Cabinet

The Chief Executive, together with Members, extended their congratulations and thanks to the Head of Environment, Roads and Facilities, Geraint Edwards, on 40 years’ service to the Council.

Members were presented with the Forward Work Programme for the Cabinet. RESOLVED- That the Cabinet Forward Work Programme be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities (ERF) – Infrastructure sought approval for the of the preferred highway layout option (Option 1) for the Colwyn Bay Waterfront Phase 2b project to enable the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process to progress. The Council secured a grant from Welsh Government’s Coast Risk Management Programme (CRMP) in March 2022 to fund coastal defence works at Rhos on Sea. The works aimed to mitigate the risks associated with failing coastal defences, together with providing a number of wider benefits to the community. In line with the requirements of the funding, planning permission was granted for the project by the Planning Committee on 9 March 2022. A consultation with the public had been undertaken on the various options. Although some respondents objected to the project going ahead the community, as a whole, appeared to be supportive of the overall proposals, which included the changes to the highway layout. Local Ward Members for the area were provided with the opportunity to put forward their observations, with the following comments made:- · The flood defences were welcomed, however, concerns were raised with regard to the safety of those residing in the vincinity of the Cayley Embankment. · Option 1 would improve the wellbeing of all those living within the area by encouraging cyclists and pedestrians, with a view to reducing car usage. · The inclusion of additional amenities for children was welcomed. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Members were familiar with the site and did not consider that a site visit was required, before a decision was made. · Traffic calming measures on the Cayley Promenade would be an additional disincentive for traffic. Double yellow lines would be included on the landward side of the Cayley Promenade. · For the purpose of carrying out the Environmental Impact Assessment, a conservative allowance of 90/10 split of traffic, with 90% going over the Cayley Promenade and 10% using West Promenade was adopted, to ensure that the effects of the changes of the highway layout change would not be under-estimated in the assessment. · Pedestrian only areas had been included within the proposals for the Lower Promenade. · A speed limit of 20mph would be included within the area. · In relation to whether a ‘do nothing’ approach could be taken to save money, especially as the Council was facing severe financial, the Head of ERF advised that the grant had been approved and costs would be incurred, if alternative road layouts were put forward at this late stage. · Further to the above, as the contractor had been appointed, any significant alteration or reduction in the scheme would still result in the contractor’s profits having to be paid, in line with the original project. The Leader stated that when considering options, the impact on future generations had to be a consideration for the development. It was accepted that not everyone would welcome the scheme, however, consultation had been undertaken with the community. RESOLVED- That Option 1 (Highway Layout B) be approved, to progress the preferred highway layout option of introducing 1-way traffic heading eastwards on West Promenade and retaining 2-way traffic along Cayley Promenade, supplemented by additional safety and traffic flow improvements requested by the community, on to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits presented a review of the half year 2022/2023 outturn position forecasts, with a likely overspend position of around £10m. It was noted that the overspend was as a result of higher pay awards than had been budgeted for, inflationary pressure relating to fuel and energy, and increased demand for services particularly in relation to looked after children and homelessness. Without taking remedial action, any overspend in the current year, would result in the Council’s reserves and balances being seriously eroded. Given the worsening economic landscape, the Council now needed to protect its reserves to build and provide better resilience to face the significant challenges in 2023/2024. The Chief Financial Officer was now of the view that remedial action needed to be taken in year, to responsibly manage the position and contain spend within budget, in order to avoid the use of reserves in balancing the 2022/2023 outturn position. As a result, an instruction had been given to all budget holders across the Council to consider a range of measures to contain spend in year as follows:- · Recruit essential posts only/consider temporary redeployment · Review activities to establish whether they could be slowed or temporarily paused · Do not undertake unavoidable expenditure · Ensure that income collection was maintained · Pause starting new projects where feasible (unless delivering essential services, or would lead to additional cost in year) · Freeze any further use of earmarked reserves, unless already contractually committed pending review · Pause starting any new capital schemes pending review · Review use of grant funding It was important for Members to recognise that these actions may impact on service provision over the remainder of the year. However, it was important to note that essential services would continue. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Cabinet Members were working closely with Heads of Service, especially in relation to reviewing whether services could be delivered differently at a reduced cost. · Further to the above, the Chief Executive advised that the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) were meeting with all Heads of Service to review what could be reduced, delaying of schemes and the impact on other services, which would be relayed to Cabinet Members. · The Budget Working Group, which all Members were invited to attend, would be reviewing, in-depth, all service budgets. · It was an unprecedented time of financial pressures for all Services, with years of consecutive budget cuts, schools and other services still impacted by the Covid pandemic, including the effect of homelessness on children and families, and the reduction, rather than investment, in services. · In terms of pay freezes for staff, which had been introduced in the past, it was noted that in the current financial climate, staff were also facing the cost of living crisis. It was acknowledged that staff were a key resource. · In relation to communication with residents, all reports were publicly available with the role of the Local Ward Members being key in relaying the messages within their communities. · Low Council Tax rises over the years had resulted in a low level of reserves, which had to be reflected upon when setting future Council Tax rises. However, it was acknowledged that residents were also facing the cost of living crises. The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources was thanked for all the work undertaken, including the informative presentations given to Members on the budget. RESOLVED- That the actions taken by the Chief Financial Officer to manage the 2022/2023 financial position be endorsed.

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure presented the Welsh Public Library Standards Annual Return and the Welsh Government’s Assessment 2020/2021. Welsh Government summarised Conwy’s performance as follows: ‘Conwy library service continues to deliver a strong service with priorities on health and wellbeing, children, and bilingual provision. However, staffing levels are essential to the maintenance and development of these priorities. Staffing has been reduced by almost a quarter (22%) since the conclusion of the fifth WPLS framework (2017) and could impact on the ability of the service to deliver in the future.’ Although it was acknowledged that staffing had reduced, the service had still met all 12 of the Core Entitlements, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report. Members made the following comments:- · Both the library at developments at Glasdir, Llanrwst and the Conwy Culture Centre were an asset to their communities and provided an amenity for future generations. · The work undertaken with Community Libraries was acknowledged. · The Library Service was commended for the Warm Welcome scheme in libraries, which provided warm places for residents. Feedback had been positive with the social and wellbeing aspect of the scheme welcomed. The Section Head: Culture, Libraries and Information, together with her team, were thanked for the positive report, which outlined how a service could be delivered differently and still achieve national standards. RESOLVED- That the Welsh Public Library Standards Annual Return and the Welsh Government’s Assessment 2020/2021 be received.