Agenda Item No. 2

DENBIGHSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Minutes of the County Council held in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin on Wednesday, 27 June 2007 at 10.00 a.m.

PRESENT

Councillor K N Hawkins (Chairman), J R Bartley, R E Barton, B Blakeley, J Butterfield, J Chamberlain Jones, D Cooper, J M Davies, M Ll Davies, S A Davies, P A Dobb, E C Ed- wards, G C Evans, H H Evans, I M German, M A German, D Hannam, T K Hodgson, C L Hughes, N J Hughes, R W Hughes, M M Jones, P J Marfleet, P W Owen, D Owens, G J Pickering, N P Roberts, S Roberts, G O Rowlands, J A Smith, D A J Thomas, S Thomas, J Thompson-Hill, M A Webster, C H Williams, E W Williams and R Ll. Williams.

ALSO PRESENT

Chief Executive, Corporate Directors, County Clerk and Administration Services Manager.

PRAYERS

Canon Dr R Bayley offered prayers at the commencement of the meeting.

BEREAVEMENT

The Chairman referred to the sad passing away of Mrs Diane Davies, an employee within the Environment Directorate. Members, Officers and press and public stood in silence as a mark of respect.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE WERE RECEIVED FROM

Councillors S Frobisher, T R Hughes, D Jones, ER Jones, G A Jones, N Hugh Jones, G M Kensler and G Williams.

CORPORATE HEALTH STANDARD

The Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing reported that the Council was being assessed for the Corporate Health Standard (Gold Award) on 18th and 19th July. Councillor P A Dobb urged all Members to support the Council’s submission and to be aware of the various policies that were available on the Council’s intranet. Councillor Dobb indicated that the Corporate Health Standard was the national mark of quality for health and well being in the workplace.

Councillor Dobb introduced Mrs Jacquie Bryan, Team Manager Adult Services, who took Members through a chair based exercise prior to the commencement of the meeting.

1 1 URGENT ITEMS

In accordance with the requirements of Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the Chairman declared that he intended to include for discussion the following matter which required urgent attention:-

Planning Appeal Decision - Wern Ddu Wind Farm.

2 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Annual meeting of Council held on 15 May 2007 (previously circulated) be approved.

3 VOLUME OF MINUTES

RESOLVED that the Volume of Minutes for the Council’s various meetings for the period 1st March to 17th May 2007 be received and noted.

4 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

The Chairman verbally reported upon the diary of events he and the Vice-Chairman had hosted/attended since 15 May 2007 (circulated at the meeting). He indicated that the North Wales Crossroads event had taken place in Rhyl (not Prestatyn) and also referred to a further event he had attended in Corwen on 23 June (BBC National Orchestra for Wales).

The Chairman also referred to the Chief Executive’s diary of events he had attended for the period 1 March - 23 June 2007 which had been circulated a the meeting.

RESOLVED that the report be received and noted.

5 ROLE OF MEMBERS IN SECURING IMPROVEMENT

The County Clerk submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting Council to note the findings of the recent study by the Wales Audit Office in respect of the Role of Members in Securing Improvement and to consider appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the recommendations arising were implemented.

The County Clerk reported that:-

- the Wales Audit Office, as part of the planned work from the Regulatory Plan, had undertaken a study to assess, through observations at various Committee meetings, the role of Members in securing improvement, and

- the initial findings from the study had been shared with the Leader, Deputy Leader, Chairs of all Scrutiny Committees and the Chair of Corporate Governance Committee along with the Corporate Executive Team. The issues arising were subsequently considered at a feedback session which enabled the overall conclusions and the key actions for improvement to be framed.

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The Chairman welcomed Mr Rod Alcott and Mr Ian Mackinder of the Wales Audit Office who had been invited to the meeting to present their findings from the study (copies of slides detailing findings and conclusions previously circulated - Welsh versions circulated at the meeting).

Mr Rod Alcott referred to the Council’s Regulatory Plan and the intention of the Wales Audit Office (WAO) to work with Members in Denbighshire and to look at Councillor activities. He referred to the work of the WAO in observing a number of committees in action with the support of 7 volunteer Members from Wrexham County Borough Council and 16 Councillors from Denbighshire.

Mr Alcott indicated that the involvement of Councillors from another Council was a significant departure from the usual studies and the findings of individual committees were fed back during the course of their meetings. He indicated that the overall findings were collated and forwarded to the Council for observations and subsequently discussed at a meeting with Scrutiny Chairs on 14 June 2007.

Mr Alcott indicated that the study focused on three main areas:-

- were meetings organized in ways to maximise their effectiveness;

- were meetings conducted in an effective manner, and

- did meetings achieve effective outcomes.

Mr Alcott referred to the overall conclusion that Members were contributing to securing improvement in Council Services but there were clear ways in which that contribution could be made more effective. He then referred to the reasons for the overall conclusion regarding the organization, conduct and outcomes of meetings.

Mr Ian Mackinder focused on the key findings of the study and the way forward to secure improvement.

The Leader of the Council felt that the study had been a very useful exercise and she intended to raise some issues with Cabinet and Members.

Councillor J Butterfield felt that the study had been beneficial for all Councillors who had participated and she urged Members to visit other Councils to see how they operated. She expressed surprise that Members had not identified training as an important issue to be addressed. Mr Mackinder felt that training was an overarching theme but agreed that it was a very important issue.

Councillor P A Dobb referred to the statement that minutes should focus on outcomes not discussion and expressed a word of caution that minutes needed to include comments from Members. Mr Rod Alcott re-emphasised that the minutes should record focus of discussions rather than general debate.

3 Councillor D Hannam agreed with the finding that officer reports were too long and consequently many issues were not discussed. Councillor R E Barton agreed and supported the use of an executive summary in reports.

The Chairman thanked the officers for their presentation and it was:-

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the findings of the study be noted, and

(b) the County Clerk be requested to submit an action plan for improvement based on the findings of the study to Corporate Governance Committee by October 2007.

6 FINAL REVENUE ACCOUNTS 2006/07

The Corporate Director: Resources submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting Council to:-

- agree the final revenue outturn position for 2006/07;

- agree the treatment of reserves as detailed in the report, and

- approve the Statement of Accounts as at 31st March 2007.

The Corporate Director referred to the revised timescale set by the amended Account and Audit Regulations which required approval of the Statutory Accounts for 2006/07 by the end of June 2007. He indicated that the end of year position was much in line with that reported in March/April and all Directorates had come in below budget which needed to be acknowledged.

The Corporate Director indicated that balances had again been strengthened this year. However attention needed to be drawn to the contingent liabilities outlined in the financial statement in relation to Equal Pay.

School balances had also improved in 2006/07. Attention was drawn to the fact that the defiant is relative to Blessed Edward Jones High School was recognised as irrecoverable. It was therefore recommended that Council balances were made available to the school.

The Corporate Director reported that because of incorrect information supplied to the authority, the sum of the pension costs within the report were not correct. Overall the Pension Fund Performance had improved and necessary adjustments would be made during the time the accounts were being audited. He also indicated that 7 Members had failed to complete Related Party Transactions declarations and urged any Member present to filI in the form after the meeting. In conclusion the Corporate Director reported that the overall financial position had improved and he thanked all the Directorate teams for all their hard work in reaching that position.

4 The Lead Member for Finance and Procurement also thanked the finance teams for their excellent work in achieving the improved financial position. However, Councillor G O Rowlands felt that Directorates still needed to be prudent as there was a need to achieve further efficiency savings for 2007/08.

Councillor P J Marfleet welcomed the report and referred to the pressure put on staff with the revised timetable for the presentation of the accounts. However, he felt that there was a value in having the accounts earlier so Members/officers could assess whether any areas for improvement were required early in the financial year. With reference to the Housing Revenue Account Councillor Marfleet felt any small assets arising from Right to Buy sales such as garages, footpaths, etc should be moved to the General Account.

In response to a comment from Councillor R E Barton the Corporate Director agreed that a further report on the Clwyd Pension Fund could be submitted to the Resources Scrutiny Committee.

The Leader of the Council welcomed the report and referred to the healthy financial position of the Council and the progress made over the past few years. Councillor R W Hughes was pleased to note that school balances were improving and referred to the increase in funding for the Capital Plan. She finally paid tribute to the excellent work carried out by all the finance teams in the Council.

In response to a question from Councillor J Chamberlain Jones the Chief Executive reported that the Blessed Edward Jones High School had suffered from the formula used for funding for high schools. He indicated that the matter was being addressed through the Schools Budget Forum who were reviewing the formula. The Chief Executive referred to the recommendation to write off the debt but emphasised that there was an expectation for the school to stay within budget for future years.

The Chief Executive referred to the 7 Members who had not signed the Related Party Transactions form and suggested that if any Member had not signed the form by 30 June then the County Clerk should prepare a report to the Corporate Governance Committee detailing the names of those Members. Councillor G O Rowlands proposed, seconded by Councillor J Thompson-Hill that the recommendations within the report be approved together with the suggestion from the Chief Executive.

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the final revenue outturn position for the year ended 31st March 2006 be agreed;

(b) the establishment of and movements in reserves and the carrying forward of earmarked balances as detailed in paragraphs 4.2 and 4.7 of the report be agreed;

(c) the Statement of Accounts as at 31st Mach 2007 be approved, and

5 (ch) the County Clerk be requested to prepare a report to the Corporate Govern- ance Committee detailing the names of any Members who have not com- pleted and returned a declaration and to disclose any third party transactions by 30 June 2007.

7 AFFORDABLE HOUSING - LOCAL CONNECTIONS PLANNING POLICY

The Head of Planning and Public Protection submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting Council to approve a Local Connections Planning Policy (and set of accompanying criteria) in respect of the local connections qualifications needed to occupy affordable housing units provided through the planning system (policy attached as Appendix 1 to the report). He indicated that the policy (and criteria) would also be used as a ‘material consideration’ in the determination of planning applications and appeals and in the preparation of the Denbighshire Local Development Plan (LDP).

The Policy, Research and Information Manager (M Pender) took Members through the report and referred to the key changes relating to the residential qualification criteria following discussions at the Joint Scrutiny Committee on 1st May 2007. He indicated that Housing Services had provided a justification for a:-

- 3 year qualification for urban areas in the North of the County, and - 5 year qualification for the rural areas elsewhere - as identified by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Members raised a number of issues regarding the policy particularly relating to:-

- the eligible household in a locality; - the definition of key worker; - the definition of an urban/rural area, and - the criteria and its lack of recognition of a Welsh connection.

Councillor S A Davies felt the 5 year residential qualification should apply to all parts of the County. Councillor D A Thomas supported that viewpoint and indicated that the definition of urban and rural areas was changing. He also indicated that a local connection policy didn’t apply to Registered Social Landlords and queried whether a planning condition could impose such a policy.

The Head of Housing Services explained the rationale behind the request for a 3/5 year residential qualification and the difficulty for borrowers in obtaining mortgages in urban areas, if a 5 year qualification was applied. The Policy, Research and Information Manager indicated that a Section 106 Agreement could be imposed on a Registered Social Landlord to have regard to the local connection policy. The Chief Executive felt that the main issue was the 3/5 year residential qualification and indicated that the officers had recommended that the policy be reviewed in 12 months time. He also reported that Henllan needed to be added to the list of communities in Appendix 1 to the report.

Councillor D A Thomas proposed an amendment, seconded by Councillor S A Davies that the 5 year residential qualification be applied to rural and urban areas of

6 the County. Upon being put to the vote the amendment was CARRIED. The Chief Executive indicated that paragraph 2.5 of Appendix would now be deleted following that amendment.

The County Clerk indicated that a Section 106 Agreement related to land holdings.

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the Local Connections Planning Policy be approved subject to the residential qualifications criteria being set at 5 years for both rural and urban areas;

(b) the Policy be used:-

- to assess qualifying affordable households claiming to have a local connection, and

- as a material planning consideration in the determination of Planning applications, and

(c) the policy/criteria and their operation be reviewed in 12 months time and any necessary changes be brought back to Council for approval.

At this juncture (11.50 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for 10 minutes to allow Members to par- take in refreshments,

8 LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2007 - 2012

The Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting Council to adopt the new Denbighshire Local Housing Strategy (LHS) for 2007 - 2012. Councillor P A Dobb indicated that:-

- the authority currently had a statutory duty to produce an LHS for the county up to and including 2008. Thereafter as part of plan rationalization, the authority would still be required to produce an LHS, but there would be no formal requirement to submit this to WAG. Future bids to WAG for Social Housing Grant (SHG), to develop new affordable homes for rent, would also be dependent upon the authority having a robust LHS in place.

- the LHS had set out the current local housing situation across all tenures and provided strategic direction for the next five years. It covered many key housing issues including affordable housing, homelessness and the condition of the county’s housing stock.

- the draft LHS contained a local Operational Plan which was updated annually and reported to both Social Services and Housing and Environment Scrutiny Committees (LHS executive summary and key actions from the Operational Plan attached at Appendix One to the report).

- that there were certain projects contained within the LHS that might fail unless additional revenue/capital funding could be identified.

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Councillor Dobb reported that the draft LHS had been considered by the Social Services and Housing Scrutiny Committee on 14 June and Cabinet the previous day and had been well received by both Committees. In conclusion Councillor Dobb thanked the officers for producing such a comprehensive strategy.

Councillor M Ll Davies referred to the lack of resources for the empty homes strategy. However he suggested that the law permitted the authority to enter into dialogue with owners of vacant properties and felt that a presentation by Housing Services to the Social Services and Housing Scrutiny Committee would be a useful exercise. Councillor Dobb welcomed that course of action.

Councillor R E Barton referred to the joint appointment of a Rural Housing Enabler with Conwy County Borough Council on a fixed term contract and the subsequent decision of the postholder to seek a permanent position elsewhere. He felt that decisions around continuation of funding for projects should be reviewed at an earlier stage to avoid losing valuable expertise.

Councillor P J Marfleet queried whether any action detailed in the report could be funded from the 2007/08 budget. He also referred to the fact that private sector landlords were wary of letting properties to people on benefits etc. Councillor Marfleet felt that work needed to be done to publicise the benefits of letting private properties to such tenants. Councillor P A Dobb referred to the projects that could be funded from this year’s budget.

Councillor J Thompson-Hill welcomed the strategy and emphasised that sustainable development needed to be taken into account when implementing the strategy. He also welcomed the proposal to develop an affordable warmth strategy.

In response to a question from Councillor I M German, the Head of Housing Services indicated that the average re-let time for Council properties was 40+ days but there were instances where that target was not achieved due to refurbishment etc.

RESOLVED that the Denbighshire Local Housing Strategy for 2007 - 2012 be adopted.

9 APPROVAL OF THE COUNCIL’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Lead Member for Property and Sustainable Development submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting Council to approve Denbighshire County Council’s Sustainability Plan and Action Plan 2007 - 2009 (Appendix 1 to the report). Councillor J Thompson-Hill took Members through the report and referred to the five key objectives and action plan. He thanked the Sustainability Project Co-ordinator for his work on the project.

Councillor H H Evans felt that energy sustainability was a very important issue and the local authority should set an example. He indicated that officers were keen to implement recycling initiatives in all Council buildings. Councillor Evans felt that the Sustainable Development Plan would place pressure on the Capital Plan and

8 suggested that the Welsh Assembly Government should provide funds to deliver the energy efficiency agenda.

Councillor P J Marfleet said it was important that the Authority implemented the report’s Action Plan. He urged Members and officers to discuss the high energy use in County Hall with the building’s owners and said that the requirements and standards had changed since the building had first been built. He went on to suggest the heating systems for the new school at Prestatyn and the Craft Centre should be revisited as they could be considered for alternative heating systems. In some instances, ground source heat pumps could be used, which in Ireland had received external funding. He informed Members that WAG were installing a biomass wood pellet boiler in their new building at Llandudno.

Councillor T K Hodgson welcomed the report but indicated that there was no mention of the Local Development Plan in the strategy. He felt that sustainability needed to be embedded into that Plan.

Councillor C L Hughes raised concerns that some targets in the action plan had no dates for implementation.

Members raised further issues with the Lead Member regarding recycling schemes, use of fleet vehicles for officers/members travel, heating systems in Council buildings, links with schools on sustainability. Councillor J Thompson-Hill responded to Members questions/comments and it was:-

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the Denbighshire County Council’s Corporate Sustainability Plan and Action Plan 2007 - 2009 be approved, and

(b) the officers be requested to make appropriate representations to the Welsh Assembly Government for funding to implement the Plan.

The meeting adjourned for lunch at 1.20 p.m.

DENBIGHSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Minutes of the resumed meeting of the County Council held in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin on Wednesday, 27 June 2007 at 1.45 p.m.

PRESENT

Councillor K N Hawkins (Chairman), J R Bartley, R E Barton, J Butterfield, J Chamberlain Jones, D Cooper, M Ll Davies, S A Davies, P A Dobb, G C Evans, H H Evans, M A German, T K Hodgson, C L Hughes, N J Hughes, R W Hughes, M M Jones, P J Marfleet, D Owens, G J Pickering, N P Roberts, S Roberts, G O Rowlands, J A Smith, D A J Thomas, S Thomas, J Thompson-Hill, M A Webster, C H Williams, E W Williams and R Ll. Williams.

9 ALSO PRESENT

Chief Executive, Corporate Directors, County Clerk and Administration Services Manager.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE WERE RECEIVED FROM

Councillors J M Davies, E C Edwards, S Frobisher, T R Hughes, D Jones, E R Jones, G A Jones, N Hugh Jones, G M Kensler, P W Owen and G Williams.

10 COMPARISON OF SERVICE BUDGETS WITH STANDARD SPENDING ASSESSMENT 2007/08

The Corporate Director: Resources submitted a report (previously circulated) which:-

- sought Members views on the detailed comparison between Service Revenue Budgets, (using full cost accounting) and the Welsh Assembly Government data that builds into the total Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) for the authority, and

- for Members to note the content of the return on the Education budget for 2007/8 to WAG (appendix 7 to the report).

The Corporate Director took Members through the report emphasizing that the SSA was only an indicator on how Councils should spend their hypothecated budgets and it was up to each individual Council how they spent their money based on the needs of the Council.

The Corporate Director referred to a series of appendices attached to the report which informed Members of the detailed comparisons made and various pieces of background that helped to explain variations.

