Here is a summary of the upcoming Merthyr Tydfil Council Cabinet meeting. The cabinet will be considering the annual health and safety enforcement service plan, and the annual monitoring report for the Replacement Local Development Plan. They will also be receiving information reports on the appointment of local authority governors, and the Estyn inspection for Welsh Language Immersion Arrangements.

Health and Safety Enforcement Service Plan

The cabinet will be considering the Annual Health and Safety Enforcement Service Plan 2025/26. The plan is required because Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has a duty to enforce the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). The report pack says that the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) national planning priorities direct how local authorities should discharge this duty. The plan summarises key service proposals for 2025/26, including workplace accident investigations, workplace health and safety complaints, and project initiatives supporting national and local priorities. The report also outlines how the Environmental Health Service performed in discharging its statutory functions under HASAWA.

The overall aim of the service plan is:

To work with others to protect people's health and safety by ensuring risks in the changing workplace are managed properly.

The plan's delivery is scheduled to contribute to the council's Wellbeing Plan objectives, particularly a safe and prosperous Merthyr Tydfil, and a healthier Merthyr Tydfil.

The report pack highlights some key challenges in delivering the plan for 2025/26. These include resources, and the management information system. The plan is delivered from the Public Health Team within Environmental Health. The team is multi-disciplinary and responsible for the enforcement of health and safety, food safety, food standards, communicable disease control, licensing of special procedures, public health funerals and petroleum licensing etc. The plan highlights that there is currently an estimated 0.8 FTE resource available to deliver this plan. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is due to provide guidance in 2025/26 to assist local authorities in determining 'adequate arrangements'. It is anticipated that 0.8 FTE resource is unlikely to be considered adequate to deliver and sustain the delivery of this plan and in subsequent years.

Environmental Health introduced 'Tascomi' as its Management Information System (MIS) in 2017. At that time, a decision was made to transfer food premises database information only to 'Tascomi'. This has resulted in inadequate readily available information on premises subject to local authority HASAWA enforcement and difficulties in completion of annual returns to HSE. As a business improvement, it is planned for work to recover or develop a new database over the next 3 years, i.e. from 2025/26 to 2028/2029.

Merthyr Tydfil Replacement Local Development Plan

The cabinet will be considering the Merthyr Tydfil Replacement Local Development Plan 2016-2031 – Annual Monitoring Report 2025. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council formally adopted the Merthyr Tydfil Replacement Local Development Plan (LDP) on 20 January 2020. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and Welsh Government policy requires the council to monitor and review an adopted LDP. An Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) must be published and submitted to Welsh Government by the end of each October.

The 2025 AMR records progress against the indicators set out in the monitoring framework of the adopted LDP which tracks the performance of the plan's policies and allocations. The 2025 AMR indicates that a number of aspects of the plan and its strategy are working well, and that the policies of the Replacement LDP are being implemented effectively. In particular, affordable housing continues to be delivered broadly in accordance with the target included in the monitoring framework, although there remains a high level of need for affordable housing, particularly in relation to single person accommodation. Also, policies that seek to protect environmental and historic designations have been implemented effectively, with no development granted contrary to the relevant policies.

There are however some aspects of the Replacement LDP that are not working as well or being implemented as effectively as they could. These include: Overall housing delivery has dropped below the level required at this point in the plan period, with completions over 30% lower than they need to be. Targets are not being met in relation to the delivery of allocated employment land and the number of jobs delivered. A target is not being met in relation to the improvement of Priority Open Spaces using funding gained through the planning system. The target for heat generating renewable energy development across the County Borough has not been met.

The council has a statutory obligation to undertake a full review of the adopted plan at intervals not longer than every four years from initial adoption. This review commenced in January 2024, with a Review Report to be published during early 2026. Given the findings in relation to housing delivery and the delivery of employment allocations in this AMR, further investigation and research will commence immediately and feed into the review.

