THE VALE OF
GLAMORGAN COUNCIL
MINUTES of a meeting held on 26th
June, 2008.
Present: Councillor Mrs. A.J. Preston
(Mayor); Councillors Ms. M.E. Alexander, R.J. Bertin,
Mrs. M.E.J. Birch, Ms. B.E. Brooks,
Mrs. J.E. Charles, P. Church, J. Clifford, G.A. Cox,
R.F. Curtis, S.C. Egan, Mrs. V.L. Ellis, C.P.J. Elmore,
A.M. Ernest, J.F. Fraser, E. Hacker, A.D. Hampton,
Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, K. Hatton, N.P. Hodges, H.J.W. James, T.H.
Jarvie, G. John, F.T. Johnson, Mrs. M. Kelly Owen,
G.C. Kemp, Mrs. K.A. Kemp, N. Moore, C.L. Osborne, Mrs.
M. Randall, Mrs. S.I. Sharpe, J.W. Thomas,
R.L. Traherne, Mrs. D.M. Turner, W.C. Vaughan,
Mrs. M.R. Wilkinson, S.T. Wiliam, A.C. Williams,
C.J. Williams, E.T. Williams, Miss. S.J.C. Williams,
M.R. Wilson and Ms. M. Wright.
63
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE -
These were received from Councillors Mrs. S.M.
Bagstaff, J.C. Bird, Mrs. P. Drake and Mrs. A.J.
Moore.
64
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST -
No declarations were received.
65
MINUTES -
The minutes of the Annual Meeting held on
21st May, 2008 were approved as a correct record.
66
ANNOUNCEMENTS -
(i) The Mayor
referred to her attendance at the Physic Garden, Cowbridge, that
afternoon, in the company of the Duchess of Cornwall.
(ii)
The Leader referred to the recent visit by himself, the Mayor and
Deputy Mayor and Deputy Leader to Fécamp. The party had been
accompanied by Hannah Wilcox of the Youth Service who had discussed
an exchange visit, involving some 8 young people and 2 adults from
the Vale.
67
PETITION -
A petition was submitted by Councillor Miss.
S.J.C. Williams against the proposed Tesco Express in Penarth Town
Centre.
68
QUESTIONS PURSUANT TO COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 8.2 -
Due notice had been given of the following
questions:
(i)
Question from Councillor G. John
I was delighted to read in the press that one
of your future aims is to improve tourism in the Vale of
Glamorgan. Recently, it was announced that Llantwit Major is
recognised as the fourth most desirable coastal place to live in
the U.K., in fact Llantwit Major is the only town in Wales to reach
the top ten. In view of this recognition in the national
survey and the increase in tourism which it will bring to Llantwit
Major and the Vale of Glamorgan, are you prepared to support the
development of tourism in Llantwit Major with the financial input
which has been sadly lacking since funding was cut by the
Conservative administration in 2000/2001.
Reply by the
Leader
I have already indicated that the improvement
of tourism is a priority for this administration.
We are obviously delighted that a survey such
as this recognises what a wonderful place Llantwit Major is and,
indeed, how great the whole of the Vale of Glamorgan is.
The resources available for tourism within the
Council are limited by budget, as they are for all services, but
this will be reviewed specifically for tourism and I am aiming to
ensure that we gain the maximum amount of promotion for the
resources we presently have available.
You obviously appreciate the financial
constraints facing the Council otherwise you might have considered
increasing financial support in your previous role as Cabinet
Member for Leisure and Tourism.
Supplemental
Councillor John referred to the limited period
of office of the previous Cabinet being insufficient to develop a
long term strategy in that respect and to the fact that Llantwit
Major was the third largest town in the Vale, asking the Leader
whether he would support funding being made available towards the
running of the tourist centre in Llantwit Major in conjunction with
the Town Council, as had once been the case.
The Leader responded that he would ask the
Cabinet Member for Tourism and Leisure to look at all aspects
within that portfolio – which would include tourism in Llantwit
Major.
(ii)
Question from Councillor N.P. Hodges
Does the Leader believe that the Scrutiny Task
and Finish Groups with a membership of 5 will be able to deliver
meaningful results in order to guide the Cabinet?
Reply by the
Leader
Yes. I will however be monitoring
progress.
Supplemental
Councillor Hodges indicated he was not
surprised at that response but that a number of Members would not
agree, asking the Leader if he was prepared to review the position
in a year’s time.
The Leader replied that the running of
scrutiny was a matter for the Scrutiny Committees to decide and
that he would not interfere in that process. Further, he
referred to the fact that the reduction in the size of both
Scrutiny Committees and Task and Finish Groups brought this Council
into line with other local authorities. He undertook to
listen to feedback and monitor progress.
