THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL
MINUTES of a meeting held on 5th March, 2008.
Present: Councillor A.C. Williams (Mayor); Councillors Ms. M.E. Alexander, Mrs. S.M. Bagstaff, R.J. Bertin, Mrs. M.E.J. Birch, Ms. R.M. Birch, Ms. L. Burnett, Mrs. J.E. Charles, P. Church, Mrs. C.V.L. Clay, J. Clifford, Miss. J. Cole, G.A. Cox, R.F. Curtis, A.D. Dobbinson, S.C. Egan, A.M. Ernest, C.P. Franks, N.J. Gibbs, E. Hacker, A.D. Hampton, Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, M.R. Harvey, N.P. Hodges, H.J.W. James, T.H. Jarvie, G. John, F.T. Johnson, Mrs. M. Kelly Owen, G.C. Kemp, Mrs. A.J. Moore, N. Moore, C.L. Osborne, A.G. Powell, Mrs. A.J. Preston, Mrs. M. Randall, Mrs. S.I. Sharpe, B.I. Shaw, K.R. Stockdale, J.W. Thomas, W.C. Vaughan, Mrs. M.R. Wilkinson, S.T. Wiliam, A.J. Williams, C.J. Williams, E.T. Williams and M.R. Wilson.
863 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST –
No declarations were received.
864 MINUTES –
The minutes of the meeting held on 20th February, 2008 were approved as a correct record.
865 QUESTIONS PURSUANT TO COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 8.2 –
Due notice had been given of the following questions:
(i) Question from Councillor M.R. Harvey
As a result of a recent planning application, I have become aware of meetings which have been held between the residents, an A.M., Cabinet Members, the Leader and the Fire Service, to discuss issues on this site related to the licence for the site, issued by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, and its implementation.
I initiated liaison meetings from 2000 onwards and more recently was invited to attend but have not been invited to attend several recent meetings.
During investigations into the previous Labour administration of the 1990’s period, when I was excluded from formal meetings between the administration and my constituents, the then Head of Audit for Wales told me that as local member I had every right to be included in any such meetings and could not be excluded in the interests of a transparent democracy.
Will the Member for Legal and Public Protection acknowledge this error and undertake to ensure that local Members will always be informed and included when the administration meets a Member’s constituents to discuss local contentious issues?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for Legal and Public Protection
Thank you for the question
You are correct that there have been many meetings over the years organised and facilitated by this council. Those meetings were held at the Alps and as far as I am aware you were always invited.
There have been subsequent meetings between an AM, members, the residents and their representatives. These meetings were organised by the AM and the invites were issued by the AM and not us.
On 24th July 2007 the AM arranged a meeting at the Assembly and invited a Fire Officer, the then Cabinet Member, Officers, the residents and their legal advisors. The Cabinet Member responsible at that time attended with the Officers.
On 7th August 2007 a follow up meeting from the one mentioned above took place at Cambrian Park, again organised by the AM. The purpose of the meeting was to allow the then Cabinet Member to see the site for herself with an officer who had knowledge of the site and to hear the views of residents at first hand.
On 11th January 2008, the AM arranged another follow up meeting, which was assisted by this authority as the meeting was held in these offices. This further meeting was arranged to feed back on the consultant’s report that was commissioned by the residents. The AM invited the residents, their consultant, the Leader, the Deputy Leader, myself as the new Cabinet Member, the Fire Officer and an Officer of the authority. This meeting agreed that the report issues would be considered by the Council in due course.
As far as the past is concerned I have no knowledge of the happenings of the 1990’s with regard to this issue and I would advise you to look to the future and your impending retirement and not dwell on the past. However, I would advise you that we would continue, in the interests of transparency, to inform local members of any such meetings that this authority arranges. When others arrange meetings and issue invites then it is obviously up to those arranging the meetings to choose who they wish to attend.
You ask if any error can be acknowledged. I would reiterate what I said earlier in that the meetings were arranged by the AM and not this authority. I would confirm that when any meeting is arranged by the Cabinet the agreed procedures will be adhered to.
Supplemental
Councillor Harvey asked whether the Cabinet Member agreed that the recent planning consent to use the additional land for siting mobile homes providing an opportunity to start re-organising the site in order to comply with the licence issued in 2002 and that minimum disruption to the lives of residents effected should be ensured.
