Cabinet

The Chief Executive made the following announcements:- · Together with the Leader and the Chair of the Council, the Chief Executive had been privileged to represent Conwy at Wales’ National Service of Prayer and Reflection for Her Majesty the Queen on 16 September 2022 at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff. · Catrin Perry, the newly appointed Head of Integrated Adult and Community Services would start on Friday, 30 September 2022.

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

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits presented, for approval, the planned timetable and governance arrangements in relation to the Business Planning Framework for 2023/2024, which would set the budget, together with a high level indication of the financial outlook for the forthcoming year. Reference was made to the expected future uplift in the Settlement from Welsh Government with £177m (for Wales’ Local Authorities), equating to 3.5%, in 2023/2024 and £128m in 2024/2025, equating to 2.4%. It was noted that the formula used to calculate the Settlement favoured a young population, with £4k provided for each young person and £2k provided for each older person, which impacted on Conwy with a decreasing number of children and an increasing number of older people. The Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 5 September 2022 and supported the recommendations to Cabinet, with the following additional recommendation:- That it was not appropriate to apply blanket reductions across all services and that a strategic review of the functionality and impact of all services be undertaken in order that an informed view be taken in respect of budget reductions. The Cabinet Member advised that it was premature to consider the above recommendation, as the Budget Working Group would be reviewing the budgets of each Service and would discuss budget cuts as part of that process. The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources provided the following additional information:- · The pressures and budget shortfall had increased since the report had been written as a result of external factors, including interest rates, Welsh Government’s requirement to pay all care workers the Real Living Wage, pay settlements and energy price increases. · The rescinding of the National Insurance rise by UK Government, together with the reduction in employer pension contributions would realise some savings. · A review of the obligations of statutory duties and powers would be explored and the method of delivery challenged to decrease costs where possible. Discussion ensued as follows:- · It was imperative that both the UK and Welsh Government provided an increase in financial assistance to Local Authorities. · The increase in fuel costs had impacted on services, including home to school transport. · Cuts were normally targeted to support services, which would be detrimental to young people. · There would be a negative impact on all residents across the County Borough. · Increasing income generation and sponsorship would be explored. · Community engagement would be important to ensure that the public knew the reasons for an increase in Council Tax and possibly cuts to services, and a Communication Plan was in place. · The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits advised that he would present the financial challenges to Town and Community Councils (TCCs) on Monday, 3 October 2022. TCCs would be encouraged to precept at the earliest opportunity with a view to providing/supplementing some services. · An approach would be made to UK and Welsh Government Ministers to outline the challenges facing Local Authorities and the need for increased financial assistance. The Leader stated that demands on the Council would increase as the cost of living crisis impacted on residents. RESOLVED- (a) That the timetable and process for the Business Planning Framework for 2023/2024 be approved. (b) That the scale of the potential funding gap in planning for the 2023/2024 budget be noted, whilst accepting that, in the current context, financial planning is extremely difficult.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Safeguarding sought approval to establish a new programme of work to transform residential placements for children and young people in Conwy, which would form part of the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme The Programme was in response to the significant pressure on the Looked After Children Independent Placements budget, which was exceeding the allocated budget. Over the last 5 years there had been an increase in both the number of placements required and the cost for independent placements. The Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 7 September 2022 and supported the recommendations to Cabinet. Members agreed that young people were presented with better outcomes when their care needs were met in-house and were not placed in out of county placements. The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits advised that he would be interested in reviewing any savings made as a result of the new approach. Thanks were extended to the Service Manager - Looked After Children, together with the Programme and Project Manager, for producing the report. RESOLVED- (a) That the programme to transform residential placements for children and young people in Conwy County be endorsed. (b) That the programme of work be included within the existing governance structure for the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme.

The Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult and Community Services advised that, in line with the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014 requirements, a single regional Market Stability Report (MSR) had been produced for the North Wales Region and be approved by Council for each of the 6 North Wales Local Authorities and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 7 September 2022 and supported the recommendations. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Whilst the requirement is to produce an assessment every 5 years, a yearly report/update would be produced for Scrutiny. · It was important that social care was given an equal standing with health. · Delivery of care was challenging within the care sector in terms of cost and recruitment. · There was a drive for preventative measures by providing care for people to enable them to live in their own homes for as long as possible, which proved to be the most cost effective approach, as well as being preferred by the vast majority of residents. · Work was being undertaken with employment and educational organisations to encourage Welsh speaking care workers to join the sector. · The Budget Working Group would be valuable in assessing the costs associated with delivering social care for individuals at risk, especially when the budget was being proposed. · It was noted that in relation to domiciliary hours, there was only a 3% capacity for placements. · Micro-tasking would be used to explore the delivery of care services through working with different teams. · Many family members were undertaking care roles within their own families. · Members were advised that the Council had its own Commissioning Strategy, which was currently being refreshed to review the need at a community level. The Leader stated that benchmarking was a positive method of ensuring effective service delivery. RESOLVED- That North Wales Social Care Market Stability Report – 2022 be recommended to Council for approval. (Councillor Aaron Wynne declared a personal interest in the above agenda item, as a close family member works in the care sector. As the interest was not considered prejudicial Councillor Wynne was able to speak and vote on the matter.)