(iii)
Question from Councillor G. John
You will recall at the Twinning weekend of
27th - 29th October, 2006 the previous
Conservative administration spent a total of £11,545.24 for the 23
delegates, Council Members and guests who attended. This was
made up as follows:
Cost of
transport -
£2,040.10
Cost of meals &
drinks -
£5,018.71
Other
expenditure -
£4,486.43
(including room
hire/accommodation/harpist).
Leader, is it going to be your policy to
continue with this practice and freely waste public funds or are
you going to keep a tight control of funds, taking into
consideration that all departments in this Council are running on
restricted budgets.
Reply by the
Leader
I can confirm that at the Twinning weekend of
27th - 29th October, 2006 our twin towns were
invited to the Vale to see if they would like to participate and
hold stalls at the Cowbridge Food and Wine Festival the following
year during 2007.
Three of our twin towns were prepared to
exhibit during 2007 but, with the change of administration, this
never materialised.
I am not sure what you mean when you say
“continue with this practice”. I will continue with Twinning
which is good for the Vale and the other twin towns. I will
not waste public funds.
Supplemental
(iv)
Question from Councillor Mrs. V.M.
Hartrey
Should Members have read last Thursday’s
Western Mail they would know that the Food Standards Agency propose
to extend the trialled “Scores on the Doors” scheme throughout the
UK. The Agency believes this would force up food
hygiene standards and improve public confidence following high
profile food hygiene standards scandals, including the E-coli
outbreak here in South Wales in 2005.
So far, only two Welsh Councils, viz. Swansea
and Wrexham have piloted this voluntary scheme. The FSA
believe that the evidence across the UK as a whole has encouraged
businesses to improve hygiene standards and may have led real
improvement in inspection scores which means less enforcement
action and thereby costs in terms of officers carrying out the
inspections.
Last year, our officers worked extremely hard
to launch a pilot scheme in the Vale. Unfortunately, their
hard work was virtually scuppered by the intervention of a
Councillor who is now a Cabinet Member.
May I suggest that, had our proposed Scores on
the Doors trial scheme been allowed to go ahead, this Authority
would have been seen to be a forward thinking Authority in acting
in the best interests of our residents and, equally as important,
visitors and tourists to the Vale?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Legal and Public Protection
Thank you for your question. You may
regret having asked it when you hear my reply. This scheme
was first reported to Cabinet on 4th July 2007 when
Cabinet endorsed the scheme. It was then called into Scrutiny
Committee by two Councillors and was considered by Scrutiny
Corporate Resources on 24th July 2007.
If Councillor Hartrey would care to look at
the minutes of that meeting, she would see that Councillor Mrs.
Anne Moore led the debate in the matter and voiced her concerns as
she was entitled to do.
Those concerns included:
· Concern regarding the
apparent haste in progressing the scheme.
· Lack of wider
consultation.
· That the scheme did not
provide for an appropriate appeal mechanism in the case of
premises owners who had undertaken improvements subsequent to
a rating being
given.
· The
backdating of the information to January 2006 when premises may
have
changed hands /
improved standards since that time.
The minutes of the Scrutiny Corporate
Resources meeting also record that most of the Committee
subsequently spoke on the item and that there was a general
consensus (presumably this meant all parties agreed) that
information had come to light at the meeting which had not been
available at the time Cabinet considered the matter.
It appeared therefore, that all parties,
including Councillor Hartrey’s Party had concerns at that time and
the Committee recommended that Cabinet review the matter in the
light of the considerable amount of additional evidence.
However Scrutiny Committee recommended that
Cabinet continue with the Pilot Scheme but address all the issues
of concern to the Scrutiny Committee, which to my mind seemed an
eminently reasonable and sensible thing to do.
Unfortunately, when the matter was reported to
Cabinet on 5th September 2007, the Cabinet of which you
were the portfolio holder for Legal and Public Protection, it was
decided not to take Scrutiny Committee advice in continuing with
the Scheme but resolved that the Council did not take part in the
Pilot Scheme.
I find it hard to understand why the Member
has asked this question as it was during her tenure of office that
the then Cabinet made the decision to ‘scupper’ the scheme,
seemingly with her full knowledge and agreement.
I would also point out that Councillor Mrs.
Moore, who ‘led the charge’ as it were at the Scrutiny Committee,
is not now or ever has been a Cabinet Member.
It is unfortunate that Councillor Hartrey who
has taken offence at Councillor Mrs. Moore’s concerns clearly
feels the Scrutiny Committee should not interfere with Cabinet
decisions but, no doubt, she will take this on board now that she
herself is a member of Scrutiny.
