Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, the following interests were declared:

1)             Councillor R V Smith declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 83 “Local Authority Governor Appointments” and stated that he had dispensation from the Standards Committee to stay, speak but not vote on matters relating to the Appointment of Local Authority Governors.

2)             Councillor R V Smith declared a Personal Interest in Minute 84 “Regional Education Consortium Amendment to Legal Agreement on Voting within Joint Committee”.

To approve & sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record.

Resolved that the Minutes of the meeting(s) listed below be approved and signed as a correct record:

1)             Cabinet held on 16 November 2023.

1)             Draft Budget Settlement 2024-2025

The Leader of Council stated that Welsh Government had published the draft Budget settlement 2024-2025.

2)             Swansea Regeneration, & Ambition 2024

The Leader of the Council stated that several of Swansea’s key projects would come to fruition in 2024, these included 71-72 The Kingsway, Place Theatre & Albert Hall. These and other schemes demonstrated the Council’s ambition.

Questions can be submitted in writing to Democratic Services democracy@swansea.gov.uk up until noon on the working day prior to the meeting. Written questions take precedence.  Public may attend and ask questions in person if time allows. Questions must relate to items on the open part of the agenda and will be dealt within a 10 minute period.

No questions were asked.

No questions were asked.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Scrutiny Inquiry Panel submitted a report, which presented the findings, conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Scrutiny Panel’s Inquiry into Anti-Social Behaviour. Councillor T J Hennegan presented the report.

Resolved that:

1)             The report be noted.

2)             A written response to the scrutiny recommendations and proposed action(s) be given in due course.

The Cabinet Member for Economy, Finance & Strategy submitted a report that outlined the financial monitoring of the 2023/204 revenue and capital budgets, including the delivery of budget savings.

Resolved that:

1)             The comments and variations, including the heightened material uncertainties around equal pay provisions, set out in the report and the actions in hand to seek to address these be noted.

2)             The virements and the use of the Contingency fund as set out in Paragraph 3.2 of the report and the Inflation provision as set out in Paragraph 4.3 of the report subject to any further advice from the Section 151 Officer during the year be approved.

3)             The need for all Directors to continue to minimise service spending in year be reinforced, providing clear recovery plans where they are overspending, recognising that the budget overall is currently balanced only by relying on future (but far from wholly assured) reimbursement from Welsh Government, centrally held contingency budgets and increasingly reserves.

4)             It be recognised that Directorate cost overspends must be absolutely minimised, through recovery plans, given the proposed material pay provision, in current year by targeted recovery action with a clear expectation of ‘tough’ rebasing choices to achieve a balanced budget for the 2024/2025 budget round.

5)             The indicative overspend in Paragraph 6.1 of the report with further actions to be confirmed in subsequent quarters once it is clearer as to the likely final cost of the equal pay award provision be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Performance submitted a report that outlined the corporate performance for Quarter 2 2023/2024.

Resolved that:

1)             The Council’s performance achieving the Council’s wellbeing objectives in Quarter 2 2023/2024cbe noted.

2)             The use of this information to inform executive decisions on resource allocation and, where relevant, corrective actions to manage and improve performance and efficiency in delivering national and local priorities be noted.

The Local Authority Governors Appointment Group submitted a report, which sought approval of the nominations submitted to fill Local Authority (LA) Governor vacancies on School Governing Bodies.

Resolved that:

1)             The following nominations recommended by the Director of Education in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Education & Learning be approved:

The Deputy Chief Legal Officer presented a report that sought approval to amend the Partneriaeth Joint Committee Agreement to allow each constituent Local Authority to choose whether to nominate their Leader or Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Education portfolio to be the voting member on the Joint Committee.

Resolved that:

1)             The draft Deed of Variation attached at Appendix A of the report which allows each individual Constituent Authority to decide who should be the voting member on Partneriaeth’s Joint Committee be approved.

2)             The Cabinet Member for Education & Learning be appointed as the voting member for Swansea Council and the non-voting member shall be the Leader of Swansea Council.

3)             Authority be delegated to the Chief Legal Officer to approve the final terms of the Deed of Variation and to enter into the Deed on behalf of the Council.

The Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure submitted a report that sought approval for the additional funding for Local Transport Fund (LTF) and to add the capital expenditure to the delivery programme for Local Transport Fund projects in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. It also sought to comply with Financial Procedure Rule 7 “Capital Programming and Appraisals”, to commit and authorise schemes in the Capital Programme.

Resolved that:

1)             The receipt of the grant funding be approved.

2)             Authority be delegated the Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure and Director of Place to progress the Local Transport Fund schemes set out in Paragraph 2 of the report, and they be added to the Capital programme in line with FPR7.