:12:20. > :12:26.focused in our medium-term financial plan for four years. We
:12:26. > :12:32.will do our best to keep council tax at an imminent. But the
:12:32. > :12:38.Independent Plaid Cymru opposition is worried, too. We can run a lean
:12:39. > :12:45.council, but no need to make the council mean. Ferres appoint when
:12:45. > :12:52.you can't keep cutting. To deliver a standard of service with the
:12:52. > :12:58.standard of staff, it will be quite difficult. It is been very in
:12:58. > :13:08.Monmouth. Jobs have already been cut in the refuse department. A
:13:08. > :13:11.
:13:11. > :13:15.rise in recycling is saving money, Where we saved our money, we got
:13:15. > :13:25.rid of four lorries from refuse collection, all from natural
:13:25. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:39.wastage. We are trying to work smarter, not hard to. Rubbish is an
:13:39. > :13:48.
:13:48. > :13:55.We have targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government but by it 2025,
:13:55. > :14:05.we have to recycle 70% of what we pick up. We will be fined their
:14:05. > :14:07.
:14:07. > :14:13.every amount we are under the targets. But 70% is a big ask.
:14:14. > :14:21.only weeks left in her cleaning job, Guillain hits the streets of
:14:21. > :14:26.Cwmbran to get work. Here is my CV and my experience. I am going to
:14:26. > :14:31.hand it in and hopefully it is enough. I have made a lot of effort
:14:31. > :14:36.with my appearance. I had my hair done and got new clothes and put
:14:36. > :14:46.make-up on. You have got to look the part, really. I feel anxious
:14:46. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:55.and scared. If you could have a look at it for
:14:55. > :15:01.me. We haven't got anything but we will keep your CV. Brilliant. I
:15:01. > :15:06.hear there is a job in Wetherspoons. I am here about a job and what
:15:06. > :15:11.opportunities you have available. We haven't got everything right now
:15:11. > :15:16.but with your CV, we will give you a ring if anything comes up. I have
:15:16. > :15:26.not been successful today but you never know what might happen in the
:15:26. > :15:26.
:15:26. > :15:31.days to come. But I will keep moving on and trying. It is all
:15:31. > :15:37.change at County Hall. With a repair bill of �30 million, it is
:15:37. > :15:42.time to move, but it is not just new offices. People won't have
:15:43. > :15:48.their own desks any more. They call it agile working. It was obvious
:15:48. > :15:53.that when I walked in the corridor, people were scattering in all
:15:53. > :16:03.directions. There is that woman who will take our desks away from us
:16:03. > :16:03.
:16:03. > :16:07.and change everything! Sian has been helping to oversee the move,
:16:07. > :16:14.which is saying the public �250,000 a year in heating and lighting
:16:14. > :16:22.costs alone. I am absolutely passionate about not wasting our
:16:22. > :16:28.money. I pay �1,200 in council tax and a do not want somebody to waste
:16:28. > :16:33.my �1,200. Paul Matthews is the council's chief executive and he
:16:33. > :16:39.can't wait to leave the building behind. When I started in the
:16:39. > :16:48.council a couple of years ago, all of this space we are looking at, it
:16:48. > :16:53.was all my office. I had my own desk, two P As, a private shower,
:16:53. > :16:57.private bathroom, a dining room. When I came here I thought, that
:16:57. > :17:02.does not feel the sort of organisation we are looking to
:17:02. > :17:09.create. He altered the walls to be knocked down so the space could be
:17:09. > :17:14.shed. At the new office, he won't even have his own desk. We do not
:17:14. > :17:19.value space. We value what people do rather than what we have Ince --
:17:19. > :17:26.in terms of square feet. But some like their own space and do not
:17:26. > :17:34.want to be agile. I like my desk, I like to know where I am, I like my
:17:34. > :17:41.station. Wendy has worked in highways planning for 32 years.
