7th Economic Summit- Outcomes

Welsh Assembly Government

Actions from Economic Summits

Outcomes Paper
17 July 2009

INDEX TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION 2. STRATEGIC CAPITAL INVESTMENT FUND AND BROUGHT FORWARD CAPITAL FUNDING PROJECTS 3. PROACT UPDATE WITH GEOGRAPHICAL AND SECTORAL BREAKDOWN 4. BUSINESS SUPPORT STATISTICS 5. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE 6. HOUSING UPDATE 7. PROCUREMENT AND PAYMENTS 8. SOCIAL IMPACT – COUNCIL TAX COLLECTION RATES 9. SOCIAL CARE

1. IntroductIon

1. INTRODUCTION

1. At the Sixth meeting of the Economic Summit on 4 June 2009 in Merthyr Tydfil, stakeholders asked for more detailed information from the Welsh Assembly Government about the impact on the ground, in terms of activities, contracts let and, where appropriate, jobs created, from the actions which had been announced during the course of the previous Summits. Ministers committed to

provide more data on outcomes for the Seventh Summit.

2. The information collated in response to this request is set out in this paper, under the headings used in the regular Update Papers issued for each Summit.

3.

The data has been presented in as consistent format as

possible given the fact that information is updated on a daily basis. Accordingly, as there are differences in the nature of the assistance and the way in which base data can be collected, this means that there are variations in the presentation of the data for different programmes. Also, certain information has not been

included where it has been judged to be commercially sensitive.

2. StrategIc capItal InveStment Fund and Brought Forward capItal FundIng projectS

July 2009

SCIF Tranche 1 projects There have been significant developments with SCIF Tranche 1 projects. Early work has revealed that projects are beginning to deliver positive results. Details of these projects are provided below.

Project

Health Vision Swansea – reconfiguration of healthcare services Delivery of 400+ affordable homes across Wales Creating a low carbon region in the Heads of the Valleyssupporting the development, manufacture, supply and installation of low carbon technologies and energy reduction measures

Total spend to date £6.918m

Comments

Jobs created – ABM NHS Trust report 30-40 new jobs in the latter phases of this programme. • See detailed comments Annex on Health Vision Swansea. • See detailed information Annex on Housing Affordable Homes. This project is being delivered by five main delivery partners: United Welsh Housing Association, RCT Homes, Merthyr Valleys Housing, Bronafon Community Housing and Melin Homes. Our main delivery partner, United Welsh Housing has received £2m of the total £4m SCIF funding for 08/09, for investment in micro renewable technology. United Welsh have let out three main contracts to Rassau, Stable Lane and Solar Installations in Schools, who in turn have sublet them to local companies: Gee Construction based in Bridgend; St James Parade based in Cardiff; Philsol manufacturers based in Carmarthen and Micaul based in Torfaen. Jobs created – social inclusion clauses have been included for all the contracts and 22 places have been created. To date the United Welsh Training programme has resulted in nearly 100% employment.

Project

Total spend to date

Comments

It should be noted that United Welsh Housing is one of the five main delivery partners. The above figures therefore represent outcomes from less than one third of the overall investment. Construction of Newport schools and community regeneration project Construction of Blaenavon education and community campus Wrexham secondary schools – reconfiguration and modernisation of schools estate to deliver improved learner outcomes Pre-construction development costs of dualing the A465 between Tredegar and Brynmawr £8.5m • • • See detailed information in attached Annex on DCELLS Finance Brought Forward Capital Funding See detailed information in attached Annex on DCELLS Finance Brought Forward Capital Funding See detailed information in attached Annex on DCELLS Finance Brought Forward Capital Funding

£250 000

£194 000

Good progress has been made on the A465 dualing project. We have appointed Consultants, to assist WAG in taking forward Sections 1 and 2, and the process of appointing a contractor for Section 3 has commenced. £34k has been spent since April. The employer agents being engaged are EC Harries of Cardiff and the Consultants are Jacobs. Preliminary work has started on this project and when physical construction starts later this year, an accurate record of the number of people employed in the development of these projects can be provided. The consultants for East/West are Network Rail. Contractors have yet to be appointed.

Faster train journey times between north and south Wales: enhancements to the railway infrastructure between Shrewsbury, Wrexham and

Project

Total spend to date

Comments

Chester Faster train journey times between north and south Wales: enhancements to the railway infrastructure between Swansea, Gowerton and Llanelli

Preliminary work has started on this project and when physical construction starts later this year, an accurate record of the number of people employed in the development of these projects can be provided. The consultants for North/South are Square One, Manchester. Contractors have yet to be appointed.

Project/Programme Priority Estimated total investment (£m) Estimated potential SCIF contribution Size/source of other funding Description/further details

[DHSS 05] Swansea HVS (HealthVision Swansea) High - Strategic essential in reconfiguration of healthcare services in the Swansea area £200m plus £110m This scheme seeks £110m from the SCIF towards Swansea’s reconfiguration plans totalling circa £200m plus the remainder of which is being funded from within the All-Wales Capital Programme. This scheme has been presented by the Swansea NHS Trust in the 5 case model format. Officials are currently scrutinising the Phase 1 Strategic Outline Case (SOC) and completion of the Phase 2 Outline Business Case (OBC) is anticipated by Sep-09. The Phase 1 SOC is planned to address the infrastructure at Morriston Hospital including improved vehicular access from the M4 and the development of facilities for post-graduate medical education. Detailed plans for the redevelopment of health services in Swansea are still emerging. What is clear is that Morriston Hospital will be the main focus for acute services delivery and early capital investment is required in the infrastructure of that site in order for it to support the planned future expansion of acute and mental health services. Singleton Hospital is planned to be retained as a major provider of health services and will be the focus of developments planned in conjunction with Swansea University. Working closely with Swansea University, the newly merged Trust (derived from the former Bro Morgannwg and Swansea NHS Trusts) called ‘Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Hospital Trust’ creates a unique opportunity to draw together teaching, postgraduate training, research focused on medical advance, promotion of the local knowledge economy and an ambitious programme for medical service advance. The former Swansea Trust is an integrated provider of secondary, community and mental health care services for a local population of 250,000. It also accommodates the Cancer Centre for mid and west Wales and is a provider of an extensive range of specialist services for the region, in some cases the whole of south Wales and for the Burns and Plastic Surgery service, the whole of the south Wales and the southwest of England. Swansea is the third largest county and second largest city in Wales after Cardiff. It is the principal city in south west Wales. The whole scheme, of which this is the initial part, covers the reconfiguration of health services across the Trust which currently has approximately 1,400 beds provided across 6 sites (excluding mental health beds). The Trust also provides a range of community services from 15 community clinics/health centres (which include mental health services). It employs a total of 9,500 staff, equating to 7,250 whole-time equivalents. It mainly provides routine general acute hospital services for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot

