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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 Officer and team be thanked for the successful rollout of ICT equipment and support provided.
RESOLVED – That the training activity for the period April 2024 to June 2024 be noted and the increase in the level of E-Learning module completions be acknowledged.
RESOLVED – That the Chief Officer Governance & Customer be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales taking account of the views expressed by the Democratic Services Committee in considering the draft Annual report of the IRPW and the consultation question set out in report COGC/88/24.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Rondo Roberts and Debbie Wallice.
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 July 2024 be signed as a correct record.
Members were reminded of their responsibility, under Paragraph 11 of the Members’ Code of Conduct, to declare the existence and nature of any personal interest in respect of any of the business to be transacted at this meeting. Agenda Item 6 – All Councillors present declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this matter (as a potential beneficiary). They claimed the exemption set out in paragraph 12(2)(b)(iv) of the Member Code of Conduct taking part in the discussion and voting thereon.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the Officer and team be thanked for the successful rollout of ICT equipment and support provided.
The End User Services Manager, ICT provided an update to Members in respect of the following matters: · ICT Champions had been established in each political group and this was working well. · Upgrades to iPads included simplified logins, additional security and access to Teams software. · Training was provided to Councillors during the handover of equipment and additional support was also provided where required. Members were reminded that should they require one to one training this should be requested via the ICT portal. · Two workshops had been held in conjunction with Committee Services to provide Modern.Gov training for Members. · Upcoming training sessions included digital security and the use of Teams. The Chair thanked the officer for the update and commented positively on the rollout of the ICT equipment and training, sentiments which were echoed by the Committee. RESOLVED – That the Officer and team be thanked for the successful rollout of ICT equipment and support provided.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the training activity for the period April 2024 to June 2024 be noted and the increase in the level of E-Learning module completions be acknowledged.
The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report (CE/29/24) to provide an update to the Democratic Services Committee (DSC) on Member Development activity and to monitor/review progress in quarter 2. Presenting the report the Workforce Development and Business Manager drew the Committee’s attention to: · The rolling programme of the delivery of ‘core training’, take up of mandatory eLearning modules and the delivery of other knowledge sharing sessions such as workshops. · The significant improvement in the number of E-Learning module completions. · The action plan set out at Appendix B. Members considered the report and asked questions of the officer. During debate the following issues were highlighted: · Suggested that ICT champion role be expanded to act as a single contact point for training and to encourage group members to undertake E-Learning. This suggestion was welcomed. · Suggested that the next E-Learning module e-mail include the guidance on accessing the system. · Suggested that future drop in sessions be set up to coincide with existing committee meetings so as to maximise attendance. · Concern expressed at the number of cancelled training sessions and the cancellation at short notice. Committee Services to work with Workforce Development in respect of improving the process. · Reminder that the iPads now included shortcuts to the E-Learning portal and access to Member training records. RESOLVED – That the training activity for the period April 2024 to June 2024 be noted and the increase in the level of E-Learning module completions be acknowledged.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the Chief Officer Governance & Customer be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales taking account of the views expressed by the Democratic Services Committee in considering the draft Annual report of the IRPW and the consultation question set out in report COGC/88/24.
The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report (COGC/88/24) to consider the changes to the Members’ Remuneration Scheme proposed within the draft Annual Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales in order to form a response to the consultation by no later than 29 November 2024. Presenting the report the Head of Democratic Services highlighted the proposed increase to the basic salary for elected Members of 5.92%, taking the basic salary from £18,666 to £19,771. It was noted that there was also an increase proposed for senior and civic salaries. The IRPW acknowledged that local authorities were under pressure financially but encouraged councils to consider the importance of providing a fair package for elected Members so as not to act as a barrier to participation. Members were also informed that the IRPW body would be abolished from 31 March 2025 and its functions would transfer over to the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) on 1 April 2025. Members were invited to consider the consultation question set out in paragraph 6.1 of the report. Members considered the report and during the ensuing debate made reference to the following: · Concern from some Members that the proposed increase was lower than that proposed for council staff. Recognition that the cuts to services and resources across the council meant that staff were being asked to do more work with less. · Noted that the proposed salary aligned with average salaries for constituents. · The importance of ensuring that the level of remuneration did not act as a barrier to future participation to encourage diversity of representation. · Noted that there was the option for Councillors to donate the increase to charity should they wish to. RESOLVED – That the Chief Officer Governance & Customer be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales taking account of the views expressed by the Democratic Services Committee in considering the draft Annual report of the IRPW and the consultation question set out in report COGC/88/24.
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.
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