:17:41. > :17:48.is a new challenge. And I am not 100% looking forward to it but I
:17:48. > :17:55.never do, it changed. But it is happening and that is it. I know
:17:55. > :18:00.she will be OK. I know it will get better, I know I can nurture these
:18:00. > :18:05.people through the change process. In the last year, 180 council jobs
:18:05. > :18:10.have gone through a mix of redundancies, or retirements and
:18:11. > :18:18.resignations. This Unison Stewart said it makes the remaining staff's
:18:18. > :18:24.job even harder. -- steward. don't go into any department now
:18:24. > :18:29.where people are not saying to me, they are starting to feel stressed.
:18:29. > :18:34.Over 2800 days were lost in Monmouthshire council in just four
:18:35. > :18:39.Mans last year because of stress -- months. That is a rise on the
:18:39. > :18:43.previous year. It is not nice when you see people you have worked with
:18:43. > :18:48.for a long time cracking because they cannot cope, and the work is
:18:48. > :18:53.still there with the job losses, so they are being asked to do more and
:18:53. > :18:57.more and they are afraid not to do it in case they are next in line.
:18:57. > :19:03.The council says it is concerned and doing all it can to support its
:19:03. > :19:09.staff, but cutbacks aside, the 1960s building is literally falling
:19:09. > :19:13.apart and staff simply have to move. You have got danger of falling
:19:14. > :19:21.debris around the building. Quite significant chunks have come off
:19:21. > :19:28.that can weigh up to �20. You never know when the pipes are going to go.
:19:28. > :19:32.Emma use of offices have been flooded, ceilings have come down --
:19:32. > :19:39.part of offices had been flooded. They are struggling to keep County
:19:39. > :19:43.Hall in working order whilst facing redundancy. With the start Social
:19:43. > :19:48.Club and canteen long gone, Steve Williams is now helping to sell
:19:48. > :19:52.fixtures and fittings. He spent 34 years looking after the building.
:19:52. > :19:57.hope to get another job with perhaps the council but at the
:19:57. > :20:03.moment we have been put at risk so we don't know yet, and until we do,
:20:03. > :20:08.it is a bit of a worry. Steve used to be deluded in caretaker. He even
:20:08. > :20:13.had his wedding reception in the main hall -- live in caretaker.
:20:14. > :20:18.has been in my working life all the way through. I can't take it on
:20:18. > :20:23.board yet that it will be demolished. It is a busy Monday
:20:23. > :20:28.morning in the council's social services department. Every call to
:20:28. > :20:33.this office is a referral about a child who needs help. The team
:20:33. > :20:37.never know when or where they will be needed next. We seem to get 30
:20:37. > :20:43.referrals on a Monday and then we get about 50 by the old time the
:20:43. > :20:47.week has ended for. The council spends �34 million the year or
:20:47. > :20:53.social services and there has been a 40% rise in child protection
:20:53. > :20:58.referrals since last year. This case has been known to us on one
:20:58. > :21:02.previous occasion for domestic violence. The child is 13 and they
:21:02. > :21:08.had been injured while their parents have been physical. I had
:21:08. > :21:12.another referral this morning from a midwife who is concerned about a
:21:12. > :21:19.mother who tried to self-harm at the weekend. It is about making
:21:19. > :21:23.sure the baby is born safely. are 101 children in council care
:21:23. > :21:28.and 83 on the child protection register. Councillors who decides
:21:28. > :21:33.spending priorities want to know if the system can cope. The thing that
:21:33. > :21:39.is concerning me is whether we have got the capacity to cope with a
:21:39. > :21:42.growing number of families under pressure. I don't think it is that
:21:42. > :21:47.negative that we have an increasing number taken into care. Far better
:21:47. > :21:53.that than the odd one slip through the net and to be damaged for life
:21:53. > :21:56.or lose their life. Another team is investigating a tip-off. The mother
:21:56. > :22:02.of a chart with disabilities is suspected of having an alcohol
:22:02. > :22:09.problem. Jane Martin knows the family. Parents to get under a lot
:22:09. > :22:14.of pressure. -- parents do get. You are mindful of that. They are often
:22:14. > :22:18.at the end of their tether. You still have to deal with it in the
:22:18. > :22:23.child protection a rematch. Anybody working for a local authority would
:22:23. > :22:29.always say you do not have enough and you do not have the control of
:22:29. > :22:32.your work flow so there needs to be enough staff to pick that up.
