Issue - meetings

Legal aspects of Community Asset Transfer.  In attendance will be Debbie Smith (Deputy Chief Legal Officer) and Sally-Ann Evans (Lead Lawyer Property)

The Panel invited Debbie Smith (Deputy Chief Legal Officer) and Sally-Ann Evans (Lead Lawyer Property) to the meeting to discuss the legal aspects of Community Asset Transfer (CAT). They address a set of questions that were sent to them in advance of the meeting which asked about the legals departments role in CAT, single point of contact, challenges they face and how process could be improved.

Details of the discussion and any issues raised will be included in the Findings report document.

Meeting with Stakeholders including those who have been through the Community Asset Transfer process in Swansea.

A number of stakeholders who had been through the Community Asset Transfer process were contacted and invited to either attend the meeting or to submit a written submission.  The Panel heard from Coed Gwillim, Penlan AFC, Underhill Park and Llanrhidian Higher Community Council and also fromSwansea Council for Voluntary Service

Details of the discussion and any issues raised will form part of the detailed notes that will be contained within the findings report that Panel members will consider towards the end of the inquiry.

The Inquiry Panel will consider the submissions received from the public, elected Councillors and Community Councils.

All elected Councillors, Community Councils were contacted by email and a Call for Evidence was put on the councils webpages on behalf of the Inquiry Panel, saying:

The Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Inquiry Panel would like to gain the views of the Public, Councillors and Community Councils across Swansea about your experience/s of Community Asset Transfer.  The Panel have several issues they are looking for feedback on and would welcome your views on all or some of these (see attached the Inquiry Terms of Reference for more information).  The Panel would appreciate your views on:

a.     What went well?

b.     What was most challenging?

c.     What risks and barriers did you face? How did you overcome or mitigate them?

d.     What guidance, advice and support were you given? Including in relation to funding and applying for grants?

e.     What have been the main community benefits to the transfer you have found since?

f.       Have there been any particular disadvantages or challenges found since the transfer?

g.     What consultation did you (or was) carried out with regard to the transfer?

h.     Do you think the asset transfer process could be improved, if so, how?

Nine submissions were received and included in those were Community Councils, Councillors, organisations and members of the public.

Details of the discussion had, and any further issues raised, will form part of the detailed notes that will be contained within the finding report that Panel members will consider towards the end of the inquiry.

Invited to attend are Cllr Robert Francis Davies (Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration, Events and Tourism), Tracey McNulty (Head of Cultural Services) and Mark Wade (Director of Place)

The Panel thanked the Cabinet Member Robert Francis Davies, Tracey McNulty (Head of Cultural Services) and Jame Rewbridge (Strategic Manager Leisure Partnerships Health Wellbeing) for providing a written report and attending the meeting to discuss the aspects of community asset transfer as it relates to Cultural Services.  The discussion was based around a core set of questions that were sent in advance of the meeting based around the CATs that are and have been transferred within the cultural services directorate.

Full and detailed notes from this session will form part of the findings report that the Panel will consider when discussing their recommendations and conclusions towards the end of the inquiry.

Invited to attend to give a strategic overview are Cllr David Hopkins (Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance), Mark Wade (Director of Place) and Geoff Bacon (Head of Property Services)

The Panel thanked the Cabinet Member Mr Hopkins and Geoff Bacon (Head of Corporate Property) for providing a written report and attending the meeting to discuss the aspects of due diligence, risks, barriers and support in relation to Community Asset Transfer (CAT).  They also thanked Cabinet Member Cllr Francis Davies and Officer Jamie Rewbridge (Strategic Manager Leisure Partnerships) for attending the meeting and discussing those issues relating to cultural services aspects.  The discussion was based around a core set of questions that were sent in advance of the meeting.

Full and detailed notes from this session will form part of the findings report that the Panel will consider when discussing their recommendations and conclusions towards the end of the inquiry.

Invited to attend to give a strategic overview are Cllr David Hopkins (Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance), Mark Wade (Director of Place) and Geoff Bacon (Head of Property Services)

(a)  Discuss comments received following the report being circulated to all contributors

(b)  Agree report and recommendations for submission to the Scrutiny Programme Committee and then onto Cabinet.