In reply, the Cabinet Member agreed that planning permission did afford an opportunity for improving the site. She indicated that she had been advised that, when proposals were submitted by the new management, meetings would be held with the owners, residents and the Council and she was sure that the new local Member would be advised accordingly.
(ii) Question from Councillor M.R. Harvey
In recent weeks two Labour Party ward leaflets have mentioned a £6m. overspend in Social Services.
You mentioned the same sum of £6m. at the last Council Meeting of 20th February, 2008. Before the Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources) of 19th February, 2008 the following table was received from Financial Services covering this matter and at the meeting I asked if my understanding of the facts was correct and was told yes.
|
Analysis of Social Services Budget Position |
2006-07 Original Estimate |
Revised Estimate |
Out-turn |
2007-08 Original Estimate |
Revised Estimate |
Dec Estimated Out-turn |
Variance |
|
Social Services
Children and family services
Community are and health
Youth offending team
Service strategy |
£000
11,237
27,072
785
400 |
£000
11,533
27,426
774
281 |
£000
12,669
29,399
747
427 |
£000
13,275
30,081
756
180 |
£000
13,319
30,990
755
259 |
£000
13,129
32,476
755
252 |
£000
(190)
1,486
0
(7)
|
|
39,494 |
40,014 |
43,242 |
44,292 |
45,323 |
46,612 |
1,289 |
Use of Balances 3641 4050 3000
From this table it can be seen that the out-turn in the year of 2006/07 was an overspend of £3.228m (43,242K – 40,014K) equivalent to 8.06% of the revised budget set by the previous administration.
From this table, it can be seen that the revised budget increase for 2007/08 compared to 2006/07 is £5.309m (45,323K – 40,014K) equivalent to 13.26%.
However, the projected out-turn will be £6.598m. (46,612K – 40,014K) an increase of 16.48%.
Therefore, if this spending is delivered you will be spending an increase in 2007/08 over the revised 2006/07 budget, twice as high as the overspend in 06/07. However, I further understand from subsequent meetings that an improvement is expected with the next confirmed monthly accounts.
In 2006/07 an overspend was predicted for Social Services of £5m. upon receipt of the May 06 revenue account if no action was taken. Action was taken and the overspend was reduced due to some savings, underspending of grants and getting more income in. The change of Administration in December 2006 meant that the new Administration had no time to significantly influence the outcome for the year 2006/07.
Your claim of “an overspend of £6m.” never existed at that level and the outcome was never at that level.
You then constructed a prediction of accounts calling for £2m. of savings in 2007/08. Obviously, any savings are supported and welcomed and are acknowledged as hard to achieve.
I have obtained the methodology of how the 2007/08 budget was calculated and it shows that in moving from £39.494m. in the 2006/07 original budget to get to £44.292m in the 2007/08 budget. There is a built in overspend of £5.804m. and after efficiency savings the real additional budget increase was £3.8m.
All this is being misrepresented to the public as an overspend by the previous Administration which is exaggerated and “where spending was out of control” and the current performance is misrepresented as a triumph when all you have done is increase the budget by more than the previous overspend.
And where has all this extra money come from. Reserves have been depleted below recommended levels and you have made cuts in other services, for example, you have cut the E&ER budget by £0.65m. in 2007/08 and project to cut E&ER by £0.89m. in 2008/09. Inevitably this has resulted in cuts to services and grants and we see for example the cuts to Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) when the Government wants the CAB to help support the increasing number of people with financial difficulties with their mortgages.
Please can we have a balanced and factual representation of these figures as we approach the election.
Reply by the Cabinet Member for Social and Care Services
In response to your question about a balanced and factual representation of the figures, I can assure you that elected members and officials have worked hard to ensure absolute transparency regarding the budget for social services and the levels of expenditure incurred. As you will know, a system has been put in place to ensure regular and frequent reporting to Cabinet and to the relevant scrutiny committees. This has led to some very rigorous and challenging questions being asked on all sides - and answered in detail.
There was a significant overspend by social services in 2006/2007. This took place in a context where the services were experiencing:
· increased demand;
· rising expectations about the quality of care; and
· escalating costs.