The Chief Executive emphasised that the SSAs did not represent expenditure targets for local authorities but were a means of grant distribution only and he felt it was potentially divisive to use the data for comparison purposes. He referred to a recent Wales Audit Office report that WAG funding for education in Denbighshire was below the national average. The Chief Executive referred to Appendix 6 of the report which showed that Denbighshire was the 2nd highest authority in Wales for total capital spend on services. Councillor P J Marfleet felt that league tables were very misleading as the returns to the Assembly Government were not consistent between authorities. He referred to previous dialogues with the Assembly regarding RA returns and suggested that if matters hadn’t improved further representations should be made to the new Minister.

Councillor T K Hodgson suggested that a ½ day training session on the subject would be beneficial for Members.

The Corporate Director: Lifelong Learning felt that the Council should be focused on needs in education and whether schools offered value for money. He also indicated that the academic year did not tie in with the financial year and WAG had been lobbied on that issue. He further added that the Council needed to prioritise funding

10 particularly in areas which were underfunded and emphasised the need for Governors to be aware of funding issues. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Housing referred to the £3m spend over SSA in Social Services and felt that it was a very complex issue. She felt that local factors had influenced the spend particularly in children’s and mental health services.

The Leader of the Council referred to the significant capital expenditure on education in 2007/08 with the County being 1st in the table for spend per head of population.

The Chief Executive referred to the unfairness of the population/settlement distribution and indicated that he was pursuing that matter with the Assembly.

RESOLVED that the report be received and noted.

11 COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The County Clerk requested Council to approve the following changes to Committee Membership:-

- Planning Committee - Councillor E C Edwards to replace Councillor J R Bartley; - Appeals and Complaints Committee - Councillor N J Hughes to fill Plaid vacancy; - Social Services and Housing Scrutiny Committee - Councillor N H Jones to fill Independent vacancy; - Corporate Health, Safety and Welfare Committee - Councillor CL Hughes to fill Independent vacancy and Councillor P W Owen to fill Conservative vacancy, and - Corporate Governance Committee - Councillor P J Marfleet to replace Councillor I M German.

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the changes to committee membership as detailed above be approved;

(b) Councillor N J Hughes be requested to consider filling the vacant seat on the Corporate Governance Committee, and

(c) Groups be requested to consider filling the vacancy on SACRE (relinquished by Labour).

12 COUNTY COUNCIL FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME

The County Clerk submitted the County Council Forward Work Programme for consideration. He referred to the discussions held at the Local Development Plan (LDP) Working Group regarding the consultation that needed to take place to allow the LDP Preferred Strategy to be submitted to Council on 18 September 2007.

RESOLVED that the County Council Work Programme be received and noted.

11 PRESENTATION

At this juncture the Leader reported that the Strategic Policy Unit Manager (Janette Williams) and Strategy Policy Officer (Hannah Griffin) had both been successful in obtaining an MBA. Councillor R W Hughes presented bouquets of flowers to both officers. The Leader also reported that Councillor H H Evans’ wife had also obtained the same degree and presented him with a bouquet of flowers for his wife.

13 PLANNING APPEAL DECISION - WERN DDU WINDFARM APPEAL

(This item was considered as a matter of urgency, notice having been given by the Chairman at the commencement of the meeting).

Councillor P J Marfleet raised grave concerns over the decision of the Planning Inspector to allow the above appeal and in particular the statements made by the Inspector when reaching that decision. He urged Councillors to support the officers if an appeal was lodged against that decision.

The Chief Executive welcomed those comments and reported that the officers were considering the position and would report back to Members as soon as possible. He also indicated that talks would take place with other authorities regarding joint costs.

RESOLVED that the position be noted.

EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

RESOLVED under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 14 and 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

14 SINGLE STATUS

The Chief Executive submitted a report (previously circulated) to requesting Council to note the current position on negotiations with the trade unions on single status and to note that a proposal to commission a review of senior salaries would be presented to Council on 31st July 2007.

The Chief Executive briefly updated Members on the job evaluation exercise, negotiations with the trade unions and the issue of compensation claims.

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the current position on negotiations with the trade unions be noted, and

(b) it be noted that a proposal to commission a review of senior salaries would be presented to the Council meeting on 31st July 2007.

12 15 CAPITAL PLAN

The Lead Member for Finance and Procurement submitted a confidential report (previously circulated) requesting Council to note the latest position on the 2007/08 element of the Capital Plan and to approve the recommendations within the report.

Councillor G O Rowlands took Members through the report particularly referring to the position with the major projects relating to the Community Learning Centres, Bryn Tyner slippage, Ysgol Emmanuel and the Craft Centre. Councillor Rowlands briefly referred to the new projects that had been approved and included in the Capital Plan for 2007/08 and the project proposals being developed.

In response to Members’ questions, the Corporate Director: Lifelong Learning explained the extra spend on the Ysgol Emmanuel project and the current position with the Community Learning Centres.

RESOLVED that:-

(a) the latest position on the 2007/08 element of the Capital Plan be noted;

(b) officers be authorized to continue to sign the contract with DELLS for the Community Learning Centres project subject to the Corporate Director: Re- sources and the County Clerk being satisfied that the conditioned detailed in 2.3 of the report could be met;

(c) the increased costs of the Pen y Pigyn (Bryn Tyner) project and how it was funded be noted, and

(ch) the increased costs of the Ysgol Emmanuel scheme and how it was to be funded be noted.

The meeting concluded at 3.15 p.m.

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13 AGENDA ITEM NO: 5

REPORT TO COUNCIL

CABINET MEMBER: Councillor Gareth Rowlands Lead Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement

DATE: 31 July 2007

SUBJECT: Review of 2006/07 Capital Plan Achievements

1. DECISION SOUGHT

1.1 That members note the final position of the 2006/07 capital plan and enjoy reading about the successful projects delivered in the year.

2. REASON FOR SEEKING DECISION

2.1 The Council approves a new capital plan at the beginning of each financial year. This report is to update members on the achievements of last year’s capital plan.

2.2 During 2006/07 the Council spent £31.5m on its County Fund Capital Plan with a further £6.2m on Housing Revenue Account capital projects.

2.3 Often the reporting that is done on a regular basis to Cabinet and Council by necessity focuses on problems or issues that require decisions. This can sometimes generate a negative impression of the performance of the capital plan. However this report is intended to focus purely on the achievements of 2006/07 so that members can appreciate the scale and impact that the capital plan has on the County.

2.4 This expenditure enabled the Council to deliver a number of important improvements to its infrastructure. A large number of officers worked hard to deliver these projects often with tight deadlines, multiple funding sources, large numbers of stakeholders and keen interest from the public, press, auditors and government. There are always problems to overcome as each project is unique and complex and requires initiative, creativity and endurance from the officers (and members) involved.

2.5 As previously reported the capital plan has almost doubled over the last few years and officers continue to deliver more and more projects with little additional resources. This can be difficult but also clearly demonstrates officers’ commitment to improving service delivery.

2.6 Many of the projects have had a significant direct impact on individuals who live or work in the County e.g. improvements to the homes of disabled people or extensions to schools, but many projects that are carried out are unseen and possibly unnoticed yet are equally vital, such as drainage improvements, ICT infrastructure etc, without which much of our delivery infrastructure would be unviable.

1 AGENDA ITEM NO: 5

2.7 Departments were asked for summaries on a sample of projects that were underway during 2006/07 to give members an idea of the scope and scale of projects delivered in the year. These are shown in the attached appendix. What the appendix also shows is that there are a lot of small projects that are not highly visible in the capital plan but that do have a large impact on the County. Departments are rightly proud of these and details they provided have not been edited / reduced simply because they spent less. This does mean that although the appendix merely summarises a sample of projects it still runs to 15 pages.

2.8 The capital monitoring reports showed 102 different projects underway during the year but if we look into the detail, it is obvious that this fails to fully appreciate the individual schemes that are carried out. Many projects are in fact programmes of work and contain many smaller projects. Within single contracts we affect numerous individuals. For example, the works carried out with Housing Renovation Grants affected 235 private homes and HRA funding refurbished 107 council houses.

2.9 In total, then, the Council is likely to have instigated or completed over 1,000 successful individual capital schemes during the year, with values ranging from a few thousand pounds up to over a million pounds.

3. POWER TO MAKE THE DECISION

3.1 Part 1 of the Local Government Act 2003 determines the arrangements for capital financing from 2004/05 onwards.

4. COST IMPLICATIONS

4.1 It is necessary to ensure that the capital plan is fully funded as any cost overruns above the total available funding fall to be funded from revenue.

5. FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

5.1 It is important that members understand where the capital plan funds are spent and the impact they make on service delivery.

6. CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

6.1 All Heads of Service and Corporate Executive Team were asked to nominate projects for inclusion.

7. IMPLICATIONS ON OTHER POLICY AREAS INCLUDING CORPORATE

7.1 Projects are reviewed to ensure that they satisfy the Council’s Corporate Objectives.

2 AGENDA ITEM NO: 5

8. ACTION PLAN

8.1 Directorates monitor capital projects to identify any slippage and will continue to do so.

9. RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 That members note the final position of the 2006/07 capital plan and enjoy reading about the successful projects delivered in the year.

3 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

Public Conveniences – Expenditure £210k We have undertaken a number of major improvements to public conveniences. Refurbishments to public conveniences have taken place at:

• Rhyl Station, with the help of funding from Rhyl Town Council, • Rhuddlan, • Events Arena and East Parade car park, Rhyl.

These improvements were instrumental in helping the Cleaning Team win nationally recognised awards from APSE, namely Cleaning Service Team of the year and Overall Service Team of the year.

Denbighshire’s commitment to improving these facilities has been recognised - we were the first Council in Wales to install semi-automated units - and it was significant that the national "keep it open, keep it clean" toilet campaign chose Denbighshire as the area in which to launch this major initiative.

Installation of CCTV Rhuddlan – Expenditure £85k The project included the installation of four CCTV Cameras and the associated transmission equipment in Rhuddlan. Four sites were identified following discussions with Rhuddlan Town Council and North Wales Police. The cameras have been installed at • The junction of King St - Parliament St • The Kings Head Roundabout • Admirals Playing Field. • Library/Health Centre

The cameras are monitored by staff in the Authority’s CCTV Control Room in Rhyl and the signals are transmitted by radio frequency .This method of transmission will eliminate the need for any increase in the CCTV revenue budget. The project was funded by DCC Members Fund £20k, Rhuddlan T.C £24k, Communities Capital Fund £40k. Work on the installation of the equipment was carried out by DCC Street Lighting (Civils Work) and Streetcam (a CCTV Maintenance / Installation Contractor.)

The project was delivered within the agreed budget and time scale.

CCTV Control Room – Expenditure £360k A Health and Safety Audit in 2003 concluded that the location of the CCTV Control Room was unsafe and that staff were vulnerable to intimidation. The equipment in the Control Room was congested, unreliable and outdated.

Conditions within the old Control Room left the Authority at risk of receiving a HSE Improvement Notice under the Workplace Regulations (Health and Safety at Work Act). Negotiations between the main stake holder (North Wales Police) and the Authority resulted in the Control Room being relocated at the Rhyl Police Station. Agreement was reached that North Wales Police would provide the building rent free for a five year period.

1 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

The project to upgrade the CCTV Control Room was approved by Council in March 06 with work starting on site in November 06. The project team was set up and included officers from Finance, Legal, Building Services, CCTV, Procurement, ICT and representatives from North Wales Police. Procurement for the equipment was via the OJEU Website and the Tender was advertised throughout Europe. Quadrant Security (based in Nottingham) was the successful contractor.

Tenders for the refurbishment of a suite in the Police station were prepared and Contractors from the Authority’s approved list invited to tender for the work. A detailed programme of work was agreed with all the Contractors and work started on site in November 06 with completion in March 07. D.C.C. now has one of the most up to date CCTV Control Rooms in the Country. The project was delivered on time.

Highway Capital Maintenance Schemes 2006 / 2007 – Expenditure £2.5m Last year’s capital allocations allowed us to carry out the following works:

Surface Dressing – An area equating to over 235,000 square metres was treated including sections of the A5104 near Llandegla and Bryneglwys, Old Corwen Road in Ruthin and the road linking the A55 with Tremeirchion. This is equivalent to 3% of the overall carriageway area being treated.

Micro Asphalt – This treatment is more durable than Surface Dressing and was used in diverse locations such as estate roads in Prestatyn, the A543 Denbigh towards Groes Road and part of the Nant y Garth Pass. Erw Wen in Ruthin was also resurfaced in this way and all in all 1.5% of the total carriageway area was treated.

Drainage – the funding allocation permitted over 3,000 linear metres of new or replacement drainage schemes to be installed including a much needed upgrade of the highway drainage system in Bontuchel.

Footways – in terms of reducing the Council’s liability for slips and trips this was seen as a major priority, particularly in urban areas such as Rhyl and over the twelve months in excess of 75,000 square metres was treated. This was on top of other works carried out to improve the footways using other sources of funding. Year on year we are now seeing a continuous drop in the number of claims being received as a result of this investment.

Resurfacing – Again some significant work was carried out in this regard with high priority areas such as the A525 in Llanrhaeadr being brought up to a condition which will last for years. Some of this allocation was spent on doing preparatory works for further improvements and an example of this is The Roe in St. Asaph where drainage and kerbing works have been carried out prior to resurfacing work which will be resourced from the 2007/08 allocation. 0.5% of the network was treated in this fashion equating to over 31,000 Square metres in total.

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Countryside Grants Scheme Phase 2 – Expenditure £80k (in 06/07) The second phase (Jan 05 – Mar 07) of the Denbighshire Countryside Grant Scheme has now been completed. Assisted by the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), the aim of the project was to create a more biologically diverse countryside by restoring a range of habitats and features, especially those within the Denbighshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP). It also aimed to assist farmers, landowners and the wider community by enhancing the landscape of the County and by providing opportunities for farmers to acquire new skills and knowledge. Finally it aimed to safeguard existing jobs in the rural skills sector and create new job opportunities. The scheme was managed by Denbighshire Countryside Service.

The eligibility criteria were clearly defined. Projects had to be on or relate to agricultural land; gardens and most other non-agricultural land was specifically excluded. Any project that made a positive contribution to biodiversity or landscape enhancement was considered and in most cases accepted. Most frequently these related to hedgerow restoration which contributed substantially towards achieving the targets of the Hedgerow Habitat Action Plan of the Denbighshire LBAP. Other popular projects included tree planting, woodland fencing and pond restoration.

Over the 2 years, a total of 220 projects were completed. The gross value of all the schemes (i.e. grants plus owner’s contributions) was £470,356 with a total of £192,341 paid in grants. The grants were funded approximately 50/50 from EAGGF and Denbighshire County Council.

Hedges restored 41.1 kms Dry stone walls repaired 429 metres Boundaries restored (total) 41.5 kms Ponds restored Trees planted 1,462 Area of trees planted 2.5 ha Area of woodland fenced 10.1 ha Area of wildflower meadow 0.9 ha Calcareous grassland conserved 0.7 ha Area brought under sustainable management 13.7 ha Woodland nature trail 400 metres Green lane restored 650 metres

Housing Improvement Grants / Housing Renewal Areas – Expenditure £3.4m Block Allocation Funding 133 properties adapted throughout the county, for the benefit of disabled persons 235 properties repaired/renovated throughout the county

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Nearly 70% of the Housing Block Allocation is spent on Disabled Facilities Grants. DFGs are mandatory grants. They are available to help disabled people fund adaptations which will enable them to live as independently as possible in their own homes.

The DFG is means tested and is based on the test for Housing Benefit, working on the principle of determining the size of a loan the applicant could afford to raise. Applicants at or below the threshold for means tested benefits do not have to contribute. Those on low incomes may have to contribute a small amount, whilst those on higher incomes often have to meet the most or all of the cost of work.

It is important to recognise the opportunity costs associated with DFGs to the Authority. This can be illustrated with a crude example:

A disabled person who is wheelchair bound and currently receiving Homecare because they are unable to use a bath, would be at a cost of £11 a day - £80 a week - £4,000 a year. The installation of a level access shower which the person could access and use independently would cost approximately £4,000. This person would no longer require the Homecare service and would save the Authority £4,000 a year.

There are a number of reasons why so much of the budget is spent on DFG's

• Cost of specialist equipment, which enables greater independence is expensive e.g closomat wc • Preventative treatment: children are now able to receive more medical interventions at home, however the environment needs to meet their needs, eg children with Cystic Fibrosis. • Increase in numbers of Children’s DFGs: The means test for children has now been removed which may account for a recent increase in the numbers of referrals for DFG’s. However the number of severely disabled children has also risen in the past few years.

Renewal Area Scheme 80 properties have been refurbished / renovated.

There are currently two Renewal Areas in Denbighshire; Rhyl South West and Denbigh central.

The objectives of a Renewal Area are to halt a downward spiral of decline in an area and achieve a more pleasant, safe, attractive environment to live in, in which its residents can live more securely and healthily and in which they can take pride.

A Renewal Area is declared following a study of a specific area. This involves condition surveys of the buildings, an assessment of the socio-economic status of the area and the percentage of properties in private ownership.

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Funding for works in the Renewal Area is received on an annual basis from the Welsh Assembly Government through a bidding process. This amount can vary each year and schemes are programmed accordingly.

Improvements are carried out to external elements of buildings within the Renewal Area and include works to roofs, chimneys, windows, external walls, gutters, soil pipes and sometimes to boundary walls external paths and paving where funding permits. Environmental improvements through projects such as the development of waste land, improvements to existing open spaces etc can also be undertaken within Renewal Areas.

Housing Revenue Account – Council House Improvements – Expenditure £6.2m Progress on the various contracts is very good. There is some slippage but we are still well on target to achieve Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2012. The Business Plan has been reviewed and remains viable. Tenants are receiving significant improvements with new windows and doors, central heating and new kitchens and bathrooms. Achievements to the end of March 07 on the major contracts are as follows:

• Major Refurbishments 106 properties underway and 19 completions - NB this is the 2nd contract from 2006, previous works in 2005/06 not included. • Windows contract 1,910 properties completed - from 2005 • Heating contract 751 properties completed - from 2005

Rhyl Going Forward – Expenditure £3.5m (in 06/07) The new drift park facility on Rhyl’s west parade is very near completion. Four of the five themed gardens are now being operated by the council. The new playground garden is proving extremely successful and the mini golf and ice cream kiosks are adding to Rhyl's visitor attractions. This is £3.8m of investment in total provided by Objective 1 funds WAG, DCC and Rhyl Town Council over several years.

