Council

3.1 The Monitoring Officer and Assistant Chief Legal Officer (MO&ALO) advised of the following personal interests: Agenda Item 6, Receipt of Petitions – Councillor Rose Seabourne had assisted in the production of the petition. Agenda Item 13, Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Fit for the Future Business Case – the following Councillors were members of the Greater Gwent Torfaen Pension Fund: Stuart Ashley Richard Clark Fiona Cross Steven Evans Karl Gauden Elizabeth Haynes Nick Horler Jon Horlor Anthony Hunt Gaynor James Jon James Janet Jones Peter Jones Sue Morgan Norma Parish Mandy Owen Caroline Price Rose Seabourne Alan Slade Colette Thomas Jayne Watkins David Williams Nathan Yeowell Members confirmed the above interests.

4.1 Council confirmed the minutes of the Council meeting held on 10 June 2025 as an accurate record.

5.1 Council noted the action sheet.

6.1 Torfaen Resident, Mark Ward-Jones, presented a petition on behalf of Fairwater Square Regeneration Campaign in relation to support for the redevelopment of Fairwater Square, as follows: ‘To Cllr. Joanne Gauden Executive Member Regeneration Cllr David Daniels Executive Member Adult Services and Housing, Cwmbran Town Board: We, the undersigned, call upon Torfaen County Borough Council, Bronafon Community Housing, Cwmbran Town Board, and Stakeholders to support the redevelopment of Fairwater Square into a safe, accessible, and vibrant community hub. This much-needed transformation will improve the area for residents, businesses, and visitors alike while addressing key community concerns. Purpose of the Petition Fairwater Square has the potential to be a thriving centre for the local community, but currently, it faces issues such as antisocial behaviour, limited accessibility, and outdated infrastructure. We urge the local authority and partners to invest in the redevelopment of the site to create a space that meets modern housing, commercial, and community needs while fostering a sense of safety and inclusion. Key Objectives of the Redevelopment: 1. Enhancing Safety and Aesthetics: · Reduce antisocial behaviour by improving lighting, security, and overall environmental design. · Upgrade public spaces with well-maintained landscaping, seating areas, and improved walkways. 2. Improving Accessibility for All: · Ensure easy access for elderly and disabled residents by implementing smooth pathways, ramps, and safe crossings. · Enhance public transport links and pedestrian-friendly routes. 3. Developing Modern Housing While Retaining Essential Amenities: · Introduce high-quality, affordable housing that caters to local demand. · Preserve and upgrade essential amenities such as shops, pharmacies, and local services. 4. Establishing a Community Hub: · Create a multi-purpose community hub that can host local events, workshops, and support services. · Provide spaces for youth activities, social gatherings, and cultural initiatives. 5. Connecting Key Local Services: · Integrate the existing Health Centre, Veterinary Clinic, and Dentist into the redevelopment plan to ensure easy access for all residents. · Facilitate improved coordination between local services to enhance community well-being. Local Councillors, residents and businesses believe that a well-planned redevelopment of Fairwater Square will create a welcoming and functional space that serves the needs of the entire South West Cwmbran Community. We urge Cwmbran Town Board, Torfaen County Borough Council and Partners to take action now and prioritise the transformation of Fairwater Square for a safer, more accessible, and thriving future.’ 6.2 Council agreed to refer the petition to Councillor Anthony Hunt, Leader, in the absence of Councillors Joanne Gauden Executive Member Regeneration and David Daniels Executive Member Adult Services and Housing, for them to consider, respond and report back in due course.

