Issue - meetings

Members received a report on the future delivery model for leisure services, as detailed within the private circulated report.

Prior to the commencement of the discussion of the report members raised concerns regarding the insufficient detail contained within the circulated report, which therefore affected their ability to consider and scrutinise the report in its entirety.

The following proposal was proposed and seconded:

·        The scrutiny committee recommends to Cabinet that the item is deferred from consideration today and that an additional meeting of the Joint Cabinet and Education Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee is convened within the next two weeks. The aim of this meeting will be to clarify and formulate the additional information that will be required to supplement the existing report and the committee at that time can decide how best to organise itself to achieve this.

A recorded vote was proposed and seconded and agreed in line with required procedures.

The vote was undertaken to determine which Members were for against and abstaining from the proposed motion. The results of the vote were as follows:

For the Proposal

M.Crowley, S. Freeguard, S.Harris, J.Jones, D. Keough, S.Miller, S.Paddison, S.Penry, M.Protheroe, S.Rahaman, S.Renkes, S.Reynolds, R.Taylor, D.Whitelock, A.Woolocock

Against the Proposal

W.Griffiths, J.Hale, N.Hunt, S.Hunt, S.Knoyle, A.Llewelyn, R.Phillips, L.Purcell, A.Richards, R.Wood

Abstentions        

None

Following scrutiny, the majority of the Committee was supportive of the following proposal to be considered by the Cabinet Board:

·        The scrutiny committee recommends to Cabinet that the item is deferred from consideration today and that an additional meeting of the Joint Cabinet and Education Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee is convened within the next two weeks. The aim of this meeting will be to clarify and formulate the additional information that will be required to supplement the existing report and the committee at that time can decide how best to organise itself to achieve this.

Andrew Thomas outlined information relating to the statutory objection period to the item which ran from 17^th June 2021 to 14^th July 2021. A total of 297 written objections were received during the 28 day objection period. A large number of emails were in the standardised format, namely 92 of the 297 objections received were standardised email format. Andrew Thomas read a copy of the email received. There were 35 objections received in relation to the Welsh language, 13 of these were emails claiming that there would be a detrimental impact on the Welsh language. None of the themes that came forward in the objection report were different to those that came forward in the consultation report.

Mr Thomas advised that when reorganisation takes place in English medium education there is no requirement under the School Organisation Code to undertake a Welsh Language Impact Assessment. However it is recognised that the Swansea valley is an area which is deemed to be linguistically sensitive. Therefore an assessment was carried out.

Following Cabinet on 16^th June 2021, an email was received from Welsh Government on 25^th June indicating that they had concerns about the assessment undertaken by Neath Port Talbot in that it didn’t explicitly address what linguistically sensitive means and, also that there was insufficient mitigation. A meeting was requested with Welsh Government to discuss this further. A meeting was undertaken on 27^th July. On 9^th August an email from Welsh Government was received which advised that further mitigation could be explored to mitigate the effect on neighbouring Welsh medium schools and therefore the Welsh language. An agreement was reached to appoint a Welsh Language Planning consultant to undertake further work over the summer to further inform the Welsh Language impact assessment. The Terms of Reference were agreed with Welsh Government. These included to define and confirm the context of the meaning of linguistically sensitive, setting out the principles for promoting and safeguarding the language in such an area, consider how the principles could be applied to Pontardawe within the context of the Swansea valley proposal and provide options around mitigating actions to reduce negative impacts on the stability of the future growth of the Welsh language in the short, medium and long term.

The draft report was received from Welsh Government on 18^th October. The report has been used to update Appendix K, NPT’s Welsh Language Impact Assessment.

Andrew Thomas advised that there would be a couple of areas within the draft report that they would like the opportunity to contest but have not yet had the opportunity to do so. Mr Thomas went through two examples of where this would be challenged, including funding for developing the Welsh medium education in the Swansea valley and also comments pertaining to the current provision of Welsh medium education.

Mr Thomas advised that all the mitigation items have been included in the amended Welsh Language Impact Assessment and that these can be cross referenced with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4