Urgent action was needed. Cabinet agreed a Change Plan to transform social services and this set a target of £6 million in savings over three years (2007/2010), to bring expenditure back under control in the short-term and to achieve spending within base budget in the longer-term. The aim was to balance financial prudence with the need to avoid action that would have a severely detrimental effect upon vulnerable service users and people in need.
In the last quarter, the projected overspend in social services has been reducing month by month. The revenue monitoring report presented to Cabinet today by the Corporate Management Team shows that the budget is currently projected to outturn with a deficit of £572,000, a reduction of £717,000 from the last reported figure. It is anticipated that the figures for February will be even more positive but we recognise that this is only Year 1 of a three-year programme. Significant challenges remain if the planned level of savings are to be achieved.
Supplemental
Referring to the Cabinet Member not having disputed his figures and to many of the savings being “one-offs”, Councillor Harvey asked whether the Cabinet Member agreed the electorate were being deliberately misled and that the situation was being addressed by utilising reserves, balances and from other departments of the Council.
In response, the Cabinet Member referred to events occurring under the previous administration and to cuts in budgets made without any meaningful consultation. Acknowledging that certain of these savings were of a “one-off” nature, he also alluded to various permanent savings that would be achieved. The recent joint appointment, together with initiatives such as the building of an extra care housing facility within Barry, would result in long term savings within the Social Services budget. Similarly, the out of county placement expenditure was also being addressed. With regard to reserves, he assured Members that the Section 151 Officer would ensure that general reserves would not be at a level that would cause any concern to the District Auditor.
866 COUNCIL TAX 2008/09 (DFICTP) –
The report was moved by the Deputy Leader and seconded by the Leader. Councillor Kemp referred to the fact that the Conservative Group were unable to support the budget for reasons stated at the last meeting and that, similarly, they could not support the Council Tax Resolution.
RESOLVED –
(1) T H A T it be noted that at its meeting on 28th November 2007, Cabinet (the Executive) calculated the following amounts for the year 2008/2009 in
accordance with regulations made under Section 33(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:-
(a) 54,870 being the amount calculated by Cabinet (the Executive) in accordance with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (Wales) Regulations 1995, as amended, as its council tax base for the year.
(b) Part of the Council’s area
|
|
Barry |
18,476 |
|
|
Colwinston |
280 |
|
|
Cowbridge with Llanblethian |
2,487 |
|
|
Dinas Powys |
3,571 |
|
|
Ewenny |
431 |
|
|
Llancarfan |
446 |
|
|
Llandough |
913 |
|
|
Llandow |
428 |
|
|
Llanfair |
368 |
|
|
Llangan |
372 |
|
|
Llanmaes |
234 |
|
|
Llantwit Major |
3,982 |
|
|
Michaelston |
219 |
|
|
Penarth |
10,664 |
|
|
Pendoylan |
235 |
|
|
Penllyn |
963 |
|
|
Peterston-Super-Ely |
552 |
|
|
St. Athan |
1,333 |
|
|
St. Brides Major |
1,117 |
|
|
St. Donats |
190 |
|
|
St. Georges and St. Brides-Super-Ely |
234 |
|
|
St. Nicholas and Bonvilston |
525 |
|
|
Sully |
2,387 |
|
|
Welsh St. Donats |
301 |
|
|
Wenvoe |
1,065 |
|
|
Wick |
372 |
being the amounts calculated by Cabinet (the Executive), in accordance with regulation 6 of the Regulations, as amended, as the amounts of its council tax base for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.