The Cabinet Member for Democracy and Governance sought approval to make the temporary change to the role and responsibilities of the Head of Corporate Human Resources a permanent change and to change the job title to Head of People and Performance. Following Cabinet’s approval on 11 October 2021 (Minute 500 refers) to temporarily change the role and responsibilities of the Head of Corporate Human Resources to incorporate the Corporate Improvement and Development Team (CIDT), a review had been undertaken, which had proved that the revised structure was successful. The Chief Executive advised that he and the Strategic Directors were fully supportive of the permanent change. RESOLVED- (a) That the change to the remit of the Head of Corporate Human Resources, incorporating responsibility for the Corporate Improvement and Development Team, be made permanent, based on the review outlined in the report. (b) That the job title be changed on a permanent basis to the Head of People and Performance.

In the absence of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Roads and Facilities – Infrastructure, the Leader sought approval to submit an application for Llandudno Coastal Defence Improvements, as outlined in Option 1 of the report, in line with the Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) guidance, as agreed by Welsh Government Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) branch, whilst the funding was available. Option 1 was outlined as follows:- Submit an application for funding to carry out the detailed design and submission of a full business case as requested by FCERM, which was in line with the CRMP guidance. At North Shore, modify and extend the existing dwarf wall to the rear of the promenade and at West Shore this would involve the modification of and extension of the existing rear wall between Gloddaeth Avenue and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) pumping station. Members were also requested to support the Council pursuing funding for the additional works identified by Cabinet on 8 June 2021 (Minute 118 refers), which included the replacement of the cobble bank with sand at North Shore, Llandudno between Children’s Corner and Vaughan Street. The Economy and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 17 August 2022, supported the recommendations to Cabinet, and sought approval for an additional recommendation as follows:- That further lobbying of UK Government and Welsh Government Ministers for Economy and Climate Change be undertaken regarding the potential added benefit of a sand option to tourism in Llandudno and the surrounding area. The Leader advised that he agreed with the above recommendation, which was supported by Cabinet. Discussion ensued as follows:- · Members were informed that CRMP funding was purely for flood defences and alternative funding routes would need to be explored for any project involving sand deposits. · If a tourism levy was introduced, depositing sand in North Shore, Llandudno to increase tourism could be a good scheme to be funded from that levy. Members supported the recommendations, as the risk of coastal flooding to the properties in Llandudno needed to be reduced. RESOLVED- (a) That an application for Option 1, as outlined above, be submitted in line with the Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) guidance, as agreed by Welsh Government Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) branch, whilst the funding is available. (b) That the Council continues to pursue and identify additional funding for the additional works, as identified by Cabinet on 8 June 2021. (c) That further lobbying of UK Government and Welsh Government Ministers for Economy and Climate Change be undertaken regarding the potential added benefit of a sand option to tourism in Llandudno and the surrounding area.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory sought approval for a public consultation on the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP), in line with Welsh Government policy, which required all Local Authorities to have a 5 year RRTP. Rapid Rehousing was a housing-led approach to rehousing people that had experienced homelessness. It made sure they reached a settled housing option as quickly as possible, rather than staying in temporary accommodation for too long. This helped to avoid the destabilising and marginalising effects of prolonged homelessness, or prolonged stays in emergency or temporary settings. Members were advised that the final RRTP would be presented to Scrutiny before being approved by Cabinet. Discussion ensued as follows:- · There was a misconception of homelessness, with many working households now finding themselves in a position of being homeless. · Homelessness had a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing, with children and young people negatively affected in terms of their education. · The housing crisis outlined the need for Local Authorities to be funded adequately to deal with the growing demand for housing, as a result of the increase in homelessness cases. · The past ‘business like’ approach to housing had failed, with social housing being sold and not being replaced and a lack of private rental accommodation. RESOLVED- That the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan be approved for consultation.