The Panel circulated the draft of their final report to Cabinet, to all the people that contributed to the inquiry for comment.  The following people/organisations responded and attended the meeting to give their views feedback:

Cabinet Members for Wellbeing, Care Services, Community and Service Transformation.

YMCA

South Wales Police

Social Services Dept

Housing and Public Health

All the views given were discussed by the Panel and considered before final amendments made.  The Panel agreed their final report and for its submission to the Scrutiny Programme Committee on the 14 November 2023 and then onto Cabinet on the 21 December 2023.

The Panel considered the report showing all the evidence gathered throughout their inquiry including from Council officers/departments, partner organisations, young people, local business and equality forums.  The main focus of this meeting was to highlight some of the key issues the Panel would like contained in the final report to Cabinet.

The Panel discussed the inquiry key questions and went through each of the lines of inquiry as identified in the term of reference at the beginning of the piece of work.

The issues highlighted will now be formulated and evidenced in a report to Cabinet.  A draft of this report will be discussed at the next meeting in early September.

The Panel invited representatives from equalities forums to the meeting to discuss the following questions:

1.     How do you feel about Anti-Social Behaviour in Swansea? (perceptions)

2.     Do you believe it is dealt with appropriately and effectively in Swansea?

3.     Do you think that the council and its partners work together effectively to both prevent and tackle ASB?

4.     How would you like to see Swansea Council and its partners improve how it prevents and tackles ASB in Swansea?

The Panel thanked those people who attended the meeting and also those who took time to send in a written submission.

The evidence from this meeting will form part of the inquiry findings report which will be discussed by the Panel on the 29 June 2023.

The Panel invited representatives from Swansea Council for Voluntary Service and local business representatives to the meeting to discuss the following questions:

1.     How do you feel about Anti-Social Behaviour in Swansea? (your perceptions)

2.     Do you believe it is dealt with appropriately and effectively in Swansea?

3.     Do you think that the council and its partners work together effectively to both prevent and tackle ASB?

4.     How would you like to see Swansea Council and its partners improve how it prevents and tackles ASB in Swansea?

The Panel thanked those people who attended the meeting and also those who took time to send in a written submission.

The evidence from this meeting will form part of the inquiry findings report which will be discussed by the Panel on the 29 June 2023.

The Panel thanked Jon Tumelty from Pobl Housing Association and Serena Jones and Sarah Davies from Coastal Housing Association for attending the Panel and discussing the set of questions that were sent to them in advance of the meeting, these included:

a)    What is the role and key objectives of your organisation in relation to tackling and reducing ASB?

b)    What are the key challenges you are facing and how are you addressing these (what more could be done to help you as an organisation to address them…especially from a council or partnership perspective)?

c)     Do you feedback to the victims/reporters of anti-social behaviour about what is being done to address ASB, either in terms of the specific incident they were involved in or reported, or more generally? Do you use this feedback to improve inform and improve your services?

d)    Does your organisation meet its regulatory obligations in relation to the services represented today? If not, why is that and what can be done to help you to do this from a council or partnership perspective?

e)    How well do you feel the Council and its partners are working together to tackle and reduce anti-social behaviour in Swansea from the perspective of your organisation and in partnership.  How could it be improved further?

f)      How is your organisation working with the Council and other partners to address the causes of anti-social behaviour.  Strategies, tools, interventions and work happening in communities, an example would be helpful to give context. How could this be improved further?

We are looking at the extent of the issue across Swansea and would greatly appreciate if you could provide us with some data, if that is possible, to help us with this, namely: For each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022:

·       How many reports of ASB have they received from tenants?

·       How many cases have they progressed through their processes?

·       How many notices of eviction have they issued?

·       How many tenants have actually left their properties?

The full notes taken from this discussion will form part of the Inquiry Findings Report.  The Findings Report will be brought back to the Panel at the end of the evidence gathering phase of the inquiry.  Today’s evidence will then be considered alongside all the evidence gathered when the Panel discuss and formulate the inquiries conclusions and recommendations to Cabinet.