populations plus some parts of Powys and Carmarthenshire. In addition specialist tertiary referrals including cancer services come from Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Ceredigion and areas beyond depending on the specialty involved. This scheme will reconfigure the whole health community enabling it to support the stated proposition within the Wales Spatial Plan [p55] “the area has the potential to become a key driver of the Welsh economy accommodating sustainable population and employment growth.” A healthy future: The scheme’s foundations are to promote healthy lifestyles and personal responsibility; reduce inequalities in health and well-being; increase people’s independence; deliver better more accessible services; and improve the protection of vulnerable people. A prosperous society: The HealthVision Swansea work has been underpinned by models of workforce and workload planning which include benchmarking to identify the potential for improvements in performance and plans to provide alternatives to hospital admission. Learning for Life: The schemes include a concordat with Swansea University to develop an innovative partnership for the provision of services including an ambulatory medical care centre providing a one-stop shop for clinical specialists. Links with the School of Medicine will enable the development of a new academic centre as part of Morriston Hospital for the graduate entry programme and investment from the Health Department will facilitate the Universities own planned health and social care developments. A fair and just society: The scheme includes links to Primary Care, Health and Well-being, Mental Health, and Community clinics Sustainable environment: Delivery of the scheme will be accompanied by modern, sustainable waste management and energy efficiency measures. These form an integral part of business case development in NHS Wales and are assessed throughout the approval process for five-case model business cases. Andrew Walker/Rob Wilkinson

Lead Contact

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Education
1. At the third Economic Summit held on 5th December, 2008 the Assembly Government announced a programme of capital expenditure that is to be brought forward into the financial year 2008-09. 2. This Programme included £9 million to support small capital works and refurbishment programmes in schools, college and university buildings. The grant funding was allocated as follows in January 2009: a/ £5m –Local Authorities for Schools Budget b/ £2m – Further Education Institutions c/ £2m-Higher Education Institutions 3. The additional funding has been used to support work predominantly carried out by small to medium size local firms and contractors. As regards contracts awarded as a result of funding being brought forward, examples are set out below which have been provided by Local Authorities and Further Education Institutions including a number of case studies. It should be noted that Further Education Institutions (FEIs) have reported on contracts totalling £4,822,615 which have been awarded. This amount is greater than the £2 million brought forward funding as a consequence of FEIs having been allocated additional capital maintenance funds from the Assembly Government core budget. SCIF Funding 4. With regard to SCIF funding there has been significant capital spend to date of £8.5million on Newport schools. Attached is a case study detailing the contractor and employee information resulting from this investment.

ESTABLISHMENT

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

WAG GRANT

ACT. COST

MAIN CONTRACTOR

ADDRESS

TYPE

CONTRACTORS

ADDRESS

Bridgend £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ VELLACINE £ £ 237,957.28 5,340.00 COFELY UNIT 42, ENTERPRISE CENTRE, BRYN ROAD, TONDU, BRIDGEND CF32 9BS SINGLE NONE 20,476.60 BCB CONSTRUCTION SINGLE CAM ENGINEERING 3,803.85 SGD SECURITY SINGLE NONE 51 HEOL MOSTYN, VILLAGE FARM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, PYLE, BRIDGEND CF33 6BJ HADFIELD ROAD, LECKWITH, CARDIFF CF11 8AQ 31,010.00 BCB CONSTRUCTION SINGLE BEM SERVICES 18,345.54 BCB HIGHWAYS SINGLE NONE 6 WATERTON BUILDINGS, WATERTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, WATERTON, BRIDGEND CF31 3DJ 6,500.00 COFELY SINGLE NONE 49,324.31 TREMORFA SINGLE NONE 13,771.20 JONWINDOWS COMPETATIVE NONE 27,751.30 JSL INDUSTRIAL ROOFING UNIT 13, SIRHOWY HALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, TREDEGAR NP22 4QZ COMPETATIVE NONE 18,190.00 CARPETS'N'CARPETS 112 BUTE STREET, TREORCHY, RHONNDDA CF42 6AY SINGLE NONE 43,444.48 BCB CONSTRUCTION BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL, WATERTON DEPOT, WATERTON LANE, BRIDGEND CF31 3YP SINGLE GLAMORGAN SERVICES ROCKFIELD, LONGFORD ROAD, NEATH ABBEY, NEATH SA10 7HQ

Newton Primary

Dry rot in roof area and associated works

£

43,444.48

Tremains Junior

Hall floor replacement

£

18,190.00

Cynffig Comp.

Replace glazed roof

£

41,522.50

Cynffig Comp.

Window replacements

Pencoed Comp.

Upgrade Fire Alarm System

£

49,324.31

Bryntirion Comp.

Heating upgrade

£

55,855.54

Bryntirion Comp.

Resurfacing of yard space

Bryntirion Comp.

Electrical works identified during 5 year tests

Croesty Primary

Install Intruder Alarm System

£

3,803.85

Tynyrheol Primary

Adaptions to heads and secretaries office to address H&S issues

£

17,859.32

UNIT C2, TY VERLON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, CARDIFF, ROAD, BARRY CF63 2BE CYPRESS HOUSE, PASCAL CLOSE, ST. MELLONS, CARDIFF CF3 0LW UNIT 42, ENTERPRISE CENTRE, BRYN ROAD, TONDU, BRIDGEND CF32 9BS BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL, WATERTON DEPOT, WATERTON LANE, BRIDGEND CF31 3YP BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL, WATERTON DEPOT, WATERTON LANE, BRIDGEND CF31 3YP UNIT 5, MELIN MAIR BUSINESS CENTRE, WENTLOOG AVENUE, CARDIFF CF3 2EX BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL, WATERTON DEPOT, WATERTON LANE, BRIDGEND CF31 3YP

Tynyrheol Primary

Adaptions to heating re adaptations

£

230,000.00

Caerphilly Springvale Weatherproofing Rhondda Asphalt Art Roofing Ltd Unit 16-17 Western Industrial Estate, Lonyllyn, Caerphilly, CF83 1BQ Competative Unit 6 Ynyswen Industrial Estate, Treorchy, CF32 6EP Competative Broad Street, Newport, Gwent, NP9 2DQ Competative

St Cenydd Comp'

Flat roof renewal

£

48,480.00

Penllwyn Primary

Flat roof renewal

£

48,480.00

Blackwood Primary

Flat roof renewal

£

80,800.00

£

177,760.00

Cardiff Vellacine Windows Sealed Tenders Paul's Industrial Services

Glan Yr Afon

Replacement of all defective existing window and curtain walling sections of the school Lorne Stewart Plc Vellacine Windows Four-sure Construction Ltd

