Agenda Item 4A

Agenda Item 4a

Date: 22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 1 Time:17:45 Cashbook 1 User: PAULA Lloyds TSB Combined Payments made between 19/05/2021 and 28/06/2021

Nominal Ledger Analysis

Date Payee Name Reference £ Total Amnt £ Creditors £ VAT A/c Centre £ Amount Transaction Details 19/05/2021 BT Conferencing 1905BT 273.65 273.65 500 BT Conferencing x 6 April 21 21/05/2021 HMRC Tax/NI DD 1,302.10 4001 101 1,302.10 Tax/NI April 21 24/05/2021 P Hartley BACS 13.74 2.29 4057 101 11.45 ExpPostageAudit 24/05/2021 Konica Minolta BACS 17.56 2.93 4024 101 14.63 Copies 220221- 210521 24/05/2021 Zoom Video Communications Inc. DCZOOMMay 11.99 11.99 500 Zoom charge230521- 220621 25/05/2021 Amazon 234571960 24.30 24.30 500 HermaStickersA5w

25/05/2021 Des Pugh TC/MF 01 95.00 95.00 500 Mayor's photos MF/TC 03/06/2021 KonicaMinoltaBusinessSolutions 030621-KON 104.26 104.26 500 Copier Lease 220521-210821 08/06/2021 intY Limited TAJW2HB 56.64 56.64 500 Microsoft 365 Licences Jun 21 15/06/2021 Small Business Payroll Service DD 1,062.89 4001 101 1,062.89 Pensions May 21 15/06/2021 Small Business Payroll Service DD 6,120.80 4000 101 6,120.80 Salaries Jun 21 17/06/2021 BT Conferencing 1134281 415.78 415.78 500 Meetings Costs BT May 21 17/06/2021 Adobe Systems Software Ireland 74 DC ADOB 34.36 34.36 500 Adobe Subs Jun 21 22/06/2021 Wye Media 21_101 107.70 107.70 500 Dr Bike Posters 22/06/2021 Stuart Bees 21_102 1,400.00 1,400.00 500 Int Audit 20-21 22/06/2021 Original Business IT Solutions 21_107 2,280.00 2,280.00 500 IT Contract and Review 22/06/2021 Planning Aid Wales 21_109 270.00 270.00 500 CourseRegenTown 230621 22/06/2021 LGRC Associates 21_110 4,107.68 4,107.68 500 Locum TC Costs May 21 22/06/2021 Small Business Payroll Service DD 1,159.82 4001 101 1,159.82 Tax/NI May 21 24/06/2021 Microshade Consultants Ltd SO Microsh 64.80 10.80 4062 101 54.00 Microshade Hosting 27/06/2021 Small Business Payroll Service StdOrdPay 72.00 12.00 4005 101 60.00 Payroll Contract - Quarterly

Total Payments: 18,995.07 9,181.36 28.02 9,785.69 Agenda Item 4a

22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 1 17:41 Invoices Due for Payment by 28 June 2021

For Purchase Ledger Pay by Electronic Payment

Invoice Discount Net Date Invoice No. Ref No. Invoice Detail Authorise Ref Date Due Amount Due To Claim Amount due

Microshade Business Consultants Ltd [013]

26/06/2021 14640 81 Hosting RBSMicro Jun - Jul 21 Del Auth Rec Pay 26/06/2021 64.80 64.80

Total of Invoices Due (013) 64.80 0.00 64.80

Chillipepper Signs Ltd [020]

17/06/2021 11050 91 Removal of History Banners PP 110521m34b 17/06/2021 180.00 180.00

Telephone : Total of Invoices Due (020) 180.00 0.00 180.00 Contact :Sally Wickens

Small Business Payroll Company [040]

01/06/2021 SMA1625 80 Payroll Contract Jul - Sept 21 REc Pay Del Auth 01/06/2021 72.00 72.00

Total of Invoices Due (040) 72.00 0.00 72.00

Zurich Municipal [044]

