Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Councillor K P Hughes declared an interest in Item 13 of these minutes in that he had a grandson and granddaughter attending Ysgol Cylch y Garn, and he was not present at the meeting during any discussion or voting thereon.

The Chief Executive declared an interest in Item 20 of these minutes since he had a close relative with a smallholding tenancy and he was not present at the meeting during any discussion or voting thereon.

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

None to declare.

To submit for confirmation, the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on the following dates:-

·         10^th February, 2014

·         17^th February, 2014

Submitted for confirmation, the minutes of the meetings of the Executive held on the following dates:-

·        10^th February, 2014

·        17^th February, 2014

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings of the Executive held on the above dates be confirmed as true records.

To submit for information, the draft minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel held on 10^th February, 2014.

Submitted for information, the draft minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel on 10^th February, 2014.

RESOLVED to note the contents of the draft minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel held on 10^th February, 2014.

To submit a report by the Interim Head of Democratic Services.

Submitted - The report of the Interim Head of Democratic Services seeking approval of the Executive’s updated Forward Work Programme for the period April - December, 2014.

RESOLVED to confirm the updated work programme for the period April - December, 2014, subject to the minor amendments agreed to at the meeting and subject to discussion between the Leader and the Chairs of both Scrutiny Committees with regard to matters that need to be identified for scrutiny in the future.

To submit a report by the Interim Head of Democratic Services.

Reported by the Head of Function (Council Business) -That the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) required all public authorities covered under the Equality Act 2010 Statutory Duties (Wales) Regulations 2011 to publish an annual equality report by 31^st March in the year following each reporting period.

The Authority was required to publish a report covering 2012/13 by 31 March 2014, but an outline of progress up to December 2013 had also been included so as to provide a more up-to-date picture.

RESOLVED to approve the Council’s Annual Equality Report 2012/13 for publication by 31 March 2014.

To submit a report by the Head of  Function (Resources).

Reported by the Head of Function (Resources) - That Local Authorities in Wales must grant mandatory rate relief provided for within the Local Government Finance Act 1988, as amended by the Local Government Act 2003.

Under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, local authorities can also grant discretionary relief or remission from rates up to 100% of the rates payable with regard to properties occupied by charities and other non-profit making organisations (Appendix A to the report).  This has operated since 1 April 2003.  It was a policy renewable every 5 years and was extended for a further 5 years by the Executive from April 2008 to March 2013.  The Executive on 18 March 2013 decided that the policy guidelines be readopted for a further 12 months up to 31 March 2014.  All organisations and charities were advised of this decision before 31 March 2013 and also that the policy would come to an end on 31 March 2014.

If a new policy or the deadline of the current policy was not extended beyond 31 March 2014, non-profit making organisations and charities would have to reapply and be considered individually by the Executive.

RESOLVED

·        To note the recent business rate policy developments;

·        That current policy guidelines to grant discretionary reliefs from payment of non-domestic rates for charities and non-profit organisations are readopted for a further 1 year up to 31 March, 2015;

·        That organisations and charities are advised of this decision before 31 March 2014 and also that the policy will come to an end on 31 March 2015;

·        That the Resources Department will undertake a general review and consult upon revised policy guidelines during 2014/15 in respect of discretionary business rates relief.  A new or revised discretionary rate relief policy to be adopted as a consequence from 1 April 2015.

To submit a report by the Head of Function (Resources).

Reported by the Head of Function (Resources) - That in order to take account of new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidelines for making awards, the Council’s DHP policy was updated and amended.  The revised policy was approved by the Executive in March 2013.  It was also anticipated that the welfare reform changes would result in an increase in demand for DHP.  However, at that time, the extent of additional demand for the scheme could only be estimated.  This revision to the DHP policy previously approved by the Executive took account of operational experience gained following the introduction of the April 2013 changes.

This was a revision to a policy previously approved by the Executive and therefore required Executive endorsement.