7.1 Public questions with replies are set out in Appendix A to these minutes.

8.1 The Leader made the following announcements: · Ysgol Bryn Onnen recently celebrated their 30th anniversary as a Welsh medium school. It had recently been announced that the school would be benefiting from a multi-million pound refurbishment, which was due to start next year. He was also pleased that Estyn had recently reported that the school had made good and sustained progress against previous recommendations and had been removed from monitoring. · The Council had been working closely with St Peter’s Church and a variety of local organisations to host a Service to mark VJ Day and 80 years since the surrender of Japan and end of the Second World War in the Pacific theatre. The Service would take place on Friday 15 August at 7.00pm at St Peter’s Church, Blaenavon, would provide an opportunity to reflect with pride and respect at the remarkable generation of men and women who helped secure peace and freedom. · Further to his promise to celebrate sporting success in Torfaen, he highlighted Torfaen Dolphins, who had gone from strength to strength in the past four years, winning numerous Swim Wales awards over this period and continuing to excel as one of the top performance programmes in Wales. This year, ten of their swimmers would be competing in the GB summer Nationals, with their highest number of athletes qualifying in years. He referred in particular to Theodora Taylor who continued to progress well and had recently competed for Aquatics GB in the European Junior Championships in Samorin, Slovakia. Thea had competed in the 50 freestyle and had not only achieved a silver medal, but a new Welsh senior record and a new British age group record. Thea also competed in the 100-fly making the semi-final, the 100m freestyle narrowly placing 4th and in the 100m breaststroke placing bronze in a new pb swim of 1.08.4. Thea's versatility and ability to swim all strokes across the various distances meant she was an invaluable member for all relays both female and the mixed events. The highlight was swimming the anchor freestyle leg of the 4 x 100 mixed IM relay, where the British team not only won the event but broke the European record in doing so. Thea had now been selected to compete for Aquatics GB in Romania in August at the World Junior Championships. · Pontnewydd Primary School celebrated 70 years of existence on 23 June 2025. He congratulate the school and thanked all of those involved in the school over the years for their hard work for pupils past and present. · Inspirations Performing Arts Academy put on a ‘On Broadway’ Show at Cwmbran Workingmen’s Club on 18th July. The event was well attended and all money raised went to the Samaritans. He congratulated the Academy. · The Suffragettes played a significant role in securing the right to vote for women under The Representation of the People Act 1918. The Act allowed women over 30 and who met certain property qualifications or who were married to a man who did to vote. It was another ten years and the passing of the Equal Franchise Act in 1928, before women had an equal basis as either men. With the right to vote, also came the right stand as a candidate. He was pleased to note that 97 years later far more women were involved in Council, with a woman being in charge of this meeting and a 50/50 cabinet. To celebrate the passing of the second act, rosettes and sashes were being worn in remembrance of the work and commitment of the suffragettes in ensuring future generations of women had their voice heard. · The latest 3G sports pitches had recently been opened by the Leader at Abersychan Comprehensive School and Llantarnam Primary School on 4 and 15 July, following a similar event in Trevethin in the spring. These new facilities contributed to the County Plan Wellbeing Objective 7, which aims to support and promote healthier lifestyles in Torfaen and demonstrated the Council’s commitment to provide improved sports facilities for the school and community. Both pitches were built by South Wales Sports Grounds to high specifications, being FIFA and World Rugby compliant, and are suitable for use by both schools and local football and rugby clubs. Funding for the Abersychan pitch came from the UK government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which, combined with a grant from the Cymru Football Foundation, delivered the facility. At the same time as building the pitch, the Shared Prosperity Fund enabled refurbishment of the old leisure centre, including changing rooms and sports hall, and also the creation of a new dance studio for use by the school and community. These works were carried out by GKR. The Council also worked with the school and GKR to relocate and refurbish the Learning Resource Base for pupils with additional learning needs and transformed the four old tennis courts into new netball courts for school and community use, two of which are floodlit like the pitch. Funding for the base and netball courts came from Welsh Government grants. The Llantarnam project was delivered by combining funding from the Council, the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, Cymru Football Foundation and Sport Wales. He thanked all funders for their contribution in delivering the fantastic facilities, and he recognised that the projects were delivered by a combination of council services working together with the schools and contractors, and he sincerely thanked them for their efforts, including the Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent technical and property teams, the Health, Sport and Fitness manager and the Education, SPF and Finance teams. He commented that in combination, the projects delivered represented an investment in the school and community of over £6m and he hoped that the school and community would enjoy the facilities to the maximum. · He welcomed Boyd Paynter to the meeting, who is a member of Torfaen Youth Forum. He had recently been appointed as a youth representative on the Board of Coleg Gwent and was attending Council to give a presentation on the voice of youth. Members congratulated on Boyd on his presentation.

