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Apologies for Absence To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were accepted from Management Team and Councillors J.H. Brunt, W.J.T. Powell, G.D. Price, T. Turner and A. York (Councillor York had been down to attend for a Portfolio Holder update but, unfortunately, had not been able to attend having recently returned from hospital). Members wished Councillor York all the best for a speedy recovery.
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Minutes of Previous Meeting PDF 77 KB To receive the minutes of the previous meeting held on Wednesday 12th September 2016 and to review the action log. Additional documents: Minutes:
The Chairman was authorised to sign the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee held on Wednesday 7th September 2016 as a correct record. During discussion and having referred to the action log particular reference was made to:
a. Radnor Roller (Aveling Roller EP3339 and Living Van) – Graham Eales, Principal Legal Assistant and David Micah, Commercial Property Manager would be the lead officers in relation to considering future arrangements for the storing and maintaining of the roller and living van. An initial contact from a vintage group had suggested that operating a Trust arrangement where enthusiasts could sign up to agreeing to contribute to arrangements might be the best option. It is not clear what Tarmac would contribute financially to an arrangement. In the light of the position and the importance of the matter to the shire it was agreed that Councillor Kelvyn Curry should act on behalf of members to move matters on b. Customer Services (Automated Call Management) – the Head of Business Services, Mark Evans had provided information which evidenced that automated call handing was very good and that 72% of all calls made to the Council got to where they needed to get to quickly (there are in the region of 65,000 calls per year). The automated system had delivered a saving of in the region of 8-9 full time equivalent staff. Where users experience difficulties there’s an option to speak direct to an operative c. Cabinet Attendance – the Leader had confirmed that Cabinet members would prioritise attendance at shire meetings and that non-attendance would be by exception |
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Chairman's Announcements To receive announcements from the Chairman. Minutes: The Chairman reported on:
a. Citizenship – having officiated at one citizenship ceremony b. Chairman of Council’s Luncheon – having attended a lunch hosted by the Chairman of Council at Caerberis Manor c. Councillor Ann Holloway - having attended the funeral of Councillor Ann Holloway. Ann had been a County Councillor since the Council came into being in 1996 and a member of the shadow authority the year before
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Declarations of Interest To receive declarations of interest in relation to items on the agenda. Minutes: There were no declarations received in relation to matters to be discussed on the agenda.
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Housing (Processing Queries) To receive information regarding arrangements for responding to queries. Minutes: Members welcomed Julie Harding, Resources Team Leader to the meeting to provide an update in relation to how the Authority manages housing contacts (repairs and maintenance and general contacts) via. its ‘Housing One’ telephone number. During discussion particular reference was made to:
a. Resource – there are 5.16 full time equivalent (fte) first contact officers who handle enquiries and heating calls and 6.5 fte repairs co-ordinators who handle repairs calls. The unit can operate with just three operatives but in those cases emergencies would be prioritised. At peak times waiting times are longer as members would expect b. Performance – in line with industry standards the unit aim to answer 88% of all calls within 41 seconds. From April – October 2016 first contact officers answered 970 calls per week, the average speed of answer being 89 seconds. During the same period repair co-ordinators answered 7214 calls from tenants, the average speed of answer being 22 seconds. There’s a facility for callers to leave messages should they opt to. At the moment there are no monitoring arrangements in terms of monitoring when call backs to messages left are made c. Welsh Calls – it’s recognised that there’s a need to improve provision in terms of providing a Welsh service d. Voice Recognition – members expressed concern regarding the voice recognition service used by customer services and how it often does not put members through to those they want to make contact with. Julie would report the concerns back to the Customer Services Manager e. Further Developments – as with all services there are reviews in an attempt to identify areas for improvement, it is likely that self-serving would introduced and that arrangements for managing repair contacts would be transferred when the Authority moves to operating a Joint Venture Company. Members were advised that Kier had been identified as the preferred bidder and that the Authority was looking to finalise a specification before issuing an award of contract f. On Hold Messaging – there are options regarding messages or music that could be used whilst callers are placed ‘on hold’. It would be usual for any changes to be discussed at the Tenants Forum
Members thanked Julie for attending and would welcome a copy of the presentation. |
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Reports from and Questions to Cabinet Portfolio Holders a. Councillor Avril York, Cabinet Portfolio Holder: Regeneration, Planning and ICT b. Councillor Stephen Hayes, Cabinet Portfolio Holder: Adult Social Care Minutes: Members welcomed the opportunity to receive reports from, and to put questions to, Cabinet Portfolio Holders.