RESOLVED to adopt the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy (DHP) Scheme as set out in Appendix A of the report.

To submit a report by the Head of Housing Services.

Submitted - The report by the Head of Housing Services seeking Executive approval for the 2014-2015 Public Sector Planned Maintenance Programme amounting to £7.085 m.

RESOLVED to note and approve the allocation of the capital budget for 2014 - 2015 as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

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

Reported by the Head of Children’s Services - That the current Partnership Agreement came to an end in March 2014; and there was no further provision for extension within the current Partnership Agreement.  In accordance with Financial Procedure Rule 4.8.6.4.1, the Executive was responsible for approving delegations, including frameworks for partnerships.  Approval was therefore sought to enter into a further partnership agreement to deliver the in scope adoption through the North Wales Adoption Service, until such time as the National Adoption Service and the five mandated collaboratives are established.

RESOLVED pursuant to Financial Procedure Rule 4.8.6.4.1 to approve the Isle of Anglesey County Council entering into a further partnership agreement, to deliver in scope adoption services via the North Wales Adoption Service until such time as the All Wales National Adoption Service is established in April 2014.

To submit a report by the Business Support Unit Manager.

Submitted -The report of the Acting Head of Adults’ Services seeking Executive approval to setting the level of the standard charge of residential homes for 2014-15.

Members had determined a general guideline of a 5% increase for fees and charges.  Charges in relation to local authority owned residential accommodation could be treated as an exception as it was governed by a statutory provision which set out how it should be calculated.  As in previous years, the cost of all the homes had been pooled to calculate an average standard charge for the homes in accordance with National Guidelines.

RESOLVED

·        To set the standard charge for 2014/15 at £611.55 per week, which is £121.52 more than in the current financial year.

·        That the Council takes account of the costs incurred within residential care from implementing the Adult Transformation Programme and that these costs are taken into account when setting the fee for 2014/15 for those contributing towards the cost of care.

·        That the increase for those contributing towards the cost of care is consistent with the guidance for Council services and set at 5%.

To submit a report by the Business Support Unit Manager.

Submitted - The report of the Acting Head of Adults’ Services seeking Executive approval on fee levels for independent sector residential and nursing homes for 2014-15.

RESOLVED

·        To adopt the evolving North Wales fees methodology as implemented hitherto by the North Wales Authorities to underpin fee setting on the Isle of Anglesey during 2014/15 (as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report).

·        To endorse the recommendation to increase fee levels by 1.7% per week in relation to the 2014/15 fee setting across North Wales.

·        To increase fee levels for high cost low volume placements (ie. learning disability/mental health/substance misuse and physical disability) arranged through the North Wales Regional Commissioning Hub by 1.7% on the core fee and by 1% on the total fee per resident for high cost placements as agreed with the other North Wales local authorities  and approved by NWSSIC.

·        To approve a 0% increase - as approved by NWSSIC on 26.02.14 - on high cost placements for children and young people arranged through the North Wales Regional Commissioning Hub.

To submit a report by the Director of Lifelong Learning.

Reported  by the Director of Lifelong Learning - That the Executive on 11^th February, 2013 resolved to support Option 5 (namely a new area school for Llanfachraeth, Llanfaethlu and Llanrhuddlad) as the option that it favoured for formal consultation on a review of the primary education provision in North West Anglesey, conditional upon noting finance and a suitable site for the development before beginning the formal consultation process.

Since that trend, officers had ensured finance in principle for the new primary school and have identified the site for the new primary school.

In addition, a decision was required as to whether children who live in the old Ysgol Llanddeusant catchment area would be allowed to attend the proposed new primary school.

RESOLVED

·        That officers be authorised to move forward with the formal  consultation process as regards Option 5 (namely a new area school for Llanfachraeth, Llanfaethlu and Llanrhuddlad);

·        To adopt Option 2 in the document Options Site Appraisal for a new primary school namely “Ysgol Llanfachraeth’s present site along with the land to the south of the present school”.