9.1 Councillor Peter Jones, Executive Member Corporate Governance and Resources, introduced the report which presented an End of Year Performance Update for the Council’s County Plan Delivery Plan 2024-25, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, to Council for noting. The plan outlines the progress made delivering the Council’s commitments during the 2024-25 financial year. He commented as follows: • He thanked all officers involved in developing the report. • The Council was committed to producing an annual delivery plan throughout its 5-year lifespan and progress against the plan is reported twice a year into full Council. • The report meant that three years of the five-year cycle for the plan had been completed, and he was very pleased to report that progress was excellent. • Against the milestones set out, 71.6% were reported as on target or completed, 23.6% of actions were experiencing some difficulties but with a clear route back to being on track, and 3.4% were deemed as having more significant concerns. During the course of the year, two activities had to be aborted. • He didn’t use the word excellent lightly, but as the report set out that the vast majority of the delivery plan was on target or had been successfully completed, he was immensely proud of the services and of officers across the Council, who continued to deliver for the citizens of Torfaen. • Some of the successes delivered during the year were: - The completion of the 50 place extension at Crownbridge and the 3G pitch at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw. - Attainment above modelled expectations in the capped nine measure and improved attendance across both primary and secondary schools. - Delivering a number of training and employability schemes beyond the council’s targets. - Completeing 40 low carbon or zero energy installations at Community Centres, Sports Clubs and Business premises across Torfaen. - Opening the new Pontypool and New Inn railway station. - Refurbishing and upgrading Blaenavon Tennis Courts. • Where expectations were not being met, he provided members with reassurance around targets currently judged to be amber or red. He stated that services were continually reviewing progress and that performance was being monitored carefully and regularly through the Council’s Executive Team and Policy Development Forum. • Red or amber did not mean that the council wasn’t going to deliver. The Council would deliver but for assorted reasons it might not be as quick as originally thought. The Council’s targets were meant to be challenging and if monitor properly, there was sometimes a need to adjust to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved. He provided an example of this from his portfolio: - The temporary closure of Cwmbran Library for refurbishment had meant lower visitor numbers as the facility was unavailable. Whilst the overall physical footfall will have had an impact on the 24/25 County Plan target about visitor numbers, je was pleased to report that since the re-opening, physical footfall has returned to a high level. - The closure of Cwmbran Library was strategic, setting the stage for long-term improvements. This included: Reconfigured spaces for agile working and study. A new teenage library to engage younger readers. Designated health and well-being areas to integrate social support services. Upgraded digital facilities to improve accessibility. - This investment aligned with Torfaen’s County Plan and Marmot Masterplan, ensuring libraries remained vital spaces for learning, engagement, and social inclusion. The expectation was that post-renovation, visitor numbers and book issues would increase, reinforcing the library’s role as a key community asset, and he was happy to report that this was the case. When the target was agreed in 2022, it was not known that officers would have secured the funding for a major refurbishment. He was grateful to them for this, and unlike other Welsh Councils, the library service had improved as a result. - This example demonstrated that even when a target was reported as red, it did not always mean that there were significant concerns. 9.2 The Chief Executive commented as follows: • Reporting to Council continued to ensure transparency and accountability to all members and to the residents of Torfaen. • It was important to highlight that the progress detailed within the report wouldn’t have been possible without the combined effort, commitment and collaboration of everyone involved. • The delivery of the County Plan was a joint effort, drawing on the strengths, perspectives and dedication of council staff, elected members, community groups, partners, and volunteers alike, with each contributor playing a vital role om ensuring that shared goals were not only set but achieved and actively pursued through partnership and collective action. • Becoming the first Marmot Council in Wales was a significant milestone for the County and it signalled the collective commitment to place health equity at the forefront of everything that the council did, aligning perfectly with the County Plan aspirations. • This pioneering status would be advanced by another first for Wales, that being the progress on the council’s federated partnership with Blaenau Gwent, where opportunities were being sought to co-create solutions that delivered more meaningful and lasting change for residents across both Counties. • This work would take the council forward in the next year and beyond the County Plan of 2027. The development of a longer-term Master Plan was something that he would continue to engage with Members on over the coming months. 9.3 In summary, Members were pleased to see an increase over the quarters for the completed actions. It was felt that an additional example to highlight, whereby an action was noted as red but showing significant improvement, was Looked After Children. Members were also pleased to see the commentary in relation to some of the aborted actions, which they felt was important in an active Plan as it provided rationale. It was also felt that reference could be made within the headline of the report to the connection to Marmot, as this was positive and underpinned the work around the County Plan. 9.4 Cllr Sue Morgan, Executive Member Waste & Sustainability commented around the living and ongoing process around the County Plan, and that the Council was able to look back at the success of delivery whilst being mindful of the current objectives. An example of one of the Objectives was to maximise funding opportunities for enhancing the local natural environment. She congratulated the team involved in achieving £800k in National Lottery Heritage Funding under the Nature, Towns and Cities Grant Programme, which only two local authorities in Wales were successful in securing. She thanked the officers involved for putting together an excellent bid. The Leader commented around the importance of the County Plan Delivery Plan, which provided a thread of strategy and vision to the work undertaken by the Council. He congratulated officers on the work the undertaken around securing the funding which would benefit residents. 9.5 Council unanimously agreed to note the progress made delivering the County Plan Delivery Plan 2024-25.

