Agenda item

That the Committee receives the Quarter 2 Improvement Plan Monitoring Reports.

The Chief Officer (Community & Enterprise) introduced the regular update report to consider progress towards the delivery of the impacts set out in the 2016/17 Improvement Plan, focussing on the areas of under and good performance relevant to the Committee during Quarter 2.

Housing

Positive progress was reported on new schemes within the Strategic Housing & Regeneration Programme and the proactive approach to dealing with the increasing number of housing enquiries during the period.  The repair/ improvement of 40 private sector dwellings through the Capital Programme and Welsh Government (WG) national loan scheme was expected to be met by year end by allocating resources to processing loan applications.  Despite positive performance, the completion of Disabled Facilities Grants for children and adults remained an area of focus and improvements to the process would help to further reduce timescales.

Progress on the Welsh Housing Quality Standard was mainly on target, with delays on roofing and windows as a result of unpredicted issues.  When asked about the criteria for the work, the Capital Works Team Manager explained that a ‘whole house’ approach to work was taken where possible and that Members should report any specific issues of concern.

The team was congratulated by Councillor Gareth Roberts for positive tenant feedback on the scheme in the Holway.

Councillor David Roney commended the Custom House Lane development but questioned why solar panels had not been installed.  He went on to refer to the recent announcement by the WG Environment Secretary on energy efficient measures in new homes.  The Chief Officer confirmed that this had been considered and would looked at for future schemes as the aim was to build high quality new homes with minimal running costs.  However, decisions on solar panels were dependent on funding available.

Economy and Enterprise

The Service Manager (Enterprise & Regeneration) reported overall positive performance during the period including activities on supply chain events and the development of the Ambassadors programme.

Although the number of new jobs created had fallen during the quarter, there were positive announcements on job safeguarding and potential growth.  Councillor Paul Cunningham welcomed opportunities for new business investment but raised concerns about the recent announcement of job losses by Convatek in Deeside.

On the regional economy, positive discussions were taking place with WG on devolved powers with the focus on strengthening regional working.  As requested by the Chairman, the Chief Officer gave an update on progress with the Northern Gateway where initial work on the road infrastructure had started, to be followed by the first phase of housing developments and job creation.

Poverty

The Council’s proactive approach was reflected in the amount of additional Social Security and Tax Credits paid to Flintshire residents which had exceeded the target.  Another area highlighted was the number of individuals recording a positive outcome under the measure ‘engaging in employment/ volunteering opportunities’.

Councillor Rosetta Dolphin asked if there were plans to continue the ‘LIFT’ programme in Communities First areas which had proved successful in helping people back into work.  The Service Manager (Enterprise & Regeneration) explained that the Council expected the LIFT and Communities 4 Work programmes to continue until March 2018 at least.  The Council was carrying out contingency planning to try to safeguard the most important elements of the core Communities First programme.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee receives the Quarter 2 Improvement Plan Monitoring Reports.