£

100,000.00

Mount Stuart

Replacement heating and hot water boiler plant & associated works

£

100,000.00

In house Sealed Tenders Competative

School's & Lifelong Learning DSU

Ton Yr Ywen Primary

Window replacement & stonework repair

£

100,000.00

Oakfield Primary

Design and build extension to accommodate two Welsh medium starter classrooms plus facilities

£

162,000.00

£

462,000.00

Ceredigion D&R Maintainance Solutions Trevellyan, Cross Vane, Penallt, Monmouth, NP25 4SF Ltd TPT Construction Ltd Rushacre, Restone Rd, Narbeth, Pembs, SA67 7EX Single Competative

Penglais Comp'

Renovation ot copper roofs

£

100,000.00

Ysgol Gyfun Llambed

Renovation work

£

25,000.00

£

125,000.00

Conwy Hopol Ltd Hopol Ltd JB monitor Ltd Hince & Hughes JPR Roofing Ltd Richard Brothers Ltd

Ysgol Llandrillo Yn Rhos

Replacement boiler plant

£

28,000.00

Ysgol Capelulo

Replacement boiler plant

£

29,000.00

Ysgol Nant Y Coed

Flat roofing including roof lights

£

17,000.00

Ysgol Craig Y Don

Flat roofing/roof lights/high level glazing phase 3

£

58,000.00

Ysgol Hen Golwyn Timberwise W M Taylor Castle Decorators D Parry & Sons

Flat roofing to toilets corridor & store

£

33,000.00

Granflex Ltd

C&A Asbestos removal

Ysgol Betws Yn Rhos

Remedial work to damp

£

14,000.00

£

179,000.00

Merthry Tydfil G. Adams Construction M. Moon Electrical JC Mathews Abletouch Scott Gilbert Aquaplan Litespeed Floor furnishings W.Palfrey Fabweld Thomas Waste Carter-Lauren Cardiff Cardiff Tredegar Brynmawr Brynmawr Cardiff Pontypool Tredegar Deri Tredegar Tredegar Jim Davies Construction Blackwood

Cyfarthfa Junior

Improve accessability and add ICT extension facility

£

50,000.00

Gwaunfarren Primary

Terrapin replacement

£

50,000.00

£

100,000.00

Newport Recent figures showed that the contractors on site with an NP postcode made up 48%.

Bettws High School

New School

£

235,000.00

£

235,000.00

Pembrokeshire DAL Windows Swansea Single stage selective tender EXL Windows Carmarthenshire

Sir Thomas Picton

Renewal of glass screens

£

216,000.00

£

216,000.00

Rhondda Cynon Taff DJ Godwin Ltd Springvale Weatherproofing Cambrian Roofing Ltd Art Roofing Wales Ltd RCT Vision Products Carillon JM Ltd Art Roofing Wales Ltd Broad Street, Newport, Gwent, NP9 2DQ De Winton Field, Tonypandy, CF40 2LE Unit 16-17 Western Industrial Estate, Lonyllyn, Caerphilly, CF83 1BQ Coed Cae Lane Industrial Estate, Pontyclyn, CF37 9HG East Moores House, Nettleford Road, Ocean Park, Cardiff, CF24 5JQ Unit 16-17 Western Industrial Estate, Lonyllyn, Caerphilly, CF83 1BQ Norman Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF4 1PS COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE COMPETATIVE DJ Goodwin Ltd Norman Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF4 1PS Carillon Ltd East Moores House, Nettleford Road, Ocean Park, Cardiff, CF24 5JQ

YGG Evans James

Toilet refurbishment scheme

£

51,000.00

Glenboi Primary

Roof renewal scheme

£

52,000.00

Cwmdar primary Ysgol Ty Coch

Roof renewal scheme Roof renewal scheme

£ £

49,000.00 45,000.00

Llwynypia Primary

Window replacement & repointing scheme

£

41,000.00

Maesybryn Primary

Roofing & internal refurbishment works

£

54,000.00

Maesgwyn Special School

Renewal of roof & refurb'/alterations & new £ construction skills centre

130,000.00

£

422,000.00

Swansea Whitehead Building Service Lorne Stewart Newport Village Way, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7NE Competative Competative

Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr

Replacement of electrical services

£

176,000.00

Olchfa Comp'

Replacement of mechanical & electrical services

£

170,000.00

£

346,000.00

Torfaen

Blenheim Road Primary

Croesceiliog Comp'

Croesceiliog Primary

Croesceiliog Comp' GKR Maintainance & Building Company Ltd Bedwas House industrial Estate, Bedwas, Caerphilly, CF83 8DW

Croesceiliog Primary

Amalgamation of Infants & Junior admin facilities

£

56,000.00

Fairwater High

£

56,000.00

TOTAL

£

2,548,760.00

Seventh Economic Summit 2009 College Employers/Contractors Barry College Bridgend College Coleg Glan Hafren Graven Construction RM Williams Goldsworthy Homes Ltd (Sully) Hi Tech Ind Roofing J A Sparks EYG (Jon Windows) Cardiff Lift Ltd Ian Williams Ind Painting NJB Flooring Boilerplant Maintenance A and N Lewis IJ Caddick and Co Ltd Vale Building Services JR Novill Builders Ltd JW Bowkett Electrical Ltd Cyrus Site Services Electrical Hurley and Sons Ltd (mechanical M2 Flooring Ltd Caswells Group Envirosavers Ltd Phoenix Partitioning Ltd D A Fumeaux & Sons AER Cymru Cyf D.Hodson & Son Stuart Irwin Coleg Meirion Dwyfor Middleton Glass Evans Wilson and Evans Various Contractors Hopol Assist Link Cook Builders

Spend £ 270,000 75,551 303,600 129,960 9,998, 77,750 52,846 42,503 13,788 45,810 322,000 380,000 86,000 26,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,313 9,038 19,728 1,067 20,000 110,000 85,000 20,000 20,000 50,000

Coleg Gwent

Coleg Harlech

Address/Area Works Under Taken Replacement of façade and over roof middle Swansea section A block Colcot Road £270.000 Cardiff New roof - and removal of old asbestos roof Cardiff RCT Replacement Roofing Cardiff Power Cardiff Windows Cardiff Lifts Cardiff Painting Cardiff Flooring Cardiff Boiler Replacement Cardiff Main Contractor worked with sub contractors Torfaen Main Contractor worked with sub contractors Cardiff Main Contractor worked with sub contractors Newport Main Contractor worked with sub contractors Newport sub contractors worked with main contractors Cardiff sub contractors worked with main contractors Newport sub contractors worked with main contractors Torfaen sub contractors worked with main contractors Port Talbot sub contractors worked with main contractors Newport sub contractors worked with main contractors Torfaen sub contractors worked with main contractors Tywyn various repairs Blaenau Ffestiniog Premise Repairs Fairbourne Premise Repairs Bodffordd Flooring and Windows Dollgellau Caernarfon Dollgellau Colwyn Bay Runcorn Dollgellau New Windows Re furbishement Renovation of Canteen Boiler Controls Boiler Controls Dry Rot in Library