21/06/2021 507760978 90 War Memorial Insurance for 21 FC240521m21b 21/06/2021 61.04 61.04

Total of Invoices Due (044) 61.04 0.00 61.04

Total of Invoices Due (Purchase Ledger) 377.84 0.00 377.84

TOTAL OF INVOICES DUE (ALL LEDGERS) 377.84 0.00 377.84 Agenda item 4a Late Payment List – Full Council 28.06.21

Date Paid/to be Cheque/Ref Payee Amount (inc. Description Paid Number VAT)

Paid via DC 21_115 Zoom 11.99 Payment for Jun 23 – Jul 22 2021 collection ASAP Bank Payment MCC 234 QTRA inspection 21_114 ASAP Bank Payment MCC 634.55 Waybone bin, bus stop between 21_116 Portal Rd and Beech Rd ASAP 21_117 Bank MCC 998.40 Kings Fee Litter bin empty, once Payment per week for 2020-2021 ASAP 21_118 Bank MCC 420 Highfield Rd/Lancaster Way cut Payment through ASAP 21_119 Bank MCC 57.90 Repair of bench slats – Beech Rd Payment

Late Payments List Full Council 28.06.21 Agenda Item 4b

22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 1 17:48 Annual Budget - By Centre (Actual YTD Month 3) Note: Annual Budget up to 220621

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Budget Actual Total Actual YTD Projected Committed Agreed EMR Carried Forward

101 Administration

1050 Miscellaneous Income 0 6,954 0 704 0 0 0 0 0 1176 Precept Received 396,395 396,395 383,261 127,753 0 0 0 0 0 1190 Interest Received 300 462 0 3 0 0 0 0 0

Total Income 396,695 403,811 383,261 128,460 0 0 0 0 0

4000 Salaries 100,000 103,393 60,000 12,589 0 0 0 0 0 4001 Tax/NI and Pensions 0 0 25,000 4,657 0 0 0 0 0 4005 Payroll Contract 500 240 1,152 180 0 120 0 0 0 4007 Officer & Member Travel 250 48 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 4009 Staff training & Subsistence 3,000 970 3,000 90 0 0 0 0 0 4010 Conferences 200 0 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 4011 Member Training 2,000 180 2,000 45 0 0 0 0 0 4021 Stationery & Office Supplies 600 547 600 0 0 0 0 0 0 4022 Postage 450 68 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 4023 Copying 1,700 735 350 146 0 261 0 0 0 4024 Copier Consumables 0 0 850 -823 0 25 0 0 0 4025 Insurance 1,700 -917 1,700 1,086 0 61 0 0 0 4027 Subscriptions 2,000 2,044 2,000 2,020 0 0 0 0 0 4030 Website 0 0 250 -132 0 0 0 0 0 4031 Publicity 2,000 1,714 1,750 0 0 0 0 0 0 4057 Audit 2,000 1,561 2,500 -289 0 300 0 0 0 4060 IT Contract 3,200 4,138 5,000 2,627 0 0 0 0 0 4062 IT Software,Subs & Finance Sys 0 0 1,500 409 0 1,019 0 0 0

Continued on next page 22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 2 17:48 Annual Budget - By Centre (Actual YTD Month 3) Note: Annual Budget up to 220621

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Budget Actual Total Actual YTD Projected Committed Agreed EMR Carried Forward 4070 Office Equipment 2,500 1,786 5,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4071 Shire Hall SLA annual payment 15,000 1,368 15,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4081 Specialist advice services 3,100 5,701 3,100 2,305 0 0 0 0 0 4095 Clerks Contngency Fund 500 225 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4200 Section 137 50 55 60 0 0 0 0 0 0

Overhead Expenditure 140,750 123,856 132,012 24,911 0 1,786 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve 255,945 279,955 251,249 103,549 0 0