Supplemental
Councillor Hartrey indicated that she had not
referred to Councillor Anne Moore. She further expressed the
hope that Councillor Jarvie would do his utmost to promote the
scheme and asked if she could assume that the Cabinet Member for
Tourism and Leisure would encourage the trade to participate, given
his own interest in the matter.
Councillor Jarvie enquired as to what question
was being asked and referred to the earlier “attack” on a Member
absent from the meeting and the innuendo cast upon a Cabinet Member
as being appalling.
(v)
Question from Councillor N.P. Hodges
Would you positively consider that either the
Chair of Planning or Deputy, or the Leader or Chair of a Vale Town
or Community Council should be allowed to address the Vale Planning
Committee on a planning application of importance to that
community? I would expect this to be a rare occurrence and
only when agreed beforehand by the Chair of
Planning.
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Planning and Transportation
I assume you are referring to the Chair of
Planning or Deputy or Leader or Chair of a Town or Community
Council. Under current arrangements the addressing of
Planning Committee is not promoted. If arrangements were to
be put in place to allow the addressing of Planning Committee these
arrangements should be available to all stakeholders / interested
parties, and the applicants or their agents would be entitled to a
right of reply. Whilst I am more than happy to review with
the Head of Planning and Transportation our current arrangements,
any new proposed system would need careful consideration and would
need to be applied consistently and fairly. In this regard,
restricting the right of address to a Town and / or Community
Council would not be appropriate.
Supplemental
Whilst understanding the points being made,
Councillor Hodges expressed disappointment at the above response.
He referred to the concerns of a number of Town and Community
Councils that they were being sidelined in the planning process and
that due regard was not being given to their views, quoting
Cemetery Road, Barry as an example. In addition, he referred to
government proposals in relation to the determination of planning
applications for major projects which would result in little regard
being paid to local representations. He asked Councillor
James to look at the matter again.
(vi)
Question from Councillor N.P. Hodges
Has the Vale of Glamorgan Council risk
assessed the likelihood of the preferred developers delaying or
failing to build anything on the Barry Waterfront given the present
market conditions?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Planning and Transportation
The current market conditions are without
doubt a factor being considered by the preferred developers.
However, I am advised that work is continuing on pre-application
discussions with the preferred developers and the Head of Planning
and Transportation continues to take a firm line as regards to the
need for development to be of a high quality and mixed use in
nature in line with the planning brief proposed. This has to
be a goal of the Council, irrespective of current market
conditions. Future generations will not thank the Vale
Council if a substandard scheme is accepted on the basis of
unfavourable market conditions. As Councillor Hodges will
doubtless agree, quality is remembered long after the price is
forgotten.
Supplemental
Councillor James accepted that the ability of
the developers to deliver may have been affected by the change in
market conditions. He referred as well to the substantial
Planning Brief prepared by the Council. He agreed to meet
with the Consortium to identify relevant issues and help move the
development forward in a mutually agreeable way.
(vii)
Question from Councillor N.P. Hodges
How will the new Vale of Glamorgan Council
address the concerns that have been expressed since 1997 by many
Barry Island traders that accommodation for tourists is vital?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Tourism and Leisure
Tourism is one of the priorities for this
administration.
In the short-term we are concentrating on the
current strengths of Barry Island and have already attracted some
favourable day visitor events. These include the Real Radio
breakfast show, a national radio event and organising a visit for
disadvantaged children. Over 1,000 people attended. In
addition, a new Barry Island traders group has also been formed
with assistance from the Directorate to develop a meaningful
partnership in delivering a marketable product at Barry
Island. We are here to help the traders and have set up
meetings.
The issue of accommodation is a difficult one,
especially given the current economic situation. However,
staff within the Directorate are available and keen to assist new
or existing accommodation providers across the whole of the Vale of
Glamorgan offering advice and guidance regarding the procedures for
developing holiday accommodation and how to raise the quality of
existing properties. This is a matter, of course, for the
private sector not the Council.
Preliminary discussions are also being held
with hotel and other developers to explore options for developing
accommodation within Barry. However, such discussions are
still at a very early stage and such proposals would need to follow
an appropriate route through Council procedures and public
consultation.
The vacant site at Nells Point will be
re-marketed later in the year, subject to Cabinet approval, with
the objective of attracting tourism / leisure use. Traders on
the Island have made suggestions regarding possible companies who
may have an interest in developing the site and have been asked to
provide contact details for these to the Director of Environmental
and Economic Regeneration.
(viii)
Question from Councillor C.P.J. Elmore
Can the Cabinet Member please give me an
update on the Thompson Street Bridge?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Economic Development and Regeneration
This administration is fully committed to
commencing the construction of the bridge. The funding for
the bridge is to be provided from a variety of sources with the
Council’s Capital Programme contributing £1m, £600,000 being
provided by the Welsh Assembly Government and £400,000 being
provided by Associated British Ports.