The Foryd Harbour infrastructure works are continuing at pace and are due to be completed by mid July. The works aim to provide a new access road, secure boat storage and wash down facilities. There will also be some refurbishment of the quay wall on the old timber yard quay. This is a £1.4m investment in total provided by Objective 1 funds, WAG and DCC.

Work has just started on 14, 16, 18 Edward Henry St, Rhyl to demolish no14 and refurbish 16, 18 into micro business units with provision of space for community activities. This again is funded by Objective 1 funds, WAG, and DCC

Together the three above projects form Denbighshire's Rhyl Going Forward work. This is a regeneration strategy for the coastal town of Rhyl and begins the physical infrastructure improvements so badly needed. Work is also progressing within the social inclusion field of work and to this end colleagues in social services are looking at ways to get people back into work through the Working Connections and Genesis projects.

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E-Payments – Expenditure £39k This scheme enabled the purchase and implementation of additional modules for the Cash Receipting software. The modules have provided Debit and Credit Card authorisation for the front office counter service, internet payments, intranet payments and the 24 digital touchtone telephone payments. The total cost of the scheme was £39,201.96 which included hardware, software, phone lines and internet penetration testing.

The old method of receiving card payments involved a manual process of recording card and customer details and processing via a single back office terminal, a second process separate from the counter transaction. The new process is fully integrated with the Cash Receipting system, enables customers to pay money to the Council at any time, and can provide the facility to all services for the acceptance of fees and charges as part of an electronic process, thereby improving our rating under e-govt targets. This is a major contributor to our web-site ratings by SOCITIM.

The success of the implementation can be seen from the increasing values of card transactions, which are now over £300,000 per month.

Average Monthly Credit / Debit Card Payments

350 300 250 200

£000 150 100 50 0 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 Year

Nantclwyd y Dre, Ruthin – Expenditure £118k (in 06/07) The project featured the restoration and interpretation of Wales’ oldest timber framed house into a multi period visitor attraction with rooms reflecting each of the ‘Seven Ages’ of the building’s long and fascinating history. The project cost approximately £600k and was funded by Objective1, WAG, CADW, DCC, Ruthin Town Council. It is now open to the public.

Ty Coch, Llangynhafal, nr Denbigh – Expenditure £707k (in 06/07) The project Converted a 15th century cruck framed barn and 2 stone outbuildings on DCC’s agricultural estate into 3 business units. It cost approx £860k and was funded by Objective 1, WAG and DCC

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This is a pilot project to establish how much of a need there is for rural office accommodation. We are currently organising business events to be held at Ty Coch, to provide local business support and assessing an application from one business to locate there.

Industrial Units – Expenditure £334k (in 06/07) Since 1st April 2006, 9 businesses have moved into new units at Crown House, Ruthin and Cefndy Employment Park, Rhyl creating 17 full-time jobs and 5 part time jobs. Crown House is now fully occupied. 2 out of the 4 new units at Cefndy are occupied with applications in for the remaining 2 – one application is from a local company needing more space to expand the business. The project has been funded by Objective 1, WAG and DCC.

Four new units are currently being built at Colomendy Industrial Estate, Denbigh. Each unit will provide 200sqm of space and will be ready in Autumn 2007.

Rhyl / Denbigh Townscape Heritage Initiatives – Expenditure £863k (in 06/07) Denbigh THI Phase 1 is now complete and it generated a total of £5.1m investment in Denbigh’s built environment. Phase 2 has just started. (It has been funded through various grants, Council funds and contributions from the private sector). Recently completed schemes include:

The Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) project, costing £480,000 has helped return the Dr Evan Pierce Memorial Garden, originally laid out in the Victorian style, to its former condition as a public amenity. Funding was provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government, Denbighshire County Council, Cadwyn Clwyd and Cadw.

The Town Council commissioned an Englyn dedicated to Dr Pierce from local bard John Glyn Jones and also invited local schools to take part in a competition to write a four line Stanza in English dedicated to the garden – this was won by Elen Parry of Frongoch Junior School. Both pieces of poetry have been incorporated onto bronze plaques at the entrance. The garden is managed by the Town Council for the benefit of Denbigh residents and will once again be open daily to the public. Opening times are 10am – 6pm or dusk whichever is earlier.

The works carried out included the repair and renovation of the listed structures, namely the monument of Dr Evan Pierce and the two cast iron Jubilee fountains, re-laying of paving and lawned areas, landscaping and planting generally, and reinstatement of railings. It also addressed problems associated with retaining walls to both adjoining properties, and issues of drainage and water penetration to the listed building on the lower side of the Garden.

The garden has been awarded a Green Apple Award for enhancement of the built environment, category Silver.

Rhyl THI Restoration of No 17 Bedford Street for the West Rhyl Young People’s Project was completed in the 2006/7 financial year under the Rhyl Townscape Heritage Initiative. This will

7 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1 provide a drop-in centre, computer suite, consulting and interview rooms, and office accommodation for the Project, and is an expansion of their current premises in Bedford Street.

The whole building was renovated, with new slate roofs, repairs to windows, internal improvements and alterations, and a large derelict outbuilding was brought back into use. The adjacent yard was cleared and repaved to provide a sunny outdoor area which can be used for a variety of purposes.

Funding was provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Welsh Assembly Government, and Rhyl Town Council, with £131,935 being provided from the DCC Key Fund.

THI Traditional Building Skills Training The first phase of a series of Awareness Days for local contractors, architects and owners of historic buildings is being held in conjunction with Flintshire and Wrexham Councils, mostly funded by Leader+ EU and managed by Cadwyn Clwyd and Northern Marches Board.

Days have been held in each county, providing an introduction to the use of lime in building, specifying lime, lime plastering, and pointing in lime mortar. Delegates benefit from informative talks and demonstrations by experienced staff from Calch Ty Mawr Lime and their partners, and are also able to gain some understanding of the materials, with hands-on practical sessions.

Each county is providing a suitable venue, and contributing to the cost of the days, which are free to delegates, through the Townscape Heritage Initiative programmes. Phase 2, to include further skills such as stonework, joinery repairs, and brickwork, is due to commence in autumn 2007.

Heather and Hillforts The upland landscape of the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio Mountain is an important asset and resource within Denbighshire. The quality of the natural and historic heritage of these uplands is of international significance with the high scenic quality of the area underpinning its importance for recreation and tourism. Over half a million people visit the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio Mountain every year.

The Heather and Hillforts Project has been supported by match funding of £15K from the capital plan which has been used to lever in £222K towards the management of upland heritage in Denbighshire. The Heritage Lottery Fund has just awarded the Heather and Hillforts project a grant of £1.5 million pounds towards an ambitious three year work programme

Achievements to date include:

• Topographical Archaeological Surveys of six hillforts that have identified over 60 previously unrecorded archaeological features. • Condition Survey completed of the six hillfort sites.

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• Moorland Condition Survey completed which has enabled a programme of work to be established. • Moorland management demonstration days held for graziers. • 435 acres of bracken spraying along the Clwydian Range • 3 days of site visits for Denbighshire Schools to Caer Drewyn to have a hands on experience of archaeological survey work. • Outdoor Theatre Classroom Pilot Project completed with Theatr Clwyd • 4 fully booked Archaeology Uncovered events held for the general public. • Consultation and Public events held. • Access audit completed of all key footpath routes. • Europa Nostra European Award presented to the Council for outstanding work related to heritage achieved through the Heather and Hillforts Project.

Castell Dinas Bran – Expenditure £20k (in 06/07) Reconsolidation work will take place once again this year, last year funds from the Capital 'pot' were allocated for a further (and last) 3 year programme of work. £20K was allocated each year and this will be matched by grant aid from Cadw. The project has improved the safety, appearance and structure of the castle, but due to the conditions at the site and the specialist materials that are used, the work is slow and can only be done during a short period each year. Work is due to begin again on site in late September for a 12 week period.

Playgrounds Capital Improvement Programme – Expenditure £275k The County Council is responsible for 65 play areas across the County, and during 2006-07 a further 13 existing sites were improved either by upgrading play equipment, installing safety surfacing or new fencing. In addition, 10 new seats, 9 benches, 7 picnic tables and 7 litter bins were installed at various sites. Major refurbishments were undertaken at Bryn Seion and Bryn Stanley, Denbigh, Vaughan Street, Rhyl, Canol y Dre, Ruthin and a completely new play area was also created at Parc Bodnant in Prestatyn utilising S.106 funding from the adjoining housing development. The capital programme also financed the acquisition of new playground management computer software which has improved the recording of necessary safety inspections and data that is required in respect of play areas.

The Hiraethog and Denbigh Moors Environment Forum – Expenditure £26k (in 06/07)

The Hiraethog project is a partnership between: Denbighshire CC, Conwy CBC, Countryside Council for Wales, Welsh Water, Forestry Commission Wales, North Wales Wildlife Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

The Environmental Strategy and Action Plan for the Hiraethog Area 2002-2006, looked at the principal issues facing the local communities and explored ideas to increase the growth and prosperity of the area. Extensive consultation was carried with local people, farming unions, local interest groups, accommodation providers and tourist facilities in the community wards of Cerrigydrudion, Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Llangwm, Pentrefoelas, Llansannan and Llangernyw, Clocaenog, Cyffylliog, Llanrhaeadr yng Nghinmeirch and Nantglyn

Objectives of Hiraethog Project

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Protection of the environment through habitat and species management Enhancing characteristic landscape features Regenerating the local economy through tourism Raising awareness of countryside and environmental issues Providing green tourism initiatives and improving access to the countryside

Hiraethog Grants Delivered Fourteen projects were carried out resulting in 975 hectares of moorland and forest being brought into sustainable management for Black Grouse.

Fourteen projects were carried out resulting in 103 hectares of farmland being bought into sustainable management for Lapwing.

Eleven traditional farm buildings have been repaired with assistance through this grants scheme.

Hiraethog - Alwen Trail Today the new 8 mile/13 km trail provides a superb walking and biking experience around the reservoir following forestry tracks and stone paths along the water’s edge and high up onto the heather moor where there are panoramic views across the surrounding landscape. In particular, the trail is proving particularly popular with families and less technical mountain bikers.

Hiraethog - Tourism Several years ago a group of proactive local tourist providers got together and set up the Hiraethog Countryside Holidays Group which obtained a small amount of funding for a leaflet to promote Hiraethog as a destination. The Hiraethog Conservation and Landscape Project was able to assist this group by providing funding for a comprehensive website and a new brochure to publicise the area.

All of the accommodation providers in the project area boundary who were registered or in the process of registering with the Visit Wales (formerly the Wales Tourist Board) were given the opportunity to advertise on the website for free. Attractions were also contacted, including one or two specialist activities from outside the area whose inclusion it was felt would increase the appeal of the area.

The website www.hiraethog.org.uk was launched in spring 2007. The bi-lingual site has extensive and detailed information on accommodation, attractions, activities and local places of interest. It also has a Wildlife Spotter’s Guide informing readers about local wildlife through the seasons as well as background information on the landscape, local history and culture and the Welsh language.

It is hoped that the website will help provide a kick-start for tourism in Hiraethog and be the start of a new chapter for the region’s second largest industry. The website is supplemented by a brochure which promotes the area and directs interested parties to the website for

10 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1 further information. 100,000 brochures were produced, and these have been distributed in North West England and North East Wales.

Schools – Expenditure £7.9m During the year many projects were undertaken at schools throughout the County. A sample of them is shown below:

• Ysgol Bro Famau, Llanferres - extension to provide new classroom, toilets, staffroom and library. • Ysgol Glan Clwyd - New Science Block to provide 4 new science classrooms. • Ysgol Bro Famau, Llanarmon – remodelled and refurbished the old school house to provide a new link to main school building and new classrooms. • Cefn Meiriadog – 2 classroom extension • Denbigh High – refurbished Drama and Studio rooms. • Ysgol Hiraddug, Dyserth – remodelled and refurbished toilets, staff room, art room and gym store. • Ysgol Dinas Bran – refurbishment and remodelling of Food Technology Room. • Ysgol Dinas Bran – new DDA compliant toilet, office remodel, installation of ramps and stair lift. • Various schools – refurbishment of toilet facilities at 22 schools to as new condition • Ysgol Brynhyfryd – new Dining & Kitchen facility. • Ysgol Y Faenol – new entrance and staffroom facilities • An integrated Children’s Centre at Christchurch, providing a refurbished gym, multi use games area, child care centre and permanent home for the scouts • Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn – completed the £4.4m refurbishment and development of the regional centre including residential facilities. • Purchased land for the development of a new school in Prestatyn • 18 schools had new fire alarms ordered • 6 schools had new windows installed to a total investment of £357k • 4 schools had new energy saving light fittings installed throughout, making a total of 58 schools which have received this upgrade in the last four years.

Ysgol Tir Morfa Phase 2 and Future Phases – Expenditure £222k (in 06/07) Ysgol Tir Morfa Phase 2 development has been used as a pilot to test the evolving Corporate Project Management Methodology since November 2006. The new monitoring tools have been positively received by the Project Board for being concise and effective for monitoring and reporting on progress. The practical completion of Phase 2 at Ysgol Tir Morfa is on schedule to finish in December 2007.

Phase 2 of Ysgol Tir Morfa, is one of the first new school development/extensions to include sprinklers into the design of the school. The project is currently awaiting a response from the Welsh Assembly Government regarding a bid for match funding for installing sprinklers in Phase 2 and funding to complete a retrofit of sprinklers into Phase 1 worth £250,000.

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For the development of future phases Ysgol Tir Morfa is also piloting an innovative tool to measure the design quality of buildings, and improve the communication of aspirations and expectations between the client and design team. The Design Quality Indicators for Schools event (DQIfS) took place in June 2007; the event was extremely successful and stimulated a very positive response from key stakeholders. Following evaluation of the event it is anticipated that the DQI process can be used on other large scale capital projects to effectively monitor expectation and aspirations for buildings.

Community Learning Centres Video Conferencing – Expenditure £400k Through the Learning Centres Project an ICT infrastructure that meets the 'All Wales Video Conferencing Network' (AWVCN) and ‘Cymru Ar-lein’ standards for video conferencing has been designed and installed at five high schools, (Prestatyn High School, Rhyl High School, Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Denbigh High School and Ysgol Brynhyfryd). The system, which has been jointly funded through the Welsh Assembly Government and Objective 1, will enable an extended range of courses to be offered to post 16 learners at schools using the new technology. A pilot project offering an AS level Electronics course at Denbigh High School has been well received, and new e-learning courses and teaching methodologies will be developed in conjunction with the partner colleges that support post 16 learning in Denbighshire's schools.

Leisure Centres – Expenditure £613k (in 06/07) St.Asaph Leisure Sports Hall – and reception viewing area improvements (£300k Leisure Capital), Big Lottery Fund Gymnasium Refurbishment, Disabled Changing room, All Weather pitch (£600k BLF), DDA improvements Main entrance doors, parking bay marking, external signage (£20k DDA and Leisure revenue)

Prestatyn Leisure Centre – Internal DDA refurbishment phase 1, fitness suite DDA refit to include removal of the old health suite, and create new ground floor access to squash courts. (£80k DDA, £20k Leisure)

Corwen Leisure Centre – Changing room and reception remodelling and full refurbishment, fitness suite refurbishment (DDA £35k, Leisure Capital £170k, maintenance capital £20k

Ruthin Leisure Centre – Wet Change refurbishment and Gymnasium refurbishment. (BLF £310k), New reception and main entrance (DDA £30k)

Llangollen Leisure – Half Size All Weather Pitch (BLF £200k)

Denbigh Leisure Centre – New Fitness suite to include additional changing rooms, refurbish main wetside changing, new reception, staff room and first aid room. (Prudential borrowing £320k, Leisure Capital £170k)

ICT – Expenditure £312k (plus funds for ICT work on other projects)

While the descriptions below may not be clear, it is more appropriate that members appreciate the scope and scale of what has been done rather than understand the individual

12 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1 elements. These improvements underpin activity in every service. Without the improvements listed, services would not be able to improve and in some cases not be able to operate at all.

Infrastructure In addition to supporting major software implementations such as the HR system, ICT have delivered a number of highly technical hardware and software improvement projects. During the year, work has progressed on the server consolidation exercise, including the extension of VMWare, Storage Area Network (SAN) upgrade and p570 installation which successfully consolidated and migrated Debtors, Payroll, Revenues & Benefits, Creditors and COMS applications. This included upgrading the operating system along with three of the core applications. Implementation of and migration to Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) which provides centralized backup & archive for all servers along with improved server and data resilience and security. Also a significant number of databases, applications and hardware have been upgraded and/or installed, including a major Citrix migration. The wide area network has been improved as well as a number of the local area networks, including, Trem Clwyd, Henllan, Ty Nant, Youth Offending Team and Bodelwyddan.

Network and Operations Glan Clwyd - LES10 and router upgrade Websense renewal 2 schools broadband YOT upgrade - new switch and IP addresses iCAM upgrade & CD library installation libraries Firewall upgrades and 3rd firewall integration Local Land Charges Upgrades M3 implementation (Public Protection Database) Midland HR upgrade (test & train) to V6.5 Notes 6 client upgrades CMS Installation New SAN rack installation Land Charges - iPLAN, iPLAn and iGAZ upgrades Registrars websphere upgrade to v6 Corwen and Denbigh Leisure Centres Refit and Techno Gym Installation

Systems Customer Relationship Management System phase 1B and 2 A – This phase was to create an XML connector to provide follow-up information from the back office to the contact centre. The phase also included failover to store data in case any back office server failed. CRM Phase 2A was the rollout to One stop shops. From the Systems side this included amendments to the functionality of some of the core forms and changes to on-line forms so that services could be split. (so we could have different versions of the forms for new services) Proactis is the new ordering and commitments system which will integrate to Creditors so that we only order from companies authorised by our Creditors section will be accepted. The returned invoices will be transmitted to Creditors saving double keying.

13 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

Webservices were developed by Systems section for the transmission of data.

WPPP. This is an independent website which we developed for payment of parking fines within the counties of Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey. It links directly to to our Spectrum Payment system and cash receipting where the funds are collected on behalf of the other authorities. www.wppp.org.uk. As well as building the website to W3C Standards we wrote internal interfaces to the Spectrum credit card payment system and the cash receipting system.

