Venue: Council Chamber - County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Powys
Contact: Stephen Boyd 01597 826374
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Apologies To receive apologies for absence. |
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To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the meetings held on 17th December 2019 and 7th January 2020 as correct records. Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the meetings held on 17th December 2019 and 7th January 2020 as correct records. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence reported. |
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To consider a report by County Councillor Aled Davies, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Countryside and Transport. Additional documents:
Minutes:
Cabinet considered the draft Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2025, draft Budget 2020-21 and draft Capital Programme 2020-2030. (Copy filed with signed minutes).
The Portfolio Holder for Finance set out the Cabinet’s approach to developing the budget. The Council continues to face significant challenges arising from increasing demands, and rising costs, meeting these pressures has to be balanced by prioritising resources and reducing the cost of delivery, whilst considering the impact on residents and affordability for Council Tax payers. He explained that over the last 12 months the Cabinet and Executive Management Team (EMT) had placed a greater focus on longer term financial, service and workforce planning to help provide sustainable solutions to these challenges. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) had been aligned with the Council’s corporate priorities identifying the resources required to deliver them.
The MTFS provided a set of clear principles which would drive the Council’s budget and spending decisions over 2020-25 which Members and others could judge the Council’s financial performance against. The MTFS incorporated • principles that will govern the strategy and a five-year Financial Resource Model (FRM), comprising detailed proposals for 2020-21 and outline proposals for 2021-22 to 2024-25. • The Capital Financing Strategy and the Treasury Management Strategy; and • The Capital Programme for 2020-21 to 2029-30 which totalled £532 million.
The budget setting process had been informed by the consultation exercise, with almost 600 people completing the budget simulator. The Portfolio Holder noted that services continued to perform well with Powys ranking 5th in Wales in terms of overall performance using Public Accountability Measures.
The Portfolio Holder for Finance acknowledged the additional funding received from Welsh Government. The 2020-21 provisional settlement gave Powys a cash increase of £9.5 million (5.4%) on 2019-20 which when adjusted for transfers into the formula of specific grants (schools’ pay and pensions £2.06 million, and Funded Nursing Care £99,000) becomes 4.2% for Powys against the Welsh average of 4.3%. Overall Powys was ranked 14th of 22 councils in terms of its increase which represented a significant improvement compared to previous years, considerable lobbying has taken place to raise the issues facing rural authorities and this has been supported with the evidence provided through the Rural Cost Analysis.
The Council has also secured £900,000 additional funding from Welsh Government to support digital transformation.
The Portfolio Holder set out the details of the draft budget for 2020-21, which includes £6.6 million for the Education Service and Schools; £5.68 million to realign the Children’s Service base budget; and £500,000 new growth in roads’ maintenance. Cost reductions of £10.79 million are also proposed and Impact Assessments are provided for these.
The Council’s proposed budget will be financed in part through the generation of income and the updated fees and charges register forms part of the budget documentation. The remaining net budget is financed through the Welsh Government settlement and Council Tax income which is proposed to be increased by 5%. In proposing this increase, the Portfolio Holder stressed that Cabinet ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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Supplementary Planning Guidance - Conservation Areas, Residential Design PDF 225 KB To consider a report by County Councillor James Evans, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) prepared in support of the Powys Local Development Plan (LDP) for Conservation Areas and Residential Design and the updated SPG Consultation Statement. The draft SPGs had been published for a six week period of public consultation and the issues raised during the consultation had been considered by the LDP Working Group who had recommended the SPGs to Cabinet for approval.
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Strategic Review of Schools PDF 220 KB To consider a report by County Councillr Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Portfolio Holder explained that in order to meet the challenges facing education in the county as outlined in the recent Estyn inspection, there needed to be a thorough review of education provision in the county to shape a vision for education in Powys for the future. The Schools Service had been engaging with a range of key stakeholders and feedback from those meetings was presented to Cabinet (Appendices A, B, C) along with a draft document outlining an emerging vision for education in the county (Appendix D to the report). Approval was sought to go out to consultation on the emerging vision document before coming back to Cabinet in April. The Chair of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee welcomed the breadth of what was being proposed and the revised timetable for engagement.
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Welsh Public Library Standards report for 2018/19 PDF 137 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Rachel Powell, Portfolio Holder for Young People and Culture. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the Annual Report from the Welsh Government on the Library Service, for the year 2018/19. Cabinet was pleased to note the findings of the report that the Powys library service continues to deliver well for its dispersed communities, with improvements across a number of areas, opening hours maintained, and the service extending its provision in terms of training, events and activities, and in the development of shared reading services. Members paid tribute to the Portfolio Holder for Young People and Culture and the Principal Librarian and the Portfolio Holder in turn acknowledged the contribution of partners and volunteers.
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Approval of Enforcement Policy PDF 115 KB To consider a report by County Councillor James Evans, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the adoption of an enforcement policy for Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Licensing and a guidance note covering proceeds of crime.
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Brecon and Newtown Business Improvement Districts - Progress Report To consider a report by County Councillor James Evans, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: This item was deferred to the next meeting. |
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Corporate Safeguarding 6 Monthly Update as at 31 December 2019 PDF 515 KB To consider a report by Corporate Director (Children and Adults).
Minutes: Cabinet received the 6 monthly report from the Corporate Safeguarding Group which set out updates on the key safeguarding areas being kept under review by the group.
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Improvement and Assurance Board Minutes PDF 378 KB To receive for information the minutes of the Improvement and Assurance Board meetings held on 27th November and 19th December 2019. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet received the minutes of the Improvement and Assurance Board meetings held on 27th November and 19th December 2019. |
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Correspondence To receive such correspondence as in the opinion of the Leader is of such urgency as to warrant consideration. Minutes: There were no items of correspondence. |
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Delegated Decisions Taken Since the Last Meeting PDF 7 KB To note the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting. Minutes: Cabinet noted the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting. |
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Forward Work Programme PDF 74 KB To consider the Cabinet forward work programme. Minutes: The Leader reminded Portfolio Holders to ensure that the forward work programme was kept up to date. |
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To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property, County Councillor James Evans, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Services and County Councillor Rosemarie Harris, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Farms and Estates.
Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet considered proposals to transfer a number of surplus property sites in the ownership of the Council to the Housing Service to enable it to deliver on its objective of providing affordable housing.
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Access to Information The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following items. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting.
Minutes: RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
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Children's Services Placements and Accommodation To consider a report by County Councillor Rachel Powell, Portfolio Holder for Young People and Culture. Minutes: Cabinet considered proposals for Children’s Services to provide a suite of Care Homes (Therapeutic, Residential and Short-Breaks) and Semi-independent Living Accommodation within the county for children and young people in Powys. Cabinet were supportive of the proposals.
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