(2) T H A T the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2008/2009 in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:
|
|
(a) |
Aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32 (2) (a) to (d) of the Act (including Town / Community Council Precepts totalling £1,911,273) |
£ 287,793,771 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(b) |
Aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32 (3) (a) and (c), and (3A) of the Act |
£ 98,420,173 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c) |
Amount by which the aggregate at (2)(a) above exceeds the aggregate at (2)(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 32(4) of the Act, as its budget requirement for the year. |
£ 189,373,598 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(d) |
Aggregate of the sums which the Council estimates will be payable for the year into its Council Fund in respect of redistributed non-domestic rates, revenue support grant or additional grant, less certain Discretionary Non-Domestic Rate Reliefs |
£ 142,005,273 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(e) |
The amount at (2)(c) above less the amount at (2)(d) above, all divided by the amount at (1)(a) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 33(1) of the Act as the basic amount of its council tax for the year. |
£ 863.28 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(f) |
Aggregate amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act. |
£ 1,911,273 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(g) |
Amount at (2)(e) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (2)(f) above by the amount at (1)(a) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special item relates. |
£ 828.45 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(h) |
Part of the Council’s area
|
£
|
|
|
|
|
Barry |
872.56 |
|
|
|
|
Colwinston |
838.45 |
|
|
|
|
Cowbridge with Llanblethian |
878.56 |
|
|
|
|
Dinas Powys |
851.37 |
|
|
|
|
Ewenny |
851.45 |
|
|
|
|
Llancarfan |
838.54 |
|
|
|
|
Llandough |
860.91 |
|
|
|
|
Llandow |
836.86 |
|
|
|
|
Llanfair |
836.83 |
|
|
|
|
Llangan |
848.45 |
|
|
|
|
Llanmaes |
847.37 |
|
|
|
|
Llantwit Major |
874.08 |
|
|
|
|
Michaelston |
851.63 |
|
|
|
|
Penarth |
872.83 |
|
|
|
|
Pendoylan |
845.47 |
|
|
|
|
Penllyn |
835.72 |
|
|
|
|
Peterston-Super-Ely |
838.23 |
|
|
|
|
St. Athan |
841.45 |
|
|
|
|
St. Brides Major |
835.61 |
|
|
|
|
St. Donats |
830.45 |
|
|
|
|
St. Georges and St. Brides-Super-Ely |
841.91 |
|
|
|
|
St. Nicholas and Bonvilston |
837.45 |
|
|
|
|
Sully |
862.74 |
|
|
|
|
Welsh St. Donats |
843.07 |
|
|
|
|
Wenvoe |
852.16 |
|
|
|
|
Wick |
836.17 |
|
being the amounts given by adding to the amount at (2)(g) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area mentioned above divided in each case by the amount at (1)(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34 (3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.
VALUATION BANDS PDF DOCUMENT
(5) T H A T discount for prompt payment of the Council Tax be not granted.
(6). T H A T the Common Seal be affixed to the said Council Tax.
(7). T H A T notices of the making of the said Council Taxes signed by the Chief Executive be given by advertisement in the local press under Section 38 (2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.
867 HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE AND WELLBEING STRATEGY 2008-2011 –
Council approval was sought for the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy, which had been considered and approved by Cabinet on 13th February, 2008. The draft Strategy had been the subject of public consultation for a twelve week period from October to December 2007 following which the final version of the Strategy was developed to take account of the contributions made during that process. The Strategy had been designed to promote the independence of individuals thereby reducing unnecessary reliance on social care and health services, helping also to encourage developments which improved the provision of effective and efficient health and social care services for those who required them.
A more detailed implementation plan and resource framework were being developed to specify the actions required to deliver the Strategy and which would be presented to Cabinet in due course for approval. The Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy Partnership would be responsible for overseeing and monitoring implementation of the Strategy with regular monitoring reports being made to Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committee (Community Wellbeing and Safety). Attention was drawn to the real commitment to partnership demonstrated by the Council and the LHB to date with reference being made, inter alia, to the creation of a joint Head of Adult Services post.
Councillor H.J.W. James, whilst welcoming and supporting the principle of the Strategy, expressed concerned regarding the fact the Strategy itself had not been appended to the report. In addition, he also alluded to the need for Members to be fully aware of the outcome of the consultation process. He also referred to issues relating to the requirement to produce Air Quality Action Plans. In conclusion, Councillor James moved deferral of the report to the next meeting of the Council. The amendment was seconded by Councillor Jarvie.
Councillor Stockdale referred to the fact that the matter had already been discussed/scrutinised in depth.
Councillor Egan, in his capacity as Cabinet Member for Social and Care Services, also referred to the extensive involvement of Members in consideration of this matter to date. The report had been subject to consideration by the relevant Scrutiny Committee, all Members had received a copy as part of the Cabinet process and, obviously, had been afforded the opportunity of calling-in the matter. In addition, a number of public meetings had been held and an advertisement inserted in the press.
Upon being put to the vote, the proposed amendment to defer the report was lost and it was
RESOLVED - T H A T the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy 2008-2011 be approved.