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Cabinet approved placemaking plans for Blaenavon and Pontypool, and an economy and skills strategy to go to Council for adoption. It also agreed to commit £355,441 from the General Reserve to a new electronic document system, to let officers begin work with a company, EOI 3, on land at The British, and to redevelop Pearl Assurance House in Pontypool into a housing and support hub.
1. Attendance Executive Members (with Portfolios): Councillors: Anthony Hunt – Leader and Executive Member for Strategic Leadership Richard Clark – Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Education David Daniels – Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing Joanne Gauden – Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration Peter Jones – Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance Sue Morgan – Executive Member for Resources Mandy Owen – Executive Member for Environment Fiona Cross – Executive Member for Social Care and Housing Officers: Stephen Vickers – Chief Executive Nigel Aurelius – Assistant Chief Executive, Resources Justine Cass – Deputy Monitoring Officer Rachel Jowitt – Strategic Director, Economy and Environment Dave Leech – Strategic Director, Communities, Customer Service and Digital Jason O’Brien – Strategic Director, Social Care Jason Lewis – Director Corporate Services Andrew Powles – Deputy Chief Officer (Education) Lyndon Puddy – Head of Public Support Services Unit Simon Anthony – Head of Recycling and Environment Bethan McPherson – Head of Communities and Renewal James Vale – Head of Customer, ICT and Digital Ashley Thomas – ICT Client Management Officer Lucy Luxford – Records Management Project Officer Neil Jones – Head of Communication and Civil Contingencies Nansi Salkeld – Head of Democratic Services Kerrie Smith – PA to Leader and Deputy Leader (Maternity Cover)
2 Apologies for absence 2.1 There were no apologies.
3 Declarations of Interest 3.1 There were no interests declared.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
The minutes record no declarations of interest.
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4 Confirmation of Cabinet minutes – 03/10/2022 4.1 The minutes of the meeting held on the 3 October 2022 were confirmed as an accurate record of the meeting.
5 Updates on actions 5.1 There were no actions.
6 The British: Prior Information Notice Responses 6.1 The Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration highlighted the key areas of the report which requested that Cabinet: · authorise officers to draw up a licence agreement with EOI 3 granting them rights to undertake feasibility work on land at The British, subject to confirmation that no Council finance is required to complete this work; · authorise officers to work towards Heads of Terms for a joint venture arrangement with EOI 3, starting with a Memorandum of Understanding setting out how we will develop this in parallel with the feasibility stage; · to note that further due diligence on the financial and legal liabilities of a joint venture arrangements would be required and that funding will be required for additional specialist external advisors. The Strategic Director, Communities and Digital (SDC&D) provided further background information in relation to work that was undertaken in 2017/18 to produce a masterplan. The following points were noted: · focus since then had been on Phase 1 which includes geotechnical works; · there were 10 opportunity areas that were identified, and these are included within the masterplan; · at this stage the request for Members was to consider entering into heads of terms with the company to enter into a joint venture arrangement; · a team of appropriate advisors would be required to come forward and put something to market to determine final costs; · a further report will be brought to a future meeting. 6.2 The Leader questioned the community engagement aspect and sought clarification that the community engagement would be undertaken throughout the project. The SDC&D advised that the company are very committed to involving the community. As with all projects there could be a risk that this may not go ahead if the heads of terms aren’t agreed. 6.3 Cabinet agreed to: · authorise officers to draw up a license agreement with EOI 3 granting them rights to undertake feasibility work on land at The British, subject to no cost liability to the Council; · authorise officers to work towards Heads of Terms for a joint venture arrangement with EOI 3, starting with a Memorandum of Understanding setting out how we will develop this in parallel with the feasibility stage; note that further external due diligence on the financial and legal liabilities of a joint venture arrangements would be required and that a future funding request will be submitted to the Executive Member Resources once external support costs have been established.