:22:32. > :22:38.Providing a round the clock social services is a challenge the council
:22:38. > :22:42.simply must meet. Any point I think we cannot meet demand in a safe
:22:42. > :22:47.manner, I will be raising that straight away and I expect to get
:22:47. > :22:52.the response I have had up until now, which has been supportive.
:22:52. > :22:57.Services for older people is under pressure, too. 83-year-old
:22:57. > :23:01.Elizabeth Lloyd is recovering after fracturing her legs. With the help
:23:01. > :23:08.of carers and therapists, she is recuperating at home and not in a
:23:08. > :23:12.care home. Our model is different. We encourage people to get their
:23:12. > :23:18.meals and then it is just common sense, just to pull back and allow
:23:18. > :23:22.the person to take more control. People are going to need support
:23:22. > :23:26.long-term but we want to make that bespoke. We want to make it a
:23:26. > :23:30.minimum of what they need so that they are doing the maximum of what
:23:31. > :23:37.they can. You don't remember when you got
:23:37. > :23:41.stuck downstairs? No! Carers were calling twice a day. Now it is just
:23:41. > :23:46.three times a week. It is cheaper for the council and a means
:23:46. > :23:51.Elizabeth and her husband David can stay together. -- and it means.
:23:51. > :23:57.soon as they came and gave her assistance and all of that and made
:23:57. > :24:01.recommendations, it really did pay- off. She gradually gets up and
:24:01. > :24:09.gives the evening meal now and things like that, you know. I still
:24:09. > :24:14.make a lot of cups of tea but...! The cost of meals on wheels has
:24:14. > :24:18.risen by 6%. But having this model of care at home is invaluable to
:24:18. > :24:28.the Lloyds. The change to these services could save the council
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:34.millions long term. Spending cuts mean hard choices. 17-year-old
:24:34. > :24:38.Sophie Stevens is severely visually impaired. She wants to live
:24:38. > :24:45.independently and work in the performing arts. If I want to see
:24:45. > :24:50.details, I am ended up a couple of centimetres away, just to see
:24:50. > :24:55.facial expressions and any writing on the screen. After finishing
:24:55. > :25:00.mainstream school, Sophie was offered a place at a college for
:25:00. > :25:06.the Blind in Hereford. It costs �88,000 for a two year residential
:25:06. > :25:13.course. I said it would be money well spent because I will work my
:25:13. > :25:18.socks off! Monmouthshire council could only play -- page �22,000,
:25:18. > :25:24.covering half of the first year. A social worker had to break the bad
:25:24. > :25:29.news. You feel very much in the middle sometimes because you do
:25:29. > :25:34.know what is best and you have done your assessment, but also you know
:25:34. > :25:38.exactly what the managers are up against and the budget constraints.
:25:38. > :25:44.She could have stayed at home after finishing school, claimed benefits
:25:44. > :25:48.and did nothing, whereas she says, you support me for two years and
:25:48. > :25:55.after that, I can carry on and find a job where I am not claiming
:25:55. > :25:58.benefits. But Sophie has been able to follow her dreams. Her social
:25:58. > :26:03.worker helped to persuade the Welsh Assembly to pay for the rest of the
:26:03. > :26:09.fees. I want to have the same opportunities as everybody else, be
:26:09. > :26:16.able to do what they can do. I need this place. I don't think it should
:26:16. > :26:26.be as hard work to get here as it was for me personally.
:26:26. > :26:32.APPLAUSE This is Monmouthshire council's new HQ.
:26:32. > :26:37.It is in Magor, eight miles down the road from Cwmbran. 400 staff
:26:37. > :26:43.will share 200 desks. It is modern, efficient and cheaper to run but
:26:43. > :26:48.not everybody is happy with their shiny, new surroundings. They think
:26:48. > :26:51.it is too bright. We have had complaints about the light from the
:26:51. > :26:57.weight seedlings and desks. We have had no complaints that people have
:26:57. > :27:01.not been able to find a desk. staff have been warned not to
:27:01. > :27:07.personalise their desks. We have tried to be gentle. I had an issue
:27:07. > :27:17.this morning, asking people, take the stuff down from your desks.
