Part one of the September full council meeting is available to watch here (link); part two is available here (link).
New private rental leasing scheme with incentives for private landlords to cut homelessness
Here’s a summary of announcements from Cabinet members:
- Council Leader, Cllr. Huw David (Lab, Cefn Cribwr) said BCBC continues to face “unprecedented pressures” in adult and children’s social care, early help and child safeguarding. Home care is particularly challenging and residents should be prepared to wait for care packages to become available.
- Deputy Leader Cllr. Hywel Williams (Lab, Blackmill) noted significant improvements in Bridgend’s recycling rate – more on that here.
- Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr. Stuart Baldwin (Lab, Morfa) said a £2.7million investment in highways across the county was “making strong progress”, targeting 40 local roads.
- Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Cllr. Dhanisha Patel (Lab, Ogmore Vale) announced a new partnership between BCBC and Hafod housing association for a leasing scheme to encourage private landlords to lease properties as temporary accommodation for the homeless. Landlords will receive a guaranteed rental income for the contract, paid in arrears. The scheme includes several incentives such as a 24-hour repair service, no set-up fees and free gardening at no extra cost.
- Cabinet Member for Education & Regeneration, Cllr. Charles Smith (Lab, Llangewydd & Brynhyfryd) said schools and officers have gone “above and beyond” to minimise disruption to education during the pandemic. Some health measures remain in place, such as wearing face coverings on school transport. Secondary school pupils will also be required to take lateral flow tests twice a week.
Litter picking “has benefits beyond the environment”
Cllr. Tim Thomas (Propel, Ynysawdre) asked about litter levels in the county. It was encouraging that street cleanliness rates were high – and that was down to the work of staff and volunteers. How could the council continue to support volunteer groups?
Deputy Leader, Cllr. Hywel Williams said BCBC has a good track record of supporting community groups. Such groups have made a positive impact assisting during the pandemic as well as more generally in getting people out and about.
An officer added that the council was “inundated with requests” for volunteering opportunities. Safety was a priority when litter-picking and BCBC made sure that things like PPE, hi-vis jackets, litter pickers and gloves were available through an agreement with Keep Wales Tidy. The county was “looking fairly clean” thanks to these volunteers.
Cllr. Bridie Sedgebeer (Lab, Felindre) called for more action – up to and including legal action such as fines – against flyposting on council property. She picked out stickers from supporters of pro-independence group YesCymru as the main example, being described as “detritus”.
The Mayor, Cllr. John Spanswick (Lab, Brackla), noted the stickers have “extremely effective glue” making them difficult to remove. An officer said the council does take action against flyposting and what’s described as “inappropriate literature” where appropriate.
There have been calls from Members of the Senedd and MPs for more action against pro-independence stickers, though it’s usually come from the Conservatives.
Cllr. Jane Gebbie (Lab, Pyle) said organised litter picking wasn’t just about the environment, but results in lots of engagement with residents and becomes a social activity.
