Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from the Chief Executive and the Head of Housing and Community Development.

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 198 KB

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the last meeting held as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the last meeting held on 24th November 2020 as a correct record.

3.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.

Minutes:

County Councillors Aled Davies and Phyl Davies and the Corporate Director (Economy and Environment) and the Head of Finance declared interests in item 13 Resolution of Contractual Issues with Heart of Wales Property Services as directors of HoWPS.

4.

Newtown Primary School (Hafren & Ladywell Green Schools) Strategic Outline Case (SOC) pdf icon PDF 265 KB

To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet was asked to consider the submission of a Strategic Outline Case to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme for investment to develop a new 270 place English-medium primary school to replace the current buildings of Hafren Junior School and Ladywell Green Infant School. The estimated cost of the project was £12,921,251 to be 65% funded by Welsh Government and 35% by the Council. 

 

Cabinet welcomed the proposal and the co-location with the North Powys Wellbeing Hub.

 

RESOLVED to submit a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme for investment to develop a new 270 place English-medium primary school to replace the current buildings of Hafren Junior School and Ladywell Green Infant School.

 

5.

Mount Street Infant School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc CP School - Proposal

To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.

Minutes:

This report was being deferred until the following week.

6.

Welsh Medium Education Strategy pdf icon PDF 310 KB

To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the new Welsh-medium Education Strategy. The Strategy would put key principles in place that would form the basis of the Council’s new Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2021 – 2031.

 

County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan speaking as the Chair of the WESP Partnership welcomed the document which gave a clear framework for the future. However, he pointed out that Powys was the only Welsh authority without a Welsh or bilingual secondary school and that not all parts of the county had access to Welsh-medium education. Powys was the only county with fewer pupils learning through the medium of Welsh than the percentage of Welsh speakers in the wider population, highlighting the need for radical change.

 

The Cabinet and officers acknowledged that more needed to be done to provide pupils with more choice at all stages of their education and noted that Cabinet had made that commitment in its transformation strategy. It was confirmed that there would be points at which the WESP would be reviewed and updated throughout its lifetime.

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the Welsh-medium Education Strategy as the basis for the development of the Council’s new Welsh-in Education Strategic Plan.

 

7.

Amendments to the School Funding Formula pdf icon PDF 880 KB

To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property and County Councillor Aled Davies, Portfolio Holder for Finance.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered proposals to amend the Schools Funding Formula in respect of delegating funding for Special Educational Needs (SEN) / Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in mainstream schools. The current methodology was no longer felt to be fit for purpose as it provided insufficient funding for schools attended by mainstream pupils with significant SEN/ALN. 

 

There had been consultation with schools and the proposal had been considered by the Schools Forum where there had been strong support for it. A damping mechanism would be put in place to support schools through the transition.

 

RESOLVED that from April 2021

 

1.            Funding for learners in mainstream primary schools will be delegated through

a)    an interim arrangement of targeting funding at those learners with the highest need based on the statement of SEN or banding, taking into account the individual pupil amount delegated for SEN/ALN

b)   provision of a base level of funding based on a combination of the number of learners on the SEN register (80%) and the number of learners entitled to Free School Meals (eFSM) (20%) to support pupils with a wide range of needs

c)    top up funding where new pupils are identified as having significant needs

 

2.            A system of moderation be introduced in order to ensure consistency between schools, involving ALNCos and scrutiny of provision maps by LA officers.

 

3.            The formula funding for the mainstream schools with specialist centres is based on pupils on roll that do not attend the specialist centre, to ensure that the formula complies with the School Funding (Wales) Regulations 2010;

 

4.            Where schools host a local authority funded specialist centre, officers will meet with headteachers and specialist centre teachers on an annual basis to agree resource requirements; and that

 

5.            If any changes in funding to individual schools are considered to be unmanageable, a self-funding damping mechanism be put in place to support schools through the transition.

 

Beyond 2021/22:

 

6.            Instead of receiving funding linked to the statement or banding, schools will receive funding based on the number of pupils identified through the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data (as explained in the report).

 

 

8.

