Agenda, decisions and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

Declaration of interest

To receive any declaration of interest from a Member or Officer in respect of any item of business.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No declaration of interest was received.

2.

Urgent matters certified by the Chief Executive or his appointed officer

No urgent matters at the time of dispatch of this agenda.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None to report.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 294 KB

To submit for confirmation, the draft minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 21st May, 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive held on 21 May, 2018 were presented for the Executive’s confirmation.

 

It was resolved that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive held on the 21 May, 2018 be approved as a correct record.

4.

The Executive's Forward Work Programme pdf icon PDF 755 KB

To submit a report by the Head of Democratic Services.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Democratic Services incorporating the Executive’s Forward Work Programme for the period from July, 2018 to February, 2019 was presented for the Executive’s approval.

 

The Scrutiny Manager reported that there were two changes to the Forward Work Programme since the last reporting period as follows –

 

  Item 16 - Protocol of the Statutory Director of Social Services has been re-scheduled from  the 16th July, 2018 meeting of the Executive and will now be considered by the 17 September, 2017 meeting.

  Item 28 – 2019/20 Budget is new to the Forward Work Programme and will be considered by the Executive’s 18th February, 2019 meeting.

 

The Scrutiny Manager said that in addition, an extraordinary meeting of the Executive will need to be arranged soon in order to consider the North Wales Growth Deal Bid.

 

It was resolved to confirm the Executive’s updated Forward Work Programme for the period from July, 2018 to February, 2019 as presented.

5.

Children and Families Services Progress Report pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To submit a report by the Head of Children’s Services.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Children and Families’ Services setting out the progress to date with implementing the Service Improvement Plan was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

 

The Leader and Portfolio Member for Social Services reported that over the period since CIW’s inspection of Children’s Services, the Service has been significantly involved in putting in place a series of important changes which it is considered will better deliver in line with legislation.  These are described in the report with particular emphasis on restructuring the Service with the focus being on Early Intervention and Prevention and Intensive Intervention; developing a Prevention Strategy with the aim of de-escalating need at all levels; systems and process development; and the quality and consistency of Practice. The Children’s Services Improvement Panel meets on a monthly basis and has been closely scrutinising progress in implementing the Service Improvement Plan.

 

The Head of Children and Families’ Services confirmed that a great deal of work has been undertaken at all levels of the Service, the work is ongoing and it is beginning to yield results. The Service now needs a period in which to concentrate on the practical aspects of Social Work in order to progress plans; overall the Service is on track and is moving in the right direction.

 

The Executive noted the progress update and sought assurance on the following points -

 

  The Executive noted that a priority for the Service has been the development of Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies and that applying these strategies is leading to improvements. The Executive therefore sought clarification of the impact of this work in terms of the number of cases where early intervention has taken place during the previous six months and whether this has led to improved outcomes both for the Service and for children and families.

 

The Head of Children and Families’ Services said that whilst the number of referrals to the Service has remained constant, the Service has been able to respond in different ways following referral e.g. by making increasing use of Team around the Family (TAF) responses. The capacity of the TAF team has been increased from three to six officers who all have full caseloads. By intervening in this way families who are considered vulnerable and who would otherwise be dealt with through the Social Work system can have their needs de-escalated before they become more serious. The Resilient Families Team has also been working with five families in a proactive way which has resulted in the needs of 8 children being addressed without them having to enter the care system. Additionally, the Service has been reviewing cases and where appropriate, it has been discharging Care Orders so that children can return to live with their families without being children in care.

 

  The Executive sought clarification of whether the Children’s Services have had to intervene at short notice in cases where the needs are acute.

 

The Head of Children and Families’ Services said that intervention can take different forms  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Scorecard Monitoring Report - Quarter 4, 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To submit a report by the Head of Corporate Transformation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Profession (Human Resources and Transformation) outlining the position of the Council against its operational objectives for the final quarter of the 2017/18 financial year was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

 

The Portfolio Member for Corporate Services reported that the end of year position provides no surprises with the majority of indicators performing well against their targets. There have been challenges in the Learning Service; the Children and Families’ Services and in Adult Services where there are areas of underperformance as documented in the report. These are the subject of mitigating actions which are also outlined. On the other hand there are also exciting new developments in Adults’ Services which are expected to yield improvements; these are in relation to the award of the a new and revised Home Care Contract; increasing capacity at Garreglwyd to take in individuals with dementia problems, and the development of the Hafan Cefni Extra Care provision.

