EXECUTIVE BOARD

18^th OCTOBER 2010

PRESENT:	Councillor M. Gravell (Chair);
Councillors: M.H. Evans, W.J.W. Evans, P.E.M. Jones, K. Madge, P.A. Palmer, H.C. Scourfield and G.H. Wooldridge;
Also present as observers: Councillors W.T. Evans and P. Hughes Griffiths;
The following officers were also in attendance:
Mr. M James		Chief Executive;
Mr. D. Gilbert		Director of Regeneration and Leisure;
Mr. R. Jones		Director of Resources;
Mr. B. McLernon		Director of Social Care, Health and Housing;
Mr. R. Workman		Director of Technical Services;
Mr. E. Bowen		Head of Planning;
Mr. C. Burns		Assistant Chief Executive (Customer Focus and Policy);
Mr. J. Fearn		Head of Corporate Property;
Mr. L. Thomas		Head of Administration and Law;
Mr. I. Llewelyn		Executive Support Manager;
Ms. D. Williams		Press Manager;
Ms. L. Evans		Policy & Partnership Officer;
Mr. M.S. Davies		Democratic Services Officer.
(Chamber, County Hall, Carmarthen – 10.00 a.m. – 10.45 a.m.)

1. APOLOGIES

An apology for absence was received from Councillor P.M. Hughes [on Council business].

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor	Minute No.	Nature of Interest
H.C. Scourfield	11 - Parc y Scarlets Development Agreement;	Shareholder in the club.

3. chair’s announcements – CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PRIDE AWARDS 2010

The Chair referred with pleasure to the fact that the Authority’s press and communications section had received the following awards at the recent Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride Awards 2010:

Gold - Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team: SirgarPR;

Gold - Best Newspaper: Community News;

Gold - Best Campaign £10K and Under: Carmarthenshire Libraries;

Silver - Best Newsletter: 50 not out;

Silver - Best Use of Digital PR: Snow Bulletin.

The team was congratulated on its achievements and it was agreed that the success be recognized at the next meeting of Council.

4. CARMARTHENSHIRE’S ANNUAL REPORT ON 2009/10 PERFORMANCE

The Executive Board considered the Council’s Annual Report on 2009/10 Performance which, as a statutory requirement, had to be submitted to Council and published by October 31^st 2010. In addition the Board was circulated with a public summary of the Report, audited for “fairness and balance”, which the Council was also required to publish and make widely available and it was noted that its publication in Community News would meet this obligation.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL that the Annual Report on 2009/10 Performance, together with the public summary, be endorsed for publication.

5. DRAFT WELSH LANGUAGE SCHEME

The Executive Board considered the draft Welsh Language Scheme 2011-14, prepared in accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993 and guidance from the Welsh Language Board which required that the Scheme was revised every three years. The Council had previously adopted the principle that in the conduct of public business and provision of services in Carmarthenshire it would treat Welsh and English on the basis of equality. The Scheme established how the Council would implement that principle in the provision of services to the public in Carmarthenshire and in the administration of the Council.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to approve the draft Welsh Language Scheme for consultation with the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

6. PROPOSED LEASE OF LAND AT PENYFAN TO PENLLWYN COMMUNITY BUILDING GROUP

The Executive Board considered a report seeking formal confirmation that the Council was willing to grant a long lease of part of Penyfan amenity area to the Penllwyn Community Building Group at a nominal rent to facilitate the development of a community centre. Such confirmation would enable the Group to benefit from potential funding sources for the design and construction of the new premises.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that a 99 year lease of part of Penyfan amenity area be granted to the Penllwyn Community Building Group at a peppercorn rent for the purposes of developing a community centre.

7. CARMARTHENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Executive Board considered reports on the following the purposes of which were to provide essential background evidence for the Local Development Plan:

● Employment Land Study – providing a robust evidence base for the future employment land requirements of the County and underpinning and informing the preparation for the emerging Local Development Plan (LDP);

● Retail Strategy – examining retail issues countywide and assessing the capacity for growth across the retail sectors;

● Population and Household Projections – an assessment of the appropriateness of the latest WAG population and household projections for Carmarthenshire achieved through an analysis of the local drivers of demographic change and the development of alternative population and household projections for Community Network Areas.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED

7.1. to approve the key findings of the Employment Land Study as a basis for the designation of sites and the formulation of policies relating to the local economy in the Local development Plan;

7.2. to approve the principles of a retail strategy to underpin site designation and policy formulation in the LDP;

7.3. to approve the use of the Population and Household Projections detailed within the report for the use within the formulation of the Local Development Plan and that Scenario 3 be accepted as the preferred scenario;

7.4. to utilise the projections as the basis for assessing future demographic change and policy formulation across the Council.

8. EXECUTIVE BOARD FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME 2010/11

The Executive Board considered its Forward Work Programme. It was noted that the Programme had been updated in liaison with all departments and highlighted the major policy and budgetary decisions to be taken over the next 12 months. In order to comply with the Welsh Assembly Government's expectation that all authorities should make publicly available an annual forward work programme of the budget and any plans/strategies forming the policy framework and requiring approval by the Council's Executive, it was

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the update of the Executive Board's Forward Work Programme be approved and arrangements made for its publication.

9. TO RECEIVE FOR INFORMATION THE MINUTES OF THE HYWEL DDA HEALTH BOARD HELD ON THE 22^ND JULY 2010

The Executive Board received for information the minutes of the meeting of the Hywel Dda Health Board held on the 22^nd July, 2010.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes be received.

10. MINUTES – EXECUTIVE BOARD – 4^TH OCTOBER 2010

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Board held on the 4^th October 2010 be signed as a correct record.

11. PARC Y SCARLETS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT

[NOTE: Councillor H.C. Scourfield, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, left the meeting during consideration thereof].

Following the application of the public interest test it was RESOLVED, pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation) Order 2007, to consider this matter in public and, subject to confirmation on the disclosure of some potentially sensitive information relating to the financial or business affairs of the Club that would otherwise warrant the public being excluded from the meeting, to release the report.

The Executive Board received a comprehensive report detailing proposals submitted by the Directors of The Scarlets Rugby Club on the restructuring of the club’s finances and a request from the Directors to amend some of the financial arrangements with the County Council. As senior Creditor of the club, the County Council’s approval of these changes was required. It was considered that the proposals would significantly strengthen the Club financially and allow the Directors to continue to work to make the Club self-financing over the next 3 years whilst at the same time help safeguard the County Council’s investment.

RESOLVED

11.1. that the Council grants consent for the equity swap by the Club’s Directors to proceed, thereby reducing the Club’s debt by £4.4m;

11.2. that the Council agrees to amend the terms of its loan agreement as follows:

11.2.1. the interest rate to remain at 7%;

11.2.2. that, for a maximum three year period commencing on 1^st April 2010, interest due on the Council loan, equivalent to 3% p.a., be rolled up and become payable on the termination of the loan;. This will have the effect of increasing the sum due to be paid by the Club in 2023 from £2.4m to £2.616m which equates to the level of loan previously approved by County Council in November 2007;

11.3. that the contributions to the sinking fund be deferred for 3 years;

11.4. that the Council grants the required waiver in relation to the Club’s borrowings in 2009 and consent to the proposed £1.8m borrowing;

11.5. that all relevant legal agreements between the two parties be amended to reflect the above changes;

11.6. that officers be requested to write to the Directors of the Club thanking them for their on-going support and confirming the Council’s commitment to continuing working in partnership with the Club for the benefit of the community;

11.7. the players be thanked also for their contribution to the Club’s succesful partnership with the Council and wished every success.

SIGNED: …………………………………

DATE: ……………………………………..