council Building as part of the Flintshire Connects Programme.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update on local, regional and national procurement initiatives.  Approval was sought for Flintshire to become a member of the Welsh Procurement Consortium (WPC).

There was considerable focus on procurement at a national level by the Welsh Government (WG) with high expectations for large savings across the Welsh Public Sector. 

At a regional level the North Wales Procurement Partnership (NWPP) had been dissolved and staff from the partnership had been transferred to North Wales councils with management arrangements established for all residual contracts.  Following the dissolution a letter was received inviting the council to become a member of the WPC.

The Head of ICT and Customer Services explained that Flintshire had already committed to be a member of the new Welsh National Procurement Service (NPS) and any duplication should be avoided with the WPC activities.  The NPS accounted for only 20% of the council’s procurement spend which was recognised by the WPC and who would be focussing on categories of spend not covered by the NPS.

In order to continue and build on the procurement progress already made and the current shared management arrangements with Denbighshire it was proposed subject to the full business case to take further formal steps to merge both Corporate Procurement Units.  The model of a collaborative procurement service with Denbighshire would demonstrate a clear commitment to increased collaborative working.

In response to a question on governance arrangements, the Head of ICT and Customer Services explained that there would be one representative from each authority who would be a member of the Board and that would either be a Councillor or a senior officer.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That membership of the WPC be approved and for officers to provide regular reports regarding the consortium activities and savings achieved;

(b)       That the merger of the Flintshire and Denbighshire Procurement Units be supported in principle subject to agreeing final business case and detailed arrangements which will be subject to a separate report to Cabinet; and

(c)        That the further development of the 3 County Procurement Service involving Flintshire, Denbighshire and Gwynedd be supported based upon a category management structure subject to a final business case which will be subject to a separate report to Cabinet.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services introduced the report which sought approval of the plan to establish a National Adoption Service for Wales, supported by Regional Adoption Collaboratives.  Agreement needed to be secured that Wrexham would continue to act as the lead authority for the North Wales Adoption Service.

The Director of Community Services added that there was a clear requirement that children in care must have plans for permanence in place which considered the full range of options to be put into effect with appropriate urgency.

The creation of a National Adoption Service was one of the key policy strands of the Welsh Government (WG) and that if enacted, the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Bill would allow Ministers to prescribe arrangements by local authorities.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That the proposals for achieving a National Adoption Service in Wales as detailed in the report of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Cymru be endorsed; and

(c)        That Wrexham continue to act as the lead authority for the North Wales Adoption Service.  By doing so Flintshire County Council can ensure that the Council’s statutory functions in relation to providing an Adoption Service are fully met, in accordance with legislation and guidance.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Director of Community Services introduced the report which outlined and sought approval of the proposed heating charges to the communal HRA properties in 2013/14, the treatment of amounts not recovered and the proposed changes to the way the Council recovered any deficits or surpluses to the heating account in future years.

Two options for heating charge increases for 2013/14 were outlined in the report, which were based on actual costs to the Council in 2012/13 and estimated for 2013/14.  The data had been obtained from the North Wales energy advice centre to compare tenants heating charges with the average local private household.  The data showed that the average price of a 2 bed flat in similar condition to council stock should expect to pay between £518 and £691 per annum for heating bills, based on current prices.  The data also showed that although Flintshire tenants in communal properties were seeing large increases in their heating compared to previous years the costs were lower than other tenants who paid their own bills directly to the energy company.

RESOLVED:

That the following be approved:

• Implementation of Option 2 for heating increases in 2013/14, as described in the report
• That the resultant under recovery occurring from the delayed October implementation date is met via the HRA in year
• That there is no recovery for 2010/11 and 2011/12 for Castle Heights and the Walks in Flint and the costs met from the HRA
• The proposed changes to the way the Council recovers any deficits or surpluses to the heating account in future years

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education introduced the report which provided an update on progress of the Formula Funding Review and requested authority to commence consultation with all schools. 

            School funding regulations required that every local authority should have a funding formula to be used to determine the budget share for each school.  There was a need to renew the educational rationale underpinning the schools funding formula and the existing formula pre-dated most of the major changes to school funding that had occurred since 1997.