 

The Portfolio Member said with regard to People Management that although the end of year outcome with regard to sickness absence levels narrowly missed the corporate target due to a spike in sickness absences in Quarter 4 which was replicated nationally, the performance is still ragged as Yellow on the Scorecard with Quarters 1, 2 and 3 of 2017/18 having been ahead of target and the best in three years. The decline in the number of Return to Work interviews held within timescale (73% compared to 78% for 2016/17) is disappointing and is attributable to the poor performance in Quarter 1 which has had an impact on the cumulative annual performance. The total number of RTWs held (within and out of timescale) at 85% is well below the 95% target.

 

The performance against the PIs in Customer Service has improved with a notable increase in the use of social media to engage with the Council. The performance in responding to Freedom of Information Requests within timescale at 78% is an improvement on the 77% in 2016/17 particularly when the increased volume of requests is taken into account – 7,527 in 2017/18 compared to 5,700 in 2016/17.

 

The Portfolio Member said that the momentum of continuous improvement has to be sustained across the Council and that this can be done by all services working collectively to address underperforming areas.

 

The Executive noted the information presented and made the following points –

 

  The Executive noted the decline in performance with regard to conducting Return to Work interviews. The Executive further noted that as an important management tool in managing sickness absence, there must be renewed effort to improve the number of RTWs held to lift performance closer to the target level.

 

The Head of Profession (HR and Transformation) said that the latest figures for the first month of 2018/19 show performance in conducting RTWs to be at 87% which is a significant improvement and which confirms what she had reported to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee earlier in the month about Heads of Service being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Annual Delivery Document 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 843 KB

To submit a report by the Head of Corporate Transformation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Profession (HR and Transformation) incorporating the Annual Delivery Document for 2018/19 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

 

The Portfolio Member for Corporate Services reported that the Annual Delivery Document sets out how the Council will achieve its key priorities over the next twelve months linked to the aspirations and objectives in the County Council’s Plan for 2017-22.

 

The Executive noted that the Annual Delivery Document in its vision and contents show the Authority to be a progressive, go-ahead Council that is committed to investing in, and improving its services in an innovative  way. The Executive acknowledged all those – both Members and Officers - who had had an input into producing this ambitious document.

 

Chair said that in this extended period of austerity, maintaining the status quo is not an option and that it is only by transformational change that the Council will be able to serve the residents of Anglesey in the best possible way. The Delivery Document shows that the Council is prepared to take on this challenge as it modernises its services.

 

It was resolved –

 

  To accept the draft Annual Delivery Document for 2018/18.

  To authorise Officers through the Portfolio Member to undertake the task of completing the final draft of the Annual Delivery Document for 2018/19 and to recommend its adoption to the Full Council at its meeting on 16 July, 2018.

  To confirm the deliverability of the said document as a plan which identifies the work of the Council aligned to the priorities of the Council’s Plan scheduled for delivery during 2017/18.

8.

Capital Outturn Report 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 651 KB

To submit a report by the Head of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Function (Resources) and Section 151 Officer setting out the financial performance of the Capital Budget for the 2017/18 financial year was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

 

The Portfolio Member for Finance reported that in February, 2017 the Council approved a Capital Programme for non-housing services of £30.614m for 2017/18 and a Capital Programme for the Housing Revenue Account of £9.889m. The table at paragraph 1.3 of the report provides a breakdown of the approved capital programme for 2017/18 along with the brought forward commitments from 2016/17.The budget for the General Fund was £39.800m with expenditure of only £20.064m incurred as at 31 March, 2018 equating to 50% of the budget. The main reason for the overall underspend was the large underspend against the seven major projects listed in paragraph 2.2 of the report. All these capital schemes will carry forward into 2018/19 as will the funding for them.

 

The Head of Function (Resources) and Section 151 Officer confirmed that no funding has been lost due to slippage and that funding which the Council was required to spend before the end of the financial year has been spent.

 

It was resolved –

 

  To note the draft outturn position of the Capital Programme 2017/18 that is subject to audit, and

  To approve the carry-forward of £9.348m to 2018/19 for the underspend on the programme due to slippage. The funding for this will also carry-forward to 2018/19.

9.

Modernising Schools on Anglesey - Moving the statutory notice implementation date for Ysgol Santes Dwynwen, Ysgol Parc y Bont and Ysgol Brynsiencyn pdf icon PDF 375 KB

To submit a report by the Head of Learning.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Learning seeking the Executive’s approval to delay the implementation dates for the statutory notice to complete Ysgol Santes Dwynwen and the statutory notice to change the status of Ysgol Parc y Bont to 1 April, 2019 was presented.

