Social Value Ideas for Conwy County Borough Council

Closure decisions paused

For both schools, the committee rejected proceeding to statutory notice and instead recommended not continuing with the closure process. This creates a policy pause for cabinet, which must now conside…

“So the process now is that we go to the vote, the electronic vote, to support or not the proposal from councilor David seconded by councilor Tristan t…”

School cost pressures driving change

Members repeatedly highlighted that the two proposed closures are driven by very high per-pupil costs, low rolls and sustainability concerns. Ysgol Esclobatiafan was described as one of the county's m…

“My concerns around this school, well, small schools in general, I think this one is the eleventh most expensive school per child in Wales and potentia…”

Proceeding with rural school closures

Cabinet approved statutory notices for the proposed closure of two small rural Welsh-medium primary schools: Ysgol Esclobatiafan and Ysgol Betws-y-Coed. Members framed the decisions as necessary for s…

“Okay, the exact wording is that cabinet approves proceeding to the next stage of the statutory process by issuing a statutory notice in respect of the…”

Proceeding with school closure notices

Cabinet approved the next statutory stage for closing Ysgol Espeitivan and Ysgol Betws y Coed after consultation. Members debated community impact, Welsh-medium provision, parental choice, and sustain…

“The purpose of today's report is to consider the outcome of the consultation and seek cabinet approval to proceed to the next stage of the process. Th…”

Very high school unit costs

Cabinet highlighted exceptionally high per-pupil costs at both schools, with Ysgol Espeitivan and Ysgol Betws y Coed described as among the most expensive schools in Wales. The figures were used to ju…

“So I think that we do need to be considering this really carefully. I've paid a visit to the school, not while it's been open, while it's been closed,…”

Rural schools strategy needed

Members argued that Conwy needs a wider strategic review of the rural school estate rather than deciding school closures piecemeal. The discussion linked closure proposals to falling pupil numbers, We…

“I think the whole if we look at the the table on page 78, which is the wealth of medium schools in the area, there are 10 of the 20 schools are under …”

Housing scheme refused on highways and drainage

Members refused the housing application after updated highways and drainage assessments, neighbour objections, and officer concerns about overdevelopment, residential amenity, green infrastructure los…

“The proposed outfall is positioned at the site boundary to connect directly to this receiving feature to the existing land drainage feature within the…”

Catlin Park scheme refused

The committee refused the housing scheme at Catlin Park after updated officer advice confirmed highways visibility problems, drainage concerns, overdevelopment, loss of green infrastructure, amenity i…

“The recommendation is to refuse planning permission. Thank you very much. Members, last time today, councillor Karamway Edwards. Speaker 9: Dear, I …”

BT box hub refused

The proposed removal of the existing BT box to install a Global Street Hub with advertising in a conservation area was refused on officer recommendation. The committee treated the conservation-area im…

“Speaker 3: Zerofourslashfive three two four three, the removal of the existing BT box to facilitate the installation of a proposed global street hub, …”

Construction hours restricted

For the Bryn Wycoid residential scheme, members amended the recommended condition to restrict construction to 08:30-18:00 on weekdays, half-day Saturday working and no Sunday working. This is a clear …

“And, also another point that needs to be made is it's not on they don't only start walking to school about, 08:00, so I'd I'd say half eight is a reas…”

West Shore Railway re-approved

The committee was asked to reaffirm a temporary planning permission for the West Shore Miniature Railway after the scheme had been found contrary to several local plan policies. Officers reported no f…

“Item five. As you will know, this application came for us last month, and it's coming back because we for us to rediscuss and vote again. I'll pass on…”

Five new supported living schemes

The council plans to expand supported living by delivering two new schemes per year over five years, aiming to increase capacity and reduce reliance on higher-cost residential care. The report says ea…

“Since the early 2000s, the Disability Service has been developing two new supported living properties per year. This model works really well. It has g…”

Supported living expansion plan

Cabinet approved a five-year supported living delivery plan for 2026-2031 to expand community-based accommodation for adults and young people with care and support needs. The model is intended to redu…

“So the recommended one, preferred one, is option one, and this is what scrutiny went for as well, is to approve the five year program because this wil…”

Supported living expansion

Cabinet approved a five-year supported living delivery plan for 2026-2031 to increase planned provision, reduce reliance on residential placements, and support 65 people on the waiting list alongside …

“So we have several options, but the recommended one, the preferred one, is option one, and this is what scrutiny went for as well, is to approve the f…”

Funded supported living review

A two-year supported living review is being delivered with North Wales Together transformation funding, at around £35,000 per annum, to assess quality, effectiveness and sustainability across all supp…

“This report, provides scrutiny committee with an update on the first year of the supported living review twenty twenty five to 2027, which is a compre…”