6.1 Councillor Avril York – Cabinet Portfolio Holder, Regeneration, Planning and ICT
Member were advised that Councillor York had provided a regeneration paper by e-mail but had, due to ill health and having recently returned from hospital, been unable to attend today’s meeting
6.2 Councillor Stephen Hayes, Cabinet Portfolio Holder: Adult Social Care
During discussion particular reference was made to:
a. Council Seminars – the Portfolio Holder had held a number of Council Seminars and would continue to engage with members regarding arrangements for delivering and reviewing adult social care b. Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 – the Council and Health Board continue to work closely to deliver on requirements under the Act. The Act requires the Health Authority and County Council to work closer together. Powys had been at an advanced stage of joint working given previous attempts to collaborate on projects across the region c. Joint Partnership Board – unlike previous governance arrangements introduced to drive joint working between the Council and Health Authority the Joint Partnership Board (which had been tasked with moving forward on joint matters) had delegated powers. The Board has oversight of activities and functions which span both organisations and could look to remove any barriers/blockages d. Integrated Service Team (Ystradgynlais) – a pilot arrangement which had seen a flagship joint Council/Health team operating in the Ystradgynlais area under one manager would be evaluated shortly. The focus had been on supporting more independent living e. Contributions towards Care Costs – the Welsh Government had capped personal contributions towards care costs (regardless of the costs of care and how much money a resident might have) to a maximum of £60 per week. Residents receiving residential care are required to pay for their care if they have an estate or funds above a threshold. The Welsh Government would be looking to extend the amount that residents could hold before having to contribute towards care costs. The impact on Local Authority care budgets of meeting increasing costs would be significant. The Welsh Local Government Association and The Association of Directors of Social Services (Wales) continue to make representations to the Welsh Government regarding capped charges f. Budget Position – the Adult Social Care budget remains volatile and Council had agreed in February to including saving targets for the current and future years. In the light of the positon Cabinet had agreed to a review of day care which included the operation of day care sites. The budget for 2016/17 had been set by Council at a standstill positon i.e. there had been no increase in budget and Council had agreed 5% cuts to the budgets for the financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19. The overspend for 2016/17 would be likely to be in the region of £4-5 million g. Consultant (Review of the Spend/Budget) – in an effort to unpick the spend and identify areas where savings could ... view the full minutes text for item RS61-2016 |
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Reports from and Questions to Member Serving on Outside Bodies To receive reports from, and to put questions to, members serving on outside bodies. Minutes: Members welcomed the opportunity to receive reports from, and to put questions to, members serving on outside bodies. During discussion particular reference was made to:
a. Brecknock and Radnorshire Sports Partnership – the Chairman of Council (Councillor Keith Tampin) was pleased to report that Severn Trent Water had agreed to sponsor an award at the award annual ceremony b. Winter Fair – it was noted that the Winter Fair at the Royal Welsh Showground was looming c. Police and Crime Commissioner – at a recent meeting of the Board independent membership and the appointment of the new Chief Constable had been confirmed d. Brecon Beacons National Park – a member reported that income from contributions attached to planning requirements to support community activities had not been recovered. The matter is a significant issue for the parks e. Mid Wales Fire and Rescue Service – members were informed that fire crews had been trained in the use of defibrillators and fire engines now carry the equipment so if calls are made for emergency support a fire engine, as opposed to an ambulance, could arrive
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Correspondence To receive items of correspondence. Minutes: There were no items of correspondence, however, during discussion particular reference was made to:
a. Bring Site (Llandegley) – up until the Council establishes a site in Llandrindod Wells the bring site at Llandegley should still be used by residents. The Council pay for use of the facility, residents don’t have to and there are issues regarding establishing the Llandrindod facility due to drainage arrangements b. Superfast Cymru – members would welcome an update in relation to the roll out because in some areas there are rumours that the programme had stopped and would not be re-started c. Venue for Today’s Meeting – the local member for Rhayader reminded members that today’s meeting had been held at the leisure centre in order that members could view a new fitness suite which had recently opened. The suite had cost in the region of £190k and was part of a package of investment by Freedom Leisure which also included spends at the Brecon and Welshpool facilities
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Date of Next Meeting To note the date of the next meeting – 11th January 2017. Minutes: The next meeting would be held on Wednesday 11th January 2017.
The Chairman would book Christmas lunch for those members that would want to attend. If numbers were low the booking would be cancelled.
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