Cabinet

None.

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

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure sought approval for the Museums Service Access Policy and Documentation Policy. The Museums Service Access Policy detailed how access to the Council’s museum collections would be as inclusive and equal as possible, in line with legal and best practice requirements. The Museums Service Documentation Policy set out how the service would maintain professional standards in the documentation and security of collections to ensure that all items in its care could be located. The creation of an Access Policy and Documentation Policy were important requirements of the Museums Accreditation Scheme process, as it allowed the applying organisation to think carefully about how it could meet the needs of diverse audiences and how it could ensure that the information held about collections was maintained and shared accurately and sensitively. Members supported both policies and praised the excellent service provided within the Council’s archive and libraries. RESOLVED- That the Museums Service Access Policy and Museums Service Documentation Policy be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Education sought approval for the relocation of the Foundation Phase Resource for Behaviour to Canolfan Addysg Y Ddraig Goch. A statutory consultation, in line with the School Organisation Code, had been undertaken from 5 December 2022 until 27 January 2023 in relation to the relocation of the Foundation Phase Behaviour Resource to Canolfan Addysg Conwy: Y Ddraig Goch site. The resource had been temporarily re-located to Y Ddraig Goch site for the 2022-2023 academic year. The consultation received responses from 8 respondents with no objections to the proposal to relocate the foundation phase resource base, with positive feedback provided by the learners. The inclusion of the Foundation Phase into Canolfan Addysg Conwy Pupil Referral Unit portfolio would undoubtedly strengthen Conwy’s approach to behaviour management across all Key Stages. The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 7 March 2023 and supported the recommendation. RESOLVED- That the relocation of the Foundation Phase Resource for Behaviour to Canolfan Addysg Y Ddraig Goch be approved.

The Cabinet Member sought approval for the recommended Priority Project Scoring Matrix (PPSM), which would be used as the methodology to score and prioritise the projects within the Strategic Outline Programme (SOP). The draft Strategic Outline Programme detailed the Council’s proposed Sustainable Communities for Learning Educational Establishment Development Programme. Once completed, using the PPSM, the draft Strategic Outline Programme would be presented to Scrutiny and Cabinet for consideration in the summer 2023. The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 7 March 2023 and supported the recommendation. Members were advised that the PPSM would be completed using the scoring criteria based on the data that was already held, together with the financial project costs and discussions would be undertaken with the School Strategic Planning Group. Using the accumulation of data as evidence would enable objective decisions to be made. It was understood that the process could be divisive but the decisions needed to be data driven, however, the schools would be kept updated as part of the process. The Leader stated that building costs had increased 30-40% and it was acknowledged that some schools within the Programme had delayed undertaking maintenance. RESOLVED- That the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme Priority Project Scoring Matrix be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Education presented the outcome, following consultation on the funding arrangements for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 Pupil Referral Unit provision in Canolfan Addysg Conwy. The long-term funding arrangements had previously been consulted on in the Additional Learning Needs and Social Inclusion Services consultation (2020-2021) with no long term decision reached. Two options were being presented for the long-term funding of Canolfan Addysg Conwy. Option 1 was the withdrawal of delegated funding and Service Level Agreement, and Option 2 was a 3-year Service Level Agreement, where schools could opt-in or opt-out. In Option 2, where schools look to opt-out of the agreement, a proportion of the delegated funds would be centrally retained by the Local Authority for central service provision. The long-term funding options presented had been consulted on with Conwy Secondary Headteachers and Canolfan Addysg Conwy staff. This had resulted in a preference for Option 1 by Canolfan Addysg Conwy staff, and Option 2 by Conwy Secondary schools. The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 7 March 2023 and supported Option 2 and requested an update report in 18 months’ time, which included feedback from Headteachers, Officers and the Pupil Referral Unit regarding issues and concerns in respect of schools that had opted-out of the Service Level Agreement. Further to the above, the Cabinet Member requested that Members approve Option 2 and was supportive of an updated report being presented to the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee. RESOLVED- That option 2 be approved as follows:- That the Service Level Agreement option remains in place for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 with a portion centrally retained for those that opt not to buy in. Schools would have the option of opting in fully with the full amount delegated or opting out with the return of a percentage of delegated amount. This option would be in place on a 3-year basis with schools committing to opt-in or opt-out for the duration of the 3 years.

