COUNTY COUNCIL
8th July, 2009
PRESENT: |
Councillor W.T. Evans (Chair) |
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Councillors: |
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S.M. Allen |
Mrs. M. Gravell |
T.J. Jones |
D. Thomas | |||
Ms. M.P. Binney |
W.G. Hopkins |
W.H. Jones |
Mrs. S.E. Thomas | |||
M.J.P. Burns |
Ms. F. Hughes |
W.J. Lemon |
W. David Thomas | |||
J.D.G. Crossley |
M.B. Hughes |
P.H. Lewis |
Mrs. J. Tremlett | |||
A. Davies |
P. Hughes Griffiths |
D.J.R. Llewellyn |
Mrs. J.S. Williams | |||
D.B. Davies |
P.M. Hughes |
D.A. Lloyd |
P.M. Williams | |||
D.J. Davies |
I.J. Jackson |
S.J. Lloyd-Janes |
G.H. Wooldridge | |||
D.M. Davies |
S.R. James |
K. Madge |
Ms. H.E. Wyn | |||
Mrs. M.L. Davies |
D.M. Jenkins |
A.G. Morgan |
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W.K. Davies |
J.P. Jenkins |
D.H. Morgan |
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W.R.A. Davies |
A.W. Jones |
Mrs. P.A. Palmer |
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E. Dole |
C.M. Jones |
R.T. Price |
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S.P. Dunn |
Mrs. E.A. Jones |
K.D. Rees |
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J.G. Edwards |
G.O. Jones |
D.W.H. Richards |
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Ms. L. Evans |
I.G. Jones |
H.C. Scourfield |
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M.H. Evans |
J.E. Jones |
Mrs. L.M. Stephens |
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W.J.W. Evans |
Mrs. P.E.M. Jones |
T. Theophilus |
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Mr. M. James - Chief Executive |
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Mr. V. Morgan - Director of Education and Children’s Services |
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Mr. D. Gilbert – Director of Regeneration |
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Mr. R. Jones – Director of Resources |
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Mr. R. Workman – Director of Technical Services |
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Mr. B. McLernon – Director of Social Care, Health and Housing |
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Mr. L. Thomas - Head of Administration and Law |
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Mr. E. Bowen – Head of Planning |
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Mr. T. Sage – Head of Transport and Engineering |
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Ms. S. Jones – Principal Democratic Services Officer |
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(Council Chamber, County Hall, Carmarthen – 10.00 a.m. – 11.35 a.m.) |
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At the commencement of the meeting a short prayer was given by Councillor K. Madge.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A.P. Cooper, D.R. Davies, J.J.J. Davies, T. Davies, Mrs. T. Devichand, D.T. Enoch, H.B. Shepardson, A.D.T. Speake, Mrs. G. Thomas K.P. Thomas and J.E. Williams
Councillor |
Minute Reference |
Nature of Interest |
Mrs. L. M. Stephens |
9 – Executive Board minutes – 08/06/09 (Item no. 4 – Approval of Carmarthenshire Funding Code of Practice) |
Voluntary sector representative on COMPACT |
● The Chair referred in sympathetic terms to the recent death in Afghanistan of Lance Corporal David Dennis from Llanelli, a soldier with The Light Dragoons. He stated that he had sent a letter of condolence on behalf of Council to the family. Council noted that the brother of the deceased was employed in the Authority’s Social Care, Health and Housing Department.
● The Chair reported that Councillor D.T. Enoch was attending a hospital appointment.
● The Chair welcomed Dr. Pat Evans, Advisor to the Investors in People (IiP) to the meeting, together with the lead officers who had been involved in Carmarthenshire’s IiP accreditation process. Dr. Evans congratulated the Authority on attaining IiP recognition which was difficult to achieve. She explained that IiP was a nationally recognised standard which enabled organisations to improve performance through its people. The report had indicated that the Authority “managed its strategy consistently and with flair.” and had also noted that the assessment process resulted in the Authority being “better able to work collaboratively and the impact may be substantial”
Council noted that achieving the IiP Standard was the culmination of work over the last two and a half years and work had been carried out across all of the departments, with staff from all parts of the Authority having been involved. A cross departmental Steering Group led by the Director of Regeneration had been the driving force behind making improvements across the organisation in line with the requirements of the Standard. Dr. Evans expressed her appreciation to Mr Dave Gilbert, the Director of Regeneration for chairing the Steering Group, Ms. Caroline Blackburn, the Development Manager and her team and to all members of the Group for their commitment and motivation.