:27:17. > :27:24.They cut except it. I think it is childish. Administrator Barbara has
:27:24. > :27:32.been asked to keep a personal belongings out of sight. This is
:27:32. > :27:37.our mascot, and our butterflies. They were here. We don't people do
:27:37. > :27:44.have old-fashioned working methods. They need to be flexible. They add
:27:44. > :27:54.colour in my life! If you stop work in the old way, quickly everybody
:27:54. > :27:57.else will go back. They have had to go in the team. Every once in a
:27:57. > :28:04.while, we would take them and jacket at the girl next to you to
:28:04. > :28:10.relieve stress! -- and throw it. Just to break the monotony of work.
:28:10. > :28:20.If we are working in a business environment, we are A team of
:28:20. > :28:25.
:28:25. > :28:31.Monmouthshire. -- Team a Unison representative Jan Davies
:28:31. > :28:41.has a right to give the building a once over. -- has arrived. She
:28:41. > :28:47.
:28:47. > :28:57.quickly spot a problem. I don't It is very impersonal, isn't it? It
:28:57. > :29:03.is very stark. There is a problem with the carpet. It makes you feel
:29:03. > :29:08.giddy when you are looking at it, it takes you a while to get your
:29:08. > :29:13.orientation back, I suppose. Especially for epilepsy and anybody
:29:13. > :29:19.suffering from my grains. That could potentially be an issue. --
:29:19. > :29:26.my grains. You can see it moving as you are looking at it! The carpet
:29:26. > :29:30.has been laid along the entire length of the first floor. We have
:29:30. > :29:34.got to recognise that it is a genuine concern, so I think the
:29:34. > :29:39.three people who have been affected, we will be looking to see if we can
:29:39. > :29:44.help them get over that but I can't see much wrong with it myself. We
:29:44. > :29:50.won't be putting a new one in, put it like that! Cost-cutting means
:29:50. > :29:54.thinking outside the box. The council spends �420,000 on street
:29:54. > :30:04.lights so why not given them? This engineer is trying to enlighten the
:30:04. > :30:10.Monmouthshire County Council, looking to install new lighting.
:30:10. > :30:15.From about 10pm d6 AEM. I read in the paper about it. It affect the
:30:15. > :30:19.people that go out at night with evil thoughts in mind. But you
:30:19. > :30:29.still have a good level of lighting everywhere, and you wouldn't notice
:30:29. > :30:38.
:30:38. > :30:43.the difference to the naked eye. It Okay, so here we are, a brand new
:30:43. > :30:47.gritting lorry. Let the local media know what is going on. And reassure
:30:47. > :30:50.the public of Monmouthshire that we are ready for the winter.
:30:50. > :30:56.council's press office has organised a press shoot. It is
:30:56. > :31:00.explaining why new gritters are been bought when money is so tight.
:31:00. > :31:07.Glyn would rather be out with his workers are done here in the
:31:07. > :31:11.limelight. I know you want them working, I want them in the photo!
:31:11. > :31:15.He is reluctant to be photographed or anything like that, but he would
:31:15. > :31:25.play the game for us. Here we go. You will stand there and look
:31:25. > :31:27.
:31:27. > :31:32.Report is want to know why they are spending �300,000 of public money
:31:32. > :31:40.on new vehicles -- reporters. You're looking pensive. You're
:31:40. > :31:45.excited! Trust me, I am in PR. Brian Jones has to answer to the
:31:45. > :31:51.council tax payer. Joe Public has a right to know what we're doing with
:31:51. > :31:56.his money, they are entitled to know. Those doing the job say you
:31:56. > :31:59.cannot keep the county's roads clear without the new equipment.