Deed of Variation of Legal Agreement for School Improvement through Regional Working (ERW) pdf icon PDF 254 KB

To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a Variation of the Legal Agreement to enable the orderly dissolution of ERW.

 

                        RESOLVED

 

1.     To agree changes to the ERW Legal Agreement to facilitate provision of agreed services to Neath Port Talbot schools during 2020/21 (as set out in the draft Deed of Variation - Appendix 2).

 

2.    To agree that changes are made to the Legal Agreement, to: (i) facilitate dissolution/termination of the ERW Consortium, (ii) Address any subsequent liabilities/indemnities of all present (and former) Authorities and (iii) facilitate a reduced notice of withdrawal period to 3 months (as set out in the draft amended clause 15 - Appendix 2).

 

3.    That authority be delegated to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make any further changes to the draft proposals to vary the Legal Agreement in order to achieve the aims set out in paragraph 1.1 of the report , following discussion with the other ERW Authorities and to enter into any documentation necessary to implement any of the recommendations in this report and to protect the Authority’s interests.

 

4.    That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive , in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Property  to issue notice of withdrawal in line with the Deed of Variation.

 

 

9.

Amendments to Schedule 4 of the Growing Mid Wales Partnership Inter Authority Agreement pdf icon PDF 534 KB

To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

Minutes:

Cabinet was asked to consider approve amendments to Schedule 4 of the Growing Mid Wales Partnership Inter Authority Agreement to reflect changes with respect to the creation of a Regional Learning & Skills Partnership for Mid Wales in partnership Ceredigion County Council.

 

                        RESOLVED to approve the amendments to Schedule 4 of the Inter Authority Agreement as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

 

 

10.

Regional Health Board Health and Care Faculty pdf icon PDF 199 KB

To consider a report by County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, County Councillor Rachel Powell, Portfolio Holder for Young People and Culture, County Councillor Graham Breeze, Portfolio Holder for  Corporate Governance, Engagement and Regulatory Services and County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received an update on the development of the Regional Partnership Board (RPB) Health and Care Academy from Louise Richards, who was managing the project on behalf of the Council and Powys Teaching Health Board. The ambition of the Health and Care Academy was to deliver a truly integrated education, training and development model across the sector.  This would be provided in county and will focus on direct care, shared care and care delivered digitally.  This approach would also support the Welsh Language Active offer.

 

Cabinet welcomed the proposal and the opportunities it would bring to young people and asked that consideration be given to engaging with them when they were still at school. Cabinet noted that  the first Health and Care Academy physical space would be developed at Bronllys and suggested that contact be made with transport providers so that young people would be able to get public transport to the site. Cabinet also noted the comments of the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee. The Corporate Director (Children and Adults) confirmed that the project had her full support.

 

                        RESOLVED to approve the Health and Care Academy Blueprint document, and acknowledge the work underway to develop the initial physical space as part of the development of the longer term vision of the Academy.

11.

Exempt Items

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).

 

12.

Valuing Domiciliary Care

To consider a report by County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a confidential report on the domiciliary care market and rates paid to providers. Cabinet noted that this would create a revenue cost pressure from April 2021/22 that would have to be addressed as part of the Council’s revenue budget setting process.  The Corporate Director (Children and Adults) reported that the service was developing efficiency plans that would help offset some of the costs. She also reported that the report had been considered by the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee and had received strong support.

 

                        RESOLVED to approve the recommendations set out in the confidential report.

13.

Resolution of Contractual Issues with Heart of Wales Property Services (HoWPS)

To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Head of Housing and Community Development.

Minutes:

County Councillors Aled Davies and Phyl Davies, the Corporate Director (Economy and Environment) and the Head of Finance declared interests in this item as directors of HoWPS and left the meeting.

 

Cabinet considered the confidential report of the Head of Legal and Democratic

Services and Head of Housing and Community Development proposing the terms of settlement for two outstanding contractual disputes with HoWPS. The report had been considered by a Scrutiny working group the previous day.

 

                        RESOLVED to approve terms of settlement set out in paragraph 3.1 of the report and to authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to put them into effect.