Agenda, decisions and minutes

As this was the last meeting of the Committee in the 2016/17 municipal year, the Chairman took the opportunity to thank the Members, Cabinet Members and officers for their input.  He spoke positively about the approach taken to the meetings and debates which had taken place.

Purpose: To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

Personal interest declared by Councillor Dave Mackie on Agenda Item 4 ‘Theatr Clwyd Progress Report’.

During discussion on Agenda Item 4 ‘Theatr Clwyd Progress Report’, Councillor Dave Mackie declared a personal interest as he was a member of the Theatr Clwyd Board.

Purpose: To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 29 March 2016.

That, subject to the amendments, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 March 2016 were submitted.

Accuracy

Councillors Brian Dunn and Mike Reece had both submitted apologies for the meeting and asked that this be shown in the minutes.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to the amendments, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(a)       That having considered the implementation of the Theatr Clwyd Business Plan, the Committee is assured by the progress made; and

(b)       That the Committee is assured that the operational changes and modernisation currently taking place provides a sustainable model for Theatr Clwyd in the foreseeable future.

The Chief Executive introduced a progress report on the implementation of the business plan for Theatr Clwyd.  He spoke about the importance of the theatre which was held in high regard and described the Council’s support as a unique arrangement in Wales, reminding Members that this was a non-statutory service.  Whilst including some risks and challenges, the business plan provided greater independence to the theatre with less reliance on financial support from the County Council and Arts Council of Wales.  The Chief Executive took the opportunity to pay tribute to the level of financial and personal support for the theatre from the Arts Council and also thanked the Board Members and Chief Officers.

The Chief Officer, Organisational Change explained that the key components in achieving the sustainable business model were the creation of the robust business plan, the appointment of Tamara Harvey as Artistic Director, the recruitment of an Executive Director to manage the business side of the theatre, the staffing restructure, the building refurbishment using capital funding and future governance arrangements.  He said that the theatre was in a position to sustain itself with reduced financial support for the current year, and would require flexibility to manage future pressures.

The Artistic Director provided an overview of progress on performance where a more diverse range of work was now available to appeal to wider audiences.  She spoke about the generation of income from touring productions and developing a culture of new writing through different plays.  A measured approach would be taken to the development of an Annual Report to provide guidance on business and artistic elements.  A 3% cut in funding from the Arts Council had been better than predicted and was possibly in recognition of the theatre’s place in arts across Wales.  More creative solutions were being explored to deliver services due to a reduction in the production budget and information was shared on initiatives on working with young people, developing community partnerships and increasing the commerciality of the theatre.  Confirmation on eligibility to claim Theatre Tax Relief was particularly welcomed and had been achieved through close working with Council officers.  The new staff structure met management ambitions whilst resolving a mix of practicalities, financial and artistic concerns, and a draft Housing Agreement was currently under consideration.  The valuable contributions of Trade Union and Council colleagues were noted on this work.  A newly appointed Director of Marketing was due to start imminently and two other key posts would be recruited: a Director of Operations to build the commercial side of the theatre and a Director of Development to explore new revenue streams.  The re-designation of a post had created an Associate role to focus on capital development projects, such as the £60,000 funding from Welsh Government to be used on short-term building refurbishments.  The Artistic Director concluded by referring to her comments included in the theatre’s latest brochure on the unique status of the theatre in Wales and her pride in its offer to communities which she felt was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

That the Committee is satisfied with the Council’s progress on delivery within the changing context for the Welsh Public Library Standards.

As portfolio holder, Councillor Chris Bithell introduced a report explaining the changing context of the Welsh Public Library Standards, current performance and anticipated future performance.  He gave an overview of the background, explaining that the Standards did not reflect the budgetary challenges faced by councils and emphasised the importance of community-based libraries run by volunteers to complement the formal library network.  Overall, performance levels had been sustained despite the reduced funding and the network was developing through the new Deeside library where usage figures had increased and the planned Holywell library which had received Welsh Government (WG) funding.  Councillor Bithell took the opportunity to pay tribute to Pennie Corbett, the Principal Librarian, who was shortly due to retire from the Council, and to thank her for her dedication and professionalism.  These comments were endorsed by the Chairman and other Members of the Committee.

The Principal Librarian spoke about the robustness of the library network and the exciting developments for the future.  She provided information on the Core Entitlements and Quality Indicators which had been met by the Council in 2014/15 and gave explanation on the reasons for partial compliance, some of which were outside the Council’s control.  The outcome for the percentage of materials budget spent on children’s resources had been deemed as partial compliance, despite exceeding the target, due to the criteria set by WG and representations had been made to address this.  Information was also shared on planned changes which would reflect positively on future performance, including the provision of Wi-fi at all libraries.  Outcomes were expected to improve for 2016/17 as a result of the business plan and changes currently being implemented.

Councillor Clive Carver commented on the provision of Wi-fi where Broadband was already available.  The Principal Librarian agreed to look into a reported problem with stopping points of the mobile library.