Scala Cinema and Arts Centre – Expenditure £248k (in 06/07) In February work started on site on the long standing project to redevelop the former Scala Cinema in Prestatyn to create a new multi functional community facility incorporating a new 150 seat cinema/conference facility, 150 seat flexible performance space, several meeting/function rooms, cafe bar, gallery spaces and new reception and other ancillary public facilities. Not only will this create a new cultural / community facility for the town, it will also make a significant contribution to regenerating the lower High Street area of the town centre. The estimated project cost is around £3.5m, but substantial external funding has been attracted via WAG, Prestatyn Town Council, Arts Council for Wales and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. The Council had to close the Scala nearly seven years ago as a result of its dangerous structural condition, but the new Scala will open in the summer of 2008.

14 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

Community Capital Funds Applicant Project Amount Paid in 06 £ Canolfan Cae Cymro, The construction of a conservatory 23,500 Clawddnewydd Corwen War Memorial Park Renovation of the memorial park grounds 30,711 Dyserth Recreation Association The provision of a play park, skate ramp and mult 50,000 use games area at the King George V Field Dyser Neuadd y Brenin – Kings Hall Development of a lifelong learning centre 50,000 Management Committee, Prestatyn Llanferres Community Council The provision of bus shelters and information boa 10,000 at Llanferres and Tafarn y Gelyn Prestatyn & Meliden Community Sa The provision of outdoor facilities and a fully 4,250 Group accessible toilet at the Pop In Centre, 30 Meliden Prestatyn. Ruthin Business Watch Crime reduction and environmental improvements 5,000 Lon Parcwr Industrial Estate, Ruthin St. Asaph City Bowling Club The construction of a new toilet block at Roe Plas 9,625 high St. Asaph Clwyd Coast Credit Union, Purchase of premises 1,131 Prestatyn Denbigh Town Council Restoration of Dr. Evan Pierce Memorial Gardens 34,000 Representative Body of the Church i New nave altar to showcase local crafts and mater 4,000 Wales St. Mary’s Church , Cyffylliog Restoration of rainwater damage and installation o 6,500 heating Vestry House Charity Fund, Installation of a lift to enable access to the first flo 9,102 Llanfair DC for people unable to use the stairs Ysgol Isaf, Cynwyd Provisions to cover the increased cost of new roof 5,000 kitchen and access ramp, in addition to £33,300 Community Capital Grant awarded in 2003 Bedford Street Rhyl ,Community Refurbishment of Vaughan Street Play Area 44,109 Association Eglwys Presbyteriadd Cymru – Cape Extension of Vestry , new kitchen and fully 12,000 MC Cefnmeiriadog accessible toilet Llanfwrog Community Association Construction of community and sports facilities at 50,000 Fawr, Ruthin Llangollen English Methodist Churc Refurbishment of memorial hall 12,000

15 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

Ruthin Craft Centre – Expenditure £363k (in 06/07) The ambition to transform Ruthin Craft Centre into the new Welsh Centre for the Applied Arts was eventually realised in 2006-07. Following several years of work the project started on site in March 2007 to create what will be a national flagship of cultural excellence in Denbighshire. A distinctive new building will be created which will allow us to expand and build on the excellent reputation of Ruthin Craft Centre as an important centre for developing contemporary applied art in Wales. The total cost of the project is approximately £4.3m but it is being supported with significant external funding, including a £3.1m grant from the Arts Council for Wales, which is the single largest grant they have made in the North Wales region. The new Ruthin Craft Centre will open in summer 2008.

Active Lifestyles Community Capital Fund – Expenditure £6k (in 06/07) The Council successfully bid for a number of projects to be funded from this WAG initiative which presented a one off opportunity late in the year. Most of the projects will be completed in 2007-08, but schemes which were delivered in 2006-07 include a new 'Versa Dock' facility at Marine lake which is designed to facilitate easier access to the water in support of our expanding water sports programme at the site, and new and improved paths at Nercwys Forest (in partnership with the Forestry Commission) to enhance public access and enjoyment of this developing Countryside Site in the Clwydian Range AONB.

Scansis Mini Pitches – Expenditure £43k With funding from the Football Association of Wales, two new open access mini- pitches were created at Dawson Drive, Prestatyn and Riverside Park, Llangollen. These are small artificial turf pitches designed for informal play and sporting activity, and both have been very well used by local children and young people since they were completed.

Plas Newydd – Expenditure £105k (in 06/07) This year the heritage service has achieved the conversion of a disused building on the site at Plas Newydd, Llangollen to create Y Caban, a new combined arts, activity and special events venue with crafts studio which was officially opened on 22 March 2007 by the then Chairman Cllr Neville Hughes. The building was called the potting shed and used for many years by the gardeners of Llangollen UDC to pot up the plants that they grew. The building's origins are very old and may have been the brewhouse referred to by the Ladies of Llangollen. It was refurbished with the help of grants from the Arts Council of Wales and Objective 1 European funding and will be used for artists in residence, crafts residencies, exhibitions, arts showcases, events and activities. There are a series of exhibitions planned and staff will now be able to involve children and adults in arts activities not possible before the new space was available. It is an added attraction for visitors to what is already offered at Plas Newydd as it allows the public to see exhibitions or watch craftspeople and artists at work or take part in workshops as well as visit the house and gardens. At the moment there is an exhibition there of the work of former artists in residence, the latest of whom has supplied an attractive stained glass window for the building.

16 2006/07 Capital Projects Appendix 1

Y Caban comes from the Welsh word for a cabin. Cabins in slate quarrying districts were where quarrymen took refuge and had the reputation of being centres of cultural activity and debate.

The completion of this element at Plas Newydd is at the end of almost ten years of restoration there which began with a £600,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery fund in 1998 and has seen the transformation of the gardens; establishment of a teashop, office and toilets in disused stables; the purchase of land to protect the site; building and repair of garden structures; opening up of an attic room for visitors and the creation of an interactive display for those who are unable to use the stairs at the House to visit the upstairs rooms. The results of the disastrous flooding of November 2000 have also been remedied with bridges and pathways repaired and reinstated.

17 AGENDA ITEM NO: 8

REPORT TO COUNCIL

REPORT OF: HEAD OF PERSONNEL

DATE: 31ST JULY 2007

SUBJECT: CHANGES TO PENSION SCHEMES

1. DECISION SOUGHT

1.1. That Council accept the changes required to the pension policy on abatement.

1.2. The Council agree that the authority will only permit transfer requests within the 12 month period.

2. REASON FOR SEEKING DECISION

2.1. There are two policy changes to the pension scheme which will need to be reflected in the authority’s current policy. The changes are in relation to Abatement and Transfers into the Pension Funds which are detailed below.

3. BACKGROUND

3.1. ABATEMENT

The Clwyd Pension Fund as an Administering Authority for the LGPS has the discretionary power to abate members’ pensions should they become re-employed within Local Government.

The current policy that has been in place since May 1998 states that the Fund will reduce or suspend pensions where the member is re- employed and where the new salary when added to the current pension exceeds the salary when they ceased employment.

Changes in tax legislation from the 6th April 2006 (“A” Day), allowed the introduction of “flexible retirement” which gives Employers’ the discretion to pay a pension to an employee who reduces their hours or grade after age 50. Following these changes, members who have retired under the “flexible retirement” rule, can now receive their benefits unaffected by abatement. The Fund believes in the principle of equality in that pensioners including those who retired before April 2006 should be treated the same.

The Fund’s Pension Panel has recommended that the Fund should not abate pensions on re-employment, with effect from the 1st April 2007. A report has been submitted to Flintshire Council’s Executive seeking their ratification to this decision. There is, however, one exception and that is a member who was awarded additional years because they retired on redundancy or efficiency grounds, and, as such, this part of their pension would still have to be adjusted under the old abatement policy. There is no discretion available to the Fund to remove the reduction or suspension rules in respect of the compensatory added years.

The cost of this change will fall solely on the Fund and not on the Employer. Discussions with other Local Government Pension Schemes have revealed that most are in the process of amending their policies on abatement.

This decision is outside the control of the authority and is to the benefit of employees. The Early Retirement (Discretionary Payment) Policy will need to be amended to reflect this change.

3.2. TRANSFER INTO THE PENSION SCHEME

Previously, when a member requests the Fund to investigate a transfer of previous pension rights, the Clwyd Pension Fund has accepted their request regardless of the length of time that they have been a member of the Clwyd Pension Fund.

However, the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations state:

"A request from a transferring person must be made by notice in writing" and "That notice must be given before the expiry of the period of 12 months beginning with the date he became an active member (or such longer period as his employer may allow)"

Therefore, from now onwards the Clwyd Pension Fund will only accept the transfer request if it is received within 12 months of the member joining the Scheme unless they have a letter from the employing Authority permitting them to investigate it outside the 12 months.

By permitting transfers to take place, the employer is accepting the liability in respect of the member’s previous pension rights and consequently will be responsible for funding any future pension benefits in respect of the service credit awarded in the LGPS.

In order to ensure that employees are treated fairly, the authority is proposing that they will only permit transfer requests within the 12 month period. Therefore if the employee has not transferred their pension within the stated 12 month period, they will lose the right to do so.

The 12 month role will apply to all employees appointed after 1 august. Employees who have been here more than 12 months will have until 31 August to put their affairs in order. Employees who have been here less than 12 months will have the greater of 12 months or until 31 March 2008 to address the matter.

4. COST IMPLICATIONS

The costs associated with these changes will fall solely on the fund.

5. FINANCIAL CONTROLLERS STATEMENT

No cost implications for the Council.

6. CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

The changes to transfers into the Pension Scheme have been published in “PENPAL”. Employees affected will be informed on an individual basis.

LJCC have recommended that these changes to the pension scheme are approved.

7. RECOMMENDATION

7.1. That Council accept the changes required to the pension policy on abatement.

7.2. The Council agree that the authority will only permit transfer requests within the 12 month period.

AGENDA ITEM NO: 9 REPORT TO COUNCIL

REPORT: LINDA ATKIN, HEAD OF PERSONNEL

DATE: 31 JULY, 2007

SUBJECT: POLICIES – TIME OFF IN LIEU POLICY MARKET SUPPLEMENT POLICY ELECTIVE MEDICAL PROCEDURE

1 DECISION SOUGHT

1.1. The Council is asked to approve 3 policies which have been developed during Single Status Negotiations.

2. REASON FOR SUBMISSION OF REPORT

To inform Council.

3. BACKGROUND

During the Single Status Negotiations the opportunity has been taken to develop a number of policies.

Summary of Policies

3.1. Time of in lieu Policy

Currently within Denbighshire County Council time off in lieu is granted in certain circumstances to employees who have worked over and above their contracted hours where flexi time or overtime payment is not appropriate. The time off in lieu policy aims to ensure that a consistent and fair approach is experienced by those employees who have worked over and above their contracted hours to ensure employees experience a consistent and fair approach in the application of time off in lieu and to ensure that they have ample opportunity to take the accrued time off.

Whilst the decision as to whether TOIL is appropriate or not is at the managers discretion, the policy provides examples of when TOIL may be a suitable method of reimbursing the additional hours worked.

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The policy details the procedure for authorisation of TOIL, the accrual criteria (including the maximum amount of TOIL), the settlement period, and the procedure that will be followed for the taking of TOIL.

3.2. Market Supplement Policy

It is acknowledged that on occasion the total reward package determined by the Authority’s pay and grading system may not be consistent with reward packages offered for comparable posts in the wider labour market, and that this may lead to recruitment and retention difficulties. In such circumstances, where there is a clear business need supported by objective market data, the Authority, in line with the Market Supplement Policy, will consider offering a market supplement payment in addition to the normal reward package for the post.

A market supplement is an element of salary paid in addition to the evaluated grade applicable to a post. The market supplement policy aims to provide clear guidance for employees and managers as in which exceptional circumstances the Authority would consider paying a market supplement for a particular role.

In addition the policy sets out the process by which individual cases will be considered, the indicators that will be used to form the basis of a business case, the conditions that will be applied, the review process and the period of notice that will be provided should it be deemed a market supplement should be withdrawn.

3.3. Elective Medical Procedures Policy

This policy aims to provide guidance to employees should they choose to undergo elective medical procedures and to provide managers with the necessary guidance in order to deal with such requests consistently and fairly. The policy covers the following elective medical procedures:-

• In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Treatment • Elective Medical Procedures and Cosmetic Enhancements • Gender Reassignment

The policy outlines the period of absence that will be granted in each case providing the appropriate medical practitioner supporting documents are provided.

Where complications associated with the procedures listed above develop, the Policy states that the absences will be paid in line with the

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occupational sick pay scheme and reported in accordance with the Sickness Management Framework.

4. COST IMPLICATIONS

There are cost implications associated with the Market Supplement Policy which will be accommodated within Departmental Budgets.

There are no additional costs associated with the TOIL or Elective Medical Procedures.

5. FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

Managers will need to ensure the any cost implications resulting from these issues, and in particular from the Market Supplement policy, can be contained within service budgets.

6. CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

There has been extensive consultation with Trade Unions, Senior Managers and LJCC on this policy.

7. IMPLICATIONS ON OTHER POLICY AREAS INCLUDING CORPORATE

The consistent application of policies in relation to terms and conditions and equality will be reviewed as part of this process.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1. That the new Time of in lieu Policy be adopted with immediate effect (Appendix 1)

4.2. That the new Market Supplement Policy be adopted with immediate effect (Appendix 2)

4.3. That the new Elective Medical Procedures Policy be adopted with immediate effect (Appendix 3)

3 Appendix 1

TIME OFF IN LIEU POLICY

Originated by: Central Personnel LJCC: 15.7.07 Full Council: 31.7.07 Implemented:

TIME OFF IN LIEU POLICY 1. 1. PURPOSE

To ensure that employees who are required to work over and above their contracted hours are treated fairly and reimbursed in time for the additional hours worked and are given ample opportunity to take the accrued time off. 2. 2. SCOPE

This policy and its procedures apply to all employees of Denbighshire County Council with the exception of:

• Staff appointed by a School Governing Body – separate procedures apply • Directors and Heads of Service – separate procedures apply 3. 3. POLICY

Employees who work over and above their contracted working hours are reimbursed for the additional hours they have worked via a number of available options.

It is up to the manager’s discretion as to the most appropriate means for reimbursing employees. In some cases, overtime payments or an honorarium may be payable. In other cases, due to the seniority of the post, there will be an expectation that a reasonable number of hours will be worked over and above the contracted hours with no additional reimbursement. For employees on flexi time, additional hours can be accrued via the system and taken off as leave at a later date.

Time off in lieu is another way of reimbursing employees for hours worked over and above their contracted hours.

Examples of when TOIL may appropriate may be:

• Planned evening meetings • Training which involves long days or overnight travel • Short periods of time worked as an extension of a normal working day

This list is not exhaustive and it will be up to the manager’s discretion whether TOIL is appropriate.

It will only be hours worked over and above an employee’s contracted hours which are not reimbursed through any other means e.g. paid overtime; honorarium, and are outside the scope of the agreed flexitime procedure, that they will be claimed as time off in lieu.

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4. 4. PROCEDURE

4.1 AUTHORISATION

All hours worked must be agreed in advance with the line manager and clearly documented and authorised in accordance with departmental arrangements. It will not be up to employees to determine whether it is appropriate to work additional hours and claim as TOIL. Hours which have not been authorised will not be claimable and employees will lose this time.

4.2 ACCRUAL

Time off in lieu will be accrued as plain time, regardless of when worked.

Enhancements will not be applicable for the accrual of TOIL.

A minimum of ½ hour must worked before time off in lieu can be claimed.

4.3 SETTLEMENT PERIOD

The settlement period is 6 weeks.

4.4 CREDIT HOURS

Up to 20 hours can be carried forward from one settlement period to the next. Hours in excess of 20 hours at the end of the settlement period will be lost.

Where it not possible, due to reasonable business reasons, to allow an employee to take 2 days TOIL leave during the settlement period, and as a result of which the employee loses hours in excess of 20, the amount lost should be repayable to the employee based on their basic hourly rate. This will only apply in cases where the employee has been unable to take TOIL due to reasonable business reasons. It will not apply to those who have had their 2 days TOIL but still had hours in excess of 20 at the end of the settlement period.

4.5 TOIL LEAVE

Credit hours can be accumulated and taken as TOIL leave. Within a settlement period, employees can take up to the equivalent of 2 days TOIL leave. This can be taken as whole or half days. All leave must be authorised in accordance with departmental arrangements. It will be up to the manager to determine whether the 2 days can be taken consecutively or if they should be taken as individual days. There is no automatic right to 2 consecutive days TOIL leave.

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Managers should not unreasonably deny a request for accrued TOIL.

Before taking TOIL leave, employees must ensure that they have sufficient credit hours to cover the leave. TOIL leave must not be taken if there are insufficient credit hours.

4.6 RELATION TO FLEXITIME

Employees will not be entitled to claim TOIL for hours worked within the scope of the flexitime procedure.

Time accrued under the flexi scheme cannot be converted to time off in lieu.

Employees who have reached their maximum credit on the flexi system will not automatically be able to claim and accrue TOIL for any further additional hours worked. This will only be permissible subject to appropriate authorisation as detailed in paragraph 4.1.

4.7 TERMINATION OF SERVICE

Employees should make every effort to achieve a zero balance when they are leaving the post or authority. If this is not possible, then credit hours up to a maximum of 20 hours will be repayable to the employee at their basic hourly rate. No enhancement will be payable for this time.

Credit hours are not transferable from one service to another.

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Appendix 2

MARKET SUPPLEMENT POLICY

Originated by: Central Personnel LJCC: 15.7.07 Full Council: 31.7.07 Implemented:

MARKET SUPPLEMENT

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 POLICY

Denbighshire County Council recognises that in order to provide a high quality service to the people of Denbighshire, it is essential that the Council recruits and retains a workforce of the highest standard. However, there may be occasions when market forces produce a situation where a particular service within the Council is experiencing severe recruitment and/or retention problems related to a particular post.

1.2 SCOPE

This policy will apply to employees of Denbighshire County Council who are recruited through the medium of the Council’s Recruitment and Selection Policy to posts which have been graded under a job evaluation scheme and placed on a pay structure which has been based on the principles of equal pay law.

2 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The decision to pay a market supplement will only be taken when all other non-pay related measures to successfully recruit and/or retain a staff member have been reasonably explored. The extent to which the various measures are explored depends entirely on each individual case.

The Council has identified a number of indicators that may suggest that there is a severe recruitment and/or retention problem within a particular Service. It is important to note that these are merely indicators; they do not mean that a post will attract a market supplement. The indicators are as follows:

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• The post has been advertised externally on 3 occasions with unsuccessful results to appoint. • Information concerning turnover within a post or a group of posts. • Information concerning the external labour market. • Information gained through the medium of exit interviews. • Any other significant retention issues. • There is evidence from pay data drawn from independent sources indicating that the Denbighshire County Council evaluated salary for the role is lower than the average salaries for similar roles. (Independent sources e.g. Hay Group database, professional institutions, Government produced shortage occupations register).

