Minutes:
The
Leader announced to Council that the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has published its initial proposals for Wales’ 16 new
Senedd constituencies yesterday and that the Commission is inviting comments on
its proposals by 30th September.
The
Commission is required to pair the new Parliamentary Constituencies to arrive
at 16 new Senedd constituencies. The Commission must have regard
to a number of rules in coming to its proposals.
The
new parliamentary constituency of Neath and Swansea East
is proposed to be paired with Brecon, Radnor and Cwmtawe. The Aberavon Maesteg
constituency is proposed to be paired with Rhondda and Ogmore.
Given
the importance of this issue, the Leader said he will be writing to each
political group leader inviting them to nominate 2 members to help develop the
Council’s formal response to the proposal within the consultation window.
The
Leader continued to explain to Council that the eighth meeting of the Tata
Transition Board took place on 15th August 2024.
At
that meeting, the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, announced the
release of £13.5 million to assist businesses with a significant exposure to
Tata and also to support employees and contractors at risk of redundancy.
The
Leader explained that this announcement was welcome as the Council has been
responding to many requests for support through its Business Support and
Employability Service for several months. The additional funding will
enable agencies who are involved in providing help and support, including the
Council, to gear up their own capacity before the company moves into its next
phase where we anticipate more businesses and people will be looking for help.
Following
the meeting, the Secretary of State also paid tribute to the way Neath Port
Talbot businesses and wider community has come forward. The Leader reminded
members that the Council offered guaranteed interviews to steelworkers
following the announcement by the company last year and continues to do
so. The Leader explained that the Council has reached
out to local partners and businesses to ask them if they were in a position to
help. A significant number of organisations
have come forward offering vacancies, training opportunities and other forms of
help. The Council is continuing to develop the network of support,
including working with neighbouring authorities. The Leader stated it had been good to see the
Secretary of State and First Minister publicly acknowledge the important role
of the Council in helping those impacted by the transition process.
The
Leader concluded by explaining that the Council is leading discussions on
short-medium term job creation opportunities. It is expected that the
Transition Board will receive advice this side of Christmas on a number of
projects it could consider to bring new jobs to our local economy, whilst also
reinforcing the importance of the Welsh and UK governments continuing to
support the work we have been doing through the Celtic Freeport and the
associated development of the port of Port Talbot.