10.1 The Chief Executive outlined the report which asked Council to note the final Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) and the next steps set out under the Local Government and Elections Act 2021. 10.2 Members were pleased to see such a positive report, commenting in particular around the recognition of the council’s ambitions and innovative vision to address health and equality in the borough. 10.3 The Leader welcomed the positives noted within the report and the conclusions drawn from the assessment. He commented around the importance of an external review which enabled the Council to reflect and consider what could be done better. He thanked everyone that had been involved in the assessment, and he looked forward to taking forward the work mentioned within the report. 10.4 Council unanimously agreed to note and agree the final Panel Performance Assessment report.

11.1 The Strategic Director Resources outlined the report which detailed the activities of the treasury management function during 2024/25 and fulfilled the requirements of the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management and the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities. 11.2 Members were pleased that the Governance and Audit Committee had been given the opportunity to scrutinise the activities in detail and felt that this was a helpful process. 11.3 Council unanimously agreed to note: (i) The Treasury Management borrowing activity for 2024/25 in paragraph 4.1. (ii) The Treasury Management investment activity for 2024/25 in paragraph 4.2 (iii) The review of the Treasury Prudential Indicators in paragraph 4.3. (iv) The Capital Programme in paragraph 4.4.

12.1 The Team Leader, Planning, Policy & Implementation, outlined the report seeking approval to: · adopt the Updated Planning Obligations SPG: Annex 1 on Affordable Housing; and · delegate powers to the Team Leader - Planning Policy & Implementation to make any necessary factual updates to all adopted SPGs. 12.2 Members thanked officers for the clear and succinct report. 12.3 Council unanimously agreed to: • adopt the Updated Planning Obligations SPG: Annex 1 on Affordable Housing, July 2025 (attached at Appendix 1 to the report); and • delegate powers to the Team Leader, Planning Policy & Implementation to make any necessary factual updates to all adopted SPGs.