:31:59. > :32:02.you haven't got the modern day vehicles to deal with these
:32:03. > :32:07.problems, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. We have
:32:07. > :32:12.got to be able to respond, provide a service for the residents of
:32:13. > :32:18.Monmouthshire. Despite having such a huge road network, with gritted
:32:18. > :32:25.the equivalent of twice around the world last year. That is quite a
:32:25. > :32:32.lot of miles, and we didn't run out of road salt. OK, you're off the
:32:32. > :32:37.hook! Labour councillor on and what regularly uses the Freedom of
:32:37. > :32:42.Information Act to keep tabs on the Tory-led council spending. My job
:32:42. > :32:46.is to scrutinise, and sometimes the information you request is not
:32:46. > :32:51.forthcoming, so you may have to put a request in. Regrettably, then, it
:32:51. > :32:56.is a game of cat and mouse. Coming under scrutiny is a high-profile
:32:56. > :33:02.business event the council staged last June, starring billionaire
:33:02. > :33:07.entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews. was interested to see why they have
:33:07. > :33:11.put this together, who was invited, was it a waste of money? I had some
:33:11. > :33:21.genuine concerns about what it would cost the authority, could we
:33:21. > :33:23.
:33:23. > :33:27.afford it? It was a real statement about Monmouthshire, being in the
:33:27. > :33:35.game for employability. The net cost to where organisations, give
:33:35. > :33:39.or take, about �3,000, with around 700 participants. World class
:33:39. > :33:44.because, feels like good value for money to me. The council says the
:33:44. > :33:48.event has helped create over 200 new jobs, but one that she has also
:33:48. > :33:58.been revealed as the slowest Council in Wales to pay its bills -
:33:58. > :34:02.- Monmouthshire. I would hate to think it has put local businesses
:34:02. > :34:07.act jeopardy. But I do think it is in the public interest. The council
:34:07. > :34:17.promises to do better. This councillor says he will continue a
:34:17. > :34:27.Back in the highways department at County Hall, the big move is
:34:27. > :34:30.
:34:30. > :34:35.imminent. But is Wendy getting used It is all working quite nicely, it
:34:35. > :34:39.is lovely to be able to go and have a look at the different
:34:40. > :34:45.applications. I am going to have to learn how to do it to stay in a job.
:34:45. > :34:51.Things move on, and I have got to do it. Like it or not, it is going
:34:51. > :34:55.to happen, we are going to have to try. It is going to be a big change.
:34:55. > :35:05.Over at the new headquarters, people are learning to live with
:35:05. > :35:07.
:35:07. > :35:17.the new carpet. And making He is up there, and he's quite
:35:17. > :35:22.
:35:22. > :35:32.happy. I hope so. Nobody has said anything yet. Hopefully, he is
:35:32. > :35:34.
:35:34. > :35:39.But just at that is trying to save every penny, the council has been
:35:39. > :35:45.told the demolition cannot go ahead until the authority pays for a
:35:45. > :35:50.colony of bats on the site to be rehoused. They have not costed it,
:35:50. > :35:55.but it is obviously many thousands of pounds, and one of the proposals
:35:55. > :36:02.that is been voiced is providing aid Doherty metre-long by 60 metre-
:36:02. > :36:06.high wall for the bat, with boxes full summer roosting bat, and other
:36:06. > :36:11.boxes on the rear for winter resting backs. No one knows how
:36:11. > :36:16.many of them are nesting here, but the council has to provide them
:36:16. > :36:25.with a new home before this one is a flattened. Yes, it is the law of
:36:25. > :36:35.It is November, and Jan Leeds strike action at the new
:36:35. > :36:40.headquarters. In Wales, 90% of schools are either fully or
:36:40. > :36:50.partially close. Council services, courts and public transport are
:36:50. > :36:51.
:36:51. > :36:55.I have sympathy for anybody standing up for their rights and
:36:55. > :37:02.their terms and conditions. I think the general public's view of the
:37:02. > :37:05.moment probably isn't over sympathetic to this. We know this
:37:05. > :37:09.isn't an issue between the unions and the caddy Council, it is
:37:09. > :37:19.between the unions and the government, but life has to go on,
:37:19. > :37:26.
:37:26. > :37:30.The galling part about it is all this high-principled people who say,
:37:30. > :37:38.I do not believe in unions, they still stand there with their hands
:37:38. > :37:43.out for anything that we fight for. It is the last Christmas at County
:37:43. > :37:49.Hall, and the new year brings big changes. Cleaners Eva Atfield and
:37:49. > :37:59.her son Nicky are losing their jobs. 24-year-old and Niki still hasn't
:37:59. > :38:07.