Coleg Menai

Coleg Morgannwg

College Llandrillo Deeside College Neath Port Talbot College

Capita Symonds Ltd Colwyn Bay Conren Limited Wrexham Industrial Door Engineering Ltd B&D Electrical Services Ltd R L William Ltd Linney Cooper DDA Lifts Thyssen Plumbing & Heating Serv Francis Williams Watkins Jones & Son Ltd Orchard Windows Redwither Ltd Kendley Ltd Propaint UK Ltd Ray Seager Scaffolding Services L P & J Enterprises Gray Engineering Alcoplan Delta Balustrades Faber Blinds Dawnus Construction Swansea Ian Williams Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd UKBS Plc Wynnes - Local Contractor Flintshire Windows Ltd Crossley Roofing Ltd Edmonds Webster P Elkin Building Contractors Phoenix Building Services Contract Services South Wales Ltd Dawnus Construction Swansea Edmunds Webster

12,020 2,295 77,663 48,618 4,522 15,200 51,521 4,393 25,782 4,029 42,444 16,191 8,200 1,700 3,513 2,239 6,905 2,300 825 92,022 350,000 250,000 36,000 300,000 57,500 58,900 330,000 30,000 50,000 69,000

Colwyn Bay Wrexham Cheshire Wrexham Gwynedd Llandudno Aycliffe Chester Conwy Bangor Abergele Flintshire Holywell Denbighshire Conwy Anglesey Anglesey Newport Cheshire Northampton Swansea Cardiff Monmouthshire Cwmbran Bodelwyddan Flintshire Flintshire

Project team Congrip flooring Roller Shutter Doors Electrical Plastering and Rendering Flooring Platform Lift Plumbing Suspended Ceiling Roof-slate/tiling general labouring UPVC Windows Cladding Structural Street Painting Scaffolding Painting Steelworks Cat Ladders Entrance Doors Balustrades Blinds Demolition Various Works Various Works Consultancy Services Wynnes subcontract work to local based firms Windows Roofing

Swansea Refurbishment Neath Reconfiguration Refurbishment Carmarthenshire Port Talbot Refurbishment - Car Park Various Works Roofing, windows and boiler

Pembrokeshire College Swansea College

111,357 Swansea 191,690 Swansea

RSW Roofing Rowecord Total City & County Swansea DLO J B Heating Hayes Electrical Omega Earthing Systems Bowen & Partners

Sub-contract Bristol Sub-contract Port Talbot Sub-contract Swansea Sub-contract Swansea Sub-contract Swansea Sub-contract Bristol 40,250 Cardiff Cardiff Swansea Port Talbot Cardiff Wrexham Llangollen Wrexham Wrexham Mold Wrexham Manchester

Roofing works Scaffolding Window Replacements Boiler Replacement Electrical works Lightening conductors replacement Project Managers M & E Consultants Access Improvements Access Improvements Accessible Toilets Electrican Builders Plumber Merchants Builders Consultants Electricians Access to H Block - Handrails Groundworks Electrical works Fire Alarms New Roof Scaffolding Windows

Yale College

Hulley & Kirkwood Sub-contract John Weaver Contractors Ltd 33,932 Contract Services South Wales Ltd 7,000 Carillion 17,000 Don Hughes Ltd 17,000 Dee Valley Builders 10,800 A R Owens 5,500 Color Supplies 1,750 ADT LTD 55,000 MPH Ltd 50,000 T A C P consultants 2,868 S I Sealy 12,138 M Pope R Chappell Rheidol Electrical Rheidol Electrical Glamorgan Services Skar Scaffolding J P Windows

Ystrad Mynach College

Total Maintenance

147,594 Rhymney Cwmbach Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil Neath Aberfan Pontyclun 4,822,615

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Higher Education

Following the Economic Summit held in December, the Welsh Assembly Government announced a programme of capital expenditure that was to be brought forward from the 2009-10 financial year into the 2008-09 financial year. This programme included £2 million to support small capital works and refurbishment programmes in university buildings. The decision enabled HEFCW to bring forward the following allocations: University of Glamorgan Aberystwyth University Bangor University Cardiff University University of Wales, Lampeter Swansea University University of Wales Institute, Cardiff University of Wales, Newport Glyndwr University Swansea Metropolitan University Trinity College Carmarthen University of Wales Registry £170,311 £170,175 £210,333 £921,281 £27,173 £245,661 £86,675 £58,193 £48,242 £42,677 £15,989 £3,290

This programme of capital expenditure allowed institutions to make an early contribution to a number of areas contained within their five-year Capital Investment Strategies. These plans are spilt into financial years and, as outlined above, HEFCW decided to bring forward the first allocation of their 2009-10 funding from April 2009 to February 2009. This equated to approximately £8m, £2m of which was the programme of expenditure brought forward by the Welsh Assembly Government. This £2m was not additional funding but a proportion of a total capital allocation, amounting to £23.745m per annum for three years, which was brought forward by two months. Total capital funding is allocated in line with institutions’ five-year capital investment strategies, and as such bringing forward the £2m to February 2009 did not lead to new or additional work being undertaken, but instead made it possible for institutions to accelerate the progress in the delivery of capital projects. In issuing the early capital allocation, HEFCW made it clear to institutions that the purpose was to facilitate a cash injection to the Welsh economy. HE institutions have embraced this intention and this is illustrated in the examples below. As the £2m brought forward formed part of a larger capital allocation and was used to progress institutions’ five-year capital strategies, it is difficult provide details at a specific project level. However, the examples provided below do provide an indication of some of the activities in the Capital Investment Plans and of the HE sector’s engagement with local suppliers.