2.1 EXISTING STAFF IN SIMILAR ROLES

Each post will be treated individually. If a post attracts a market supplement, it does not necessarily mean that similar posts will attract the same payment.

2.2 RESPONSIBILITIES

The Job Evaluation panel will be responsible for deciding whether to pay a market supplement or not following the presentation of a business case from the appropriate Director and Head of Personnel.

Assessment will consider the risk of failing to appoint a post/retain current staff against the risk of receiving any challenges under Equal Pay legislation. The Panel’s decision will be final.

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2.3 PAYMENT AMOUNT

The amount paid will depend entirely on the circumstances of each case and the evidence gathered to justify the supplement. This will be reviewed on an annual basis and may change.

2.3 CONSOLIDATION

When a post is advertised, the market supplement element will be clearly identifiable from the base salary element.

A market supplement payment is pensionable, unless the post holder decides against making any contribution to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

However, the payment would remain discretionary and therefore could be subject to withdrawal if the reasons for the market forces supplement changed.

2.4 REVIEW OF THE PAYMENT

All market supplement payments will be regularly reviewed by the Job Evaluation Panel at the request of the relevant Head of Service or at least on an annual basis before the end of the financial year.

A market supplement will also be reviewed each time the post vacancy arises.

2.5 NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF THE PAYMENT

The notice period to employees for reducing or removing a market supplement payment is three months.

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2.6 RIGHT OF APPEAL The employee will have the right to appeal against the decision of the panel.

2.7 ADDRESSING SHORTAGES

Where skills shortages have been identified and result in the payment of market supplements, the authority will actively be seeking to put measures in place to address the shortages and thus remove the requirement for market supplements.

5 Appendix 3

ELECTIVE MEDICAL

PROCEDURES

POLICY

Originated by: Central Personnel LJCC: 15.7.07 Full Council: 31.7.07 Implemented:

ELECTIVE MEDICAL PROCEDURE

1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 POLICY

Denbighshire County Council recognises that its employees may choose to undergo elective medical procedures and is committed to working with employees to support them (within reason, and taking into account the needs of the organisation) during this process.

1.2 SCOPE

This policy will apply to all employees of Denbighshire County Council with the exception of:-

- Staff appointed by a School Governing Body - Directors and Heads of Service – separate procedures shall be applied.

1.3 THIS POLICY COVERS

- In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Treatment - Elective Medical Procedures and Cosmetic Enhancements - Gender Reassignment

1.4. DEFINITION An Elective Medical Procedure is a lifestyle choice, i.e. cosmetic enhancements to face or body.

Where an employee chooses when to undertake an operation, i.e. hip replacement, time off would be granted under the Council’s Sickness Absence Scheme.

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2 LEAVE ARRANGEMENTS

2.1 IVF TREATMENT

One cycle of IVF treatment needs around eight to ten attendances at a clinic which normally lasts about an hour at a time. IVF treatment is needed by either a male or female person and on occasions it would be necessary for both parties to attend a clinic for treatment at the same time.

At present there is no law governing the right to time off work specifically for fertility treatment. However, as a fair and reasonable employer, Denbighshire County Council will grant a set amount of paid time off within a twelve month period to undergo fertility treatment. This time off will be equivalent to 3 days (22.12 hours). However, if excessive travel is required in order to undergo IVF treatment, consideration should be given to extending the time off to be equivalent to 5 days (37 hours). Additional time off for IVF treatment within the same twelve month period will be taken out of the employee’s holiday entitlement or Flexi leave.

This policy applies equally to an employee whose partner is undergoing fertility treatment so that he/she is available to support them through the treatment.

The employee should notify their line manager or Directorate Personnel Officer as early as possible if they wish to take time off for fertility treatment and give as much notice as possible of the specific dates on which time off will be required. Managers should be aware that on occasions employees undergoing IVF treatment are required to attend for appointment at short notice.

The employee will be asked to produce an appointment card or letter from a medical practitioner for each occasion on which time off is requested to undergo fertility treatment.

2.2 CONVERTING TIME OFF TO HOURS

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For full time employees, annual leave is normally taken in ½ or full days. Similar arrangements are in place for Flexi leave and TOIL. Where employees may need short periods of time off to undergo fertility treatment, leave can be taken in hours.

2.3 ELECTIVE MEDICAL PROCEDURES AND COSMETIC ENHANCEMENTS

The decision to undertake elective medical procedure and or cosmetic enhancements (including laser eye treatment) is a lifestyle choice and time needed for appointments and procedures must be the employee’s own. This will include time off for recovery.

Annual leave, Flexi leave or unpaid sick leave is to be used for these purposes. If unpaid sick leave is used for the purpose of undergoing an elective medical procedure and or cosmetic enhancement, then the employee must produce a medical certificate and if eligible, maybe entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. The only exception to this would be where medical advice (and evidence is provided from a medical practitioner accordingly) recommends that such treatment is essential for the health and wellbeing of the individual.

If an elective medical procedure or cosmetic enhancement procedure is required due to a potential health or psychological issue and is supported with written confirmation from a medical practitioner, reasonable time off with paid sick leave would be granted under the Council’s Sickness Absence Scheme.

3 GENDER REASSIGNMENT

Special rules under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 govern those undergoing gender reassignment. Employees undergoing this procedure should not be treated less favourable than they would be treated if absent due to sickness or injury.

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Employees undergoing gender reassignment would be granted time off with paid sick leave under the Council’s Sickness Absence Scheme.

4 COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT

4.1 IVF TREATMENT

Time off work due to the side effects of IVF treatment will be paid in line with the occupational sick pay scheme and the employee should report their absence in accordance with the Sickness Management Framework which is available on the Denbighshire Information Centre under Personnel Policies.

4.2 ELECTIVE MEDICAL PROCEDURE AND OR COSMETIC ENHANCEMENTS

Medical complications may arise out of an elective medical procedure and or cosmetic enhancement treatment which prevent the employee returning to work on the expected date. The employee will be paid in line with the occupational sick pay scheme and should report their absence in accordance with the Sickness Management Framework. This is available on the Denbighshire Information Centre under Personnel Policies.

4.3 GENDER REASSIGNMENT

In the event of medical complications arising out of gender reassignment procedure, time off work will be paid in line with the occupational sick pay scheme and the employee should report their absence in accordance with the Sickness Management Framework. This is available on the Denbighshire Information Centre under Personnel Policies.

All such absences must be supported by a medical certificate.

5 REPORT TO COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM NO: 10

REPORT BY: COUNCILLOR S A DAVIES, Lead Member for Policy Communications and Improvement

DATE: 31 JULY 2007

SUBJECT: EQUALITIES PLAN 2007 - 2009

1 DECISION SOUGHT

1.1 That Council formally adopt Denbighshire’s Equalities Plan for 2007 – 2009.

1.2 The attached executive summary addresses the key areas for discussion however the full draft document can be accessed via our website under the Equalities section.

2 REASON FOR SEEKING DECISION

2.1 The Council has a statutory duty to publish an Equalities Plan and it was decided the Draft Plan developed in December 2006 should not be formally agreed by Council and should be extensively reviewed. This new Draft Equalities Plan (2007 – 2009) is now subject to both internal and external consultation simultaneously.

2.2 Our Draft Plan sets out the actions we intend to take as a Council to promote age, race, gender and disability equality and how we will measure our performance under the various equality strands. Many of the actions identified in the plan are as a result of responses received both to the previous Plan and an extensive questionnaire completed by people with disabilities. One to one interview with various Heads of Service and key officers have also informed the process.

2.3 The Draft Plan has been widely circulated internally within the Council and to key organisations externally. Members of the public have had the opportunity of expressing their views on the Draft Plan through our website and press reports detailing how the public can access the document.

2.4 The Draft Plan will be amended to reflect views received during the consultation period and the final Equalities Plan will be submitted to Full Council on the 31July 2007. The Plan will also reflect the discussion at Full Council and any amendments tabled at the meeting.

2.5 The Plan incorporates an Action Plan which will be monitored and updated on a regular basis with reports being presented to the Council’s Corporate Equalities Group.

2.6 The Council’s Welsh Language Scheme has not been incorporated into this Equalities Plan as it has specific measures which are best placed in a separate document.

2.7 The Equalities Plan is an integrated plan which incorporates specific chapters on equality actions relating to disability, race and gender. This integrated approach is being adopted by many Councils rather than producing three separate plans. In October 2007 the Disability Rights Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Rights Commission will be subsumed into one body namely the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

2.8 TIMETABLE

Activity Date Produce consultation report on Disability Survey. 98 18 May 2007 – complete responses received Produce update on actions is existing equalities 18 May 2007 - complete scheme Disability Equality Scheme meeting - agree priorities 22 May 2007 - agreed Complete structured interviews with senior 31 May 2007 - complete management Complete draft Equalities Plan for discussion with 7 June 2007 MMC and send draft for translation Place Equalities Plan on intranet for consultation with 8 June 2007 - 20 July 2007 Members, managers and staff. Put draft Equalities Plan on website for public 12 June 2007 - 24 July 2007 consultation. Produce press release and distribute draft externally Present draft Equalities Plan to Equalities Steering By 5 July 2007 Group for discussion Present draft Equalities Plan to Corporate Equalities 9 July 2007 Group Cabinet 17 July 2007 Council 31 July 2007

3 POWER TO MAKE DECISION Statutory Duty to produce Plans under the various equality legislation including the Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties), Equality Act 2006, Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

4. COST IMPLICATIONS

4.1 No significant financial implications arise directly from this report.

5. FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

5.1 There are no obvious significant financial implications resulting from this report.

6. IMPLICATIONS ON OTHER POLICY AREAS

6.1 THE VISION This Plan contributes towards achieving ‘A Vision for Denbighshire 2025’ by supporting the statement ‘We will celebrate and respect the diversity of our County’.

6.2 OTHER POLICY AREAS INCLUDING CORPORATE The Plan addresses the key Equalities legislation which dictates how we deliver services to the community we serve and key personnel policies in respect of supporting minority staff. The Equalities Plan will impact upon the Improvement Plan and Business Plans of each Directorate as it will be necessary for actions relating to equalities to be addressed within these corporate plans. Equalities questions are also incorporated into the IMPACT Assessment Tool.

7. CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

7.1 The Equalities Plan has been significantly influenced by a questionnaire undertaken in May 2007 specifically for disabled people (we received 98 responses).

7.2 Heads of Service and key colleagues have been interviewed on a one- to-one basis in respect of their Departmental responsibilities to the equalities agenda

7.3 The Draft Plan has been discussed by the Disability Steering Group and the Corporate Equalities Group which has Member / Officer representation.

7.4 The Draft Plan has been subject to a six week consultation period through our website and press releases.

7.5 The Draft Plan has been discussed at the Monthly Management Committee.

7.6 The Draft Plan has been agreed by Cabinet on 17th July 2007

8. ACTION PLAN

ACTION LEAD MEMBER / DEADLINE OFFICER Equalities Plan to be Cllr Stuart Davies/ 31 July 2007 agreed by Full Council Janette Williams Corporate Equalities Cllr Stuart Davies/ Ongoing. Group to monitor Plan Janette Williams Schedule of meetings to and Action Plan be arranged Establishment of a Janette Williams/ September 2007 Denbighshire Equalities David Davies Group or amalgamation of existing consultative groups subject to consultation

9 RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 That Council agree the Equalities Plan 2007 – 2009.

DENBIGHSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S

DRAFT EQUALITIES PLAN

2007 – 2009

Executive Summary

Background

In Denbighshire we are serious about equalities. This is reflected in our Vision which we agreed with our partners in 2006. Denbighshire’s Vision says:

“We will celebrate and respect the diversity of our county”

As a county council we have a community leadership role and it is important that we lead the equalities agenda by example, both as a major employer in Denbighshire and as a provider of services.

Our Councillors play an active role in the equalities agenda and we have a Lead Member for Equalities and a Member Champion for Disability. A Corporate Equalities Group and a Bilingual Forum meet on a regular basis to make sure equalities is kept high on the Council’s agenda and progress is reviewed by the Resources Scrutiny Committee. At officer level, equalities is one of the Chief Executive’s key responsibilities.

Our Equalities Plan sets out the actions we will be taking as a Council to improve Race, Gender and Disability Equality. The Plan also shows how we will promote equality in relation to Age, Religion and Sexual Orientation. We have also included some performance measures so that when we review the plan we can show we are making progress. We will also make sure that equalities are properly considered when we are producing other plans and policies.

To help us identify actions to include in the Equalities Plan we have carried out an extensive survey with disabled people and their carers during April and May 2007. We have also carried out equalities monitoring in our Customer Service Centre and held interviews will all our Heads of Service and other key managers. The interviews have shown that there are many examples of good practice within the Council, many of which will be referred to within the report.

However, we do realise that as a council there is much more we can do. We are working with representatives from disabled groups and forums, the local branch of the Commission for Racial Equalities and the Equalities unit of the Welsh Local Government Association to further promote and progress the equalities agenda. Keeping council tax low and meeting efficiency targets means that we do have financial constraints and may not be able to do everything we would like but we are keen as a council to do as much as we can.

What Does the Equalities Plan Include?

• GENERAL EQUALITIES ACTIONS • THREE-YEAR DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME • RACE EQUALITY SCHEME – TO BE REVIEWED 2008 • GENDER EQUALITY ACTION PLAN • ACTIONS TO PROMOTE EQUALITY WITH REGARD TO AGE, RELIGION AND SEXUALITY

Denbighshire County Council has a separate Welsh Language Scheme which was revised in 2006.

Key Areas

Denbighshire County Council’s Disability Equality Scheme

What is a Disability Equality Scheme?

The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a duty on a wide range of public bodies including local authorities to promote disability equality (the general duty). It also creates a specific duty to produce and publish a disability equality scheme (DES) by December 2006 and to report on it annually. The Scheme will be completely reviewed and revised every three years. This means that the Council, in carrying out its functions must have due regard to the need to:

• Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons;

• Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act;

• Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities;

• Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons;

• Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life;

• Take steps to take account of disabled person’s disabilities even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.

The Duty to Promote Disability Equality Statutory Code of Practice defines a disabled person as:

“A person who has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out day-to-day activities”.

This is a very wide-ranging statement, but will generally cover people with physical, mental and sensory impairments and those with severe disfigurements.

People diagnosed with HIV, multiple sclerosis and cancer are also protected, but from the point of diagnosis, not when they become disabled as a result of the illness.

Denbighshire County Council’s Race Equality Scheme

What is a Race Equality Scheme?

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a statutory general duty on a wide range of public bodies, including local authorities, to promote race equality. This means that the Council, in carrying out its functions must have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate racial discrimination

• Promote equality of opportunity

• Promote good race relations

The Commission for Racial Equality’s Code of Practice defines a racial group as ‘a group of people defined by their race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins’. This Race Equality Scheme has been prepared to enable the Council to meet the requirements of the Act. This scheme sets out how the Council will meet its statutory obligation, during the next three years, undertake impact assessments on our functions that have been assessed as high and medium relevance to our general duty to eliminate any racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations. In order to meet this general duty, specific requirements have been placed on local authorities. The specific requirements or duties cover service delivery, policy- making and employment. The steps we need to take to achieve the above are as follows:

• Identify the Council’s functions and policies.

• Assess the relevance of the Council’s functions and policies against the General Duty of the Act and prioritise for further scrutiny during the term of the scheme.

• Undertake an assessment of all relevant functions and policies to measure any adverse impact on race equalities and consult on the results.

• Consider how a service or policy might be changed to meet our general duty, as above and take appropriate action.

• Consider the impact on race equality of new policies or changes to policies.

• Monitor our policies for any adverse impact on the promotion of racial equality and establish a rolling review mechanism.

• Publish the results of such assessment, consultation and monitoring.

• Ensure equal public access to information and services.

• Train our staff and Councillors in connection with our duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

• Monitor our workforce by the collection of ethnic origin data and analyse the data to find any patterns of inequality.

• Take any necessary action to promote equality of opportunity for (potential) employees and publish the results of our monitoring each year.

• Review the scheme in 2009 and at 3-year intervals thereafter.

• Provide an annual progress update in the Improvement Plan published each year. Denbighshire County Council’s Gender Equality Scheme

The Equality Act 2006 places a statutory duty on all public authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need:

• To eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment

• To promote equality of opportunity between men and women

This is known as the 'general duty’ and has come into effect on 6 April 2007. The duty applies to all public authorities in respect of all of their functions. This means it applies to policy-making, service provision, employment matters, and in relation to enforcement or any statutory discretion and decision-making. It also applies to a public authority in relation to services and functions which are contracted out.

Public authorities are expected to have 'due regard' to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between men and women in all of their functions. Due regard comprise two linked elements: proportionality and relevance. The weight which public authorities give to gender equality should therefore be proportionate to its relevance to a particular function. As part of the duty, public authorities are required to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment in employment and vocational training, for people who intend to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone gender reassignment.

To support progress in delivering the general duty, there is also a series of ‘specific duties’ which apply to listed public authorities.

Those specific duties, in brief, are:

• To prepare and publish a gender equality scheme, showing how it will meet its general and specific duties and setting out its gender equality objectives.

• In formulating its overall objectives, to consider the need to include objectives to address the causes of any gender pay gap. • To gather and use information on how the public authority's policies and practices affect gender equality in the workforce and in the delivery of services.

• To consult stakeholders (i.e. employees, service users and others, including trade unions) and take account of relevant information in order to determine its gender equality objectives.

• To assess the impact of its current and proposed policies and practices on gender equality.

• To implement the actions set out in its scheme within three years, unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so.

• To report against the scheme every year and review the scheme at least every three years

Denbighshire County Council Monitoring and Performance Management

Once the Plan has been agreed by full Council on the 31 July 2007, it will be published on the Denbighshire County Council website and its intranet. Links to the Plan will also be sent to key stakeholders and partners and paper copies made available. An easy read version of the Plan will be produced and the Plan will be available in different formats upon request. Quarterly progress reports will be presented to the Corporate Equalities Group which includes Members, Heads of Service and Lead Officers, in November, February, May and August each year.

In addition, the actions in this Plan will be added to Directorate and Service Business Plans for which quarterly performance reports are produced and presented to Members and senior management.