102 Civic Affairs

4100 Mayor's civic expenses 3,000 95 3,000 -95 0 0 0 0 0 4105 Civic Expenses 8,500 3,117 4,000 383 0 0 0 0 0 4107 Meetings Costs 0 0 2,500 358 0 0 0 0 0 4108 Professional Fees 0 0 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4110 Mace Bearers 500 400 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4115 Elections 3,000 -1,500 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4120 Members' payments allowances & 8,500 2,865 6,500 0 0 0 0 0 0

Overhead Expenditure 23,500 4,977 21,500 646 0 0 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (23,500) (4,977) (21,500) (646) 0 0

201 Community Affairs

4093 CCTV 23,383 13,382 13,383 3,430 0 10,290 0 0 0 4203 Community Contributions 20,000 16,000 20,500 10,000 0 0 0 0 0 4204 Community Grants combined 34,480 22,385 37,000 6,812 0 0 0 0 0 4206 Partnership Agreements 0 0 15,000 -10,642 0 0 0 0 0

Continued on next page 22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 3 17:48 Annual Budget - By Centre (Actual YTD Month 3) Note: Annual Budget up to 220621

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Budget Actual Total Actual YTD Projected Committed Agreed EMR Carried Forward 4216 Christmas Festival/Monlight 7,000 1,875 7,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4221 Events 1,500 1,146 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4222 Armed Forces Covenant Funding 0 0 0 -1,792 0 0 0 0 0 4223 Communication/P 2,400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4229 MTC Newsletter 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Overhead Expenditure 89,763 54,788 93,383 7,808 0 10,290 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (89,763) (54,788) (93,383) (7,808) 0 0

301 Environmental Affairs

4307 Agincourt St. Toilets 23,570 17,023 25,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4308 MCC Street Sweep 26,923 26,922 27,500 0 0 27,595 0 0 0 4309 Dog waste bins 8,160 7,551 8,550 1,703 0 5,805 0 0 0 4310 Town Maintenance Contract & Ex 9,474 3,528 4,500 0 0 3,869 0 0 0 4315 Street Decorations2021FlorCon 27,685 24,170 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4317 Decorations & Town Centre Enha 7,000 719 2,500 369 0 5,990 0 0 0 4321 Blestium St. Toilets 23,570 14,356 24,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4322 Plastic Free Monmouth 500 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4323 Peds.Bridge over R Wye 500 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 4324 Climate Change Emergency 3,000 56 2,000 90 0 0 0 0 0 4350 Litter Bins 0 0 2,316 0 0 0 0 0 0 4351 Street Furniture 0 0 3,000 -48 0 0 0 0 0 4352 Christmas Lights & Trees 0 0 20,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4353 Fountains 0 0 4,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 4354 Floral Contract 0 0 10,000 -16,482 0 26,206 0 0 0

Continued on next page 22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 4 17:48 Annual Budget - By Centre (Actual YTD Month 3) Note: Annual Budget up to 220621

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Budget Actual Total Actual YTD Projected Committed Agreed EMR Carried Forward

Overhead Expenditure 130,382 94,325 134,866 -14,368 0 69,466 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (130,382) (94,325) (134,866) 14,368 0 0

401 Planning

4600 Plg extra meeting costs 2,000 556 1,500 478 0 0 0 0 0

Overhead Expenditure 2,000 556 1,500 478 0 0 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (2,000) (556) (1,500) (478) 0 0

901 Earmarked Reserves

9005 EMR Public Realm contribution 45,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9007 EMR Cemetery 10,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9009 EMR Cycling Promotion 1,600 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9010 EMR CILCA & ILCA Course Costs 888 1,128 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9014 EMR Staff Absence Contingency 20,000 21,653 0 3,423 0 0 0 0 0 9015 EMR Chapter 8 Training 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9016 EMR Welsh language 4,830 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9017 EMR Mayoral Expenses Overrun 1,000 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9020 EMR Office Management to QMSIS 10,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9021 EMR Community Engt & resid. su 10,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9023 EMR New bridge paving 800 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9024 EMR MCC Grant play scheme 2,000 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9025 EMR CCTV 928 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9026 EMR 2x Notice Board provision 1,600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9027 EMR Emergency Grant Funding 1,308 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Continued on next page 22/06/2021 Monmouth Town Council Current Year Page 5 17:48 Annual Budget - By Centre (Actual YTD Month 3) Note: Annual Budget up to 220621