Cabinet agreed to appoint Carillion to build
the bridge following a tender process carried out in September
2007. However some delays have taken place in respect of
gaining the necessary approvals and the formal Overbridge Agreement
from Network Rail to enable the Council to build over the railway
lines. Officers are also striving to gain agreements for
overflowing parking provision for the local surgery as its existing
parking would be affected by the site compound being used by the
contractor. Officers have discussed overflow parking with
Morrisons who are happy for use of the main retail park car park
(which they own) subject to consultation with the managers of the
local stores. This has taken place. Whilst local
managers have indicated their support, formal letters of approval
from the various Estates offices of the retail stores have not all
been received yet.
A late summer start is still expected and an
exact date for the commencement of works will be provided by
Carillion after the works contract has been signed. It is
expected that Carillion will take 4-6 weeks to mobilise on site
after contract signing. Appropriate press releases advising
of the start date will be issued when such information becomes
available.
Carillion is, at this time, producing a
revised programme of works.
I will ensure local Members and Councillors
generally will be kept fully apprised of what is happening with
this important project that links the Waterfront with the town
centre and adjoining residential areas.
Supplemental
Councillor Elmore asked for clarification as
to “late summer”. Councillor Traherne replied that it was not
possible to give a precise date at this juncture.
(ix)
Question from Councillor N.P. Hodges
Has the Vale of Glamorgan Council taken the
opportunity to review the views of John Punter, Design Commission
for Wales, on the poor quality designs of phase one Barry
Waterfront, and his recent views on Cardiff Bay creating
regeneration slums for the future?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Planning and Transportation
Council officers, throughout their discussions
with the Consortium, and more recently during a meeting with the
Design Commission for Wales, have listed design quality as one of
the key priorities of the Council when taking forward the
Waterfront scheme.
In this regard, the Council has produced a
document entitled “Barry Waterfront - Key Development Principles”
which all Members had received and which will be subject to
consultation in coming weeks. This document lists the
Council’s key priorities, and Design and Sustainability are two
such priorities.
With regard to Phase 1 of the Waterfront, I am
confident that the quality of design and construction significantly
exceeds that of similar developments in other waterfront locations
outside the Vale.
(x)
Question from Councillor K. Hatton
It was reported last week that the amount of
glass being recycled nationally has seen a big drop from 96% in
1997 to 48% in 2007. This is since the introduction of the
kerb-side collection and the mixing of paper and cans with
glass. Inevitably this has led to a reduction in the use of
bottle banks. Mixing means that substantial CO² savings are
being lost because glass is being polluted with these materials and
therefore cannot be 100% recycled.
What percentage of glass collected in the Vale
of Glamorgan is being 100% recycled?
Reply by the Cabinet Member for
Visible and Building Services
As Members will be aware, we operate a source
segregated household kerb-side collection service for all our
residents, with glass always kept separate from other
materials. I am very pleased to inform Councillor Hatton that
100% of the glass collected is recycled by our Contractors.
There is not the same reliance on bottle banks in the Vale as may
be the case in other Councils.
69
CHANGE TO MEMBERSHIP OF LICENSING COMMITTEE -
Councillor A.C. Williams had submitted his
resignation as a Member of Licensing Committee.
RESOLVED - T H A T Councillor Mrs. V.L. Ellis
be appointed to the Licensing Committee.
70
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2007/08 -
The Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations
2005 required the Council to prepare a Statement of Accounts for
each financial year.
The Authority was required by its External
Auditor to sign a “Representations Regarding the 2007/08 Financial
Statements” letter and that the letter be signed by the Section 151
Officer. In addition, within the representation letter was a
section “Representation by those charged with Governance” which
needed to be considered by the Council and signed by the Mayor as
Chairman of the Council if in agreement.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the signed Letter of Representation to Grant Thornton be noted
and that the “Representations made by those charged with
Governance” be agreed and signed by the Mayor as Chairman of the
Council.
(2) T H A
T the Statement on Internal Control (with the Statement of
Accounts) be approved and signed and stated by the Leader of the
Council at page 65.
(3) T H A
T the Statement of Accounts for 2007/08 be approved and signed and
dated by the Mayor as Chairman of the Council at page 13.
(4) T H A
T the Statement of Accounts be amended if required by the External
Auditor.
71
CLOSURE OF ACCOUNTS 2007/08 (REF) -
RESOLVED - T H A T the proposals of the
Cabinet as set out Cabinet Minute No. C48, 25th June
2008, be approved and the Capital Programme be amended.
72
TREASURY MANAGEMENT 2007/08 (REF) -
RESOLVED - T H A T the proposals of the
Cabinet as set out in Cabinet Minute No. C47, 25th June
2008, be approved.