Progress against the Plan will also be reported to the Corporate Equality Group, Resources Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet in February and August. The Plan will be reviewed annually and the review will form part of the report to Members in July each year. Both these progress reports will be available on Denbighshire County Council’s website.

AGENDA ITEM NO: 11 REPORT TO COUNCIL

CABINET MEMBER: COUNCILLOR DEWI OWENS

DATE: 31 July 2007

SUBJECT: REVIEW OF 16-19 PROVISION IN RHYL

1.0 DECISION SOUGHT

1.1 To consider the recommendations of the Cambridge Education Review of 16-19 Provision in Rhyl.

1.2 To note the views of the Cabinet during its consideration of the report on 26th June and that, subject to outcome of the informal consultation, it would be necessary for the Council to initiate a formal statutory consultation on the issue and amend the Single Education Plan, if the recommended option is to be implemented.

2.0 OPTIONS

2.1 The Cambridge Report on 16-19 Provision in Rhyl (attached at Appendix 1) provides a number of options for future provision in the town. Section 6 (page 19) provides a summary of the options:

1. Status Quo 2. Alternative Rhyl Schools Solution 3. Prestatyn Solution 4. College Sixth Form Solution (the preferred option)

2.2 Cabinet discussed the report in its meeting on 26th June and agreed to note the recommendations in the Cambridge Education Review of 16-19 Provision in Rhyl; authorise public consultation on the report until the end of September with a report back in October on the responses and impacts on the proposals; including impact analysis and a detailed costing of recommendations and guidance on statutory processes. The Cabinet also agreed to report to Council on the report and the steps taken by Cabinet.

2.3 Members will be aware of the detailed discussion in Cabinet from the minutes of the meeting in June.

3.0 REASON FOR SEEKING DECISION

3.1 As part of the ongoing Modernising Education agenda, the Cambridge report in the Appendix 1, describes the outcomes of a short review of the future of 16-19 provision in Rhyl, within the framework of a developing picture of 14- 19 provision in Denbighshire and Wales as a whole.

3.2 The background to the Review was that the local authority is concerned about the effectiveness and viability of sixth form provision in Rhyl’s two

secondary schools and the need to examine the future provision of post 16 education in the town.

3.3 A decision as to how best to provide 16-19 education and training in Rhyl is inseparably tied to the vision of the future for Rhyl as shown in the Rhyl Going Forward and Rhyl City Strategies. These initiatives require a step- change in the achievement of 16 to 19 year olds. The curriculum currently offered is not meeting the needs of all young people. A broader offering, including more advanced level vocational specialisms will enable a greater number of young people gain level 2 and 3 qualifications.

3.4 DELLS are very supportive of a change in Rhyl and part of the Learning Centres funding programme has been earmarked for a Rhyl solution.

3.5 Any change will need appropriate period of public consultation, balanced with the need to minimise the period of uncertainty in the schools and the communities.

3.6 The creation of a new sixth form centre on the Rhyl College site will also need to be managed within a tight timescale if advantage is to be taken of the DELLS funding within the capital package for the initiative, estimated at a total cost of £2-3m. The new project in Rhyl can not use existing Objective 1 applications allied with the Denbighshire Learning Centres project. However, opportunities may exist under Convergence or 14-19 funding.

3.7 Ongoing revenue funding for a new sixth form centre at the College will be drawn down from the National Planning and Funding System (NPFS) via Coleg Llandrillo.

3.8 Further education at Coleg Llandrillo is already the most popular destination for 16 year olds in Rhyl and by far the most popular destination for pupils. Retention rates from the lower sixth form to higher sixth form are very low in both schools.

4.0 OBSERVATIONS MADE BY CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION

4.1 The combined numbers from Rhyl High School and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School are averaging 120. Whilst 150 has been taken as the minimum recommended size for a sixth form, Estyn also stress that this should be viewed in the light of flexibilities which schools exploit to increase choice and cost effectiveness. Estyn, however, point out that both choice and cost effectiveness are increased where small A-level groups in schools are joined with existing groups in colleges, which also generally offer more choice.

4.2 There is no learner-driven argument for retaining the status quo. It is not delivering sufficient choice to 14-19 year olds at present and it cannot possibly deliver the enhanced entitlements. The funding of schools, based on such small student numbers, makes it impossible to broaden the offer.

4.3 Schools worry about the loss of income which accompanies loss of the sixth form; those with a responsibility for getting the best value from public funds should worry about the unit cost of a level 3 qualification for a total of 40

students between the two Rhyl schools and consider what else could be achieved with those resources, including the resources which are drawn away from 11-16 provision.

4.4 It is wrong to think that 11-16 schools cannot co-exist with 11-18 schools. The fact is that successful schools are attractive to parents and children, no matter what their age range, and both of the Rhyl schools have a better chance of succeeding without the professional and financial diversion of running unviable 6th forms.

4.5 A further strong reason for pulling back from soft-centred compromise is that the two schools really should focus on achievement at 16 and, contributing to that, the new 14-16 options in specialised vocational areas. The better objective for cross-institutional working is around the design and delivery of the 14-19 phase as a whole, ensuring that the best is made of all institutions’ resources in maximising choice, access and progression across Rhyl.

5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CAMBRIDGE REPORT

The Report recommends the following:

5.1 Cease sixth forms in Rhyl High School and the Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School; open a new sixth form centre on the Coleg Llandrillo site in Rhyl.

5.2 First intake of students to the new sixth form centre should be in September 2009.

5.3 The local authority to consult on this proposal and reach a decision on it in the period from September to November 2007.

5.4 If the proposal is approved, submit a bid for capital funding from DELLS to support the construction of the new centre by the end of November 07.

5.5 The local authority to undertake a review of Rhyl High School and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic School without sixth forms, including HR and resource implications.

6.0 CONSULTATION

6.1 The timelines suggested by the report (Report section 7 and paras 5.3 and 5.4 above) have not been adopted by the County Council’s Cabinet. They have agreed a consultation period until 1 October; they will receive a report on the results of the consultation, and agree a way forward at their meeting on 30 October. If the Cabinet agrees to move forward with the Cambridge recommendations, there will be a requirement for a further, formal statutory consultation period. There will, therefore, be an additional opportunity for stakeholders to comment if this occurs.

6.2 A comprehensive informal consultation programme will take place over the coming months, this will include a series of meetings in Rhyl with local elected members, schools, parents and communities to discuss the Review

report and its recommendations. Details of the meetings will be notified after the school holidays. The Cambridge Report will be available on the Council’s website for interested parties to access and comment.

6.3 The consultation response questions are tailored to the Cambridge document’s proposals and in particular in answer to the questions below:

I. Do you agree with the context of the Post 16 issues in Rhyl as outlined in Section 3 of the report?

II. The report, at Section 4 describes the need for a step change in the achievement of 16 year olds and the need to model the options for all pupils in the 14-19 age range – do you agree with this analysis?

III. What are you comments on section 5 – options for future provision; what option does your school/organisation prefer?

IV. What effect does Cambridge’s preferred solution (section 5.5) have on your school/organisation?

V. Do you agree with the paper’s recommendations at section 8?

VI. What other comments on the report do you wish to make?

6.4 Consultation and discussion has begun and continues to take place with:

Governors of Rhyl High School Governors of Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School Governors of Prestatyn High School Denbighshire Secondary Headteachers Rhyl Town Council Rhyl County Councillors Cabinet Open Meeting, Prestatyn Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee

7.0 POWER TO MAKE THE DECISION

7.1 Any action arising from the Report will be competed in accordance with the School Organisation Proposals Circular 23/02 and the Organisation of School Places 1998 - Circular 9/99

8.0 COST IMPLICATIONS

Cost implications require further examination; however, possible costs could include:

8.1 Reduction in DELLS Post -16 NFES funding for the two high schools from September 2009.

8.2 Possible redundancy or relocation costs associated with the loss of teaching and ancillary staff from the two Rhyl High Schools.

8.3 DELLS may ask the Local Authority to contribute towards the capital cost of the Sixth Form Centre project. This may be in the form of an in kind contribution

8.4 The cost of any Consultation process to meet statutory requirements.

9.0 FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

9.1 WAG finance for post 16 education is provided to DELLs who are responsible for funding the service. Councils do not have a responsibility to fund post 16 costs. There is, however, a risk to the Council that down-sizing the service provided within the 2 Rhyl High Schools would leave the Council liable to Early Retirement and potential redundancy costs. This risk needs to be quantified and brought to the attention of DELLs to clarify potential funding sources from WAG etc.

The proposals could result in spare capacity at both Rhyl High Schools. It is important therefore that this report does not jeopardize possible further reorganization in Rhyl.

The potential for a larger scale project, involving other current 6th form provision could have the effect of making the scheme more economical through the economies of scale and also help alleviate capacity problems at other high schools. This could provide the Council with potential saving to offset downsizing costs.

The report at this stage focuses on education provision. The resources and financial implications, taking account of the differing responsibilities, will need to be worked through.

10.0 CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

Cambridge Education DCC Legal and Project Management Services. Welsh Assembly Government DELLS Headteacher: Blessed Edward Jones Roman Catholic High School Acting Headteacher: Rhyl High School Headteacher: Prestatyn High School Assistant Headteacher: Prestatyn High School Headteacher: Ysgol Glan Clwyd Principal: Coleg Llandrillo Vice-Principal: Coleg Llandrillo Regional Director: DELLS Mid-Wales Region

11.0 IMPLICATIONS ON OTHER POLICY AREAS:

Possible implication for HR policy TUPE regulations regarding teaching and support staff.

12.0 OTHER POLICY AREAS INCLUDING CORPORATE

Single Education Plan School Improvement Policy Schools causing concern and Special Measures policy 14-19 Network Development Plan A review of 16-19 provision in Rhyl - Cambridge Education 2007

13.0 THE VISION

“We will invest in our schools in order to sustain high standards of educational attainment to meet the needs of pupils, the wider community and the economy.”

14.0 ACTION PLAN

14.1 Consult on Report Proposals to end of September.

14.2 In parallel, undertake work to identify impacts, detailed costs and other elements of the report’s options and recommendations.

14.3 Report back to Cabinet on 30 October with the results of the consultation and the work at 14.2 above, including capital and revenue implications.

15.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

15.1 To consider the recommendations of the Cambridge Education Review of 16-19 Provision in Rhyl.

15.2 To note the views of the Cabinet during its consideration of the report on 26th and that, subject to outcome of the informal consultation, it would be necessary for the Council to initiate a formal statutory consultation on the issue and amend the Single Education Plan, if the recommended option is to be implemented.

Appendix 1. Cambridge Education, A Review of 16-19 Provision in Rhyl. May 2007

A Review of 14-19 Provision in Rhyl: A confidential second draft

Denbighshire County Council

A review of 16-19 provision in Rhyl

Prepared by Cambridge Education May 2007

A Review of 16-19 Provision in Rhyl

© Cambridge Education Limited 2007

Copyright in this document belongs to Cambridge Education Limited and all rights in it are reserved by the owner.

No part of this document or accompanying material may be copied, transferred or made available to users other than the original recipient, including electronically, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Cambridge Education Limited fully reserves its rights to take action against infringers of its copyright and other intellectual property.

This proposal document has been prepared by Cambridge Education in confidence for the sole review of the intended recipients. This document contains confidential information which is not to be disclosed to other parties, under the Freedom of Information Act or otherwise.

Rev Date Originator Checker Approver Description D May 07 RV PW AGS Report

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CONTENTS PAGE

Executive Summary ...... 4 1. Introduction...... 4 2. Vision...... 5 3. Context ...... 6 4. Targets and an entitlement ...... 11 5. Options for future provision...... 14 6. Summary of options...... 19 7. Timeline and capital issues...... 21 8. Recommendations...... 21 Annex 1: Consultees ...... 22

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Current provision for sixth form education in Rhyl needs to be strengthened in respect of choice, retention and achievement. ii. Improvement is vital for the town’s social and economic regeneration as well as for the personal fulfilment of young people. Rhyl’s ownership of its own changes in provision is an important element in deciding between options. iii. Change needs to be planned within the bigger framework of changes in 14-19 education and training for the whole cohort in the locality, to include more opportunity to combine A/AS study with vocational courses. iv. Improvement in achievement and progression at 16 is necessary to any progress and needs to be the major focus of the two secondary schools. v. Only around 120 students stay on into the two Rhyl sixth forms. The arguments for retaining the status quo, or for an alternative schools solution, are not sufficiently learner-centred. vi. Only the option of a sixth form centre run by Llandrillo College responds to the need to improve progression and achievement now and the need to provide a progressive framework for the future. vii. The timeline for change is pressing, both to secure urgently needed improvement for learners and to construct a capital package. If the local authority wishes to take advantage of DELLS funding for the development of a new sixth form centre consultation on new arrangements needs to start in September 2007 to secure the available funding by September 2008.

1. INTRODUCTION

This report describes the finding of a short review of the future of 16-19 provision in Rhyl, within the framework of a developing picture of 14-19 provision in Denbighshire and Wales as a whole. The background to the review was one of local authority concern about the effectiveness and viability of sixth form provision in the town’s two secondary schools.

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2. VISION

2.1. “Rhyl Going Forward”, the town’s economic development strategy, is unambiguous in its prioritisation of education and training. It focuses on four core indicators for change: • Low attachment and transiency • Entering older age with low incomes • Low skills and attainment • Transport and infrastructure deficits

In describing the relationship amongst these indicators it is clear in allocating the greatest potential impact to tackling low skills and attainment:

“Improving the human and socials capital of Rhyl – its people and those civil institutions that form the social “glue” of the town – is perhaps more important to Rhyl’s economic health in the long run than the much needed investment in physical infrastructures.” *

2.2. A decision as to how best to provide 16-19 education and training in Rhyl is inseparably tied to this vision of the future for Rhyl. This is because choice, achievement and progression have to improve to give Rhyl’s economic development goals a chance of fulfilment and to create a virtuous cycle of improvement which will further lift aspirations for future generations. It is also because Rhyl needs a solution which is its own, for which it can take responsibility and feel proud within a longer term programme of regeneration.

2.3. Issues of 16-19 provision are often seen in terms of their impact on particular institutions’ self-images and ambitions. Heads and teachers value sixth forms because of their supposed impact on parental preference and pupil motivation, and because A- level teaching is much sought after, especially by the most experienced teachers. A vision which takes these assumptions as givens will not work here: the pattern of provision must follow from a rounded picture of all of Rhyl’s needs, which are many: it must be a pattern which puts learners, the community and the economy first and requires institutions to rise to the challenge which they present.

* (The Rhyl Pact, Chapter 5 “Making Hard Choices: The Turnkey Investments summarised”

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3. CONTEXT

3.1 14-19 learning Pathways for Wales

This is a critical moment in the development of 14-19 provision in the area, with a national policy which strongly favours cross institutional approaches to broadening choice. The Denbighshire 14-19 Annual Network Development Plan sets the following targets for improvement in the 14-19 phase: • Wider range of sustainable A, AS and other accredited courses for post 16 learners within the county • Wider range of Learning Pathways through and expanded options menu • Increased participation in post 16 learning • Increased staying on rates at 16 due to increase in vocational and prevocational programmes • Increased movement of learners between partners due to increased progression routes • Development of e-learning and Virtual Learning Environments opportunities • Common timetabling across clusters to maximise shared provision opportunities • Joint development of teaching and learning materials

3.2 The policy gives particular priority to creating a more effective balance between academic and vocational post 16 learning routes, against a concern that most schools have only provided limited vocational opportunities for 14-19 year olds. 14-19 year olds in Rhyl are entitled to expect a range of local choice which reflects this national ambition. Maximising this range requires the college and secondary schools to collaborate on curriculum provision for all 14-19 year olds. A/AS level provision is an important part of this but the effectiveness and the cost efficiency of its delivery needs to be seen against the indicators described in Section 4 below.

3.3 In describing its priorities, the Denbighshire Annual Network Development Plan for 2007-08 is clear and ambitious:

“The central tenet of Learning Pathways, that 95 per cent of young people by the age of 25 will be ready for high skilled employment or higher education by 2015, underpins all of our strategic priorities and this Annual Network Development Plan” *

* Denbighshire Annual Network Development Plan 2007-2008

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Viewed against this level of aspiration, the Learning Pathways strategy is still at a developmental stage. Each objective now needs to be described at a detailed level and all of the institutions in Rhyl need to join in ensuring their achievement and to take responsibility as a group for hitting the targets. At the time of writing it was not easy to detect agreed priorities from the documentation produced by the local 14-19 network. Without these priorities the debate on sixth forms will remain narrowly based in the hopes and fears of individual institutions. The question for all those institutions is at once simple and challenging: how shall we act together to do better for all 16 year olds in the town?

3.4 Achievement in Rhyl

Achievement at 16 is the key imperative for schools and the basis for any consideration of the best arrangements post-16. In this respect the two Rhyl schools have room for improvement.

Table 1: GCSE Achievement at 16 in 2006

5 A*-C Average points Rhyl High School 29.7% 2 9 . 6

Blessed Edward Jones 17.2% 2 5 . 5 Prestatyn High School 50.7% 3 9 . 4

Denbighshire 50.8% 3 9 . 8

Crude figures can disguise socio-economic differences and value-added effects. This report is not concerned with school comparisons, but it is concerned with the best way of getting the most out of all young people in Rhyl and currently around 200 of those who attend Rhyl High School and Blessed Edward Jones School are not reaching the level which we expect for positive progression to work or further study. Those who do not achieve a level 2 qualification at 16 are unlikely to achieve a level 3 qualification by 19, the level now accepted as the take-off point for individual prosperity and economic competitiveness.

Rhyl High School and Blessed Edward Jones need to throw all their development attention into improving results at 16. These numbers put the issue of location of 6th forms into perspective: there is little point in arguing about the location of a provision to which the vast majority of 16 year olds cannot aspire anyway. In these circumstances there is the risk that

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6th form provision is a distraction from the school’s core mission: if the 6th form attracts the most experienced teachers (and it usually does) a perverse cycle of effects arises – those teachers are less involved with 11-16 provision, which has less chance of improving in a way that would lead to higher post-16 participation (an observation also made by Estyn: see section 5.1 below)

3.5 Progression in Rhyl

Table 2: Key destinations figures for 16 year olds:

School FE Total NEET Yr 11-13 yr. 12 progression Rhyl High School (nor.169) 28.4% 45.56% 73.97% 1 0 .6% 19%

Blessed Edward Jones (nor. 36.91% 2 6 . 1 % 6 3.09% 16.61% 20% 84) Prestatyn High School (nor. 46.81% 3 4 . 1 1 % 8 1.00% 3 . 8 % 37% 258) Denbighshire 36.75% 3 6 . 1 8 % 7 2.93% 9 . 1 2% 33%

FE is already the most popular destination for Rhyl 16 year olds and by far the most popular destination for Rhyl High School pupils (the imbalance between the two schools being possibly a result of the denominational influence). Retention to year 13 is very low in both schools, suggesting significant drop out which might result from inappropriate course choices.