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Budget Actual Total Actual YTD Projected Committed Agreed EMR Carried Forward 9028 EMR Power Supply Costs Christm 5,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9029 EMR Drinking Water Fountains 3,100 2,448 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9030 EMR Air Quality Monitors 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9031 EMR Highfield Rd-cut through p 350 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9032 EMR IT upgrade 694 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9033 EMR 19/20 4th Qtr Office Equip 4,087 825 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9034 EMR ACE Mon Green spaces tools 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9035 EMR MTC Covid-19 Recovery Fund 30,000 350 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9104 Staff Absence Contingency 0 0 0 3,867 0 0 0 0 0

Overhead Expenditure 155,485 29,659 0 7,290 0 0 0 0 0 6000 plus Transfer from EMR 0 14,918 0 3,423 0 0 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (155,485) (14,741) 0 (3,867) 0 0

Total Budget Income 396,695 403,811 383,261 128,460 0 0 0 0 0 Expenditure 541,880 308,160 383,261 26,766 0 81,542 0 0 0

Net Income over Expenditure -145,185 95,650 0 101,694 0 -81,542 0 0 0

plus Transfer from EMR 0 14,918 0 3,423 0 0 0 0 0

Movement to/(from) Gen Reserve (145,185) 110,568 0 105,117 0 0 Agenda Item 5

Merlin waste

Monmouth Town Council, Shire hall, Monmouth, NP25 3DY.

Price increase for Emptying of Dog Waste Bins

Dear Sir/Madam,

With effect from Monday 21st June, I am proposing an increase in the cost of bin collection to £6.25 per bin. I understand that this increase will be unexpected and is short notice but to make my business work, the price needs to be increased as soon as possible.

Your urgent attention is needed to this matter. It is most unfortunate that it has come to this, it is a knock on effect of the lockdown easing restriction. This is the last thing we wanted to happen, but after being in business for 20 years, we can see no other option than increase prices or stop trading. We are sorry it has come to this. I do hope you understand the problem.

We have found that we are collecting a lot more dog waste. Bins are overflowing and, on many occasions, dog waste bags are on the ground as the bin is full. On occasions, large bags of dog waste have been deposited in the bins leaving little room for the normal dog bags. All we can think is people are collecting it at home and putting it the nearest dog bin. This has resulted in a sharp increase in the amount of dog waste being disposed of. The cost of this is unsustainable and along with price increases in fuel, insurance and wages, I feel it is necessary to raise the cost of collection.

I will be happy for you to call me and discuss this matter with me.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Ivall. Agenda Item 6

Shop Monmouth Proposal

As I am sure you are aware Platform One created a Shop Local Campaign pro bono for Monmouth Chamber of Commerce in 2018. We devised a campaign that was Monmouth-centric, emulating characters that might shop in the town; people you can see on our high street any day of the week. It was decided rather than use photographs to use drawn characters and to tell their stories through advertising, a couple of examples shown below. This swiftly grabbed the public attention and we knew we’d struck gold when we started getting emails from people telling us their stories about why they loved the Monmouth shopping experience and how they knew who the people were based on.

2 Platform One also won an award for the campaign: ‘Most outstanding campaign design: Monmouth Shop local campaign” SME Business Elite Awards 2019

After twelve months we felt it was time to freshen up the images and this time introduced the shopkeepers, again loosely based on familiar faces. We included tradespeople and professional services, because ‘shopping local’ is about supporting all businesses not just the retailers, especially as our members cross a wide spectrum of activities. During the pandemic we have hung new banners at certain locations in the town but otherwise had to pause the campaign because so many businesses were obliged to close. Social media have been posted infrequently just to retain awareness.

