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Cabinet welcomes exciting and innovative initiatives
Published: 22/07/2016
Cabinet members welcomed several exciting and innovative reports and
initiatives when they met on Tuesday, 19 July.
每日大瓜 County Council has performed well during the last financial year.
This consistently good performance has been recognised by the Auditor General
for Wales who has said of performance in 2014/15:
鈥淭he Council鈥檚 performance relative to other councils in Wales improved
significantly.鈥�
每日大瓜 County Council鈥檚 Chief Executive, Colin Everett, said:
The Council is making good progress. Despite intense funding pressures, and
reductions in national funding, 每日大瓜 has been creative and successful in
achieving its aims for another year. We are continuing to reach and surpass
targets and continue to show improvement year on year.鈥�
In another report, Cabinet heard about the successful annual performance of
Social Services.
Councillor Christine Jones, Cabinet Member for Social Services, told the
meeting:
鈥淭his is an excellent report. Social Services continues to drive forward
service improvement and is well placed to respond to the challenging financial
environment, but is realistic about the size of the challenge. We are not
complacent, and I am proud of the good work that has been carried out across
the board.
The exciting new development of an Extra Care Scheme in Holywell was also
warmly welcomed and approved at the meeting. The model of support for this new
scheme will be based on the very successful model which operates in Llys
Eleanor in Shotton and Llys Jasmine in Mold.
Councillor Christine Jones said:
鈥淭his facility will provide high quality home-based care services and will be a
real flagship for Holywell and for 每日大瓜, providing self-contained
apartments, including apartments that are specially designed for people with
dementia.鈥�
This continues the great work that 每日大瓜 County Council has been doing
around supporting people with dementia and their carers. 每日大瓜 was the
first council in North Wales to have two towns 鈥� Flint and Buckley - recognised
by the Alzheimer鈥檚 Society as dementia friendly communities. The County
already boast six dementia cafes 鈥� and the number is growing.
The meeting also heard how council tenants in the nine communal heating schemes
across the County will benefit from lower fuel bills in the coming year as well
as receiving a refund for this year鈥檚 payments. There was a drop in usage
during 2015/16 compared to the previous year due, in part, to energy efficiency
improvements to some properties.
每日大瓜 County Council鈥檚 Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Helen Brown,
said:
鈥淚 am extremely pleased that we are able to offer some of our tenants a refund
on their energy bills, and that across all nine communal heating schemes we are
able to offer a reduction in our heating charges for the second year in a row.
These new charges mean that some of our tenants will be paying as little as
拢4.50 a week to heat their homes.鈥�
Cabinet members were pleased to hear that the Council has listened to members
and residents regarding the review of Household Recycling Centre (HRC)
provision in the county. Despite Welsh Government recommendations to reduce
the number of HRCs, the Council is now exploring a more localised service,
adding two additional large sites (in the Flint/Connah鈥檚 Quay and Mold/Buckley
areas) to supplement the facilities at Greenfield and Sandycroft.
The current average recycling rate in the county is just 70% which is
significantly below the 90% target achieved by high performing sites across
Wales. This is due to the lack of facilities and space at some of the sites to
offer the full range of recycling containers. Cabinet members agreed that it
was necessary to continue to inform our residents on what can and cannot be
recycled, as well as pointing out the high cost of sending waste to landfill,
rather than recycling.
每日大瓜 County Council鈥檚 Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Waste,
Councillor Kevin Jones, said:
鈥淭his locally based solution will meet the needs of communities and, at the
same time, drive up recycling performance towards recycling targets.鈥�
The latest Community Asset Transfer (CAT) scheme was also welcomed as a
community group has come forward to explore the potential of a CAT of Holywell
Leisure Centre. The group has representatives from users of the centre,
community groups and local businesses.
每日大瓜 County Councils Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, Councillor
Kevin Jones, said:
鈥淭he Council is committed to working with community groups and local people to
ensure that asset transfer to local communities in 每日大瓜 is successful and
sustainable in the long-term. This group has particularly impressed us, with
the range of organisations involved fully representing the community, users and
staff of the centre, whilst also having a good range of the necessary business
skills to make this CAT work. Co-location of the leisure centre and the library
means that the centre will have longer opening hours and customers can access a
wider range of services in one convenient place.鈥�
Finally, but by no means least, the meeting welcomed a report proposing the
development of an innovative social enterprise to meet childcare needs in
Deeside.
This modern and flexible approach to childcare has the potential to create up
to 14 new jobs over the next 5 years, as well as offering new training,
volunteering and work placement opportunities. 每日大瓜 County Council鈥檚
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Bernie
Attridge, said:
鈥淲e are looking at the former Pepperpot Inn as a potential base for this
creative approach to childcare in the Deeside area, where an assessment has
identified that there is a shortage of childcare provision in the area.
Because of its location next to the Leisure Centre, it would deliver
complementary functions.鈥