Dr. Evans informed Council that the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), in partnership with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) were to introduce the Corporate IiP across all Welsh Authorities and Carmarthenshire County Council would serve as the best practice model for its innovative and well structured and well led approach. Finally, Dr. Evans stated that as an Investor in People she felt sure that the Council would be pro-active and committed to continuous improvement in the way people are managed and developed.
Dr. Evans proceeded to present the IIP Standard plaque to the Chair. The Chair congratulated all involved in this prestigious award. The Chief Executive thanked Dr. Evans for attending to present the award and also extended his appreciation to the Director of Regeneration for chairing the Steering Group. The Director of Regeneration conveyed his appreciation to Dr. Evans and to the staff involved and stated that it was gratifying to note that staff were well motivated and wanted to remain in Carmarthenshire. Members fully endorsed these views.
● The Chair congratulated Councillor T.J. Jones upon his recent election as the first Chair of the Parking and Traffic Regulation outside London PATROL Executive Sub Committee (Wales). As Chair of the Executive Sub Committee (Wales), Councillor Jones had also become an Assistant Vice Chair (Wales) of the PATROL Adjudication Joint Committee and a member of the PATROL Executive Sub Committee.
● Council’s congratulations were extended to Councillor W.G. Hopkins who had recently been elected as Vice-Chair of the Dyfed Powys Police Authority
● The Chair congratulated the Chief Executive upon having been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Trinity University College, Carmarthen in recognition of his valuable contribution to local government, particularly regeneration within the county.
● The Chair stated that he had attended a number of functions and events since the last meeting and he wished to make particular reference to the following:
○ his visit to Mr Bill James of Bonllwyn upon the occasion of his 100th birthday;
○ his visit to the opening day of the excellent Ffoslas Racecourse;
○ the visit of 20 children from Ann Street Nursery, Llanelli to the Chair’s Room Town Hall, Llanelli where they had been met by himself and the Director of Education and Children’s Services.
● Council was informed that two people from the county had been honoured in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours, namely Mr Deian Hopkin who had been knighted and Mr Meredith David who had been awarded an O.B.E. and it was RESOLVED that letters of congratulation be sent by the Chair on behalf of Council.
Council was informed that the Executive Board, at its meeting held on the 22nd June, 2009 (Minute No. 4 refers), had considered a Draft Planning and Development Brief for Llandeilo Northern Residential Quarter with a view to it being approved for public consultation purposes as part of its preparation as Supplementary Planning Guidance.
Council was informed that the Brief had been endorsed by the Regeneration and Leisure Scrutiny Committee on the 17th June 2009.
Reference was made to the Local Air Quality Management update reported to the Environment Scrutiny Committee held on the 2nd July, 2009 which had indicated high NO2 readings at Rhosmaen Street, Llandeilo which was the main route through the centre of the town. Considerable concern was expressed that the WAG had indicated that the Llandeilo relief road was now not being proposed for consideration until 2014. The Head of Planning stated that discussions regarding the relief road had been ongoing with the WAG and predecessor Authority for many years.
In response to a question as to whether the scale of the developments proposed in the document were compatible with the UDP, the Head of Planning confirmed that the preparation of the Brief for Llandeilo Northern Residential Quarter had emerged from the commitment as set out in the UDP which had identified much of the site as a residential allocation. He stated that responses to the consultation would be taken into consideration before moving to the next stage.
In response to a question regarding the anticipated effect of the proposals upon the Welsh language in the area, the Head of Planning stated that the document would enable the Authority to obtain the community’s view on this and other issues and a further report would be submitted to Council following the end of the consultation period.
