Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from the Corporate Director (Children and Adults), the Strategic Lead for Education, the Head of Finance and the Head of Transformation and Communications.

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the meetings held on 15^th and 22^nd June 2021 as correct records.

The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the meetings held on 15^th and 22^nd June as correct records.

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

There were no declarations of interest reported.

To consider a report by the Leader, County Councillor Rosemarie Harris and County Councillor Beverley Baynham, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Governance and Regulatory Services.

Cabinet considered the Vision 2025: Our Corporate Improvement Plan annual performance report. The report presented the Council’s performance during 2020-21 against the well-being objectives published in Vision 2025: Our Corporate Improvement Plan and, for the first time, included the Strategic Equality Objectives.

The report had been considered by the Scrutiny Working Group and County Councillor Pete Roberts presented the Working Group’s recommendations.

The Working Group had asked for the report to be amended to make it clear those instances when progress had been affected by the response to the Covid pandemic with the Council moving into business-critical mode and staff being redeployed. These points would be incorporated into the final draft presented to Council on 15^th July.

Cabinet considered the content of the Vision 2025: CIP Annual Performance Report 2020-2021(with integrated Strategic Equality Plan Objective Monitoring) and was satisfied that the following criteria had been met, that:

·         key achievements identified are collectively considered to be the ones most important/relevant to be published;

·         the report provided an open, balanced, and realistic self-assessment of performance across the Council;

·         there was appropriate information that demonstrated not only what and how much the Council does, but also the difference the Council is making in terms of outcomes, benefit, and impact;

·         the document was clear and provides the right level of information to be meaningful and relevant to all audiences and, therefore

RECOMMENDED to Council that the Vision 2025: CIP Annual Performance Report 2020-21 (including integrated Strategic Equality Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2020-2021) is approved.

To consider a report by the Leader, County Councillor Rosemarie Harris.

Cabinet considered changes to the improvement arrangements for 2021/22.  The changes recognised the improvement in the organisation’s business as usual governance and the need to move to a position of self-sufficiency around its performance.  

RESOLVED that Cabinet approve the following:

1.     Stand down the Service Improvement Board (SIB) for Social Services

2.     Implement the new arrangements for Education SIB as set out in section 3 of the report.

3.     Continue to operate the Housing SIB.

4.     Continue to operate the HTR SIB.

5.     Stand down the Corporate Improvement Board and instead add a standing agenda item to Cabinet/EMT ‘Corporate Improvement Overview’. Hold a final standalone Corporate Improvement Board 15^th July 2021 with the new arrangements taking place from September 2021.

6.     Develop an annual scrutiny work programme with the co-ordinating committee for 2021/22.

7.     Agree to commission external expertise to support the development of Scrutiny.

8.     Cabinet to receive quarterly feedback reports from Scrutiny on the Council’s performance of its Corporate Improvement Plan 2025.

To consider a report by County Councillor Iain McIntosh, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Planning and Economic Regeneration.

Cabinet received a presentation on the Home-Grown Homes project. The project aimed to build supply-chain capacity for Welsh timber to increase the local/home-grown market share in construction. Not only did the scheme have economic benefits increasing jobs in the forestry sector, timber processing, timber frame and modular Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) industries, it had benefits in decarbonisation, reducing the amount of carbon emitted in the building process and in encouraging the planting of woodlands.

Amongst the tangible benefits of the project, Welsh Government Development Quality Requirements (DQR) now specify use of timber in construction of social homes and the  Social Housing Grant programme promotes use of timber. In addition, Local Authorities and Housing Associations had delivered timber based schemes at Heol Y Ffynnon, Bowling Green and Sarn.

The project had been funded by the Welsh Government and EU through the Rural Development Programme (RDP) and confirmation was awaited from Welsh Government that they would fund phase two of the project. Cabinet was pleased to note that the Council was leading the way in this area and that the project had been shortlisted for the Construction Excellence Wales Awards under the Innovation and Value categories.

                        RESOLVED

(i)           To note the content of the report and the outcomes of the ‘Home-Grown Homes’ project and the Council’s commitment to continue in a leadership role for ‘Home-Grown Homes’, subject to funding being made available by the Welsh Government.

(ii)          To note that the project has successfully delivered its outcomes, which has been confirmed by the Welsh Government’s assurance reviews.

(iii)        To note the continuation of the ‘Home-Grown Homes’ Project with scoping of ‘Home-Grown Homes 2’ and the Council’s continued involvement could offer social and economic opportunities in Powys, prompt and encourage further work to consider how to improve the quality and fuel efficiency of social homes and make a contribution towards delivering the economy and health ambitions in Vision 2025.

To note the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting.

Cabinet noted the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting.

To consider the Cabinet forward work programme.

Cabinet received the forward work programme.

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.

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).

Cabinet considered options for short breaks provision in the county.

RESOLVED

1.    to approve the implementation of Option 4.

2.    that the virement as detailed in the Resources section 4.4 of the report is approved according to Powys County Council’s Financial Procedure rules.