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Higher Education
EXAMPLES: Aberystwyth University The recent refurbishment of the Cledwyn Spur building has created a new facility for students comprising of student admissions, finance, and welfare in one location. It was a £2m project designed by a local architect who then project managed it through to completion. The building work was also carried out by a local contractor. Bangor University The University uses a wide range of Contractors and professional consultants from across North Wales. Over £3.8 million has been spent with Welshbased companies employing local labour. These have included not only small refurbishment projects but significant capital schemes. A key project which has used significant number of local firms has been the construction of 1,100 new student accommodation units valued at over £40m over the past 18 months in partnership with Gwalia Housing Association. This project has involved an extensive range of both directly employed staff and sub-contractors from North Wales whilst the principal contractor was Cowlin Construction, who are based in Cardiff. In addition to the above, the University is likely to let a contract shortly to a North Wales contractor for £1.5 million for the refurbishment of residential accommodation. Other recent projects using local contractors include: Project name: ITET Project – Refurbishment of Education teaching areas. Timescale: 2009-2010 Approximate Value: £1 million Main Contractor: P.T. Griffiths. LTD. (Conwy) Sub Contractors: Lloyd Morris Electrical LTD, (Amlwch) Evans Mechanical Services (Wrexham). Key Consultants: B.D.K. Architects (Colwyn Bay), Atkins (St Asaph) M & E Engrs. Project Description: A number of teaching facilities will be upgraded to include air conditioning, ICT equipment, interactive boards and videoconferencing facilities. Larger teaching rooms will be created by converting smaller rooms to larger, more flexible, social learning spaces with up to date ICT equipment including wireless network. A new single storey extension will also be added.

Project name: Carbon Capture Timescale: 2009 Approximate Value: £480k Main Contractor: Anwyl, (Rhyl)

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Higher Education
Project name: Refurbishment of Memorial Arch, Deiniol Road, Bangor. Timescale: 2009 Approximate Value: £170k Main Contractor: D.R.Williams (Felinwnda) Caernarfon. Sub Contractors: Owen & Palmer LTD, (Bangor) Key Consultants: Atkins (St Asaph) Project Description: The North Wales Heroes’ Memorial Arch is a unique building with oak panels inscribed with the names of over 8,500 soldiers, sailors, and airmen who fell in the First World War, arranged by parish within county. The building of the Memorial Arch, which opened in 1923, was made possible by generous support from the community. The Arch is an important monument in Bangor but had to be closed due to health and safety issues. Much needed work was done to restore it and to allow it to be re-opened to the public.

Project name: Falls from height – Implementation works following Risk Assessment. Timescale: 2009 Approximate Value: £200k Main Contractor: W.F.Clayton (Bangor) Project name: 37, 39 & 41 College Rd, Bangor – Bilingualism Research Centre. Timescale: 2008-2009 Approximate Value: £550k Main Contractor: David McLean Contractors (Flint). Sub Contractors: Owen Jones & Whitehead, (Bethesda), Marval Heating, (Colwyn Bay) Key Consultants: Capita Symonds, (Colwyn Bay) Project Description: The ESRC Centre for Research on Bilingualism in Theory and Practice was established at Bangor in January 2007 for an initial five-year period, with funding from the ESRC, HEFCW, and the Welsh Assembly Government. It is the first research centre in the UK to focus specifically on bilingualism. As such it will be part of an international network of similar research centres with whom we plan to interact. The main theoretical focus of the ESRC Centre for Research on Bilingualism is the nature of the relationship between the two languages of bilingual speakers in bilingual communities. The main practical focus will be the implications of the findings for bilingual language policy, planning and implementation. The new centre created by the refurbishment of 3 terraced houses adjacent to the Brigantia Building and on the main College Road allows for the staff to be collocated and for new laboratories to be built.

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Higher Education
Project name: Main Arts Access Project. Timescale: 2008-2009 Approximate Value: £700k Main Contractor: David McLean Contractors (Flint).. Key Consultants: Chandler KBS (Bangor), Capita Symonds (Colwyn Bay). Project Description: The Main Arts Building is an iconic building for Bangor University. Access issues often arise in a building of its age and the project was undertaken to improve access and specifically to replace 2 lifts in the building to make them fully accessible. Students, staff and visitors are now able to access all floors of both the new and old parts of the building in fully compliant lifts.

University of Wales Newport The University has commenced construction of its city centre campus. Following an OJEU procurement process the locally based company WIlmott Dixon were appointed. WIlmott Dixon has praised the University for its prompt and reliable payment of invoices for the project. This project is one of the few projects going ahead in Newport city centre at present, and follows on from the recent construction of a 440 room student residence building on the riverside, adjacent to the University campus. The student accommodation was opened in 2008 and is owned and managed by Opal Property Limited, a specialist student accommodation provider. It was constructed by Cowlin Limited, a local construction company who the University recommended to Opal following the work they had done on the Caerleon Campus. The University continue to use a range of local companies for ongoing maintenance work. These are mainly drawn from the Newport and Cwmbran areas. They have also used local and Welsh companies for minor works, for example, Noel Fitzpatrick Limited of Newport were contracted to work on the main road into the Caerleon Campus earlier this year, Tremlett and Griffiths of Maesteg are currently refurbishing the University’s music rooms, A&N Lewis of Cardiff, have refurbished laboratory facilities and kitchens in student accommodation and Tremorfa Engineering of Cardiff, have undertaken sub metering work to improve energy usage.

Swansea Metropolitan University Since 1997, Swansea Metropolitan University have operated an approved contractors list of local contractors and it is now generally accepted that, where possible and appropriate, the University will give precedence to the employment of local suppliers and contractors.
One successful example is Highland Electrix, who started working for the University as a small electrical company employing seven electricians in 1997. This company has developed over the last twelve years and now employs approximately forty electricians and also has framework agreements with the local Hospitals, Prison Service and Police Stations and is a thriving local SME.

Capital Funding Brought Forward : Higher Education

The principle of an approved contractors list is now embedded in the estates “Buildings Policy” which lays out how the Estates Department conducts its business and is noted in the Implementation section of the University’s Estates Strategy. “The Estates Department will continue its practices as laid down in the “Buildings Policy”, including its use of the Approved Contractors system for minor works which was quoted as an example of “procurement creativity and innovation” in the PMMS Report, Dec 2005, “Procurement Fitness Check” provided to HEFCW. “ The University has over 100 Approved Contractors on its list of which over eighty per cent are from the South Wales Area. The university report that the system has proved cost-effective, easy to manage and efficient in the day to day and cyclical maintenance of the estate because the effective “blue chip” status of the University provides a level of business confidence to smaller companies giving them, in turn, the confidence to develop. This in return provides a sustainable commitment for both the University and the local community by addressing the social, economic and environmental requirements of sustainable procurement. Socially, by providing employment directly and indirectly in the South Wales area, economically, by providing a source of income to the South Wales business community and environmentally, by sourcing goods and services as locally as possible reducing the transport requirements.