The Cabinet Member for Democracy and Governance advised that the purpose of the mid-year performance report was to provide a summary of the progress the Council had made in 2022/2023 to deliver the Corporate Wellbeing Objectives set out in the Corporate Plan 2022-2027. The report represented the first progress report for the current Corporate Plan 2022-2027. Overall good progress had been made during the first six months to deliver the Council’s wellbeing objectives, despite staff and Members working within a challenging economic environment and still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. Due to the residual impacts of and continued recovery from the pandemic, there was political agreement that targets were not set initially for some performance measures, where at this early stage there was insufficient performance / trend data to assess a reasonable target to aim for. In addition, there were a number of trend measures where it was inappropriate to set a target. The performance trend was monitored closely and significant changes from previous reporting periods (where previous data was available) were supported by analysis and commentary from the service manager to understand what was happening and assess if intervention was needed. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 March 2023 and supported the recommendation. Discussion ensued as follow:- · In relation to making the job application process as streamlined as possible, Members were informed that work streams were reviewing improvements for recruitment and retention of staff, including the job description and job evaluation process, which included the advert and the application form. · Further to the above, feedback from successful applicants was collated, with the main positive theme being the flexibility of the role. · The Chief Executive stated that the Plan outlined the achievements that had been made, despite the difficult financial circumstances, which demonstrated the dedication of staff. Looking forward, the financial reality would result in pushing projects forward that would reduce the budget pressures on services. · The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits outlined the achievements of his portfolio in relation to the distribution of Welsh Government grants including the winter fuel scheme, unpaid carers support and school holiday free school meals payments. · The Cabinet Member for Education advised that the new curriculum had been introduced in all Primary Schools and the requirements of the Additional Learning Needs Education Tribunal (Wales) Act had been implemented. · In terms of the housing pressures, this was not reflected in the performance indicators and it was suggested that the rating should include key information to provide context to the measures. · The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure advised that, following the investment in the Leisure Centres, the Ffit Conwy membership had increased. · Work was ongoing with local businesses in relation to attracting visitors to the area over the winter months. · The increase in staff taking the opportunity to learn Welsh was welcomed. · It was important that the public were made aware of the Council’s achievements. · A Member requested that the same contract established with Denbighshire Council for the operation Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC’s), allowing residents from both counties to use HWRC’s across both counties, be established with Gwynedd County Council for those residents living in the West of the County Borough. · Staff wellbeing was important and hybrid working provided work-life balance, however, staff had returned to working from offices, including Coed Pella, Colwyn Bay. The Leader thanked officers for the report and stated that the Council was judged on the level of Council Tax charged, not the level of service that it provided. One example was that Conwy was one of only 8 Local Authorities in Wales to implement the Free School Meals for all infant aged learners. RESOLVED- That the Corporate Plan 2022-2027 Mid-Year Performance Report be approved and that the self-assessment that good progress has been made in delivering the Corporate Plan 2022-2027 Wellbeing objectives be acknowledged.

The Cabinet Member for Democracy and Governance presented the Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report and Annual Employment Monitoring Report, in order to comply with the requirements of the Statutory Duty (Wales) Regulations (2011) both must be published before 31 March 2023. The Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report 2021-2022 provided a progress update on the work undertaken in Conwy to achieve its Equality Objectives. The Employment Monitoring Report 2021-2022 outlined employment data as at 31 March 2022 for the permanent, fixed term and casual staff employed; details of recruitment outcomes (at application, shortlisting and appointment stages); training; disciplinary / grievance cases and leavers statistics for the year. The report outlined the breakdown of this information by protected characteristic. The report also provided gender data by grade, salary, job family and contract type, in accordance with what was required in the statutory duty legislation. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 March 2023 and supported the recommendation. In relation to the census data, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits advised that the reduction in the number of young people and the increase in the older population, resulted in a reduction in the annual financial settlement received from the Welsh Government, as a result of the formula used to calculate the distribution of funding. RESOLVED- That the Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report (2021-2022) and the Employment Monitoring Report (2021-2022) be approved for publishing on the Council’s intranet and internet sites to fulfil the requirements of UK and Wales Equality legislation, by 31 March 2023.

The Cabinet Member for Democracy and Governance sought approval for the Honoraria and Acting-Up Policy, which had been reviewed and updated to ensure that the Council retained a fair and transparent process for awarding a temporary additional increase to an officer’s pay. Honoraria payments were temporary, non-contractual payments made to an employee, where they had been asked to take on additional responsibilities outside the scope and above their substantive pay grade for a fixed period of time. ‘Acting-up’ arrangements allowed for manual/operational staff to stand in for absent staff on a higher grade immediately, so that they could undertake the full duties of the role in order to protect service continuity. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Members were informed that Heads of Service were already aware of the Policy and the review had strengthened the acting-up and honoraria process. · Applications for an honoraria had to be submitted by the line manager and would be assessed on a number of key criteria. · A monthly honoraria report would be issued in order to monitor the arrangements. · Honoria could only be implemented after a 4 week period, with acting-up implemented as and when required. · It was envisaged that the period of an honoraria should be no more than 12 months, if the additional duties were still being undertaken then a job evaluation exercise may need to be undertaken. · There was an escalation process to the Senior Management Team, if an honoraria was still being paid after a period of 2 years. · The letter to staff relating to an honoraria would make it clear the timeframe of the additional payment. · There was no current data on the cost of honoraria, however, honoraria could result in efficiencies to enable service continuity and to cover vacant posts. · The process for approving an honoraria was transparent and the updated Policy provided consistency. RESOLVED- That the Honoraria and Acting-Up Policy be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Democracy and Governance presented the Draft People Strategy objectives for 2022 – 2027 for approval, which aimed to both deliver, and in some cases explore (subject to funding) the Corporate Plan Outcome: Conwy County Borough Council is a resilient, well-run organisation and a good employer. A people strategy outlined the medium-term plan actions the Council wished to implement in order to attract, develop, train, engage and retain a talented workforce. A skilled workforce was vital for the ability to achieve our Corporate Plan objectives, and to plan for the workforce needs of the future. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 6 March 2023 and supported the recommendation. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Members considered that the Team Conwy approach could be improved. In the past Improving Conwy, which involved workshops with Members and staff to look at service delivery, had resulted in increased engagement between services, staff and Members. An alternative approach to the Improving Conwy process could be explored. · In relation to graduate apprenticeships, the Chief Executive advised that work would be undertaken with partners in relation to sharing the pathway for opportunities in Local Government. · Many ‘A’ Level students would be exploring alternatives to university, including apprenticeships. · Children leaving care should be a priority for apprenticeships. · The staff suggestion scheme had not resulted in many submissions and it was advertised within every staff newsletter. As it was the start of the financial year, the scheme could be pushed for ideas on reducing budget pressures. · The Conwy Conversation would support engagement with staff, including the submission of ideas on improved service delivery. · A report on agency workers would be presented to a future meeting of Cabinet. RESOLVED- That the Draft People Strategy 2022/2027 and the Draft Strategy Summary be approved.