A key aim of the revised formula was to secure greater consistency and equity in how funding was distributed to schools, recognising particular circumstances that schools faced.

            A Project Board was established together with three project teams and a considerable amount of analysis work had been undertaken.  Updates on progress had been presented to the Schools Budget Forum, Headteacher representative groups and the trade unions.  The modelling had produced alternative ways of distributing funds to schools, based on a review of the regulatory framework, the physical capacity of schools and the desire to simplify the administration and the understanding of funding.

RESOLVED:

That consultation on principles to underpin the school funding formula for the 2014-15 financial year be approved.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education outlined Flintshire County Council’s response to the Welsh Government’s consultation on the Hill Review.

The Hill Report was published in June 2013 and the Welsh Government (WG) had subsequently commissioned a period of consultation which ended on 13 September 2013.  The report was structured into six chapters which were detailed in the report, which each chapter focussing on a specific element of the Review.

The Director of Lifelong Learning added that many of the good examples in the Review were already implemented within Flintshire and he cited examples of Flintshire having the lowest percentage of 16+ not in employment or education in Wales and the record breaking outcomes of schools in Flintshire.

RESOLVED:

That the consultation submission in response to the Hill Review be noted.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Waste & Recycling provided an update on progress with the current Leisure Strategy and Management Actions.  Information was provided on the most up to date revenue budget monitoring information (Month 3) for Culture and Leisure Services in 2013/14 and the proposed budget re-alignment in relation to the facilities at Deeside Leisure Centre and the Jade Jones Pavilion, Flint.

During 2012/13, one-off provision was made in recognition of the anticipated shortfall in income during the first year of the leisure developments at Deeside Leisure Centre and the Jade Jones Pavilion Flint.  The new developments came on stream during the course of the year and trading income took time to develop.  This was acknowledged with the provision of £0.361m as a one-off allocation.

A number of financial pressures affecting the leisure budget were addressed in the 2013/14 budget round with the inclusion of £0.406m for reduced income, staffing budget shortfall, health and safety, music licensing, summer play schemes and play equipment.  However, challenges remained on the financial sustainability of the service caused by:

·        Longstanding underinvestment in maintenance and renewal across the extensive range of leisure provision in Flintshire

·        Creation of competing new facilities within the traditional catchment area for Flintshire’s specialist facilities, for example the new ice rink at Widnes

·        Challenging trading during the economic downturn

·        Meeting the capital cost of the refurbished facilities at Flint and Deeside directly from the leisure budget

·        Underachieving projections in the independent business plan for Deeside Leisure Centre and the Jane Jones Pavilion Flint

Leisure Services were unique in that the requirement to fund the capital developments at Deeside Leisure Centre and the Jade Jones Pavilion Flint from revenue budget is distorting the service’s true trading position.  An alternative would be to treat the funding of the developments in the same way that other capital financing repayments had been dealt with.

The original business plan had been revised to reflect current costs of operations and a reduced expectation of income growth.  The budgetary impact of that had been established as £0.505m and it was recommended that the sum should be allocated from the contingency reserve to alleviate the pressure in the leisure budget in 2013/14.  This would have the impact of reducing the in year overspend to £0.455m.

It was also recognised that there was a need to establish the budget for Leisure Centres on a sound footing going forward which would enable the service to have a more realistic budget against which to manage service provision pending a review of leisure service delivery as part of the Council’s programme of organisational change.  It would also provide a clearer focus for the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Group to review service delivery in the light of a revised business plan.  In order for that to be achieved, it was recommended that provision should be made in the Council’s MTFP for a base budget adjustment of £0.505m from 2014/15.

The ongoing revenue financing costs of the capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment presented the report which sought approval for the retention of car park charges in Mold and the provision of new car parks and the introduction of charges in Talacre and Lower Gronant.

