It has been just over seven months since the local government elections in Wales. Labour kept control of RCT Council while there was a tie in Merthyr Tydfil between Labour and the independents with the independents taking control of the council again following a casting vote from the mayor at a council meeting following the elections.
Councillor Andrew Morgan remains the leader in RCT while Councillor Geraint Thomas has taken the reins in Merthyr Tydfil.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has taken a look at some of the key decisions taken by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Merthyr Tydfil Council since the votes in May.
Plans to close two RCT schools and open a new £15m one to replace them get the go-ahead
In June plans to close two primary schools and create a new £15m one in Glyncoch were signed off by the council’s cabinet.
They agreed to amalgamate Cefn Primary School and Craig yr Hesg Primary School with the opening of a new, bigger community primary school to replace the current sites.
The cabinet report said that one of the reasons for the proposal was to “increase capacity and improve the quality of the English-medium primary education provision available to learners in Glyncoch”.
One objection was received to the proposal when the council published the notice of the plans but the recommendation was that the council goes forward with the plans with no amendments.
The objection said there is a strong feeling in the area that there is no Welsh-medium primary school to meet local needs with Councillor Amanda Ellis of Plaid Cymru who represents Ynysybwl echoing these calls and urging the council to consider new Welsh-medium provision in this area.
The council said that the existing school buildings at Cefn and Craig yr Hesg primary schools required “significant repairs and are no longer fit-for-purpose” with collective outstanding maintenance costs of more than £783,000.
The council said the age and construction of the buildings prevented either school from having any significant upgrades which would allow them to be deemed a “21st Century Schools provision.”
It also said the site of Cefn Primary and the school building itself is not accessible and does not comply with the Equality Act and that Craig yr Hesg Primary also requires significant improvement to comply with the Equality Act.
It said the new school would be fully accessible and would include new outdoor facilities like a multi-use games area.
Nearly £3m of support for people in extreme hardship, families with school-age children, and lower-paid council staff in RCT
September saw RCT Council’s cabinet agree a package worth nearly £3m to provide extra support to people in extreme hardship, families, and lower-paid council employees to help with the cost of living crisis.
The £2.89m local scheme includes £1.65m going towards payments to around 22,000 families with one child or more of compulsory school age in RCT.
The decision was that a payment of £75 will be made per family rather than per child and families of a home-educated child or children will be eligible as will families of a child or children that attend a school outside of Rhondda Cynon Taf but live in the county borough.
Cllr Andrew Morgan explained that the reason for not including children who are not of school age is about how quickly and easily they can get the money out highlighting that they can use statutory school records as evidence but that it’s harder to provide evidence for children who are not of school age.
The approved proposal also included £940,000 towards a one-off support payment for lower-paid council staff to supplement their salary.
This came to £125 per employee and would be made to 5,800 employees.
It included all employees who are remunerated at grades one to six such as litter pickers, refuse loaders, home care and social care workers, cooks, cleaners, school crossing patrols, and more.
The cabinet also approved £250,000 towards a local cost of living hardship fund or those residents who are going through extreme financial hardship as a direct consequence of the cost of living crisis.
The proposal also included £50,000 to support food banks and food support grants on top of that provided in the original discretionary scheme.
Consultation launched on plans to charge council tax premiums for long-term empty properties and second homes in RCT
In October the council’s cabinet agreed to start a four-week consultation on charging council tax premiums on long-term empty properties and second homes in RCT.
The proposal is that a council tax premium of 50% is introduced for properties which have been empty between one and two years, increasing to 100% for those empty for more than two years, with a premium of 100% proposed for second homes.
If approved the charge for long-term empty properties would begin in April 2023 and for second homes in April 2024.
A long-term empty property is defined as one which is both unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at least one year and a second home is defined as a property that is not a person’s sole or main residence and is substantially furnished.
It is estimated that the premiums could raise £1.9m for the council. The local authority has powers available to it to charge council tax premiums through the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.
Plans approved to remove a large amount of material from a Rhondda tip which saw a landslide during Storm Dennis
In October RCT’s planning committee approved the removal of tip material from Llanwonno coal tip in Tylorstown where a landslide happened during Storm Dennis in 2020.
Planning officers said it would “significantly reduce” the likelihood of a landslip that “could have a devastating effect on the surrounding area”.
The site covers an area of approximately 30 hectares (74 acres) and the proposal, which is phase four of the overall works, involves the removal of about 195,000 cubic metres of material that remain within the Llanwonno Upper Tip.