·        To authorise officers to consult with parents and pupils who live in the old Ysgol Llanddeusant catchment in order to decide whether they would attend the proposed new primary school.

(Councillor K P Hughes declared an interest in the matter in that he had a grandson and grandaughter attending Ysgol Cylch y Garn, and he was not present at the meeting during any discussion or voting thereon).

To submit a report by the Head of Economic and Community Regeneration.

Reported by the Head of Economic and Community Regeneration – That discussing and negotiating CBCs was an executive function, and therefore adopting the draft CBC Strategy was the responsibility of the Executive.  Responsibility for progressing and negotiating CBCs had been delegated to the Chief Executive (with assistance from the Head of Economic and Community Regeneration) and the Leader in consultation with the Economic Development Portfolio Holder.

The proposed major developments on the island provided the County Council with a unique and unprecedented opportunity to contribute positively towards the socio-economic transformation of the Island.

CBCs were essentially “goodwill” contributions voluntarily donated by a promoter/developer for the benefit of communities hosting a development.  They could be either monetary payments or activities upon which a value could be attributed for the improvement of communities affected by a development.

RESOLVED to support and formally adopt the draft Community Benefit Contributions (CBC) Strategy.

To submit a report by the Head of Economic and Community Regeneration.

Reported by the Head of Economic and Community Regeneration - That the Council had recently been successful in securing an allocation of £7.49m to Holyhead from the Welsh Government ‘s Vibrant and Viable Places (VVP) urban regeneration programme in the period 2014-2017, and arrangements were now needed to administer and deliver this programme.

RESOLVED that authority be delegated to the Director of Sustainable Development :-

·        To agree and establish Holyhead VVP programme governance, stakeholder engagement and staffing arrangements;

·        To submit individual Holyhead VVP project funding bids, and accept VVP project funding offers, subject to consultation with the Head of Function (Resources);

·        To administer Holyhead VVP programme funded grants to eligible third party recipients from agreed budgets in compliance with funding conditions, subject to the arrangements being agreed by the Head of Function (Resources);

·        To delegate the authority to undertake the second and third resolutions above for specific projects to appropriate Heads of Service.

To submit a progress report by the Chief Executive.

Reported by the Chief Executive - That there was no Executive decision required at this stage but a further report to the Executive was proposed on the 22^nd April 2014 when a formal request would be made for additional funding from the Executive’s contingency to address the short and medium term issues highlighted by the Information Commissioner’s Office in relation to the Council’s arrangement for the closure, destruction and archiving of closed files.  In due course, the Head of Profession (HR) would submit a further bid to the Executive to fund staff training and development.

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

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”.

RESOLVED 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.

To submit a report by the Head of Environmental and Technical together with appendices 1 to 9.

Submitted - The report of the Head of Environmental and Technical Service on the procurement process for the preferred bidder for the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project.

RESOLVED to recommend to the County Council that it endorses the recommendations contained within the report.

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”.

RESOLVED 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.

To submit a report by the Head of Environmental and Technical.

Reported by the Head of Environment and Technical -That this was a progress report to the Executive following a request by the Portfolio Holder for Finance at the Executive meeting on 10^th February, 2014, requesting a report back upon the smallholdings programme of improvements since the programme continued to run ahead of capital receipts with a deficit of £1,590k brought forward from 2012-13.

Councillor R G Parry, OBE, as the former Smallholdings Portfolio Holder, stated that if young people were to be given the opportunity to take up agriculture, then it made sense to retain the Council’s 40 acre smallholdings.  Some of these properties however, were in a very poor condition and it was important to generate additional income from the smallholdings improvement programme to undertake remedial works.  He implored the Executive that any sales should be by auction, which would generate more income.

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

(The Chief Executive declared an interest in the matter, as he had a close relative on a smallholding tenancy and was not present at the meeting during any discussion or voting thereon).