Officers from the Council, together with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, had taken part in a number of positive discussions with representatives from Mold Town Council and a range of options were discussed.  On 17 July 2013 Mold Town Council considered the range of options and decided upon option 4 (increase charges).  A summary of the options appraisal that had been undertaken was appended to the report.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment advised that from today, Civil Parking Enforcement Officers would be issuing warning notices for any parking infringements until the Council implemented its Civil Parking Enforcement powers from 1 October.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the retention of car park charges in Mold, as set out in Option 4 of Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(b)       That the proposals for expanding the number of car parking spaces in Talacre and Lower Gronant, together with the introduction of off street car parking charges on the car parks, shown in Appendix 2, sites 7b and 12 (or 9 if implemented), as set out in the report, be approved;

(c)        That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Environment, following consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment to amend the charges in 4.01 and 4.02, as deemed appropriate to meet local circumstances.  For Mold any changes will be introduced in consultation with Mold Town Council; and

(d)       That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Environment and Head of Finance following consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment to review the funding options for progressing investment in Mold and Talacre and Gronant and agree the future approach.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided a progress report on the delivery of the People Strategy Action Plan for 2009-12 which was recommended to be extended, pending a full review of the strategy by the new Human Resources and Organisational Development Departmental Management Team (post Human Resources and Organisational Design service review).

The People Strategy was one of the four Corporate Resource Strategies of the Council.  It set out the Council’s vision and intentions to achieve effective Organisational Change and modernisation, improved Leadership and people management practice, increased performance and productivity, updated working practices and pay and reward arrangements to better meet the needs of customers.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development highlighted some key actions/projects such as:

·        iTrent and the Training Module

·        Organisational Design and Change Programme

·        Workforce Reduction

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the extension of the current People Strategy to 2014 pending a comprehensive review be noted and endorsed; and

(b)       That the progress report on delivery of actions up to 31 August 2013 be noted.

It was agreed that agenda item number 27 would be brought forward.

To note the verbal update.

The Director of Environment explained that in October 2008, Executive resolved that AD Waste should be brought in-house, with the operations of the company being brought in-house on 1 October 2010.

                        However, the shell of the company remained and work had been ongoing since October 2010 with the liquidators to close it down.  Recent notification from the liquidators advised that this would happen at a meeting in Manchester on 11 September which was why the item was a verbal update.

                        A report would be submitted to Cabinet later in the year to formally bring the process to a close.

            RESOLVED:

            That the verbal update be received.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update on the streamlined and corporate approach to performance reporting.

Future reporting arrangements would include monitoring of the Improvement Plan activity with progress being reported each quarter.  Also, twice yearly performance highlight reports would be presented from the Heads of Service.

RESOLVED:

That the new approach to performance reporting be adopted.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update on the new arrangements for the Outcome Agreement from 2013-14.  Endorsement of a new Outcome Agreement for 2013-14 based on draft Welsh Government (WG) guidance was sought.

The choice of five of the strategic themes from the WG Programme for Government had been carefully considered to ensure that there was:

·        Strategic and close “fit” with priorities within the Improvement Plan

·        A strong evidence base

·        Likely success rate

Included in the reporting against each of the five themes would be a requirement to use three of the Programme for Government’s ‘tracking indicators’.  Appended to the report was the full list of the possible ten themes with the strongest five themes highlighted as:

·        Growth and Sustainable Jobs/Supporting the economy and business

·        Education/Improving school attainment

·        21^st Century Health Care/Ensuring people receive the help they need to live fulfilled lives

·        Welsh Homes/Supporting People/Welsh Homes – Improving quality

·        Tackling Poverty/Improving the skills of young people and families

WG assessment of the achievement of the full grant against the existing agreement for 2012/13 was still to be received.  An assessment meeting with WG had taken place in August and indications were given that the officer recommendation to the Minister would be for full achievement of the grant.

RESOLVED:

That the selection of the new strategic themes and outcomes for the new three year Outcome Agreement starting in 2013/14 be endorsed and a further report on a final agreement following the final guidance issued by Welsh Government be received.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management introduced the annual monitoring reports for the period 2012-2013 for both the Strategic Equality Plan (SEP) and Welsh Language Scheme (WLS), prior to publication and distribution to the relevant regulatory bodies.

On the SEP, the Head of ICT and Customer Services explained that over 80 actions had been due to be completed by March 2013; 41 had been completed, 21 actions were in progress and 13 actions had not been completed/started.

Overall good progress was being made and achievements that had been identified during the first year of the SEP were set out in the report.

There did remain areas for improvement and the purpose of the SEP was to reduce known inequalities for the protected groups identified in the Equality Act.