It is expected that the project, from start to finish, will take approximately six months to complete between spring and autumn of 2023.
Councillor Robert Bevan, who represents Tylorstown and Ynyshir on the council, raised concern about the surface water drainage at the proposed site, the maintenance of the ponds, and what would happen if they fail to retain water and the impact this would have on the existing tip.
Planning committee members said they understood the concerns but that this was probably the best thing to do to ensure the immediate safety of the tip and that there isn’t a repeat of what happened during Storm Dennis.
Scheme to help people in Merthyr Tydfil with the cost of living crisis approved
The Welsh Government awarded £4.17m to the council for the cost of living support scheme including £3.58m for the main scheme and £589,753 for the discretionary one.
The report said there were estimated to be 23,673 properties within Merthyr Tydfil that were eligible for the main cost of living support scheme payment which totals £3.55m with the discretionary scheme estimated to cost £527,500.
Any surplus can be reused by the council within the discretionary fund and any surplus funds from the discretionary scheme will go to the foodbank, the council report said.
Under the main scheme £150 can be paid to a household if it was receiving support through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) on February 15, 2022.
There would be £150 available to households in bands A to D if they meet certain criteria.
The council’s own discretionary scheme included a £150 payment to a property occupied on February 15, 2022, that hasn’t received a payment under the main scheme and has an exemption including receiving/providing personal care, if there is a resident in hospital or a care home, students, under-18s, someone with a severe mental impairment, care leavers or if there is a granny annex.
It was decided that a £100 payment would be made available to a property in band E, F, G, H or I, that was liable for council tax and was occupied on February 15, 2022, and hasn’t received a payment through the main scheme.
A £100 payment would also be made in relation to each child eligible for free school meals and a minimum of a £50,000 payment would be made to foodbanks.
Unoccupied properties, long-term empty properties, second homes, and properties left unoccupied by a person in prison would not be eligible for the discretionary cost of living payment.
Major new Merthyr Tydfil venue granted its licence
In September new Merthyr venue Clwb Crown was granted a licence to be able to host live music, show films, put on plays, and hold sporting events.
The new premises licence application was approved for Clwb Crown which will be based in Webster House in Dynevor Street.
It will also be able to play live and recorded music, hold dance performances, provide late-night refreshment and sell alcohol.
The application was approved by the council’s statutory licensing committee,
It has been granted a licence to open from 6am to 2.30am from Monday to Sunday and hold performances of plays, films, boxing, or wrestling, and play recorded music and live music outdoors from 9am to 9.30pm.
It will be allowed to serve food outdoors from 11pm until midnight each day and supply alcohol outdoors in outdoor area A (the restaurant area) from 10am to 11pm and outdoor area B (the live music area) from 10am to 10.30pm.
Recorded music will be able to be played indoors from 9am to 1am from Monday to Thursday, from 9am to 2am on Friday and Saturday and from 9am to 12.30am on Sunday. Performances of plays, films, boxing or wrestling and sporting events indoors will be allowed from 9am until midnight and live music indoors will be allowed from 9am to 1am.
The supply of alcohol indoors will be allowed from 10am to 1am from Monday to Thursday, from 10am to 2am on Friday and Saturday and from 10am to 1.30am on Sunday. All of the above will include one hour extra on Sundays before bank holidays, on Christmas Eve, on Boxing Day, on New Year’s Eve, and on New Year’s Day.
Plans for more than 100 houses in Merthyr Tydfil approved despite opposition
In October Merthyr Tydfil’s planning committee approved plans for 121 houses in the Twynyrodyn area.
The Persimmon Homes application for 121 houses on land off Elm Tree Grove was given the go-ahead after a site visit and a deferral at a previous meeting.
The council received 41 letters of objection to the plans as well as a petition with 345 names.
The proposed residential development will be made up of 121 houses of which 12 will be affordable and will include one- to five-bedroom detached, semi-detached, and terraced properties together with associated engineering, access, and landscaping works. The initial proposal was for 131 houses but this has been reduced to 121.
The concerns raised in the objections included traffic congestion, air pollution, the capacity of local schools to accommodate additional children, loss of green space, and potential flooding.
In recommending approval officers said: “The development would make a significant contribution towards the provision of new homes within a sustainable location, which includes the provision of affordable housing.
“The development has been appropriately designed to integrate with the surrounding area and minimise any potential amenity impacts. A variety of house types and sizes would be provided that add interest to the development and help to meet a range of housing needs.”
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