3. proact update wIth geographIcal and Sectoral Breakdown

PROACT UPDATE WITH GEOGRAPHICAL AND SECTORAL BREAKDOWN ProAct application breakdown Number at Training provider Stage 1 3 2 4 3 6 3 3 8 1 1 2 1 4 1 3 3 8 1 2 4 64

Unitary Authority Ynys Mon Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Caerphilly Cardiff Carmarthen Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire Gwynedd Merthyr Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys RCT Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham TOTAL

Number of companies 3 14 6 13 12 21 3 11 17 3 3 4 16 7 4 18 21 31 4 5 11 227

Approved Funding application committed 9 1 4 5 5 3 3 825014 88420 388000 910936 1732013 449028 479287 589697 96265 968317 46910 310178 1256233 1853162 875927 104510

Numbers of applications with queries 2 2 3 5 4 10 5 6 2 2 1 8 2 8 6 15 1 1 4 87

1 7 1 3 7 12 8 2

2 329258 3 282269 76 £11,585,424

Applications by Sector Number of Companies 2 87 26 52 2 11 8 32

Sector Aerospace Automotive Construction General Manufacturing Gas engineering Hairdressing (Modern Apprenticeship support) Retailers Other

Applications have ranged from three jobs to over 400. The bulk of applications are from SMEs.

4. BuSIneSS Support StatIStIcS

Business Support

FS4B Customer Service/ Enquiry Levels FS4B Website Statistics
Flexible Support for Business Website Sessions
35000 30000 Number of sessions 25000 20000 15000
11210 10081 10858 13066 14316 13568 15305 23310 21338 28948 27306

32905 29258

11448 12717

10000 5000 0 Apr- May- Jun- Jul- Aug- Sep- Oct- Nov- Dec- Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- May- Ju08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 09 09 09 09 09 09

Download Statistics from Website
Website Downloads - SIF April 2008 - June 2009 1600 Number of downloads 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0
Ju l Au g Fe b M a Ap r r09 M ay -0 9 Ju n09 Ap r M ay Ju ne Se p O N D Ja n ec ov ct

1390 1284 1088 1094 1034 710 653 398 205 641 587 633 832 1120 1021

Website Downloads - Start Up Brochure November 2008 June 2009 1400 Number of downloads 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr-09 May June 199 390 899 826 679 1157 942 936

Weathering the Storm downloads up to the 17th May

Fiance to help your business ICT support Environmental support

15 457 83 330 1723

UK Gov Finance Support Help to start your ow n business

245
Help to support and develop your w orkforce Introducing your key suppliers Innovation for your business

911

729 462 686

Help to trade internationally Bank Finance Guide

FS4B Contact Centre Telephone Enquiries
Contact Centre Calls April 2008 - May 2009
3000 2486 2514 2500 Number of calls 2000 1493 1500 985 1000 500 57 0 Apr- May- Jun- Jul- Aug- Sep- Oct- Nov- Dec- Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- May- Jun08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 08 09 09 09 09 09 09 723 1017 1272 1248 1014 973 2005 1851 1901 2321

Figure 1

Due to problems with the recording system the number of calls in September 2008 is incorrect. Although lower than November 2008, the number of calls received in December 2008 is up on the same month compared to 2007 and 2006, see figure 2. The marketing campaign introduced in November 2008 has evidently had a positive impact on call enquiry levels, especially in March and April 2009 following the Weathering the Storm, DCELLS campaign and the Economic Summits. The number of calls for May is lower than previous months; this is probably due to limited marketing activity; however the number of calls received in June is higher which may be linked to the Business Advice Week to be held in July.

Contact Centre Call Trend 2006 - 2009 3000 2500 Number of calls 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Jan Feb March Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2006

2007

2008

2009

Figure 2

Figure 2 provides an overview of call enquires received compared with the Business Eye enquiry levels. Call enquires for March and April 2009 under FS4B shows an improvement in the number of calls received compared to the same period in 2006 and 2007 under the Business Eye service. This is potentially linked to the increased marketing activity but also the current economic downturn and focus on the economy and business Business Advice Week: To date a total of 530 individuals / businesses have requested a booking for the Business Advice Week that will be held between 13th- 17th July, which will provide businesses throughout Wales with an opportunity have a 1 to 1 session with a member of the FS4B Regional Centre/ Relationship Management Team. Weathering the Storm The Welsh Assembly Government held a series of eight events in March and April 2009, to provide employers with information about the support available to help them through the recession. It also aimed to introduce the new Flexible Support for Business phone number and website. The ‘Weathering the Storm’ seminars were held in four regions across Wales to give as many employers as possible the chance to attend. Each event was organised around a plenary session including a keynote speaker and panel discussion, followed by three workshops. These covered: investing for the future, skills for the future and tendering for the future. There was also a ‘knowledge fair’ hosted by a variety of business and public sector experts. The keynote speaker at each of the events was the futurist Richard Watson. A total of 445 delegates attended across the eight events. Of those that completed feedback forms, 83% rated the events as excellent or good. The

main positives were the inspiring keynote speaker, the amount of information available in one venue, and the opportunity to network with peers. The workshops were very well received, with 76% of delegates rating them excellent or good.

Start Up Service Over 1,000 start up taster sessions and workshops held across Wales under the FS4B start up service from November 2008 – May 2009 Survey results of over 2,000 individuals that have accessed support during 2008/09 in the form of surgeries, taster sessions and workshops is also generally positive with 79% of attendees stating expectations were met, 89% agreeing that the event made them consider issues they hadn’t previously, 79% agreed the event made them more confident to take on the challenge and 62% agreed that the event resulted in alterations/refinement of their business plan. Those who had attended the event were also more likely to have started trading. Budget of £2.1million agreed with Department of Works and Pensions to deliver the Six Month Self Employment offer in Wales. Since the support was made available mid April over 100 individuals have been referred into the support. Business Growth Approvals for SIF applications for advisory support under the Business Growth project increasing. From January 09 – March 09 Pan Wales saw 81 offer letters sent out, to the value of £261,940 with a total investment value of £484,095. Since April the 1st, 2009 - 189 SIF under 10k offers of support have been made with a value over £700,000. The DFM in the Plenary debate on the 9th of June the extension of SIF to smaller companies and start ups with the potential to grow. This will provide access to revenue support grants up to £10,000 and capital grants from £5,000 - £10,000, thus complementing the Local Investment Funds managed and delivered by the Local Authorities. Business Networks and Supply Chains • Supplier Development Service - Emphasis on Public Sector Supply Chain developments, providing both sourcing advice (working with buyers and procurement officers within public sector organisations) and supplier development (including How to Tender Workshops, Meet the Buyer events and working alongside Relationship Managers and others to develop the capability of Welsh Suppliers). The contract to deliver this service has been let since the 1st of February 2009, and a team of contractors, delivering along DE&T’s operational areas, North, Mid, South West and South East, are now operational.