The WLS Monitoring Report 2012-13 showed that although the Council was successfully implementing many of the commitments, some of the targets had not been met.  Of the 42 actions due to be completed by March 2013, 15 had been completed on time, 12 were in progress and 13 had not been completed/started.

RESOLVED:

That the annual monitoring reports for the period 2012-2013 for both the Strategic Equality Plan and Welsh Language Scheme prior to publication and formal submission to the relevant regulatory bodies be endorsed.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Head of Finance provided the most up to date revenue budget monitoring information (Month 3) for the Council Fund and the Housing Revenue Account in 2013/14.

The projected year end position on the Council Fund, as estimated at Month 3, was:

·        Net in year expenditure forecast to be £2.065m less than the budget (An increase of £1.065m on the £1m reported at Month 2)

·        Projected contingency reserve balance at 31 March 2014 of £4.706m

·        Recurring efficiencies of £1.435m had been identified in Adult Services

·        Approval of the recommendations within the report would produce a net positive impact of £0.885m on the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP)

The projected year end position on the Housing Revenue Account, as estimated at Month 3, was:

·        Net in year expenditure forecast to overspend the budget by £0.043m (Nil variance reported at Month 2)

·        Projected HRA balances at 31 March 2014 of £1.391m

The Head of Finance explained that a number of actions had been taken to strengthen financial control, budget management and reporting through clear lines of responsibility, improved forecasting techniques, early warnings or “alerts” from service managers in changes to service demands and cost bases and improved formal reporting.  Further developments which would be included in the next monthly report were to revise the presentation of the appendices and to provide a specific analysis setting out progress with the achievement of the pre-planned efficiencies agreed as part of the budget setting for 2013/14.

Achieving efficiency targets was a priority within the 2013/14 Improvement Plan with a specific target of meeting 85% or more of the pre-agreed efficiency targets.  Careful monitoring and regular reporting would be a key driver to ensuring that plans were on target and any mitigating action could be taken if any efficiencies were delayed or became unachievable.  At this early stage, the projected in-year achievement of pre-planned efficiencies was 95%, which was ahead of target.

Following detailed consideration of the service trends and forecasts within Social Services for Adults, in-year savings of £1.670m had been identified and it was recommended that the in-year budgets were reduced by the appropriate amounts making up the £1.670m.

As a result of the overall review activity a budget pressure of £0.350m had been identified with the Professional Support budget – Children’s Services which was as a result of a marked increase in the demand for statutory child care support in Flintshire.  It was recommended that additional base budget of £0.350m be allocated to this service in 2013/14.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That the projected Council Fund contingency sub as at 31 March 2014 be noted;

(c)        That the projected final level of balances on the Housing Revenue Account be noted;

(d)       That the in-year base budget reductions as detailed in paragraph 8.02 be approved; and

(e)       That the allocation of base budget of £0.250m to Professional Support – Children’s Services as detailed in paragraph 8.04 be approved.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided information on the implementation of a revised national Pensioner Grant scheme to those residents in receipt of partial awards under the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS).

                        The Head of Finance added that data analysis work had been completed across Wales and 2,233 households in Flintshire would qualify for funding of up to £100, although some households would receive less if their net Council Tax liability was less than £100.  Overall the Council would receive funding of £201,700 in order to make the awards.

                        Grant awards would be automatically credited to the Council Tax accounts of qualifying households during the third week in September.

            RESOLVED:

            That the implementation of the revised Welsh Government Pensioner Grant Scheme for 2013-14 as detailed in the report be noted.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management presented the draft Annual Treasury Management Report for 2012/13.

The Council’s Audit Committee had been nominated to be responsible for ensuring effective scrutiny of the treasury management strategy and policy and treasury management updates were provided to the Audit Committee at each quarterly meeting during 2012/13.

RESOLVED:

That the draft Annual Treasury Management Report for 2012/13 be approved and recommended to Council.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management introduced the report which raised awareness and sought support for the Council’s newly developed Domestic Abuse Policy.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development said the Council fully supported the Welsh Government’s National Domestic Abuse Strategy and the Welsh Local Government Association / Trade Union Joint Statement on Domestic Abuse and had developed its policy to meet the core principles of both and to achieve compliance with employment legislation and recommended good practice.