Combined with the low numbers achieving 5 % A-Cs at GCSE, the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) figure is alarming. In a town where employment prospects are challenging, to be without work or training can lead to a life of unemployment and benefit- dependency and perhaps a descent into crime. This is a state of affairs which will makes grand economic ambitions sound like empty rhetoric if there is not radical change.

3.6 Choice and achievement post-16 in Rhyl schools

The 2006 offering in the two Rhyl schools was:

Rhyl High: 18 A/AS levels Blessed Edward Jones: 8 A-levels and 11 AS levels

Prestatyn High School offered 28 A/AS levels.

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In a 2006 report by Estyn, Blessed Edward Jones was judged to be in need of special measures. Inspectors commented that whilst A/AS level teaching was better than teaching in the 11-16 phase, the proportion of students gaining grades A to C was significantly below the local and national average and the average points score significantly and consistently below both. They were also critical of the effect of combining year 12 and 13 groups on the pace of teaching and of the quality of facilities available for sixth formers. They did, however, praise the quality of work-related education in key stage 4, a re-assuring pointer for further prioritising this area to maximise achievement at 16.

In 2006 A-level results in the three schools were as follows:

Pupils Entered Number % Number % entered for 2 or achieving achieving achieving achieving more 2 or more 2 or more 2 or more 2 or more A-C A-C A-E A-E Blessed 11 9 4 44.4% 9 100% Edward Jones Rhyl High 35 33 16 48.5% 32 97% Prestatyn 81 66 43 65.2% 66 100% Denbighshire 68.7% 96.6% average

Whilst Blessed Edward Jones and Rhyl High have 100% and 97% pass rates respectively, which is above the Denbighshire average, the key fact is that the investment in both schools’ sixth forms resulted in a total of 41 young people gaining a level 3 qualification, and only 20 a good level 3.

3.7 Ysgol Glan Clwyd and Welsh medium/biligualism

Ysgol Glan Clwyd is an 11-18 school which provides education with a Welsh medium/bilingual approach, attracting 60% of its year 7 pupils from the Rhyl and Prestatyn areas. Around 50 pupils are expected from the Rhyl area in 07-08 and 29 from Prestatyn. The school has a sixth form of some 110 students who follow both AS/A2 courses and vocational A-levels. Its parents are making a positive choice of a Welsh medium/ bilingual approach at age 11 as some students do to continue at the school for their sixth form education. It is possible that any change in the pattern of provision in Rhyl might have a possible effect upon the schools recruitment at age 11 but would be more likely to affect retention of its own year 11 pupils into the sixth form.

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3.8 Llandrillo College’s provision

Llandrillo College recruits some 24,000 students annually to a range of courses from level 1 to higher education, including the International Baccalaureate. Some 180 AS/A2 students already attend from the Rhyl and Prestatyn area.

For full-time level 3 provision at Coleg Llandrillo Rhyl in 2005-06 the retention rate was 87%, the attainment rate 88% and the successful completion rate 67%, all figures showing a year- on-year improvement from 2003-4.

The college offers 32 A- and AS level subjects. Its A- level pass rate was 96% and AS level 88%. 100% pass rates were achieved in 16 A-level and 17 AS level subjects. 84% of students passed the full International Baccalaureate Diploma and 88% gained the advanced Diploma for the Welsh Baccalaureate. All measures of student satisfaction have achieved 90%+ for the past three years.

The college’s provision was found to be outstanding in its recent inspection, with grade 1’s awarded across the board, the only college in Wales to have achieved this distinction.

The College’s Rhyl site is undergoing a £4m refurbishment, supported by a grant from the Welsh Assembly, which will allow the development of facilities in Construction, Gas Engineering, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Information Technology, Business Studies and Business Admin., Automotive Engineering and Health Care. There will also be improvements to learning support and recreational facilities for students.

3.9 Rhyl’s social and economic needs

As indicated in Section 2 above, Rhyl is confronted by a number of significant social and economic challenges. The tourist industry, with its seasonal variations, tends to generate low levels of aspiration to achieve and develop higher level skills. This effect is increased by high levels of transience in Rhyl’s population, with many youngsters moving in and out of schools during the year.

Beyond retailing, which is successful, the town needs to generate a greater variety of industry and business. The construction and heritage industry redevelopment activities proposed in the Rhyl pact will provide new and higher level opportunities, possibly in combination with social enterprise and intermediate labour market initiatives. But these developments will at least require level 2 qualifications and, for the best prospects, level 3. In fact, the availability of a skilled labour pool is seen by many employers as a prerequisite for investment, and it is certainly a pre-requisite for developing more indigenous small businesses.

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Whilst regeneration development and inward investment will provide a boost to employment prospects, the longer-term advantage, in Rhyl as in other places, is to be got from indigenous small business development which is generated by the town and its people. Here the Rhyl pact rightly notes the contradiction of apparently low levels of formal skill with a lively informal economy. The task for educators is to harness the enterprise shown in the informal economy to the challenge of formal job opportunities. At the moment it seems that many find ways of making a living despite poor qualifications; with the right learning opportunities and a multi- agency approach to mentoring and job placement the same skills should be harnessed towards formally accreditable achievement by the age of 19.

This is not to argue that Rhyl should be aiming to retain all its 16 or 19 year olds: migration, to work or study elsewhere, is a fact of life. But two aspects of migration should concern policy makers. First, those who achieve least are unlikely to have the wherewithal to migrate to work or study because they have no qualifications to offer. And secondly, those individuals are more likely to stay in Rhyl for the wrong reasons and to display the wrong behaviour, thereby accelerating the problems of social exclusion.

4. TARGETS AND AN ENTITLEMENT

4.1 Targets

The recent history of target setting is bound to individual institutions. This is a necessary but insufficient, and occasionally counterproductive driver in an area like Rhyl. A response to the challenges of the whole area calls for institutions to act as a collegiate body for the area. The targets proposed in this section would achieve the lift-off which is needed for Rhyl’s educational objectives to match its regeneration priorities.

4.2 Achievement at 16

Any significant advance in Rhyl’s social and economic conditions requires a step-change in the achievement of 16 year olds. Putting aside issues of institutional effectiveness, the curriculum currently offered is simply not appropriate for the needs of too many youngsters. A broader offering, including vocational specialisms from 14-16, will enable many more to reach a level 2 qualification by 16.

A target of 51%, the current Denbighshire average, is suggested for 2010, allowing two cohorts of 14 year olds to complete key stage 4 from 2007. This target should then be enhanced year-on-year by 10%, and Rhyl should at least aim to keep step with the Denbighshire average.

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The alarming NEET position will only be eased by a curriculum offering which is more interesting to those young people who have turned off mainstream study by the start of key stage 4, and by a concerted effort from all agencies to ensure that more of this group achieve something after 11 years of schooling. For the two Rhyl schools it is an infinitely more pressing priority than the sixth form issue. Those who progress into a sixth form will continue to progress, wherever it is: those who go to nothing at the age of 16, or progress and then drop out at 16 or 17, are lost for a long time, or for ever. They are then a disproportionate drain on social services, welfare and justice resources. Rhyl’s relatively large transient population makes this a harder problem than usual, but it is not impenetrable. There is nothing fixed in the nature of young people or institutions which preordains such high losses. There are many examples of areas attacking this problem positively and retrieving those who were previously thought beyond education.

Denbighshire’s approach to the integration of youth initiatives will support education-based development here. This approach aims to ensure that non-formal and informal learning support mainstream educational priorities described through the Young People’s Partnership and the 14-19 Network, enabling barriers to full participation in learning to be removed. It will target those at risk of becoming NEET, those in transition, those in and leaving care, those at risk of disengaging and those experiencing difficulty in accessing their rights and entitlements.

The 14-19 network should aim for a year on year reduction of 3% in the NEET figure as part of a package which aims to get all 17 year olds a level 1 qualification at least.

4.3 Achievement at 19

With these improvements at level 2 more will progress to post-16 education and training to achieve the level 3 qualification which is increasingly the requirement for competitiveness in a global economy.

A target of 90% of those 16 year olds who have a level 2 qualification to achieve a level 3 qualification is suggested for 2012, allowing two cohorts of 16 year olds to work their way through the new arrangements to completion from 2009.

4.4 Progression to employment

Work-related education will lift motivation and achievement, and not only amongst youngsters for whom the national curriculum is inappropriate. Whilst it is quite different from job training, such education should be mindful of local employment opportunities and should connect to the training opportunities which they can provide. Apprenticeship and other forms of work-based training are as worthy as more formal educational routes in this regard.

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The objective for Rhyl institutions should be to offer the 25 most popular A/AS levels by 2008 and whole range of major vocational domains from the age of 14 to19 by 2010 and to offer these in a wide range of possible combinations with A/AS levels. In this way no young person should have to choose an option simply because of restricted range of choice. This will have an immediate impact on staying-on and, crucially, on retention in year 12 and to year 13.

With this enhancement of choice it is suggested that a target of 95% progression of 16 year olds to employment, education or training should be aimed at for 2010.

Alongside this target there should be a drive to engage local employers, particularly those engaged in regeneration activities, to offer high quality learning opportunities from 14-19 and the prospect of employment for those young people who have a satisfactory record of achievement in that phase.

4.5 Modelling

Without some serious modelling based on the 14+ cohort talk of increased choices and improved achievement is fragile. The 14-19 network needs to plan a scenario for a whole key stage 4 cohort based on the following questions:

• How many 14-16 year olds there will be in a particular year • What proportion of the cohort currently opt for some vocational study • How the range of vocational choice will be increased by the provision made in the College’s new Construction centre • What difference this could make to 14-16 choices • What the consequences for this change would be in teaching and accommodation requirements (beyond the college’s current £4m capital investment) • What effect these changes will have on achievement and progression at 16 and 19

The 2007-08 Annual Network Development Plan makes a start in this direction but future planning needs to go beyond an apparently elective system of institutional participation to one which plans for an area as if it were one collegiate body which has to find the means to provide a prescribed entitlement.

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5. OPTIONS FOR FUTURE PROVISION

5.1. Estyn and sixth forms

The Estyn report on the effectiveness of sixth forms* establishes important principles in considering the case of Rhyl schools. They note that there is a diversity of types of post-16 provision in Wales, in 11-16 and 11-18 schools, in colleges and in mixed economies. Whilst each has its general strengths they conclude that each pattern can be effective: for all that the protagonists of sixth forms or tertiary colleges might argue for superiority, there is no evidence to prove that one is universally better than the other.

This debate is about specific cases. The combined numbers from Rhyl High and Blessed Edward’s are typically 120. Whilst 150 has been taken as the minimum recommended size for a sixth form Estyn also stress that this should be viewed in the light of flexibilities which schools exploit to increase choice and cost effectiveness. They do, however, point out that both choice and cost effectiveness are increased where small A-level groups in schools are joined with existing groups in colleges, which also generally offer more choice.

Estyn are absolutely clear that options for change should be driven by learner need rather than the needs or ambitions of particular institutions, a theme which should run as a headline for every debate on this matter in Rhyl.

5.2. Status Quo

The two Rhyl schools’ views of the future, including their arguments for the status quo are that:

Learning and teaching a. The 6th form performance in the school is average or better for results and progression to HE (Rhyl High) b. The school environment offers a distinct social side of life in education, including the greater security of a familiar institution. c. The presence of the 6th form is significant in setting the ethos of the school as a whole. In the case of Blessed Edward Jones the Catholic dimension is a particular concern. d. A-level teaching is mostly delivered by the older, more experienced teachers; it is a career goal for teachers.

* “Post -16 provision in schools: factors that influence the capacity of school sixth forms to meet the needs and aspirations of learners” (Estyn: published 2005)

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Institutional self-esteem e. Because of the esteem which attaches to 6th form provision the schools would be at a disadvantage in competition with other 11-18 schools if they were 11-16 only. f. Removal of the 6th form would result in the loss of 10 members of staff, or £350,000 per year (Rhyl High).

Vocational education g. The local economy does not offer a wide range of employment opportunities, but more could be offered for building trades, hairdressing, customer service and skills for small business. h. More vocational opportunities could be offered on school sites, from 14+.

Collaboration i. In the past attempts to take a more collaborative approach have been hindered by the failure to agree common timetables and by transport difficulties. j. There is a need to improve 14-19 provision, to be achieved by longer-term planning (and to leave the school with a viable 6th form - Rhyl High). k. The College is seen as having ambitions to take over the 6th form sector rather than as a natural collaborator.

Prestatyn High School’s 6th form is not too directly involved in consideration of reorganisation options for Rhyl, though between 5-10% of its students come from Rhyl. Its does, however, express a concern that changes in 6th form provision in Rhyl could have an indirect effect upon its own recruitment, and supports the need for an overall plan for the area rather than incremental and disconnected initiatives.

The schools’ arguments are not without some foundation, but they are nowhere near significant enough to outweigh the restriction of entitlement imposed by the current 6th form system. There is no learner-driven argument for retaining the status quo. It is not delivering sufficient choice to 14-19 year olds at present and it cannot possibly deliver the enhanced entitlements described above. The funding of schools, based on such small student numbers, makes it impossible to broaden the offer.

Schools worry about the loss of income which accompanies loss of the sixth form: those with a responsibility for getting the best value from public funds should worry about the unit cost of a level 3 qualification for a total of 40 students between the two Rhyl schools and consider what else could be achieved with those resources, including the resources which are drawn away from 11-16 provision.

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It is true, and not surprising, that some 16 year olds choose to stay on at school if there is a sixth form, but equally true that in areas where there are only 11-16 schools neither the staying-on nor the achievement rates suffer. It is also true that some 16 year olds stay in sixth forms for insufficient or wrong reasons – simply because it is a familiar environment or because they were poorly advised by schools (the latter also noted by Estyn). The stereotype of the soulless FE institution which cares nothing for its students’ learning support needs belongs somewhere in the 1970s, together with the view that pastoral care can somehow compensate for under-achievement.

It is wrong to think that 11-16 schools cannot co-exist with 11-18 schools. The plain fact is that successful schools are attractive to parents and children, no matter what their age range, and both of the Rhyl schools have a better chance of succeeding without the professional and financial diversion of running unviable 6th forms.

The past problems of common timetabling and transport in collaborative ventures are part of the argument for changing now to a unified, single- institution model for the 6th form provision, though it must be added that these problems are overcome elsewhere, and that some better progress on them will be needed to make the necessary advances in 14-16 vocational study.

5.3. An alternative solution for Rhyl schools

Combining the two school sixth forms into one would increase choice of A/AS levels but at 120 students would still make only a comparatively small freestanding 6th form which would carry most of the effectiveness and efficiency problems of the current system forward.

A combined 6th form would also do little for the prospects of broader combinations with vocational specialisms and would bring additional building and capital challenges to which there are not currently solutions.

As great as these practical objections to such a change, however, there stands the accusation that it is merely remedial, patching up yesterday’s problem with a timid compromise rather than attacking it with some ambition and hope for the future. Rhyl’s post- 16 provision needs least of all to look like a pale imitation of a “proper” 6th form: it needs to look like the best that can be done for a town that has great need of imagination from its policy makers.

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5.4. A Prestatyn solution

Combining with Prestatyn High School would increase choice, and probably achievement, building on existing success here. In terms of distance such a development would be manageable, and the school would probably welcome the addition.

It would, however, suffer the same disadvantage of not significantly increasing the range of vocational choice, or combinations of vocational and academic routes. And, by exporting the change, it would also not respond to the challenge in a way that develops the Rhyl community’s sense of ownership of the solution.

There is a feeling in Prestatyn that Llandrillo College’s ambitions are great, and a threat to all post-16 providers. Whilst the current review has not delved into inter-institutional relationships, a general observation is that these feelings are often found wherever one very large and very successful institution sits amongst others with common provision. Prestatyn High School is a successful sixth form provider with a strong reputation in its area: it should have no need to fear competition from the college.

5.5. A college solution

Llandrillo College has a high reputation in the locality, a broad range of choice, excellent facilities and the potential of its new site to house a 16-19 sixth form centre which would cater for the 120 students on current estimates, together with some growth which might be anticipated from three sources:

• current college students who travel to the main site from the Rhyl area • retrieval of students who currently travel to other schools and colleges for post-16 courses • an increase in participation resulting from improved achievement at 16

As a result of these combined effects the college considers that the centre could recruit up to 200 in the near future.

The college location offers students and parents the best of both worlds: it will be a dedicated 6th form-type provision but in an environment where those who so choose can combine so- called academic and vocational elements within a personalised learning programme. There are strong reasons for believing that this restructure will satisfy the criteria for choice, achievement and progression described above, at the same time as offering better value for money:

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• the College’s performance record in A-level provision and its outstanding inspection results provide the strongest possible evidence that results will improve • the larger group of students, combined with any who might opt in from current college provision, adds to the college’s already healthy economies of scale, to offer a wider range of choice • when students have a wider range of choice they are more likely to be able to access their first choices of subjects, and the more they can do that the more likely they are to stay the course and succeed: year 12 drop-out is often a result of dissatisfaction with a course which was an obligation rather than a choice, and he same is true of low levels of achievement at the end of courses • a dedicated 6th form-type facility in new premises will be an attractive environment for 16 year olds

5.6. Management and governance

In a college as large as Llandrillo the addition of 120 full time students is not a dramatic change: it will not place any particular stress on current arrangements for management or governance. A direct transfer into the FE system is the cleanest way of effecting the change, placing responsibility for the students where the accountability lies.

In a situation where such an element of a school’s provision is closed there is the option to seek a compromise in respect of management and governance which allows the schools some continuing role in planning and teaching. It is worth noting that such arrangements are only rarely successful, especially where the partners come from such manifestly unequal positions. The college will have to take responsibility for funding, teaching quality, learning support and results for these students and these responsibilities are indivisible in fact even if espoused in the enthusiasm of deal-making.