Four Meet the buyer events have been held, including an event in Llandudno Junction with the main contractor for the new Assembly Government building, Pochin, and and two regional events raising awareness of the opportunities emanating from the Ryder Cup were held in January and February. A series of other events on both a local and regional level are currently in the pipeline. This activity is complemented by the Sell2Wales website, a site free to business, offering daily alerts of products/ services that the public sector want to buy. Those notices are both within Wales, from the UK and across Europe. 22, 094 Welsh suppliers are registered on the site

5. envIronment and SuStaInaBIlIty update

Announcements

Date Announced

Detailed Progress – Hard Outputs against each announcement.
Output – Encourage members of the Gypsy and Traveller community to engage in the Local Development Plan process to identify suitable sites. Consultation closed. GJS to be launched July 2009

Issue of the “Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites” booklet.

November 2008

Green Jobs for Wales consultation

18/11/08

Review of the planning application process in Wales

10 December 2008

Output – To ensure the planning application process will contribute constructively to the economic recovery in Wales. Progress - The procurement process for the research study is underway.

Consultation on Water Protection Zones Statutory Instrument

22/12/08

This is a joint UK Government and Welsh Assembly Government consultation on changes to the Water Resources Act 1991 for Water Protection Zones. Consultation closed Views on draft policy guidance for local authorities in Wales on their local air quality management duties under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. Consultation closed Comments on the first stage of development of our climate change strategy. Consultation closed Views on proposed changes to water policy in Wales. Consultation closed

Consultation on local air quality management

05/01/09

Climate change strategy consultation

09/01/09

Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water

14/01/09

Minerals Technical Advice Note 2: Coal

January 2009

Output – By identifying the areas where coal working is more likely to be acceptable, it contributes more certainty for the coal industry. Progress – Minerals Technical Note 2: Coal issued in January 2009 The Government issues guidance on the air pollution control standards for installations regulated by local authorities. This consultation sought views on the proposed 6 year review of those guidance notes. Consultation closed This is the Welsh Assembly Government Consultation on Local Authority Environmental Regulation of Industrial Plant: 2009/10 Risk Based Fees and Charges. The deadline for responses was 6 February 2009. Seeking views on our plans to use bioenergy to help Wales reduce its carbon footprint. Consultation closed A joint public consultation on the draft UK Regulations for the Carbon Reduction Commitment Consultation closed The Welsh Assembly Government has published a consultation on proposed amendments to the Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005. The consultation consists of a

Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control consultation

09/02/09

Local Authority 09/02/09 Environmental Regulation of Industrial Plant: 2009/10 Risk Based Fees and Charges

Consultation on a Bioenergy Action Plan for Wales

24/02/09

Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme consultation

12/03/09

Consultation on proposed 13/03/09 amendments to the Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005

consultation document, a partial impact assessment and a draft set of amending regulations. Consultation closed National Energy Efficiency and Savings Plan consultation 16/03/09 Views on actions to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Wales. Consultation closed Final WAG policy position published

Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water

31/3/09

Circular Letter “Application of the Planning Act 2008 to the Planning Function in Wales”

2 April 2009

Draft Flood and Water Management Bill consultation

21/04/09

Output – Of particular relevance further primary legislative competence (Measure powers) for the National Assembly for Wales was secured. The powers will allow the Assembly Government to continue to update and adapt the landuse plan system in Wales, including local development plans and their relationship with the Wales Spatial Plan, in accordance with Welsh priorities and time scales. Views on the draft Flood and Water Management Bill published on 21 April 2009

Waste Strategy 2009 – 2050: Towards Zero Waste consultation

29/04/09

Consultation on the implementation of the abstraction elements of the Water Act 2003

29/04/09

Views on how we manage our waste in Wales. This is to help us be more sustainable and help tackle climate change. This consultation covers the removal and creation of exemptions from water licence control. This is a joint consultation with the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Waste Duty of Care Code 30/04/09 of Practice consultation for England and Wales The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are conducting a consultation for England and Wales on the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice. Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and the Welsh Assembly Government are today launching a joint consultation on Government guidance for the Environmental Permitting Programme Output – To deliver more sustainable and climate proofed buildings through the planning system. Progress – Draft Technical Advice for consultation ends 31st July 2009. This is a joint consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Comments received will help to inform the decisions of Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government on the proposals for time limiting of water abstraction licences. Launch of WAG’s new approach to sustainable development

Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP)

06/05/09

New national planning 7 May 2009 policy on Sustainable Buildings and associated draft technical guidance (MIPPS 01/2009 and Draft TAN22 on ‘Planning for Sustainable Buildings’) 14/05/09 Consultation on proposals for time limiting of water abstraction licences

WAG Sustainable Development Scheme

22/5/09

Circular Letter 02/09 Welsh Assembly Government Household Projections

11 June 2009

Further consultation on proposals for introducing Mineral Review Fees

22 June 2009

Research on Local Authority Barriers to Zero Carbon

22 June 2009

Climate Change Strategy – Programme of Action consultation

25/06/09

Output – To inform the production of Local Development Plans across Wales. This will provide clarity about the use and importance of the household projections for Local Planning Authorities as part of the preparation of their Local Development Plans. The allocation of land for housing is important in order to create sustainable communities and support local economies. Output – Will provide fees for mineral review applications to support the assessments by Local Authorities. This may lead to better support for training mineral expertise in Local Authorities. Output – To better understand the barriers faced at the local level through the planning system in delivering zero carbon developments in Wales. Comments on the second stage of development of our climate change strategy.

Consultation on proposals to introduce a charge on single use carrier bags in Wales

29/06/09

Views on our proposals to introduce a charge on single use carrier bags in Wales. The intention is that the charge would be payable by consumers at the point of sale at all retail outlets.

6. houSIng update

Housing – Working with the private sector (SCIF funding) Previous Announcements – All Summits
Additional SCIF resources of £42m were made available to increase supply of affordable housing and make the most of opportunities to increase housing demand and take advantage of new properties and land, bringing with it added benefits of helping maintain employment in the building industry. £42m has been notionally allocated between local authorities using a formula based on total dwelling stock estimates. SCIF to the value of £15m in 08/09 achieved over 200 additional housing units and assisted 25 private sector developers We are working with local authorities and housing associations to bring forward further schemes in partnership with the private sector for the remaining SCIF resources for 2009/10 and 2010/11. We are now working closely with the business community to explore measures to address stalled housing schemes Hard outputs to date are given in the tables attached.