The policy provided clarity on roles and expectations and was accompanied by additional information on the ‘myths and facts’ on domestic abuse and a short practical guide for employees setting out how they could access support should they be experiencing domestic abuse.

            RESOLVED:

            That the Domestic Abuse Policy be adopted.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management introduced the report which analysed the performance of the organisation in relation to management of attendance, as reported in the Council’s Performance Report to Cabinet in March 2013, and set out the plan and commitment, led by Heads of Service and the Corporate Management Team, to achieve improvements in performance.

            The Head of Organisational Development and Human Resources explained that the Council’s performance had worsened during 2012/13, particularly during quarters 1 and 3.  Actions to address the downturn in performance had been identified and were in the process of being implemented.  Further actions to address low performance were detailed in the report and would form part of specific Action Plans for implementation by service areas.

            Heads of Service and the Corporate Management Team would be responsible for analysing and monitoring trends and levels of performance across the Council and ensuring that targets for improvements were achieved. 

RESOLVED:

That the analysis and the requirements and expectations for Heads of Service, Managers and Corporate Management Team in managing attendance be noted and the on-going work to address attendance levels and underlying causes be supported.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update for the first quarter 2013/14 which gave details of the following:

·        Establishment

·        Headcount

·        Agency

·        Early Retirements (First and third quarter reports only)

·        Turnover

·        Diversity

·        Absence

The report included additional details on agency workers, including the number of placements, level of spend, number of hours completed and the savings which had been achieved.

RESOLVED:

That the Workforce Information Report for quarter one for 2012/13 be noted.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services provided an update on Adult Safeguarding Performance and revised structures.

The adult safeguarding process in Wales was the national system which was in place to protect all vulnerable adult client groups from abuse and to support them to seek treatment and redress in the event that they had been abused.

The Safeguarding Team had undergone significant change in the past year and would continue to evolve as it responded to the forthcoming Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Bill.  The Bill intended to establish a new legal definition of “adults at risk” and of “harm” to replace the terms “vulnerable adult” and “abuse”.  Alongside this there was a new duty to investigate which would increase workload.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Waste & Recycling introduced the report which provided details of the new legislation and sought approval for the delegation of powers and the setting of fees.

The Act would require Scrap Metal Dealers to be assessed for suitability before licenses were granted or renewed.  It would also give Local Authorities the power to impose conditions on licenses and to revoke licenses, and would allow them and the Police to close down unauthorised sites.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Council’s powers under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act be delegated to the Community Protection Manager;

(b)       That authority to set the fee level be delegated to the Director of Envrionment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Waste & Recycling; and

(c)        That responsibility for hearing representations where a finding of unsuitability to hold a licence has been made be delegated to the Licensing Sub-Committee

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Education introduced the report which detailed progress to bring into being the sub-regional sensory service and for ratification of the decision to move to a partnership delivery model.

Sensory impairment services were small and highly specialised in many authorities so working together would enable greater resilience and efficiency though enhanced scale.  It would also enable service users to benefit through a greater range of specialist staff being available to support children and young people and their families and carers.  Following a series of exploratory meetings with representations from the six North Wales Local Authorities, officers from Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire proceeded to scope a service to cover North East Wales.  A full business case had been developed and was available on the website.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the positive actions taken to enhance the service available to children and young people with a sensory loss across the counties of Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire be recognised; and

(b)       That the decision to move to a sub-regional service be ratified.

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education provided an update on the progress since the publication of statutory notices relating to the 21^st Century Schools Programme.

            The number of objections to the school modernisation projects was relatively few.  Details of the objections submitted were provided in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted which would be followed by further updates when ministerial decisions have been made.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

An information report on the actions taken under delegated powers was submitted.  The actions were as set out below:-

Corporate                             Business Rates – Application for hardship rate relief

                                                            Council Tax – Write Offs

                                                            Business Rates – Write Offs

Community Services         Entering into a private sector leasing agreement for The Old Quayhouse – Connah’s Quay to provide interim and longer term affordable housing for individuals who have been homeless

                                                Extension of Genesis Scheme (NOVUS Scheme)

There were 3 members of the press in attendance.