7 Blaenavon and Pontypool Placemaking Plans (2022 - 2032) 7.1 The Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration informed Cabinet that Placemaking Plans for the town centres of Blaenavon and Pontypool had been prepared for the period 2022 – 2032 (see Appendix 2 and 3 to the report). She explained that Placemaking Plans were a pre-requisite to securing funding from key partners including Welsh Government and other funders including the UK Government and she highlighted the key areas of the report which requested that Cabinet approves the Placemaking Plans. 7.2 The SDC&D advised that: · considerable work was being undertaken with the new owners of Cwmbran Town Centre and the Cwmbran placemaking plan would be brought to Cabinet at a future date. · Blaenavon and Pontypool plans had been brought to the meeting as officers were keen to make sure that there was a framework in place to secure funding. These documents were a prerequisite to secure funding and the plans show intervention areas which were based on the specific needs of the town. · the plan breaks down the centre into intervention areas and these have been determined by the specific needs of the town. · the draft plans has been put out to consultation and some of the key concerns that came across was the low level footfall and poor retails options. Officers were working closely with WG on grant schemes such as their placemaking grants. The other areas were youth engagement which featured highly in the consultation responses and the public toilets on Hanbury Road. · consultation feedback has been incorporated within the Plans. 7.3 The Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance advised that he was particularly pleased that the Cwmbran placemaking plan would be developed in the near future. 7.4 The Deputy Leader advised that he fully supports the proposals and the consultations have been addressed within the report and the ongoing success of the projects. 7.5 The Executive Member Environment said it was important to listen to the views of the public and partnership work between TCBC and members of the public. 7.6 The Leader advised that there are often misconceptions on what can and cannot be done within Town Centres, but all town centres are facing difficulties. How do we try and develop specific engagement around our town centres for young people? 7.7 The SDC&D advised that we have engaged young people on the design of the plan and the type of facilities going forward. We have worked closely with Pontypool Community Council’s youth council and will continue to work with young people as the plans develop. 7.8 Cabinet agreed to: · approve both the Pontypool and Blaenavon Placemaking Plans (2022 – 2032).
8 Economy & Skills Strategy 8.1 The Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration advised Cabinet that prior to 2020, Council policy on Economic Development and Regeneration was captured in the Torfaen Economy and Enterprise Strategy. She explained that there was no associated policy relating to skills activity (employability, youth engagement/progression, ACL, training) and it was being requested that Cabinet consider the Economy & Skills Strategy (Appendix 2 to the report) and recommend the Strategy for adoption to Council. 8.2 The SDC&D informed Cabinet that: · this had been in development for some time and the pandemic had provided an opportunity to reflect and focus on what type of economy was required within Torfaen; · the Strategy centres around 3 core themes (people, place and business) and 8 objectives; · there were huge growth opportunities, and on the everyday economy side it was about securing employment and looking to be socially inclusive; · each of the objectives has their own targets and there was an action plan which sat behind the Strategy; · the action plan would be continuously updated, and an annual monitoring report would be presented to the Executive Member; · consultation and engagement had been undertaken with large numbers agreeing with the proposed vision and objectives. 8.3 The Leader thanked Officers for the report and commented that it was good to see work with WG and CCR. He thought there was a good balance and he thanked the businesses within Torfaen. 8.4 Cabinet agreed to: · approve the presentation of the Economy & Skills Strategy to Council for adoption
9 Pearl House Redevelopment 9.1 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing informed Cabinet members of the redevelopment of Pearl House, Hanbury Road, Pontypool into an accommodation and support hub. He explained that the report sought approval to progress the development of the project and to tender the support provision which would be funded through the Housing Support Grant. Pearl House was a dormant building, and the proposal was for 16 units of single person accommodation, 4 of which would be for quick accommodation and would be supported 24 hours a day which would hopefully lead to a more sustainable service to help people to get back on their feet. Several support services would be based on site, and it would be a total wraparound service. The capital costs would be funded by Welsh Government and one of the RSLs. 9.2 The Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance stated that it was an excellent report and anything that could be done to improve the housing situation in Torfaen we must be grateful for. 9.3 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing commented that it was overwhelmingly good news, however, the housing situation was very tricky and difficult, and although this would help expand this capacity, capacity of temporary accommodation was still slightly behind as private landlords were leaving due to increased market rates. 9.4 Cabinet agreed to: · approve the redevelopment of Pearl Assurance House into an accommodation and support hub; · approve the progression of a procurement process to support the development of this project.