Reference was made to the access and movement strategy on pages 20-21 of the report in relation to the variation in proposed width of the carriageway in the secondary loop street section. This was referred to as being between 4 – 5m wide and a question was asked as to whether this would allow service vehicles such as refuse vehicles to gain access to all properties. The Head of Planning stated that the document was designed to promote discussion as to whether carriageway widths in the various zones should always address practicalities such as access to service vehicles or whether narrower widths would be more aesthetically pleasing in some locations. He re-iterated that the consultation responses would be reported to Council.
A request was made that the 6 week consultation period recommended by the Executive Board be extended to 12 weeks.
RESOLVED
6.1. that the following recommendation of the Executive Board be adopted:
“that the Draft Planning and Development Brief for Llandeilo Northern Residential Quarter be approved for public consultation purposes as part of its preparation as Supplementary Planning Guidance.”
6.2. that the following recommendation of the Executive Board be adopted subject to the consultation period being extended from 6 to 12 weeks:
“that formal consultation be commenced in respect of the content of the Draft Planning and Development Brief.”
Council was informed that the Executive Board, at its meeting held on the 22nd June, 2009 (Minute No. 4 refers), had considered the Draft Regional Transport Plan (RTP). Council’s formal approval was sought prior to its submission to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) by 30th September, 2009. The WAG required each of the four transport consortia in Wales to produce a Regional Transport Plan which would replace the former 22 Local Transport Plans (LTP) in Wales. Unlike the LTPs, the RTP’s would be bidding documents for Transport Grant funding and would influence the distribution of EU Convergence funding for transport projects. The RTP required authorities to prioritise projects and a separate report had been prepared on Carmarthenshire’s priorities for transport for the period 2010 – 2015 and was reflected in the draft RTP.
Council was informed that the Brief had been endorsed by the Environment Scrutiny Committee on the 2nd July, 2009.
Reference was made to the fact that the National Transport Plan was still awaited and the delay was considered unacceptable.
Concern was expressed at the proposed “de-trunking” of the A483 from Pont Abraham through Ammanford to Ffairfach/Llandeilo. The Director of Technical Services stated that the WAG was reviewing some of the proposed areas it had previously considered for “de-trunking”. He also added that the “de trunking” of the stretch of the A483 referred to was only indicated as priority level 4 and so it was not likely to be considered for some considerable time.
Concern was expressed that as the Llandeilo Eastern by pass was listed under ‘Trunk Road Priorities’ as ‘Priority 1’, and was not being proposed for consideration until 2014, the Amman Valley Trunk Road, listed as ‘Priority 4’, was not likely to commence for many years.
Concern was expressed that improvements to the A48 at Cross Hands were indicated as only priority 2. Reference was made to the numerous accidents at the Cwmgwili junction of the A48, including two fatalities within the last four months. Numerous examples were provided of serious accidents and fatalities that had occurred in the vicinity of this “crossover” type of junction at various locations along the A48 from St. Clears to Pont Abraham. The Director of Technical Services informed Council that officers from his Department were due to meet representatives of the South Wales Trunk Road Agency to discuss these concerns and he would report back to Council following the meeting.
The Chief Executive suggested that in view of the concerns expressed in relation to a number of issues in the document, particularly the delay in the Llandeilo relief road and other safety issues, an invitation be extended to Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Deputy First Minister and Minister for Economy and Transport, together with senior civil servants to attend a meeting with representatives of the Authority to discuss these matters. A report could then be submitted to Council on the outcome of the meeting.
RESOLVED:
7.1. that the following recommendation of the Executive Board be adopted:
“that the draft SWWITCH Regional Transport Plan be approved.”
7.2. that the Director of Technical Services write to Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, Deputy First Minister and Minister for Economy and Transport, inviting him, together with senior civil servants, to attend a meeting with the following representatives of the Authority to discuss the issues raised under the SWWITCH report. The meeting would focus on the delay in the Llandeilo by pass and other road safety issues, particularly in relation to crossover junctions and a report on the outcome of the meeting would be submitted to Council:
●Executive Board Member for Environment
●Executive Board Member for Regeneration
●Local members who represent wards with crossover junctions along the stretch of the A48 from St. Clears to Pont Abraham
●Cllr I. G. Jones re. the Llandeilo by pass.
