What assessment has been made of the relevance of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to Powys County Council’s policies around asset management and disposal? In particular, will the Cabinet Member look to refreshing the Council’s current approach, so as to involve Town and Community councils more fully at an earlier stage in the process?
Localism is central to the new Welsh Government legislation and therefore, when decisions are being made about the disposal and re-purposing of assets, it would be not only courteous and transparent but also common sense to draw upon the local knowledge and expertise available in our communities.
Minutes:
What assessment has been made of the relevance of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to Powys County Council’s policies around asset management and disposal? In particular, will the Cabinet Member look to refreshing the Council’s current approach, so as to involve Town and Community councils more fully at an earlier stage in the process?
Localism is central to the new Welsh Government legislation and therefore, when decisions are being made about the disposal and re-purposing of assets, it would be not only courteous and transparent but also common sense to draw upon the local knowledge and expertise available in our communities.
Answer
As I am sure Councillor Powell is aware from reading the policy documents on the intranet, the Strategic Asset Management Plan (StAMP) approved by Cabinet earlier this year is aligned to both our corporate priorities and the statutory context (see below). Community is one aspect of this but we also have to balance other goals -prosperity, health and resilience and think about protecting the Council and citizens as a whole over the long-term future. The Property team held a series of “place” workshops” throughout 2016/17 and local members (who represent their communities) were invited to attend. Unfortunately, attendance by members was very low (about 30%) despite many attempts to promote the workshops (during members’ development days and cabinet sessions). Additionally an invitation to submit written comments to those who could not attend failed to yield a response.
Now, with a new council, we propose to carry out a further set of workshops next Spring and would encourage as many local members to attend as possible. These members should consult with and feedback to their local town and community councils.
Since I have joined the Council, I have visited and been in active dialogue with many town councils who have expressed an interest in the assets we hold in their communities across Powys including Llandrindod Wells, Hay, Newtown, Presteigne and Llanfair Caereinion. I am happy to visit any community that wishes to discuss property related issues in their area.
For ease of reference, the policy states:
“Statutory Context
The StAMP is aligned to the Well?being of Future Generations (Wales) Act
2015. Of the seven goals, the StAMP directly contributes to:
In addition the StAMP by its nature contributes to the sustainability
principles set out in the Act:
stakeholders
Councillor Powell’s question was how to embed the role of Town and Community Councils in a less ad hoc way. The Portfolio Holder for Education explained that the Cabinet had a board looking at how to engage communities which would include a consultation group.
Supporting documents: