Chief Executive’s Report



Chief Executive’s Report – May 2019

Full Council Annual General Meeting

Welcome

Welcome to the Annual General Meeting of Pontypridd Town Council for 2019. As anticipated, it has has been an exciting time of regeneration and the coming year promises to hold further developments for the town and the Town Council, which sits at its heart. It is hoped that there will be a further programme of consultation with the local Community, which will inform and drive change and a new direction for the Council. In addition, I as current Chief Executive of the Town Council will be retiring in July when the newly appointed Chief Executive will commence his post and take the reins at a time of much promise and potential.

Item 6 – Town Mayor’s Allowances

The Town Mayor’s allowances have been budgeted as follows: when setting the budget/precept for 2019/2020 it was resolved by Council that the “accountable” allowance for the Town Mayor remain at the sum of £350 and the “unaccountable” allowance at the sum of £200.00. An “accountable” allowance requires the Town Mayor to provide receipts for each expenditure item spent on mayoral functions. No receipts are required for the “unaccountable” allowance of £200.00 from which payments can be made by the Mayor when undertaking mayoral duties.

The Town Mayor will receive details of the HMRC personal tax guidance taxation implications in due course. The unaccountable allowance to the Mayor is paid through the payroll.

Should the unaccountable allowance not be claimed during the term of office it is open to the Mayor to request that part or all of the available sum be paid to an appropriate charity.

DECISION REQUIRED:

To agree the Town Mayor’s allowances for the Municipal Year 2018/2019.

Item 7 - Remuneration for Members for 2019/20

Members of Council are asked to note the payments to be made available to Members of Council as detailed in table 10 from the Independent Remuneration Panels report for 2019/20. Members are specifically referred to the recommendations as made by the Policy and Finance Committee.

These decisions clearly will have a budgetary impact. Mandatory payments to Members have been budgeted for in the 2019/20 budget for the Town Council in the sum of £5,450.

DECISION REQUIRED:

To agree the recommendations for Remuneration to Members of the Town Council.

Items 8 and 9 – Council and Committee Meetings

(a) Council Meetings

It has been agreed by Council previously that all Council meetings take place at 6.30 p.m. at the Museum, Bridge Street, Pontypridd, Pontypridd, generally on the 4th Thursday of each month except for August. This is however, now an opportunity for Members to consider the most suitable day Council meetings to take place. Previously meetings have taken place on a Wednesday and it is recommended that such Council meetings only take place on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday due to the requirements to serve papers in a timely fashion and thereafter prepare minutes.

Listed below are the suggested dates for the Council Meetings in 2019:

|Tuesdays |Wednesdays |Thursdays |

|25th June 2019 |26th June 2019 |27th June 2019 |

|23rd July 2019 |24th July 2019 |25th July 2019 |

|August |No meetings |

|24th September 2019 |25th September 2019 |26th September 2019 |

|22nd October 2019 |23rd October 2019 |24th October 2019 |

|26th November 2019 |27th November 2019 |28th November 2019 |

|10th December 2019 |11th December 2019 |12th December 2019 |

b) In the the previous Municipal Year the Council had four Committees namely:

Policy and Finance Committee

Staffing Committee

Regeneration and Museum Committee

Environmental and Direct Services Committee

There is also a Wellbeing Working Group created to consider monitor and implement the requirements and duties of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Working Groups for the other Committees have a more flexible format and Members may wish to retain this flexibility.

Members are asked to consider the attached terms of reference of the Committees which also contain the numbers of the Committees and the minimum number required to make a Committee quorate. Members are asked to consider the terms of reference and whether there are to be any amendments made.

Working Groups have also been created by Committees in the last year, and there are therefore a:

Environmental and Direct Services Advisory Working Group;

Staffing Committee Task and Finish Group;

Bus Shelter Working Group

Members are asked to consider whether they wish to continue with the current format of Committees and whether they wish to retain the current Advisory Working Groups and if so whether there are additional Working Groups to be created for the other Committees.

For your information, Committee membership for 2018/2019 and distribution of seats are set out below when there were two groups on Council.

|Committee |Labour |Democratic Alliance Party |Independent |

|Policy & Finance |Cllr S. Pritchard - Chair |Cllr H. Fychan | |

| |Cllr J. Baxter - Vice-chair |Cllr M. Powell | |

| |Cllr L. Bengough | | |

| |Cllr J. Brencher | | |

| |Cllr S. Carter | | |

| |Cllr D. Paul | | |

| |Cllr S. Presse | | |

| |Vacancy | | |

|Staffing |Cllr A. Williams - Chair |Cllr H. Fychan | |

| |Cllr J. Brencher - Vice-chair |Cllr S. Powell | |

| |Cllr A. Bevan | | |

| |Cllr L. Davies | | |

| |Cllr S. Powderhill | | |

| |Cllr C. Thomas | | |

| |Cllr L. Tomkinson | | |

| |Vacancy | | |

|Regeneration & Museum |Cllr L. Davies - Chair |Cllr H. Fychan | |

| |Cllr S. Carter – Vice-chair |Cllr M. Powell | |

| |Cllr A. Bevan | | |

| |Cllr N. Kiff | | |

| |Cllr D. Paul | | |

| |Cllr. S. Presse | | |

| |Cllr S. Pritchard | | |

| |Cllr L. Tomkinson | | |

|Environmental & Direct Services |Cllr J. Baxter - Chair |Cllr S. Powell |Cllr S. Belzak |

| |Cllr L. Bengough - Vice-chair | | |

| |Cllr A. Bevan | | |

| |Cllr M. Brown | | |

| |Cllr S. Carter | | |

| |Cllr D. Paul | | |

| |Cllr S. Pritchard | | |

| |Cllr S. Powderhill | | |

|Well Being Working Group |Cllr S. Carter |Cllr H. Fychan | |

| |Cllr L. Davies | | |

| |Cllr S. Presse | | |

| |Cllr S. Pritchard | | |

The Wellbeing Working Group consisted of the following Members in 2018/19:

Councillors Carter, Davies Fychan, Presse and Pritchard.

The meeting is asked to agree the “numbers” on the Committees and to forward to the Chief Executive details of the Councillors to serve on the Committees and the Well Being Working Group.

The Political groups on Council are also asked to nominate the Leader contact person and to forward the information to the Chief Executive. The majority number will be the Leader of the Town Council.

Committee meetings take place in the Mayor’s Parlour in the Civic Offices as and when required following a discussion between the Chairperson of the appropriate Committee and the Chief Executive. In 2018/19 the Committee meetings were held normally from 5.30/6.00 p.m. as follows:

1st Thursday of each month – Regeneration and Museum Committee

2nd Thursday of each month – Environmental and Direct Services or Staffing

3rd Thursday of each month – Policy and Finance Committee

This is also an opportunity for Members to decide whether they wish to change the normal day of Committees to a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Members are also asked to agree the times of the meetings.

DECISIONS REQUIRED:

(i) To agree the dates, times and locations of the Council meetings for 2019.

(ii) To appoint Committees.

(iii) To decide membership numbers of the Council’s Committees for the Municipal year 2019/2020

(iv) That the ‘Groups’ forward to the Chief Executive the names of the members to serve on each Committee along with its Leader (to whom correspondence should be sent) and that the Leader of the Majority Group on Council be designated Leader of the Council.

(v) To agree the normal days, times and venues of the Committee meetings for the municipal year 2019/2020.

Item 10

As agreed by Council two Member signatories are required for every cheque or other order for the payment of money. In 2019/20 it was resolved that the following be the signatories.

a) Two of the following Members, namely that the Town Mayor, Deputy Town Mayor, the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Policy and Finance Committee shall be the Council’s account signatories and

b) Should this not give rise to two individuals, that the Chairperson of the Council’s other Committees be added as substitute signatories to attain the required two names, if necessary.

As Members are aware the Town Council is currently setting up internet banking and once this is in place the appropriate scrutiny and security systems will need to be fully reviewed by the Policy and Finance Committee and thereafter Council.

DECISION REQUIRED:

(a) To agree the two Members to sign cheques or other orders for payment of money.

(b) For this matter to be deferred to the Policy and Finance Committee for further consideration and recommendation to Council in relation to the requirements of internet banking.

Item 11

Set out below are the outside bodies to which nominations for 2019/20 are required, together with details of the person in that position in 2018/19:

a) RCT People First

Councillor J. Baxter

(b) Pontypridd Regeneration – Crime and Disorder Task Group

The Chair of Regeneration and Museum Committee

(c) RCT Twinning Committee

Mayor or in the Mayor’s absence the Deputy Mayor

(d) Ponty Arts

Councillor J. Brencher.

(e) Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC/Town and Community Liaison Committee

The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive

(f) Local Access Forum

Councillor S. Carter and J. Baxter.

(g) BID

Councillor A. Bevan

(h) Community Alcohol Partnership

Councillor S. Pritchard

(j) Safer Routes in Communities

Councillor S. Carter

(k) Community Councils Representation on RCT Standards Committee

Councillor S. Carter

(l) Town Centre Business Crime Reduction Strategy

(previously Safer Town Centre Forum)

Councillor S. Carter

Councillor H. Fychan

(l) Minor School Governors

Below is the list of Minor School Governors appointed by the Council and their “termination” date. Nominations are requested for the vacancies.

|School | | |

| |Minor Authority Governor |Term of Office Ends |

|Cefn Primary and Craig yr hesg Federated GB | | |

| |Councillor L. Bengough |28th February 2023 |

|Cilfynydd Primary |Councillor S. Powell |17th May 2021 |

|Coedylan Primary |Vacancy | |

|Coedpenmaen Primary |Councillor L. Davies |17th May 2021 |

|Hawthorn Primary |Councillor C. Thomas |17th May 2021 |

|Heol-y-celyn Primary |Councillor G. Baxter |17th May 2021 |

|Maesycoed Primary |Councillor A. Williams |17th May 2021 |

|Parc Lewis Primary |Vacancy | |

|Trallwng Infants |Councillor A. Bevan |30th September 2020 |

|St. Michael’s R. C |Councillor D. Paul |17th May 2021 |

|Trehopcyn Primary |Councillor S. Pritchard |17th May 2021 |

| |C. Jones |Ynysybwl & Coed-y-Cwm Community Council |

|Y. G. G. Pont Sion Norton | |Nomination - 27th May 2019 |

|Y. G. G. Evan James |Vacancy | |

Item 12 – Appointment of Internal Auditors

The present Auditors are bpu of Radnor House, Greenwood Close, Cardiff Gate Business Park, Cardiff CF23 8AA and they have carried out the audit for over 10 years. Members are asked to confirm that wish they continue auditing internal work for the Council.

In the past three Councillors have been nominated to undertake any internal audit. Those nominated for 2018/19 were Councillors S. Pritchard, D. Paul and A. Bevan.

DECISION REQUIRED:

a) Whether to appoint bpu as its internal auditors for the municipal year 2019/2020.

b) Which Members to nominate to undertake the Annual internal Member audit.

Item13 – Draft Annual Report 2018/19

The draft first Annual Report for the Town Council for the last financial year is enclosed. This includes the Well-Being report which will in due course be forward to the Commissioner.

DECISION REQUIRED:

To note and agree the report subject to any amendments.

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