This meeting will include discussions on a wide range of issues, from housing to public toilets. Most notably, the Cabinet will be asked to decide whether to approve a rent increase for the council’s tenants, and to approve the Draft Local Toilet Strategy for public consultation.

The meeting will also include a discussion on the financial status of the Council.

Housing Rent Setting & Housing Revenue and Capital Budgets 2025/26

A report by Councillor Rhys Thomas, the Lead Member for Housing and Communities, seeks approval for a rent increase for tenants in council-owned properties in Denbighshire. The report notes that:

Welsh Government has a policy for social housing rents that will be applied consistently by all social landlords.

According to this policy the maximum permitted increase is CPI plus 1%. The report recommends that Denbighshire Council increase rents by the full 2.7% permitted under the policy, citing the need to:

deliver our revenue services; the capital investment programme, to strive to achieve quality standards for our homes; and continue to develop our new build programme.

The report states that the average weekly rent for a council property in Denbighshire will be £112.29 after the increase.

The report seeks approval for the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2025/26, and the Housing Stock Business Plan.

A separate document has been prepared to explain how the rent increase will affect tenants, and how the money will be invested. This document notes that:

75% of households are in receipt of welfare benefit and housing costs support, therefore the increase in rent is covered by this support.

It also states that the rent increase is needed to:

achieve the new Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), and also strive to deliver the corporate plan target for new homes

The document states that an increase of less than 2.7% would extend the amount of time it would take to achieve the WHQS.

It also mentions a partnership with the charity Citizens Advice Denbighshire called Key to Advice, which offers advice on:

welfare rights, energy and debt advice

In addition, the report notes the work of the Housing Employment Mentor, a council partnership with Working Denbighshire, which provides tenants with:

access to job searches and provide work placements and training opportunities.

The report seeks to reassure tenants that their rent increases will be reinvested in their homes. It claims that average energy bills have been reduced by £29 per month in 18 homes where retrofitting work has been carried out, and states that:

Denbighshire has 86% value for money satisfaction which places us 7th out of 46 Landlords in Wales.

Draft Local Toilet Strategy

A report by Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, seeks approval of the Draft Local Toilet Strategy for public consultation.

The strategy is intended to fulfil the council's duties under Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, which requires it to prepare and publish a Local Toilets Strategy.

The report says that the strategy will be informed by an Interim Needs Assessment, which concluded that there is a need for more public toilets in Rhyl, Prestatyn, Denbigh, Ruthin, Llangollen and Corwen.

The report notes that:

There is no statutory requirement for local authorities to provide public toilets, however, the Local Toilets Strategy must provide details of how the local authority proposes to meet the identified need.

Councillor Mellor's report states that the Draft Local Toilet Strategy seeks to meet the need for public toilets:

whilst working within the council’s budget for public toilets.

The strategy proposes to do this by:

• Comparing the current level of public toilet provision across the county with the identified need for public toilets in each town in the county;
• Focusing on the provision of public toilets in towns that have an identified need (Corwen, Denbigh, Llangollen, Prestatyn and Rhyl);
• Reviewing the charges for our public toilets;
• Reviewing the operational arrangements and opening hours of our public toilets;
• Exploring options for existing council-run public toilets to be transferred to other organisations/partners;
• Looking to promote and expand our Community Toilet Scheme.

The Community Toilet Scheme (CTS) encourages businesses to make their toilet facilities available to the public. It currently provides a maximum of £500 per year to businesses who take part. The strategy says that:

At the time of writing this strategy, Denbighshire County Council has one CTS toilet in operation at the Wharf Tea Room, Llangollen, but we will look to promote and expand this scheme further across the county as a sustainable solution to toilet provision.

The report also seeks to highlight the two existing Changing Places toilets in Denbighshire. Changing Places are toilets that are designed to be accessible to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. They are:

• Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
• Tesco Prestatyn Superstore

The report acknowledges that some people are concerned about the impact of reducing the number of public toilets in Denbighshire. A list of frequently asked questions about the draft strategy has been prepared to address some of these concerns. For example, the list of FAQs addresses the following question:

There aren’t enough public toilets in Denbighshire. Why are you looking to reduce the number rather than providing more?

The answer provided by the report states that:

Denbighshire County Council, like every local authority in the UK, is facing a period of significant and continued budget pressures and it is more important than ever to ensure we are making the best use of local resources. We therefore must change the way we provide certain services as we seek to utilise more creative ways of providing some services such as public conveniences.

Finance Report

A report by Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, presents the latest financial position for the council.

The report says that a net underspend of £479,000 is currently forecast for all of the Council's services and corporate budgets. This includes an overspend of £1,956,000 in the Education and Children's Services budget, due to pressures in Children’s Social Care, and an overspend of £1,124,000 in the Highways and Environmental Services budget due to pressures on the winter maintenance budget. This is offset by underspends elsewhere, particularly in Adult Social Care and Homelessness, which is forecast to underspend by £578,000, partly due to a reduction in the number of emergency temporary accommodation placements.

The report also notes that schools in Denbighshire are forecast to reduce their reserves by a total of £6,185,000 this financial year.

The report seeks approval for the Council Tax Base for the next financial year, 2025/26. The report says that Denbighshire's Tax Base in 2025/26 will be 42,495 band D properties, compared to 41,868 this year.

The report also seeks approval for the use of £15,900 from the council's capital contingency budget to fund an overspend on the improvement works being carried out at the Lôn Parcwr Depot in Ruthin. This will increase the total overspend on the scheme to £30,900.

Finally, the report recommends that the council submit a business case to the Welsh Government's Capital Grant Programme for a project at Ysgol Y Castell.