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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that the budget report be noted.
RESOLVED that the bank reconciliation dated 1 Dec 2022 and payments and receipts for 8-11-22 to 04-01-23 be approved.
Apologies were received from Cllrs Searl, Frayne and Jago.
There were none.
A resident was present and advised that a Warm Hub is being opened in Trelewis Community Centre, on a two-week trial. Cllr Thomas and Matthews advised that there is no disabled access to the first floor in the Community Centre. The resident advised that the first floor is the warmest part of the building hence the decision to place it there. The resident also asked if the trees in the area of the bowls club in Trelewis can have bark around them to inhibit any grass growth around the base of the trees. The Clerk will forward the query to the County Councillors as if this is possible it would need to go via the Parks department at MTCBC.
The Police were not in attendance and no email report has been received. The Chair sent an email to Inspector Duckham on 08/01/2023 regarding lack of engagement from the Police and he is awaiting a response. The Clerk telephoned Merthyr Police Station to speak to PC Sian Morgan today – PC Morgan was on shift but not in the office at the time, the Clerk was provided with a work mobile number, a voicemail message was left and a text message sent but no response received as of yet.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held 12 December 2022 be approved.
The Clerk advised in the previous meeting that there was a leak in the Community Centre roof, it has since been discovered that this was caused by vandalism and a rock was thrown at the roof causing £170 worth of damage. Item 357 – the Clerk has enquired with MTCBC if the Council will hear soon about the Welsh Government funding for Warm Hubs and an update is expected this week. Item 285 – MTCBC Estates department have advised that a planning consultation has taken place re the re-development of the MUGA at Mackintosh Terrace, Trelewis. Planning has until the 10th of January 2023 to respond; a full consultation will then take place for a period of 3 weeks. Item 347 – no start date has been received from the Leisure Trust yet as to when they would like to commence the opening of the community library. Item 358 – the grant to Bedlinog RFC Mini’s has been paid. Item 359 – residents’ concerns regarding planning application P/22/0303 have been raised with MTCBC Planning Department. Item 365 – MTCBC have been informed as the billing authority of the precept level for FY23/24. A Band D property charge will increase by 18p per week.
Cllr Dawson stated that he attended Bethel Chapel service on the 18th December 2022, on behalf of the Community Council. The event went very well. The chapel has a leak in the roof and Cllr Dawson enquired whether they could apply for a grant via the Community Council. The Clerk advised that enquiries will be made as to whether Community Councils can grant to Church owned buildings, and will update at the next Council meeting.
County Cllr Symonds sent apologies. Cllr Ian Thomas advised that Welsh Government gave a provisional settlement in mid-December of 7% increase in funding and the finalised settlement will come in March 2023. The deficit is estimated to be 11.8m, with an expected Council Tax increase of 1%.
The Community Council funded coffee mornings to support parents and carers in the community with children with additional learning needs. We have been provided with £1195 Neurodivergence funding to continue this work – all teaching staff in Bedlinog and Trelewis Primary Schools will receive Neuroteachers training, and access to the National Autistic Society Professional Conference will be funded. The Community Council will provide free play events for children within the community during February Half Term and Easter holidays – proposed dates are: 20/02/2023 0–4-year-olds Bedlinog 21/02/2023 5–7-year-olds Trelewis 22/02/2023;0–4-year-olds Trelewis 23/02/2023;8–11-year-olds Bedlinog 12/04/2023;5–7-year-olds Bedlinog 13/04/2023;8–11-year-olds Trelewis The Monitoring Officer at MTCBC will be delivering Code of Conduct training for all Community Councillors on Tuesday 17th January 2023, at 5.30pm. Correspondence was received from the Chief Finance Officer at MTCBC, who was contacted by County Cllr Symonds regarding the precept level for FY23/24. The CFO contacted the Clerk for a response to the questions raised – including, how are the Community Council able to resolve the precept level before MTCBC budgets have been finalised; Is the % increase fair and justified; Should it be published in the public domain. The CFO explained in his response that the Community Council is independent of MTCBC and is responsible for the setting of its precept. The Clerk advised that the increase is due to the increase in energy costs, inflation rises, and the local government pay award (note the Community Council is also a living wage employer which increases in 2023), which are all affecting budget. Also, that the precept level has been published in the minutes and on the website. There will be a newsletter going out in February and the precept level will also be published in printed copies for those residents not on social media. A report is going to MTCBC Full Council 11th January 2023, in respect of their budget deficit for FY23/24 citing similar issues, including, the pay award, energy costs, living wage, and inflationary impact – it was stated that local government at all levels is affected by the current cost of living crisis. It is worth noting that the percentage increase is higher for a Community Council than a County Council because the budget of a Community Council is significantly lower. A 1% increase for the County Council would bring an additional 255k approx. whereas for the Community Council, a 1% increase would bring in £278.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the budget report be noted.
RESOLVED that the budget report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the bank reconciliation dated 1 Dec 2022 and payments and receipts for 8-11-22 to 04-01-23 be approved.
RESOLVED that the bank reconciliation dated 1 Dec 2022 and payments and receipts for 8-11-22 to 04-01-23 be approved.
The date of the next Council meeting is Monday 13th February 2023.
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