Throughout the pandemic we have offered our members as much support as possible. We produced new shop local posters, car stickers, ‘We Deliver’, ‘Click and Collect’ and ‘Gift Vouchers’ window stickers. These were delivered to every Independent business and several multiples, from Cinderhill Street to St Mary’s Street.

We also managed to expand our social media posts. 4

Understanding of the Problem After two lengthy lockdowns, where only essential commerce could take place, our High Street like many others across the country is struggling to find its feet again. With life slowly getting back to normal we need to look outside our immediate area and reach a larger audience to help and promote growth.

Proposed Solution The Chamber has used the last lockdown to resurrect a leaflet it sponsored 20 years’ ago, promoting the Town by showcasing our historic buildings, poppy and blue plaque trails, museums and generally encouraging people to explore our courtyards and tucked away areas. We are hoping that this will encourage visitors to expand the length of their stay.

While shopping local is obviously key to helping the survival of Town businesses it is felt that the net needs to be widened. Many people from outlying areas abandoned shopping in Monmouth last year when the street was closed and a one-way system was imposed, and they haven’t returned. The businesses feel it’s time to remind people of what Monmouth has to offer. To help achieve this we believe a good next step would be to produce a ‘Shop Monmouth’ A5 leaflet, using the popular message ‘Spend £5 to support small businesses.’ This message will probably be reinforced by the reintroduction of our characters, possibly along the lines of the image below. On the reverse side we would propose listing all the lovely Independent businesses that Monmouth has to offer. If there is space, we can incorporate multiples, but it may be along the lines of “The town Independents share the high street with many popular stores such as White Stuff, Joules, Pizza Express, Waitrose etc.’

6 Pricing Information Monmouth Chamber of Commerce’s budget has been stretched by everything we’ve tried to do towards supporting businesses and by a reduction of fees throughout last year. Given how supportive Monmouth Town Council are, we would like to propose a collaboration on this project. The ‘Property Drop’ offer distribution to 30,000 homes and businesses, including national retailers and estate agents, in and around Monmouthshire, Ross-on-Wye, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, Wye Valley and Newport. The charge for this is £45 per 1,000 copies. We would like to ask for your support in covering the cost of the distribution, £1,350, with the Chamber paying for the flyer and 30,000 printed copies? The leaflet would obviously include ‘with the support of…’ and both the Town Council crest and the Chamber logo. A large catchment area is the great appeal here, as we can hope to reach people who would otherwise maybe not think of coming to the Town. While I can’t categorically say what the financial benefit would be to the retailers, let’s say 5% of the people (1500) who received this visit Monmouth, and each spend just £5: that would yield an additional £7,500 to the economy. If they went to 10 shops and spent £5 in each that would be an additional £75,000.

Proposed Schedule Sooner rather than later would be the ideal for this project. Should you be prepared to support the venture, we envisage a timetable as follows: A week to design layout of the flyer, including collation of businesses in Town. For printing of this quantity and supply, we should allow 10 working days. The Property Drop distributes twice a month, so an ideal timetable would be for us to try and get this out by end of June/first week in July.

Other considerations A new business in Monmouth is Cymru Surveying: its owner, Jak Dhargie, uses his drone to work overhead. I have approached Jak for a quotation to produce a promotional video of Monmouth to upload to YouTube and share throughout social media. No storyboards have been produced but a quick idea would be to showcase the river, our heritage and the tucked away areas that make Monmouth special, with the drone flying down Monnow Street to Monnow Bridge. A rough costing would be £850 Given the changes the Town Council would like to see on the Town Map, along with the inclusion of the defibrillator locations, I have costed reprinting them without advertising revenue. After the last twelve months there is little/no appetite from the retailers to fund this. Should you wish to replace the maps themselves (16 in total) the cost would be: £2225.00 plus VAT We have done a site survey of some of the maps and the polycarbonate is looking tired/cloudy and in need of replacement to help visitors get the best experience and read the maps clearly the additional cost for this would be £1,939* plus vat. We can then tailor the surround to relevant detail/messages the Town Council deems important: we believe this would be received very favourably by the businesses. Thank you for your time.