Doc.3h Summary of SCIF Affordable Housing Programme for 2008/2009
Local Authority Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Caerphilly Cardiff Carmarthenshire Ceredigion Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire Gwynedd Isle of Anglesey Merthyr Tydfil Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys Rhondda Cynon Taf Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham Total Scheme Type Completed Units Under construction Private Land Total Unit Type Houses Bungalows Flats Total Units 3 8 18 16 19 0 4 0 4 0 16 9 8 14 6 7 0 21 28 7 0 17 205 Units 98 49 58 205 Units 195 3 7 205 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Grant 226,200 646,630 1,359,915 1,541,176 822,468 301,600 240,122 1,066,752 606,577 781,602 921,753 480,599 454,511 1,670,863 1,999,351 561,534 1,308,110 14,989,763 Grant 7,690,758 3,524,424 3,774,581 14,989,763 Developer Anwyl Barratt Homes Bellway Homes Bryant Homes Charles Church D Griffiths Davies Homes Gower Developments Gower Homes Haywood Homes K & Construction LTD Leadbitter Leason Homes Llanmoor homes Monnow Construction Morris Homes P&P Persimmon Private Redrow Reigate Taylor Wimpey Walnut Grove Watkin Jones Homes Total Units 1 10 17 7 10 5 3 8 4 1 4 3 4 7 14 12 4 4 7 3 28 28 5 16 205 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Grant 106,748 731,680 1,409,527 506,688 855,192 331,760 241,280 119,900 430,022 64,684 301,600 236,455 240,122 586,613 1,360,216 771,340 325,079 397,509 454,511 226,200 1,999,351 1,834,454 392,080 1,066,752 14,989,763 RSL Bro Myrddin Cadwyn Charter Clwyd Clwyd Alyn Cynon Taf Eryri Family Gwalia Hafod Melin Merthyr Tydfil North Wales Pembrokeshire Coastal United Welsh V2C Total Units 1 2 10 8 13 12 16 13 9 10 18 9 4 7 38 28 7 205 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Grant 64,684 180,960 747,213 670,144 878,088 858,957 1,066,752 451,660 558,865 903,592 1,569,336 606,577 301,600 454,511 2,668,363 2,453,517 554,944 14,989,763

£ £ £ £

Consortium Devco Genus Gorwel Integrate Syniad Undod Total

Units 31 28 23 82 17 24 205

£ £ £ £ £ £ £

Grant 2,369,126 2,316,549 1,075,209 6,312,295 1,308,110 1,608,474 14,989,763

MORTGAGE RESCUE SCHEME 2008/2009 2009/2010
at 30/6/09

Total
at 30/6/09

SHG Allocation Grant Approvals issued: Outright purchase/rent back Equity loan Total Grant value of approved applications Purchases completed Outright purchase/rent back Equity loan Total Grant paid

£9,500,000

£9,500,000

54 19 73 £4,855,423

33 17 50 £3,433,037

87 36 123 £8,288,460

27 9 36 £2,325,312

16 9 25 £1,619,878

43 18 61 £3,945,190

7. procurement and paymentS

Previous Announcements – All Summits
5th December 2008 Deliver a Trading and ePayment pilot for One Voice Wales. This will assist Community and Town Councils onto the first rungs of eTrading and ePurchase and strengthen the close links of the Councils [700+] to many SMEs

Detailed Progress – Hard Outputs against each announcement.
In partnership with a private sector company, we are developing and testing software known as Transaction Manager (easy order portal). The target date for the software to be completed is October 2009. Following testing and rollout, Transaction Manager will support community councils and its suppliers (including SMEs) to order and pay for goods and services electronically. In doing so, this will help speed-up cash flow and further strengthen SMEs access to public sector contracts.

The alignment of xchangewales training provision with March 2009 Alignment of Value Wales Training & People Development xchangewales programme will ensure consistency of education in programme with Value procurement applications across the Welsh public Wales Training & People sector. Delivery of this training commenced in Jun 09 Development programme. Post training, it is expected that the use of eTendering tools will increase, thus resulting in the growth in the number of public sector organisations conducting procurement electronically. Further, this will benefit SMEs through a more consistent and simplified tendering process when competing for Welsh public sector contracts overall. April 2009 Extend the sell2wales website in order that the successful primecontractors that win large contracts will be able to advertise contract opportunities for their second and third tier suppliers. This will open up for the first time these major contracts to competition from SMEs. Suppliers have started registering on the extended Sell2Wales website and the first advert was placed in May 2009.

8. SocIal Impact - councIl tax collectIonS rateS

Previous Announcements – All Summits
18th June Council Tax – Collection in the Recession Report

Detailed Progress – Hard Outputs against each announcement.
In the current economic climate, the Welsh Assembly Government is concerned about the possibility of the accrual of council tax debt for those individuals in particular who have suffered a change in circumstances, such as losing a job, or shorter working weeks. The Assembly Government recognises that there has been an increase in the number of potential Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit claimants, and the efforts of LAs to identify and help those who are eligible to claim, is of vital importance at this crucial time. We are providing £1m per annum funding (2008-11) to support this work. However, the Assembly Government also accepts that this must be met with other policies, such as sound debt advice. The effect of the recession on LAs must also be considered as they too have budget cuts and any deduction in council tax payments will inevitably impact on their ability to provide a high quality public service. The Welsh Assembly Government therefore commissioned a working group to focus on the issues surrounding the collection of council tax, especially during an economic downturn. The working group was set up in March 2009 and consisted of revenue officers from a sample of local authorities in Wales, representatives from Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and officials from the Welsh Assembly Government. The result of this working group was a report, “Council Tax – Collection in the Recession”, that the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Dr Brian Gibbons AM, launched on Thursday 18 June 2009. This report provides guidance, highlights best practice and identifies potential solutions for local authorities when faced with the difficulties of collecting council tax revenue during a recession, taking into consideration the circumstances and financial difficulties of the council tax payer. A proactive, practical and helpful approach is extremely important at a time of economic uncertainty in order to ensure that taxpayers are able to pay their council tax bills on time and receive the benefits to which they are entitled. It is also vital that those in financial difficulty are able to access high quality debt advice. The aim of the report is to assist local authorities with practical suggestions that will help ensure that council tax arrears are dealt with quickly, effectively and realistically. The report has been published on the Welsh Assembly Government website and can be accessed at: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/localgovernment/publications/?lang=en

9. SocIal care

Social Care Sector in Wales - Current Economic Situation The Assembly Government has committed its support to the social care sector through the current economic downturn to help ensure the provision of vital services is not compromised and the needs of vulnerable people continue to be met. The Deputy Minister for Social Services has established a high level strategic group to support providers and commissioners of care services from across the whole of the care sector. The remit of the Group, which comprises representation from all key stakeholder organisations, is to help demonstrate leadership, promote partnership working and share intelligence about emerging financial pressures and risks the sector could face as a direct consequence of the current situation that might require specific action. The Group has met on several occasions and taken forward a number of pieces of work. To date, all local authority/local health board communities in Wales have been approached to establish what arrangements they have in place to support the sector at local level. A full set of responses have been received that indicate that comprehensive and robust arrangements are in place to help ensure the social care sector is supported during the current situation. In addition action is being explored to look at what business support can be offered to private care sector providers throughout the economic downturn.