Minutes:
The Leader of Council gave an overview of the
joint announcement made by the UK Government and Tata Steel on 15th September
2023. The UK government have proposed an investment of £0.5bn with a further
investment of £750m from Tata Steel which would fund the replacement of the
existing blast furnaces with an arc furnace. Consultation is currently taking
place between Tata Steel and trade unions. The Leader noted that the steel
industry is fundamental to the local and wider economy and national security
and whilst the news of investment in the plant is welcomed, the potential
number of jobs at risk is of great concern. There are currently no details of
the proposed transition but Council will be informed as more information
becomes available.
The Leader of Council gave an update on the
Welsh Governments 20 mph policy which was implemented on restricted roads
across Wales on 17 September 2023. The
policy intent is to reduce the number and severity of casualties, to enable
more people to use active travel, to reduce environmental impacts and to
improve quality of life. Funding was made available by the Welsh Government to
implement the policy change over two financial years. The guidelines provided
by Welsh Government to make exceptions to the 20 mph policy are prescriptive,
all exceptions put forward by council were vetted by Transport for Wales before
they could be implemented. Recent ministerial statements suggest that local highway
authorities are best placed to determine the application of speed limits,
although any revisions of change as part of the policy are not yet supported by
additional funding. The full impact of the policy change will emerge over the
next six months, it is having widespread positive and negative impact across
the county borough. Officers have monitored the changes that have been
introduced and some local changes will be needed, local members and residents
will be consulted as this is brought forward.