Council was informed that the Executive Board, at its meeting held on the 22nd June, 2009 (Minute No. 6 refers), had considered a report which outlined progress on the preparation of the Local Development Plan (LDP) in accordance with the approved Delivery Agreement and indentified the next step as the endorsement of the Preferred Strategy for Public Consultation. The Strategy would underpin the policies and allocations to be identified in the full Deposit Plan and provide a basis for meeting the economic, social and environmental needs of the County and broad locations for the delivery of housing and other strategic requirements.
The Head of Planning explained that the Preferred Strategy set out not only the key elements of the LDP over a 15 year period but also a coherent strategy to which the full Deposit Plan would conform.
A request was made that the 8 week consultation period recommended by the Executive Board be extended to mid October.
Arising from the reference on page 82 to the Strategy “having regard to the need to safeguard and promote Welsh language and as such a specific strategic policy on the language will be included within the LDP”, a question was asked as to whether any supporting documents were available to accompany the Strategy report? The Head of Planning replied that the consultation period would enable the Authority to obtain the public’s view on this issue and the response would be reported back to Council. He stated that the effect of the Welsh language was taken into consideration in respect of individual applications.
RESOLVED:
8.1. that the following recommendation of the Executive Board be adopted subject to the consultation period being extended to Mid October, 2009:
“that the Preferred Strategy be approved for public consultation.”
8.2. that officers be authorised to correct typographical and grammatical errors and to make, where necessary, those amendments to the Preferred Strategy which would not fundamentally alter its contents.
8.3. that officers be authorised to agree amendments to the Delivery Agreement with WAG.
(NOTE: Councillor Mrs L.M. Stephens had earlier declared a personal interest in this item)
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received.
Arising from minute no. 3 (Education and Children’s Services – Summary Departmental Business Plan 2009/12) clarification was sought regarding the reduction in the level of subsidy to the music service. The Director of Education and Children’s Services explained that the funding available from the WAG had been curtailed considerably and a review of the music service was currently underway. He stated that a report on this matter would be submitted to the Scrutiny Committee and Executive Board.
Arising from minute no. 6 (Pennington Inquiry Recommendations), clarification was sought regarding the Authority’s policy on sourcing products form local companies? The Chief Executive explained that it was unlawful for the Council to restrict contracts to local companies only and contracts in excess of £150,000 were advertised and awarded based on price and quality. However, the Authority was able to assist local companies in other ways, e.g. by providing advice on the processes involved in tendering for work, organising workshops on this subject etc. He also referred to the millions of pounds worth of work that local companies received from the Authority, particularly construction firms, and stated that he would arrange to provide members with a list setting out these details.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED:
12.1. that the report of the above meeting be received.
12.2. that members be provided with details of the contracts awarded to / services provided by local companies to the Authority.
Arising from minute no. 6 (Task and Finish Group 2008/09 – Response to the economic downturn), and with reference to the discussion under minute no. 12 above in relation to assistance provided to local companies, it was noted that procurement packs had already been sent to SMEs in an effort to assist them in tendering for work. It was noted that many compliments had been received from local businesses who had found the information contained in these packs to be practical and informative. The Chief Executive stated that the procurement packs were extremely comprehensive and he would arrange to provide members with copies.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED:
13.1. that the report of the above meeting be received.
13.2. that copies of the procurement packs be provided to members.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report of the above meeting be received.
Council was informed that Councillor H.C. Scourfield had resigned as a substitute member of the Dyfed Investment / Pension Panel.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the following amendment to Committee membership be approved in accordance with Corporate Procedure Rule CPR 2 (2) (l):
That Councillor P.M. Hughes replaces Councillor H.C. Scourfield as a substitute member of the Dyfed Investment / Pension Panel.