10 Electronic Document Record Management Solution 10.1 The Executive Member for Resources advised Cabinet that a substantial portion of the Council’s electronic information was stored within shared network drives which have grown steadily over many years. He explained that this was unstructured electronic data, with no automated retention, relying on user disposal. Therefore, a substantial percentage was classed as duplicate, redundant, obsolete, or trivial information (DROT). He explained that the report sought Cabinet approval to appoint an external migration specialist to support the adoption of SharePoint Online as the Council’s Corporate Electronic Document and Record Management Solution and to commit £355,441 from the General Reserve to fund the implementation of this solution. The project had been developed in conjunction with Monmouthshire County Council. There was a lot of importance being put on change management and Members and Senior Officers needed to play an important role. 10.2 The Head of Customer, ICT and Digital (HCID) commented as follows: · Section 3 of the report stated that a joint project team had been set up with Torfaen CBC and Monmouthshire CC and the project team had been focussed on the best way to implement it and concluded that the external migration and change management solution should be taken forward; · a procurement exercise was undertaken, and full details were contained within Section 4 of the report; · Section 6.1 of the report detailed the costs associated with the project. These costs were based on the project being undertaken jointly with Monmouthshire CC; · Section 6.2 of the report highlights the potential risks without using an external consultant. 10.3 Cabinet agreed to: · appoint the preferred supplier to support the adoption of SharePoint Online as our Corporate Electronic Document and Record Management Solution; · commit £355,441 from the General Reserve to fund the implementation of this solution.
11 Public Participation Strategy 11.1 The Executive Member for Corporate Governance and Performance informed Cabinet that in 2012, Audit Wales carried out a review of public engagement in Local Government. He explained that Audit Wales had begun reviewing local authorities’ public engagement practices again this year and the Head of Communications and Civil Contingencies (HCCC) sought approval for the Public Participation Strategy, to demonstrate how local residents’ views were sought and influenced the final strategy, and to explain how the strategy will be embedded into the Council’s work. 11.2 The HCCC thanked the team who have pulled together the report, strategy and framework. He explained that consultation had been undertaken internally and externally and the Authority was undertaking participation surveys daily. He also referred to the new online participation platform which was open 24/7. He further explained that the report set out the background, issues and findings and the consultation that had been undertaken internally and externally to seek a variety of stakeholders’ views. 11.3 The Leader advised that talks had been ongoing around public engagement, communication and participation, and often the focus of the Council’s decision making was around visible services, with one concern being around unrepresented groups who may not be able to take part in these consultations. 11.4 The HCCC advised that the council was always looking for ways to identify and engage with unrepresented groups. The Youth Alliance was bringing together more young people into a forum, and the council regularly engaged with the local disability forum as well as the corporate parenting group. The succinct strategy was about always developing and always reflecting colleagues to ensure that they can reach as many people as possible. 11.5 The Leader commented around the importance of ensuring that the voice of the service providers within some of those areas are told stories of staff within the community and that the Youth Alliance and Disability Access Forums are regularly contacted to find out how things can be improved and what can be done to seek their views. 11.6 The Executive Member for Adult Services and Housing informed the meeting that there was a need to empower the underrepresented groups to start their own Forums and he advised that he is really pleased that the Torfaen Access Forum was part of this process. 11.7 The Executive Member for Corporate Governance commented around the importance of embedding accessibility into the council’s processes and engaging with the most vulnerable citizens. 11.8 The Executive Member Resources stated that empowering and co-producing this would involve all Council participation. 11.9 Cabinet agreed to: approve the Public Participation Strategy.
12 Exclusion of Press and Public 12.1 Cabinet agreed to the exclusion of the press and public as the report was not for publication in accordance with Paragraph 14 of Scheduled 12A of the Local Government Act 1971 (as amended) as the report contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information) and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.