7 Agenda Item 9 MONMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL Shire Hall Agincourt Square NP25 3DY Tel: 01600 715662 Email: [email protected] www.monmouth.gov.uk

Date: 22 June 2021

Report to: Full Council

Subject: BT and Zoom Meeting Facility

Prepared by: Town Clerk & RFO

Summary

1. The covid-19 pandemic has created a multitude of challenges and for MTC has prevented face-to-face meetings being undertaken at the Shire Hall.

2. Since May 2020 MTC have been utilising BT Conferencing to facilitate remote meetings at an average cost of £260 per month.

3. We have not been able to find evidence that any other town, community or parish council has used BT Conferencing as a remote meeting platform. The majority use Zoom or Teams, the former of which costs £11.99 per month.

4. The question of accessibility has previously been raised and discussion with Sight Cymru has highlighted that Zoom is the most accessible remote meeting platform because it provides multiple options for accessing the meeting including being able to phone in for those who have disabilities, are technologically challenged and/or have poor internet connectivity.

5. Meetings on Zoom would be hosted by the Clerk of the meeting who would be able to clearly identify which and how many councillors are in attendance and how many members of the public in attendance, something which is a challenge with BT Conferencing.

6. The Internal Auditor raised his concerns over the cost of BT Conferencing.

Previous Proposal 7. It was resolved at the Full Council meeting of 22nd February meeting:

“To formally approve the use of BT conferencing and review other platforms in the future”.

New Proposal

8. A new proposal has been put forward by Cllr Jupp for consideration at this meeting:

“To formally approve the use of Zoom conferencing facility as the remote meeting platform for all meetings of Monmouth Town Council (including committee and sub- committee meetings) until circumstances allow for hybrid meetings to take place”.

Page 1 of 3 Legislation

9. Councillors have expressed a preference for returning to face-to-face meetings but there are a number of limiting factors including the fact the Shire Hall is not being opened by MCC on Mondays (the usual meeting day) and in any case is not open to the public. It had been suggested that meetings could be held in other venues around the town which could be considered once the means to ensure compliance with the new legislation has been identified and implemented.

10. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 S47 (Attendance at Local Authority Meetings) states that a local authority must make and publish arrangements that:

“enables persons who are not in the same place to attend the meetings”

and

“to speak to and be heard by each other (whether or not the equipment or facility enables those persons to see and be seen by each other)”.

11. This means that face-to-face meetings will only be possible if remote access can also be provided for any councillor or member of the public who requests it. Without the appropriate technology in place to facilitate this, any face-to-face meeting held in the meantime would be illegal.

12. It will therefore be necessary to continue with remote meetings for the time being whilst officers investigate options for the technology required to facilitate remote meeting access for face-to-face meetings.

Use

13. BT Conferencing allows telephone meeting access.

14. Zoom allows video and/or telephone meeting access.

Costs

15. BT Conferencing: o A charge is made per individual per minute using the service. o The overall bill was calculated to average £260 per month. o Approximately £3,120 per year.

16. Zoom Conferencing: o A standard charge is made. o £11.99 per month. o £144 per year. o MTC are already also paying for this facility. o Zoom therefore costs less than 5% of the cost of BT Conferencing.

Advantages/Disadvantages

17. BT Conferencing advantages: o Simple to use for attendees. o No internet facility/IT knowledge required. o Blind and partially sighted individuals can control meeting functions as the host.

Page 2 of 3

18. BT Conferencing disadvantages: o Only allows voice communications. o Very expensive. o Difficult to know exactly how many members of the public are in attendance. o There is no opportunity to remove anyone from a meeting if it has been resolved they should leave the meeting in accordance with standing order 2b.

19. Zoom Conferencing advantages: o Allows video and telephone access facilities. o People often prefer to see the person to whom they are talking. o Individuals with hearing impairment may prefer the visual indicators available. o Voice-only meetings have been reported as causing anxiety for some. o It is cost effective. o It is possible to have more control over attendees.