Concerning the Deeside library, Councillor Dave Mackie remarked on the capacity in comparison with the former library to which the Principal Librarian reported on current stock levels, including those in circulation, and advised that additional storage space was available for top-up.  In response to concerns about the use of the self-service machine used by customers, she explained that it could only be operated with tagged stock and that employees in Deeside Leisure Centre had been offering support in helping customers outside the manned hours.  Following a question on the impact survey within the Annual Assessment Report, attention was drawn to Flintshire’s standing in the lowest, median and highest figures as the ranking reflected only those councils which had submitted reports for the year.

Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer referred to the moving of the library service topic to the remit of the Committee and asked that a full report on the current and future library network, including plans for Holywell library, be brought to a future meeting.  The Chief Officer, Organisational Change agreed to share the medium-term plan with an update on the progress of each library.  The Chief Executive spoke about the resilience of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

That the Committee is satisfied with the Council’s progress on Alternative Delivery Models within the national policy context and emerging proposals for the Welsh Government.

The Chief Officer, Organisational Change introduced a report to update Members on the national position on Alternative Delivery Models (ADMs) as set out in the Welsh Government (WG) commissioned document ‘Is the Feeling Mutual?’.  This was in line with the approach being taken by the Council on ADMs.  The WG document highlighted the necessity for ADMs in public service delivery in Wales and provided a framework for the development of ADMs.  Following consultation earlier in the year, WG was currently developing a national action plan with support package to assist councils in delivering ADMs.  It was anticipated that the national framework would set a common approach for councils on issues such as managing contracts, legalities and human resources, and that the action plan would be implemented promptly to help sustain services and protect jobs through ADMs.

Following comments from Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer on the risks in Section 4 of the report, the Chief Officer, Organisational Change explained that since writing the report, the national action plan had been published and thereby demonstrated a level of commitment from WG.

Councillor Dave Mackie spoke about the Council’s achievements on ADMs and the expectation for WG funding as there was no capacity in Town and Community Councils.  He added that there were still issues around asset transfers including the need for more flexibility for the organisations involved.  The Chief Officer, Organisational Change referred to the Community Asset Transfer process on finding solutions at a local level and the need for discussions on funding at an early stage.  The Chief Executive spoke about the differences between funding for County Councils and that for Town/Community Councils where a range of grants could be accessed.  He welcomed the recognition from WG on ADMs on which Flintshire’s progress had been acknowledged nationally.

Councillor Paul Shotton commented on examples of asset transfers involving innovative solutions.  In relation to the transfer of Connah’s Quay swimming baths, it was reported that the legal process had been finalised and the new organisation would take over on 31 May.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee is satisfied with the Council’s progress on Alternative Delivery Models within the national policy context and emerging proposals for the Welsh Government.

(a)       That the Committee accepts the content of the Improvement Plan and ‘How we Measure Achievement’ document for the priority ‘Developing Communities’; and

(b)       That the Committee accepts the proposed targets for the national performance indicators.

The Chief Executive introduced the report on sections of the Improvement Plan 2016/17 which were relevant to the Committee.  The Improvement Plan had been updated to reflect the key priorities of the Council for next year and retained the eight priorities and the sub-priorities.  Five of the eight priorities continued with a refresh of longer term projects or ambitions, whereas the remaining three had been reviewed to reflect local circumstances and priorities.  A new section within each sub-priority referenced national issues which could potentially impact the delivery of the priorities.

The Chief Officer, Organisational Change summarised the aims of the ‘Developing Communities’ sub-priority, as set out in the report, and reminded Members about the Council’s duties on reporting statutory measures.

Councillor Andy Dunbobbin asked that the wording in the report be amended to correctly reflect the objective to ensure that the Armed Forces community and their families ‘are not disadvantaged’ when accessing Council Services’.

In terms of awarding contracts, Councillor Clive Carver queried the approach in the event of under-performance.  The Chief Officer, Organisational Change said that there were key performance indicators for larger contracts which were subject to monitoring at regular contract meetings.  He agreed to provide a separate response to the query on the number of contracts valued above £1m which were awarded by the Council each year.

In response to a query from Councillor Ian Dunbar on the Community Benefits Board, explanation was given on the setup and involvement by the Chief Officer, Community & Enterprise.

The Chief Executive said that Members were able to submit any further questions to officers prior to consideration of the Improvement Plan at the special County Council meeting in June.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Committee accepts the content of the Improvement Plan and ‘How we Measure Achievement’ document for the priority ‘Developing Communities’; and

(b)       That the Committee accepts the proposed targets for the national performance indicators.

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be approved with the additions; and

(b)       That the Member Engagement Manager, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings.

The Member Engagement Manager introduced the current Forward Work Programme.  The Committee agreed to his suggestion that the new Chairman liaise with officers on scheduled items for the remaining meetings of the municipal year.  It was also agreed that the update report on the library network be scheduled for the June meeting.

In response to earlier discussion, the Member Engagement Manager gave a reminder about the process involving Members for agreeing Terms of Reference for Committees.  The Chief Executive suggested that Members may wish to consider at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting the best approach in dealing with incomplete topics passed to other Committees.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be approved with the additions; and

(b)       That the Member Engagement Manager, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings.

There was one member of the press in attendance.