:38:07. > :38:17.found any other work. We put the It is the toilet brush holder! That
:38:17. > :38:20.has been chucked out, we rescued it. She is Aaron Personal Womble.
:38:20. > :38:30.dairies sparkle of a different kind in the building tonight, as the
:38:30. > :38:38.
:38:38. > :38:48.cleaners prepare for their For now at least, they are
:38:48. > :39:04.
:39:04. > :39:11.And home-made vodka jelly gets the Well, it is a lovely night, but it
:39:11. > :39:15.is going to be a sad one. We have come to the end of an era, we have
:39:15. > :39:21.done a wonderful job over the years, you take the good with the back.
:39:21. > :39:26.Don't make us cry! I know we are all sad to see the building go, but
:39:26. > :39:36.times are changing. You will all do well, and don't use to grub up
:39:36. > :39:37.
:39:37. > :39:40.well? All good things come to an end. The reality will hit home when
:39:40. > :39:50.everything finishes and it goes quiet, and you don't have anywhere
:39:50. > :39:52.
:39:52. > :40:01.to go into work, any work to go Meanwhile, across the caddie, the
:40:01. > :40:05.new gritters are being put to the test. -- across the county. We are
:40:05. > :40:10.out at unsociable hours, where everybody else is now having their
:40:10. > :40:15.tea, watching telly, later on, they will be going to bed, and they will
:40:15. > :40:23.be saying, we haven't seen a critter. You will not see one When
:40:23. > :40:27.you're in bed at night! If we have another harsh winter this year, the
:40:27. > :40:31.potholes will increase and the roads will deteriorate. Generally,
:40:31. > :40:36.there is a lack of investment, it is the first thing that is always
:40:36. > :40:41.cut. Monmouthshire has over 900 miles of road. To repair the Mall
:40:41. > :40:47.could cost up to �80 million. This year, the council's road
:40:47. > :40:54.maintenance budget is 2 million. That would be Yori servicing
:40:54. > :40:59.programme wiped out for the entire year. -- your resurfacing programme.
:40:59. > :41:04.They are the stark choices that our political leaders have got to be
:41:04. > :41:08.constantly aware about, all the time, really. And like all Welsh
:41:08. > :41:14.councils, they face more difficult decisions, including how many more
:41:14. > :41:18.council jobs will have to go. will continue to be open, we will
:41:18. > :41:28.continue to be guided by our values, and should we be in a situation
:41:28. > :41:28.
:41:28. > :41:32.where we have to reduce our numbers, then we will do it in a humane way.
:41:32. > :41:42.It is Quinn's last cleaning shift at County Hall. She still hasn't
:41:42. > :41:46.
:41:46. > :41:56.got another job. Feeling quite I have learnt a lot, grown up a lot
:41:56. > :42:02.
:42:02. > :42:06.My retirement! God! Others are leaving, too. Only a handful will
:42:06. > :42:10.stay until the building is demolished in March. Most haven't
:42:10. > :42:15.found new jobs. But they will miss more than just a regular wage
:42:15. > :42:22.packet. I don't think they think we are real people, we are just
:42:22. > :42:30.numbers. But we are people, and we do matter. It is about the people,
:42:30. > :42:33.isn't it? It does play on my mind, it plays on all of our minds, I
:42:33. > :42:37.talk about efficiency savings, the downside of that is people have
:42:37. > :42:41.lost their jobs to make us more efficient and save money. We know
:42:41. > :42:47.that. And we don't get any pleasure out of that. But at the end of the
:42:47. > :42:52.day, we have to run the council like a business. After 34 years,
:42:52. > :42:56.Steve Williams is now serving his redundancy notice. It is a
:42:56. > :43:06.marvellous place, really. You don't realise, they think it is just
:43:06. > :43:11.Brits and mortar. But there is more to it than that. As demolition day
:43:11. > :43:16.approaches, full part and his team, it is the end of an era. -- for
:43:16. > :43:23.calf. Probably, I will be the last person out there but I would