 

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Culture and Youth Services reported that on 17 June, 2016 the Authority and the Diocese of Bangor (Church in Wales)  published two statutory notices of their intention to (1) combine Ysgol Bodorgan, Ysgol Dwyran, Ysgol Llangaffo and Ysgol Niwbwrch into a new school under the voluntary control of the Church in Wales on a site in Newborough, and (2) not to support Ysgol Parc y Bont as a Church in Wales school, to establish a new Welsh-medium community primary school to be maintained by the Isle of Anglesey County Council for 3-11 year old boys and girls and to federate Ysgol Brynsiencyn with another school. The proposals were to be implemented on 1 September, 2018. However, due to the factors set out in the report, namely the land purchase and planning permission processes taking longer than expected and the pre-election pauses for the Local Government Election in May, 2017 and then the General Election in June, 2017 the start date of both proposals has had to be pushed back, and consequently, the Executive is asked to approve extending the timetable by 8 months to 1 April, 2019. As the proposer of the intention in the original statutory notices, any subsequent changes to the timetable has to be agreed to by the Executive.

 

The Head of Learning confirmed that 4 March, 2019 remains the target opening date for the new school.

 

Councillor Peter Rogers spoke as a Local Member and said that although he fully supported the new school and was working hard to ensure its success, he was disappointed by the delay and in particular a possible knock on effect on pupil numbers for the new school with some pupils transferring out of area, and more significantly the potential impact on pupil projections for the catchment area secondary school in Llangefni which can affect funding.

 

The Chair thanked the Local Member for his comments and said that she and the Executive shared his commitment to making the new school a success both for the area and for the area’s children. The new school has presented additional challenges which as the report describes, are unfortunately outside the Authority’s control.

 

The Portfolio Member for Education said that changing the status quo almost invariably brings with it challenges. However, previous experiences with opening new schools have shown that after the initial challenges have been overcome, the messages from those areas are positive.

 

It was resolved to approve delaying the following until 1 April, 2019 –

 

  The implementation date of proposal (1) to complete Ysgol Santes Dwynwen.

  The implementation of proposal (2) to change the status of Ysgol Parc y Bont.

10.

Regional Homeless Strategy pdf icon PDF 620 KB

To submit a report by the Head of Housing Services.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Housing Services setting out the proposed approach to developing a draft Regional Homelessness Strategy along with proposed communication plan was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

 

The Portfolio Member for Housing and Supporting Communities reported that local authorities are required by law to adopt a Homeless Strategy in 2018 in order to achieve the objectives set out in the report. It has been agreed by the North Wales Heads of Service that a Regional Homeless Strategy be produced based on the view that establishing a collective understanding and regional approach towards preventing homelessness will have specific benefits as described.  The report outlines how the draft regional Homelessness Strategy will be developed along with the means by which the development of the action plan with partners will be communicated.

 

The Executive acknowledged the importance of the Strategy in the context of increasing media reports of growing homelessness levels and especially youth homelessness. The Executive noted that it is right that the Authority considers new and proactive approaches to tackling this issue and makes the most of all opportunities with partners to provide support for those affected and to develop solutions for the underlying causes of homelessness.

 

It was resolved to approve –

 

  The approach taken in developing the draft Homelessness Strategy and that an outcomes approach is taken in developing the action plan at a regional and local level (Parts 2 and 3 of the report).

  The communication methods for developing the action plan with partners leading up to the consultation period and final approval.

11.

Exclusion of the Press and Public pdf icon PDF 243 KB

To consider adoption of the following:-

 

“Under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during discussion on the following item on the grounds that it may involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act and in the attached Public Interest Test”.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was resolved that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion on the following item on the grounds that it involved the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act and in the Public Interest Test as presented.

12.

Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme

To submit a report by the Head of Housing Services.

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Housing Services outlining the next phase of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme was presented for the Executive’s consideration. The report outlined what had been achieved under the Resettlement Programme thus far in relation to the first three families resettled, as well as the considerations in planning for the resettlement of the next families who the Authority will be welcoming as part of the programme.

 

It was resolved –

 

  That the Head of Service provides the Portfolio Member with regular updates  informally in relation to this programme, and that reports are only presented to the Executive when a decision regarding policy or finance needs to be made or in circumstances where the Head of Service and/or Portfolio Member request that a report/decision is presented to the Executive.

  That as part of the programme, the 4th, 5th and 6th families be resettled in areas based on the factors outlined in the report.