Appointment of LA Governors

The cabinet will be receiving a report on the implementation of the most recent meeting of the Local Authority School Governors Appointment Panel and details of appointments. The latest meeting of the panel took place on 9 September 2025 where it was agreed to appoint 19 Local Authority Governors, and the successful applicants will now be informed of their appointment and will serve a four-year term of office. All LA Governor vacancies have now been filled.

The following people have been appointed as LA Governors:

• Councillor Brent Carter to Abercanaid Community School
• Councillor Gareth Lewis to Abercanaid Community School
• Judith Edwards to Afon Taf High School
• Susan Pound to Afon Taf High School
• Jonathan Martin to Afon Taf High School
• Councillor Clive Jones to Cyfarthfa High School
• Donna Williams to Cyfarthfa High School
• Councillor Lisa Mytton to Cyfarthfa Park Primary School
• Glynis Estebanez to Cyfarthfa Park Primary School
• Councillor Declan Sammon to Dowlais Primary School
• Councillor Lee Davies to Goetre Primary School
• Chris Davies to Gwaunfarren Primary School
• Huw Williams to Pantysgallog Primary School
• Paul Phillips to Pen-Y-Dre High School
• Councillor Geraint Thomas to Ysgol Coed Y Dderwen
• Councillor Scott Thomas to Ysgol Rhyd Y Grug
• Claire Jones (Brown) to Ysgol Santes Tudful
• Councillor Clive Tovey to Ysgol Y Graig Primary
• Councillor Lisa Mytton to Ysgol Y Graig Primary

Estyn Inspection for Welsh Language Immersion Arrangements

The cabinet will be receiving a report outlining the findings of the recent Estyn Inspection for Welsh Language Immersion Arrangements. Welsh Language Immersion Education is rooted in several key national policies and legislative frameworks:

• Cymraeg 2050: A Million Welsh Speakers Strategy
• Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
• Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill (2024)

Immersion education is a strategic priority and contributes directly to this goal by promoting linguistic inclusion and cultural identity. Within Objective 2 of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (2022–2032): (To increase the number of reception class children/five-year-olds receiving their education through the medium of Welsh) is a key target to support latecomers through a dedicated immersion class. This will be hosted in the third Welsh medium school when it moves to the St Aloysius site in September 2027.

Welsh Language Immersion provision supports pupils transferring from English-medium to Welsh-medium education, typically through targeted language acquisition programmes. It is seen as a key method to increase fluency among learners who do not speak Welsh at home. The Welsh Government provide grant supports late immersion provision, which is an intensive Welsh language learning programme designed for learners who:

• Missed early Welsh language opportunities in nursery or primary settings.
• Are transferring from English-medium to Welsh-medium education.
• Are new to Wales and have little or no Welsh language skills.

The inspection found there was no cause for significant concern with the Welsh Language Immersion.

Areas of strength were:

• A clear strategic vision: Leaders have a long-term commitment to Welsh language immersion aligned with WESP priorities.
• An inclusive ethos: Schools foster a supportive environment where nearly all pupils feel safe, valued and part of the community.
• Effective language modelling: Staff generally use appropriate immersion pedagogy, helping many pupils make progress, especially in speaking.
• Well-being provision: Strong support for pupil well-being, including those with additional leaning needs.
• Collaborative leadership: Schools benefit from distributed leadership and autonomy to tailor provision to pupil needs.

Areas for Development were:

• Inconsistent immersion practice: Variation in the quality and consistency of immersion provision across the authority.
• Limited self-evaluation: Strategic planning and evaluation of late immersion impact are underdeveloped
• Professional learning gaps: Insufficient training on immersion methodology affects staff's ability to support language acquisition effectively.
• Planning for latecomers: Learning experiences are not always well-matched to the needs of pupils joining Welsh-medium education later.

The report pack lists two recommendations:

• Strengthen self-evaluation processes at all levels to ensure high-quality immersion provision across the authority
• Provide purposeful professional learning for leaders and staff to deepen their knowledge and understanding of effective immersion pedagogy and the impact on pupil progress