13.1 Cllr Nathan Yeowell, Chair of Pensions Committee, introduced the report and commented as follows: • The report presented the future of the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) and the Greater Gwent Pension Fund’s role within it. This followed the UK Government’s “Local Government Pension Scheme Fit for the Future” consultation, mandating significant reforms to how Local Government Pension Scheme assets are managed. It presented a significant vote of confidence in the general direction of travel taken by the Greater Gwent Fund over the past three to four years and heralded a new phase in collaboration between the eight Welsh pension funds that came together to create the WPP in 2017. • The report sought council approval to create a new investment management company to ensure compliance with these reforms and to secure the long-term sustainability and autonomy of the Welsh funds. Matters relating to the Greater Gwent Fund are delegated to the Torfaen Pension Committee, but certain decisions affecting the Local Government Pension Scheme are reserved matters and as such, require Council approval. • The significance of the reform proposals required full Council approval before the formation of the investment management company could proceed. • The report and its appendices provided extensive background on the WPP and its history, along with detailed proposals for implementing key reforms outlined by the government. Cllr Yeowell stressed that the reforms did not mean: - The government was proposing any changes to the benefit structure of the LGPS, so scheme members or pensioners would not be affected. - While the government sought to rationalise LGPS investment asset management, there was no suggestion that these reforms would impact the administering authorities or the day-to-day administration of the scheme by Torfaen County Borough Council and the other 85 administering authorities in England and Wales. 13.2 He stated that the proposals represented a once in a generation opportunity to shape a Welsh-led LGPS investment future, safeguarding pensions, supporting local growth, and strengthening governance. He commended the recommendations to Council and welcomed the support of Council. 13.3 The Head of Pensions outlined the report which sought Council approval to progress implementation of WPP Fit for the Future Business case (“Project Snowdon”) approved by Westminster Government. In summary, he introduced himself as the Head of Greater Gwent Pension Fund, and he added the following comments: • The Fund is administered by Torfaen County Borough Council and represents the five Gwent local authorities and around 50 other employers in the Scheme, including housing associations, leisure trusts, and town and community councils. • The fund has around 67,000 scheme members broadly split with a third actively working, a third with deferred benefits, and a third in receipt of pension. • There was around £4.5b of scheme member money that was invested and managed day to day and was directed via a strategic allocation by the Pensions Committee. • The focus and substance of the report before Council today was solely on the way in which the £4.5b, as part of the £25b in aggregate across Wales is managed in the long term 13.4 The Leader was pleased that Torfaen was recognised as a leading voice in Pensions across Wales and beyond. He welcomed the report and the recommendations, and he thanked Cllr Yeowell, Chair of Pensions Committee, and the Head of Pensions for their leadership on the matter. He also commented around the importance of remembering that this matter concerned the pension scheme members, and delivering the retirement of the council’s hardworking staff, the vast majority of whom were modestly paid frontline staff, who were running vital services that were relied upon. In response to comments and questions by members, the following main points were made: • Whilst the investment management arrangements were moving to a new regulated investment management company, the administering authority and the Pensions Committee would retain full autonomy over its investment strategy. • The regulatory nature of the new entity meant that the governance would be strengthened, the relationship between company and the councils would be binding via a shareholding agreement which would be detailed in terms of transparency and accountability. • There hadn’t been any offer from central government to support costs in navigating the process. It was recognised that £3m was a significant amount of money, however, in the context of how pension funds operated and the £25b operation, £3m was considered to be a manageable cost shared equally amongst the eight Welsh funds, and it was expected that this would be recovered over time as the efficiencies of the new entity played out in practice. • All pension fund costs sat within the pension fund itself, not the general fund of the council, therefore, there would be no impact on the council’s budget. • There are currently eight pension pooling arrangements across England and Wales, all eight had come forward with a separate business plan to demonstrate how they expected to meet the new reforms outlined by government. Of those eight, the government approved six plans, with the Brunel Pension Partnership and ACCESS being told to explore mergers with other existing pools. The government had given them until September this year to come forward with a plan to merge with one of the remaining six pools. • Wales has been allowed to stand on its own two feet due to the evolved administration, and there was recognition that Wales is an autonomous unit with merit. • The letter attached as Appendix 6 was the version sent to the WPP, however there was an equivalent that was sent to the other seven regional pools. The letter included a general note that confirmed the situation in terms of the way government had assessed the eight business case submissions, of which six were successful and two were not. 13.5 Council unanimously agreed to: • Note the WPP Fit for the Future Business Case previously approved by the JGC and noted by The Pension Fund Committee (Appendix 3, and Section 6). • Approve the formation of a corporate entity wholly owned by the WPP Administering Authorities (AAs) to be the WPP Investment Management Company (IMCo.) and all other actions necessary to submit an application to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for the authorisation of the IMCo. including but not limited to the selection and recruitment of Senior Management Function (SMF) roles as required by the FCA and the preparation and submission of the application to the FCA (Section 5). • Approve the revised WPP Business Plan & budget 25/26 which includes design/enabling costs for Project Snowdon (Appendix 4 and Section 6 of this report). • Delegate the Strategic Director of Resources (Section 151 Officer), in consultation with the Pension Committee Chair, to progress Project Snowdon alongside WPP Administering Authorities (AAs) in line with the Government timetable and within the approved budget. • Delegate the final approval of the final formal documentation required for IM Co. to be operational, described as “Go Live Work” as outlined in Section 10, to the Pension Fund Committee to give effect to The WPP Fit for the Future Business Case.

14.1 Mrs Kathryn Pegington, Chair of Governance & Audit Committee, outlined the work of the Governance and Audit Committee for the 2024-25 municipal year. 14.2 Councillor Peter Jones, Executive Member Corporate Governance and Resources and member of Governance and Audit Committee commented around the importance of the work of the committee, which provided council with reassurance that financial arrangements were correctly in place. He thanked the committee for their work, in particular lay members who played an important role in independently reviewing the work of the council. 14.3 The Leader thanked the Chair of Governance and Audit Committee, all cross-party members of the Committee, the Executive Member Corporate Governance and Resources, and all officers who supported the work of the committee. He felt that the key messages within the report confirmed the importance of the assurances provided by the Committee, of having effective governance and internal control risk management systems. 14.4 Council unanimously agreed to note the work of the Governance and Audit Committee for the 2024-25 municipal year.

15.1 Item deferred.

16.1 There were no motions on notice.

17.1 Member questions with replies are set out in Appendix B to these minutes.

18.1 Council unanimously agreed to note the Cabinet Decisions.

19.1 The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 10.00am