20. Zoom Conferencing disadvantages: o Some IT knowledge/internet connectivity is required to use the video facility. o Blind and partially sighted individuals could not readily control meeting functions as the host (but the officer attending the meeting could carry out this role). o Blind and partially sighted individuals may feel at a disadvantage to those who can see those speaking (but this is no different than with face-to-face meetings).

Page 3 of 3

Agenda Item 9

Electronic Conferencing Facilities Review 22.02 21

BT Conferencing Microsoft Teams Zoom Starleaf BlueJeans Intrado

up to 20 for basic or up to 100 for Number of users 40 plus Chair up to 10,000 up to 100 business up to 50 Audio x x x x x x Video - x x x x x Combined - x x x x x Meeting recorded? x x x x x x List of commands availabe to Chair Screen sharing, Chair controls, chat Screen sharing, chat options available, document sharing available, chat Unlimited meetings, lock meetings, Polling, mute/unmute, lock meeting, options available, Central space for Chair controls available, polls, hand options, unlimited meetings on exclude participants, screen sharing, document sharing Additional Features documents to be uploaded and visible to raising, co-anotate documents shared business package, chair controls polling, Q&A, recording, and text all members of the meeting. chat External participants? Yes (number can be provided to anyone) Yes Yes can provide link to meeting Yes can provide link to meeting Yes, can provide link to meeting Yes Secure? Yes Yes Yes Yes-used by OVW Yes Yes 020- 3p/person/minute (may incur standard service provider charges) or 0800 Free (unlimited meetings up to 40 Cost 4p/person/minute. As the package Council mins per meeting) or £11.99 per Free (up to 45 mins per meeting) or has been using since July, it has cost an month per host for unlimited £11.99 per month for business Free 7 day trial and then £108.05 Free 21 day trial then average of £260/month Teams is free with Microsoft package meetings package (unlimited meetings) per year per host (Standard) USD11.99/month It's accessible for all although some people Accessibility find this platform challenging x x Not known Not known Not known

The key factors to consider with any online meeting platform is that it must be user friendly, accessible to all, functional and cost effective. Currently there are a number of issues with BT conferencing, not least its excessive cost. BT conferencing is the preferred platform for Councillor Christopher, especially if he is chairing a meeting. Perhaps the Council could consider a hybrid arrangement where some meetings are on another platform such as Zoom or Teams and other meetings are hosted on BT conferencing.

MONMOUTHSHIRE FINAL REPORT AND PROPOSALS

636. A resident of Overmonnow submitted representation to the group objecting to the changes for Overmonnow due to historic and ancient links within the ward.

637. Another resident submitted representation objecting to the proposals for Overmonnow due to historic and ancient links within the ward.

638. Councillor S. Chivers also submitted representation objecting to the proposals for the Overmonnow ward due to historic links of the the Overmonnow ward.

639. Representation was submitted on behalf of the Welsh Independent Party suggesting a cut in County Councillors for the area and throughout Monmouthshire.

640. Representation was received from Councillor Graham Pritchard relating to the councillor:elector ratio who felt that a ratio of 1:600 would be more practical for the community and that representation should be based on population rather than electorate.

641. Monmouth Town Council submitted a copy of the minutes in relation to the discussion on the issue at a Town Council meeting. From the minutes it appears to broadly support the proposals for Monmouth with the main issue being the number of councillors on the Council that shouldn’t be increased to 19 but could not agree a more suitable scheme.

Town boundary proposals 642. The County of Monmouthshire Council’s recommendation is to apply two changes to the existing town boundary, which involves proposals to transfer areas between the Town of Monmouth and the following communities: • Mitchell Troy • Whitecastle (proposed)

643. See paragraph 620 above, for The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Community of Mitchell Troy (Mitchel Troy ward) into the Community of Monmouth (Overmonnow ward). This proposal is displayed on the map on page 79.