A further reason for pulling back from soft-centred compromise is that the two schools really should focus on achievement at 16 and, contributing to that, the new 14-16 options in specialised vocational areas. The better objective for cross-institutional working is around the design and delivery of the 14-19 phase as a whole, ensuring that the best is made of all institutions’ resources in maximising choice, access and progression across Rhyl. In this way, as proposed in section 3 above, the energy of collaborative working is channelled into the big issues which affect the whole cohort – how can best ensure that our combined efforts and resources deliver the most for most pupils.

5.7. Welsh medium/bilingual education

Any change to the pattern of provision in Rhyl should be sensitive to the importance of providing an opportunity for 16-19 provision with a Welsh medium/bilingual approach. Ysgol

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Glan Clwyd can be a valuable source of outreach support such provision. It is also possible for a specialist provider such as Llandrillo College to provide outreach to support to the school in areas of the curriculum which it cannot deliver with its own staff, building on relationships already established with the College’s Denbigh Centre.

6. SUMMARY OF OPTIONS

Status quo

FOR AGAINST Schools and teachers not disturbed by A poor performance record continues: changes to status and working routines progression, retention and improvement unlikely to improve Poor value for public money A continuing distraction from the core priority to improve performance at 16 Not the best platform for increasing the choice of combining academic and vocational options No sense of excitement or progress

An alternative solution for Rhyl schools

FOR AGAINST Schools and teachers retain current status Combination of two currently unsatisfactory and some of current working routines provisions unlikely to make one good one Better value for money than separate 6th Value for money increased only slightly by forms a group of 120 students Some increase in choice possible Chances of increasing options to combine with vocational courses increased only slightly Brings planning issues around choice of site and capital support Requires schools’ collaboration around timetabling and teaching which has not been achieved in the past A tired compromise for a problem that needs a progressive solution

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A Prestatyn solution

FOR AGAINST Builds on the success of Prestatyn High Exports the ownership of Rhyl’s challenge, school’s 6th form together with the excitement of seeing its own solution in the town Improves value for money Not seen as a natural destination for many Rhyl parents and young people Removes Prestatyn’s fears of increased Not significantly increasing the chances of competitive pressures from Llandrillo combining academic and vocational College options

College Sixth Form Centre solution

FOR AGAINST Builds on the College’s record of Schools perceive change to 11-16 designation success in A/AS level provision as loss of status Focuses schools on core priority – Some teachers lose A/AS level teaching achievement at 16 Offers a wide range of choice, Negative impact on retention and recruitment benefiting from the College’s (staff and students) on schools economies of scale Retains the character of a 6th form- type provision whilst offering the best opportunity to combine academic and vocational options within one institution Offers some opportunities for teachers from schools to continue with A/AS teaching in college Brings a progressive and exciting solution to bear in Rhyl itself, including new build. Site already secured Agreement on capital package amongst partners likely

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7. TIMELINE AND CAPITAL ISSUES

The timeline for change needs to balance a proper period for public consultation with the need to minimise the period of uncertainty in schools and communities. The creation of a new sixth form centre in the college will also need to be managed within a tight timescale if advantage is to be taken of the DELLS funding within the capital package for the initiative, estimated at a total cost of £2m. These factors suggest the following timetable:

• By early June 07: local authority consideration of this report: • By end of August 07: if LA decides to proceed to public consultation, business case produced • September-November 07: statutory consultation on the proposal and consideration of its results by the LA

If there is a decision to proceed with the Llandrillo College 6th form centre: • By September 08: • Capital package agreed • Transitional plan for student intake agreed • Transitional plan for teaching arrangements agreed • By September 09: • Capital project completed and first intake of students

8. RECOMMENDATIONS a. The sixth forms in Rhyl High School and the Blessed Edward Jones School should be closed and a new sixth form centre opened on the site identified by Llandrillo College site in Rhyl. b. The first intake of students to the new sixth form centre should be in September 2009. c. The local authority should consult on this proposal and reach a decision on it in the period from September to November 2007. d. If the proposal is approved a bid for capital funding from DELLS to support the construction of the new centre should be submitted by the end of November 07.

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ANNEX 1: CONSULTEES

In the course of producing this report interviews were conducted with the following:

Alby Cheetham, Headteacher: Blessed Edward Jones Roman Catholic High School Martin Finch, Headteacher: Rhyl High School Phil Pearce, Headteacher: Prestatyn High School Sue Pierce, Assistant Headteacher: Prestatyn High School Meurig Rees, Headteacher: Ysgol Glan Clwyd

Huw Evans, Principal: Llandrillo College Gerry Jenson, Vice-Principal: Llandrillo College

Robin Beckman, Regional Director: DELLS Mid-Wales Region

Huw Griffiths, Director of Lifelong Learning: Denbighshire County Council Julian Molloy, Senior Education Officer, Denbighshire County Council

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REPORT TO COUNCIL

REPORT BY: ALAN EVANS CORPORATE DIRECTOR - RESOURCES

DATE: 31 JULY 2007

SUBJECT: DENBIGHSHIRE – COUNTY OF CULTURE 08

1 DECISION SOUGHT

To seek Council’s agreement to allocate £35k from the Major Events fund to the ‘Denbighshire – County of Culture 08’ programme and the county’s hosting at the 2008 Royal Welsh Show.

2 REASON FOR SEEKING DECISION

The Council has a Major Events Fund which is used to ensure that DCC is able to manage prudently its occasional contributions to the hosting of significant festivals and other events.

The Tourism, Heritage and Culture service (THC) have requested the use of £35k to provide funding for 2 events – supporting the North Wales 2008 Capital of Culture project (£20k) and the Royal Welsh Show 08 (£15k). Their rationale is detailed below

Denbighshire County Council (DCC) has been instrumental in developing and supporting the evolution of a North Wales 2008 Capital of Culture programme (NW08) in partnership with the City of Liverpool designated European Capital of Culture 2008.

It was proposed that the North Wales Local Authorities consider the setting up of a NW08 marketing and development fund to support Arts Council Wales and Tourism Partnership North Wales committed funding which would be used to lever matched funding from the new WAG cabinet. A paper was drawn up and submitted to the North Wales Partnership requesting that each Local Authority consider allocating £20K in total over two financial years (07/08 and 08/09).

The reaction from NE Wales LAs has been positive with each indicating support for the 08 programme and a willingness to support the campaign financially from existing marketing budgets in both years. However, Members should note that they have not agreed to allocate additional resources as proposed.

Page 1 of 4

The recommendation from the DCC lead service, Tourism, Heritage and Culture is that, given the significance of 2008 in terms of revenue and capital investment in the County’s cultural infrastructure, NW08 could provide a huge dividend in our attempt to position Denbighshire as the County of Culture in North Wales.

2008 will see the launch and full opening of 3 iconic DCC capital and European funded initiatives: - Nantclwyd y Dre in April 08 - The New Ruthin Craft Centre – Spring 08 - Scala Digital Cinema and Arts Centre – August 08

In addition the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and the North Wales International Music Festival, St.Asaph will feature innovative new Liverpool linked productions and the 2008 Rhyl Week will have a Liverpool theme. Bodelwyddan Castle has agreed a Liverpool 08 programme with its partner, the National Portrait Gallery. DCC’s Arts Unit has recently launched the 2008 Wales Portrait Awards which will be hosted by the Williamson Gallery in Birkenhead. The award winning Heather and Hillforts project will also be integrated into the 08 celebrations.

Using evidence from a series of key documents including the N Wales Regional Events Strategy (BIC), UK Events research, Economic Impact Research (Regeneris) for the coordinated Cheshire’s Year of the Gardens (CYOG) campaign in 2008, as well as evidence provided by Liverpool Cultural Company on the impact of 08, the economic, cultural, profile and trade benefits to North Wales in supporting NW08 have been identified and supporting evidence provided to Members upon request. A DCC 08 steering group will be set up and chaired by a senior DCC member and include partners from the public and private sectors.

3 POWER TO MAKE THE DECISION

Section 2, Local Government Act 2000; power to promote the social, economic and environmental well being of the area.

4 COST IMPLICATIONS

The DCC Major Events Fund is used to ensure that DCC is able to manage prudently its occasional contributions to the hosting of national festivals like the Urdd and the National Eisteddfod and fulfil its partnership responsibility in part funding events like the Royal Welsh Show in 2008 (Clwyd area is the LA “ Host “ Body). There is less pressure on this budget now that the decision has been taken by WAG

Page 2 of 4 to extract from the LA settlement an annual sum paid over to WLGA who in turn pass it on to the Eisteddfod committee. There remains the local hosting costs as Denbighshire is in line to host the 2013 Eisteddfod. The proposal is that £20K be allocated from the Major Events fund for 2007/8 to be managed by the THC service in Lifelong Learning. In addition to this £15K to be allocated similarly to fund the DCC Royal Welsh Show 08 commitment – a total of £35K.

This would leave the existing Major Events fund on March 31 2008 with a balance of £32K with a further 08/09 injection of £67K to bring it back up to £99K.

5 FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

The Major Events fund was set up to smooth out the costs of hosting major events that do not occur on an annual basis. The fund is fed with annual contributions of £67k and was used recently to support the Urdd Eisteddfod in Ruthin. It is unlikely that a major contribution will be needed for any future National Eisteddfod held in the County as the Assembly now provides funding direct.

Assuming these proposals are accepted the fund would have a balance of £99k available next financial year.

6 CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

The proposals for NW08 have been welcomed in principle by the North Wales LA Partnership, and the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee supported the lead role by the Tourism, Heritage and Culture service and endorsed the creation of an 08 Marketing Fund from the Major Events Fund. The proposal is also supported by the Leader’s office and the Corporate Executive Team

7 IMPLICATION ON OTHER POLICY AREAS:

7.1 THE VISION The Denbighshire-County of Culture 08 programme embraces the Council’s Vision for 2025 of a Denbighshire in which ‘our diverse county will attract more visitors throughout the year, who will experience Denbighshire’s outstanding natural and built environment, culture and wide range of outdoor activities’.

7.2 OTHER POLICY AREAS INCLUDING CORPORATE This initiative also contributes to achieving the Community Strategy aim of increasing cultural tourism

Page 3 of 4 8 ACTION PLAN

Action Date To draw up a programme of related DCC 08 October 07 activities and promotion for 2008 Steering Group Commence project implementation. Tourism, Nov 07 – Oct 08 Heritage & Culture Service

9 RECOMMENDATIONS

Agreement on allocation of £35k from the Major Events fund to the Tourism, Heritage & Culture Service to implement the ‘Denbighshire – County of Culture 08’ programme and the County’s hosting at the 2008 Royal Welsh Show.

Page 4 of 4 Agenda Item No. 13

Report to: County Council

Report by: County Clerk

Date: 31 July 2007

Subject: Planning Appeal - Wern Ddu, Gwyddelwern

1 DECISION SOUGHT

1.1 That members note that the advice that the Council has received from Counsel is that there are not any grounds for challenging in the High Court the inspector’s decision letter allowing the appeal in respect of the Wern Ddu Wind Farm.

2 REASON FOR DECISION

2.1 At your last meeting the Chairman allowed Councillor P J Marfleet to raise an urgent item in respect of the inspector’s decision to allow the appeal. Council noted the concerns raised and the fact that an appeal was under consideration.

2.2 Counsel’s advice has now been received and unfortunately it appears there are no grounds for challenging the inspector’s decision letter.

2.3 Counsel has advised that it will be necessary to identify either some substantive legal error on the part of the inspector or that there has been some procedural mistake which has occasioned substantial prejudice. It is not the court’s role to investigate the planning merits of the decisions under challenge.

2.4 Counsel has advised that there is no procedural mistake regarding the inquiry which could call the decisions into question. Counsel has also advised that it is too late to challenge the publication of TAN 8 itself or the means by which it has been introduced. Advice notes are one of the mechanisms available for the Assembly to promulgate policy and at the end of the day it is a matter for the Assembly which mechanism it chooses.

2.5 With regard to substantive errors of law, examples of what the courts normally consider are whether there has been a failure to take into account matters which are material, or where account has wrongly been taken of matters which are not material, or where an inspector misunderstands policy and thus misdirects himself in relation to it. Unfortunately it is not a sustainable legal challenge to claim that an inspector has attributed too much or too little weight to a particular policy or issue since matters of weight are for the decision maker alone.

2.6 Accordingly, notwithstanding the concerns of members and officers regarding the decision letter, Counsel is satisfied that the inspector has not misunderstood the policies in question in this case and in particular has not misinterpreted TAN 8 and nor has he misunderstood or interpreted the Council’s Interim Planning Guidance (IPG). The inspector was entitled to

attribute greater weight to TAN 8 than to the IPG. The inspector’s reservation about the refinement process that the Council had gone through and which led to his conclusion were matters for his judgement and not matters for the court to review.

2.7 In view of the above it will now be necessary to revisit the IPG. This will be done in conjunction with our neighbouring authority Conwy since the strategic search area identified in TAN 8 straddles the border between our two authorities and the present IPG was the subject of consideration and endorsement by both our Councils. On the positive side, the inspector commended our two authorities for embarking on the refinement study for the strategic search area which led to the IPG.

3 POWER TO MAKE THE DECISION

3.1 Section 111 Local Government Act 1972 (subsidiary powers of local authorities).

4 COST AND STAFFING IMPLICATIONS

4.1 Members and officers will be engaged in a review of the IPG jointly with colleagues in Conwy.

5 FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

5.1 It is clear that there might be consultancy costs as well as staffing costs to comply with the TAN 8 methodology.

5.2 A further report will need to be brought to members once the full implications are known.

6 CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

6.1 The Council has sought the independent expert advice of Counsel.

7 IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER POLICY AREAS AND THE VISION

7.1 The Council’s Planning Guidance supplements the existing Unitary Development Plan and supports the emerging Local Development Plan. In turn these documents contribute to the vision by achieving controlled and sustainable development.

8 RECOMMENDATION

8.1 That members note that the advice that the Council has received from Counsel is that there are not any grounds for challenging in the High Court the inspector’s decision letter allowing the appeal in respect of the Wern Ddu Wind Farm.

Contact Officer: Ian Hearle, County Clerk e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01824 712562 Agenda Item No. 14

Report to: County Council

Report by: Chief Executive and Returning Officer

Date: 31 July 2007

Subject: Leave for Election Duties

1 DECISION SOUGHT

1.1 That leave of absence be granted for staff processing the issuing and receipt of postal votes for all elections (including by-elections and referenda).

2 REASON FOR DECISION

2.1 In March 2003 council approved the grant of a days leave for all staff who man polling stations for elections. This brought our own arrangements into line with those of neighbouring authorities and was felt to demonstrate an appropriate level of support for the democratic process and give fair recognition of the extra hours of work involved by staff.

2.2 I believe it opportune and appropriate now to consider placing a further aspect of the electoral process on a more formalised footing, namely the arrangement for dealing with postal votes.

2.3 From a situation in which postal votes were available only in limited circumstances we have moved to a situation where this has become a matter of choice for the elector. We have quickly moved to the situation where there is a requirement to issue approaching 12,000 postal votes. This number is growing at approximately 1,000 per year and the return rate for the Assembly elections was almost 75%.

2.4 To handle this volume of material to the tight timescales currently requires a pool of 24 assistants who are drawn from the Council’s staff for reasons of security, confidentiality and immediate availability. The work is carried out during office hours to facilitate both the availability of I.T. support and oversight by authorised persons. Typically, a team of 12 staff will issue 2,000 postal votes in a 3 hour session and a pool of 8 will take 2 hours to open 1,000 returned postal votes.

2.5 Whilst staff dealing with postal votes are working entirely within the normal working day the volume, particularly of returns, can fluctuate from day to day.

2.6 Since these activities are carried out during the working day but are subject to a separate payment which is at a similar rate to that received by polling clerks, my view is that the matter should be formalised as in the case of polling station staff.

3 POWER TO MAKE THE DECISION

Sections 111 and 112 Local Government Act 1972 (subsidiary powers and terms/conditions of employment)

4 COST AND STAFFING IMPLICATIONS

Nil because staff would not receive any more pay from the Council than now. However there would be an opportunity cost of granting leave to the staff concerned and a possible impact on achievement of targets.

5 FINANCIAL CONTROLLER STATEMENT

The proposal does not involve the Council in additional cost directly but will have a small impact upon staff availability on days when postal votes are issued and received.

6 CONSULTATION CARRIED OUT

Corporate Executive Team.

7 IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER POLICY AREAS AND THE VISION

7.1 An efficient and effective postal voting system supports the democratic process, helps maximise voter convenience and reflects well on the Council.

8 RECOMMENDATION

8.1 That leave of absence be granted for staff processing the issuing and receipt of postal votes for all elections (including by-elections and referenda).

Contact Officer: Ian Hearle, County Clerk e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01824 712562

AGENDA ITEM NO 18

COUNTY COUNCIL FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME

REPORT TITLE AUTHOR

31ST July 2007 State of County Debate Leader of the Council

Draft Equalities Plan Councillor S A Davies

Capital Plan Councillor G O Rowlands

Capital Plan Achievements 2006/07 Councillor G O Rowlands

Local Government Pension Scheme Linda Atkin

Single Status – update Linda Atkin

Personnel Policies Linda Atkin

Leave for Election duties County Clerk

Wern Ddu Windfarm Appeal County Clerk

Committee Membership County Clerk

Review of 16 -19 Provision in Rhyl Councillor D Owens

18th September 2007 Single Status – decisions Linda Atkin

Denbighshire County Council’s Councillor G O Rowlands Efficiency Plan

Gating Orders Head of Planning & Public Protection

Capital Plan Councillor G O Rowlands

Committee Membership County Clerk

Denbighshire’s Children and Young Councillor M A German People’s Partnership Play Strategy

Review of Delegation Scheme and Head of Planning and Public Planning Committee Procedures Protection

20th November 2007 Conwy/ Denbighshire Leader of the Council/Corporate Spatial Framework Director: Environment

Local Development Plan – approval Head of Planning and Public of Strategic Options for Preferred Protection Strategy

Capital Plan Lead Member for Finance and Procurement

Committee Membership County Clerk

22nd January 2008 Relationship Manager’s Wales Audit Office Annual Letter

Capital Plan Councillor G O Rowlands

Committee Membership County Clerk

12th February 2008 Revenue Budget 2008/09 Councillor G O Rowlands to 2010/11

Capital Plan Councillor G O Rowlands

Development Health, Social Care Councillor P A Dobb Wellbeing Strategy

26th February 2008 Prudential Indicators 2008/09 – Corporate Director: 2010/11 and Treasury Management Resources Strategy 2008/09

Council Tax and Associated Matters Corporate Director: Resources

Capital Plan Councillor G O Rowlands