644. The Council propose to transfer the Rockfield Studios area from the Community of Monmouth (Drybridge ward) into the proposed Community of Whitecastle (proposed Rockfield & St Maughans ward). This includes the properties of, and land associated with, Amberley Court, Deepholme Farm, Little Ancrehill Farmhouse and Little Ancrehill Wood, which are all situated along the B4233 Rockfield Road. This proposal affects approximately three properties. This proposal is displayed on the map on page 85.

645. The Commission received no objection to the final proposals and are satisfied that the proposed changes are desirable and in the interests of effective and convenient local government and are recommended.

Page 83 LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR WALES

Page 84 MONMOUTHSHIRE FINAL REPORT AND PROPOSALS

Page 85 LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR WALES

Town ward boundary proposals 646. Alongside the changes being proposed to the town boundary outlined in the previous section, the County of Monmouthshire Council’s recommendation is to apply six changes to the internal ward boundaries of the Town of Monmouth. These proposals involve changes to the boundaries of the following wards: • Dixton with Osbaston • Drybridge • Overmonnow • Town

Dixton with Osbaston 647. The Council propose that the properties along, and north of, Forge Road should be transferred from the Town ward into the proposed Osbaston ward of the Town of Monmouth. This includes all areas north of the River Monnow, as it runs parallel with Forge Road, as far south as the bridge over the river (between the TA Centre and Osbaston Road). This proposal affects approximately twelve residential properties. 648. The Council propose to transfer the properties located on The Parade and the A466 Dixton Road from the Dixton with Osbaston ward into the Town ward. This proposal ensures properties on opposite sides of the same road, fall within the same community and promotes the use of clear and identifiable boundaries, affecting approximately 35-40 properties. 649. The Council proposed to change the name of the existing Dixton and Osbaston ward of the Town of Monmouth as a consequence of transferring much of the Dixton area into the neighbouring ward of Town. The new name of the ward is proposed to be Osbaston. 650. A map displaying the proposed Osbaston ward of the Town of Monmouth is shown on page 88.

Drybridge 651. In addition to the external community boundary proposal outlined in paragraph 644 above, The Council proposed the area west of the River Monnow, centred upon the TA Centre, be transferred from the Town ward into the Drybridge ward. 652. The Council recommend that an area of land to the west of Singleton Court Business Park/Wonastow Road Industrial Estate is transferred from the Drybridge ward into the Overmonnow ward. This area is earmarked for future development and would be split across two wards if the current ward boundaries remained. This proposal affects no electors, at present, but is planned to include an area of 350 properties. 653. The Council propose that the properties between Singleton Court Business Park and the River Monnow, including Bridges Community Centre, Drybridge Park and the properties along St Thomas Road, be transferred from the Drybridge ward into the Town ward. This proposal affects several residential streets. 654. A map displaying the proposed Drybridge ward of the Town of Monmouth is shown on page 91.

Page 86 MONMOUTHSHIRE FINAL REPORT AND PROPOSALS

Overmonnow 655. In addition to the external community boundary proposal outlined in paragraph 620, see paragraph 652 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Drybridge ward into the Overmonnow ward. 656. The Council proposed the area west of the River Monnow, including the properties accessible along Goldwire Lane/ Somerset Road and properties north of Wonastow Road (east of Singleton Court Business Park), be transferred from the Overmonnow ward into the Town ward. This proposal affects a large number of residential streets. 657. A map displaying the proposed Overmonnow ward of the Town of Monmouth is shown on page 95.

Town 658. See paragraph 647 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Town ward into the proposed Osbaston ward. 659. See paragraph 648 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Dixton with Osbaston ward into the Town ward. 660. See paragraph 651 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Town ward into the Drybridge ward. 661. See paragraph 653 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Drybridge ward into the Town ward. 662. See paragraph 656 above, for details of The Council’s proposed transfer of one area from the Overmonnow ward into the Town ward. 663. A map displaying the proposed Town ward of the Town of Monmouth is shown on page 97.

664. The Commission received no objection to the final proposals and are satisfied that the proposed changes are desirable and in the interests of effective and convenient local government and are recommended.