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)              Councillors R Francis-Davies & R V Smith declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 52 “Leisure Partnerships Financial Support 2022/2023” and withdrew from the meeting prior to its consideration.

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 21 July 2022.

The Leader of Council made no announcements.

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 Cabinet Member for Economy, Finance & Strategy submitted a report that outlined the financial monitoring of the 2022/23 revenue and capital budgets, including the delivery of budget savings.

Resolved that:

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

2)              The virements set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report and the use of the Contingency fund as set out in 3.2 of the report be approved subject to any further advice from the S.151 officer during the year.

3)              The need for all Directors to continue to minimise service spending in year be reinforced, recognising that the budget overall is currently balanced only by relying on future likely (but far from wholly assured) reimbursement from Welsh Government, centrally held contingency budgets and reserves, but equally recognising that the overspending is almost exclusively due to the expected unfunded much higher local government pay award and ongoing Covid pressures.

4)              The indicative overspend in Paragraph 4.1 of the report with further actions to be confirmed in subsequent quarters once it is clearer as to level of residual Covid reimbursement and the likely final cost of the pay award pending be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Community Support submitted a report that sought to approve the findings of the 2022 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA).  The Assessment forms a statutory duty on local authorities to ‘secure sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents’, therefore it relates to compliance with a statutory responsibility.

Resolved that:

1)              The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) attached at Appendix A of the report be approved.

2)              The identified Actions in Section 4 of the report to develop an Action Plan to address areas for development identified in the CSA be supported.

The Cabinet Member for Care Services & the Cabinet Member for Service Transformation jointly submitted a report that detailed the procurement plan for Housing Support Grant funded services. It confirmed the timescale for re-procuring all services and sought approval to issue contract extensions to ensure continuity of essential services.

Resolved that:

1)              The extension of the timescales approved in the Cabinet report on the 20 May 2021 by one year be approved. Contract periods and the proposed re-procurement timescales are detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

2)              The decision in respect of the procurement process in relation to Housing Support Grant commissioned services be delegated to the Director of Social Services in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Cabinet Member for Care Services and Cabinet Member for Service Transformation with support from Commercial Services.

The Cabinet Member for Care Services & the Cabinet Member for Service Transformation jointly submitted a report that sought approval for the Housing Support Programme Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2026.

Resolved that:

1)              The Housing Support Programme Strategy and Action Plan be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Service Transformation submitted a report to comply with Financial Procedure Rule 7 “Capital Programming and Appraisals” to commit and authorise schemes in the Capital programme and sought retrospective approval for two Welsh Government grant applications.

The Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) funding has been announced by Welsh Government to address the pressures in temporary accommodation and the Ukraine crisis.

The scheme will fund works to bring void properties back into use more quickly, as well as the conversion of 3 buildings to residential accommodation for social rent. The Welsh Building Safety Funding was secured to provide sprinkler systems to the two high rise blocks of flats at Griffith John Street. This will commit the schemes to the capital programme in line with the Council’s Financial Procedure Rules.

Resolved that:

1)              The Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) bids set out in Section 2 of the report be approved.

2)              The Welsh Building Safety Fund set out in Section 3 of the report be approved.

3)              Authority be delegated to the Interim Director of Place, the Chief Legal Officer, and Chief Finance Officer to enter into any agreements necessary to ensure the delivery of the projects and to protect the Council’s interests.

4)              Authority be delegated to the Interim Director of Place and the Chief Finance Officer to recover all expenditure associated with the delivery of the projects from Welsh Government.

5)              Any further decisions relating to the funding above will be delegated to the Interim Director of Place and the Cabinet Member for Service Transformation, and schemes are detailed and approved via the annual HRA Capital Budget report.

The Cabinet Member for Service Transformation submitted a report providing details of Disabled Facilities & Improvement Grant Programme in 2022-23 and sought approval to vire budget from Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) to the Council’s Minor Adaptations Grant and Homefix loans budget to the Council’s Capital General Fund. The report aimed to comply with Financial Procedure Rule 7 “Capital Programming and Appraisals” - to commit and authorise schemes as per the Capital Programme.

Resolved that:

1)              The transfer of £230,000 from Disabled Facilities Grants (DSG) budget to Minor Adaptations Grant budget be approved.

2)              The transfer of £500,000 from Homefix loans budget to the Council’s Capital General Fund be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Service & Performance submitted a report that sought approval to accept grant programmes from Welsh Government, totalling £1,025,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rule 5.7.

Resolved that:

1)              The acceptance of the grant programmes set out in Paragraph 1.2 of the report in the sum of £1,025,000 be approved to enable the projects to be developed and delivered within a three-year programme 2022-2025.

The Cabinet Member for Service Transformation submitted an information report presenting the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Annual Letter 2021-22 for the City & County of Swansea.

The Cabinet Member for Care Services submitted a report that sought approval of the Regional Market Stability report, which is a tool to assist the Regional Partnership Board in planning and commissioning quality care and support for their populations.

Resolved that:

1)              The fact that the Regional Partnership Board approved the regional market stability report on 7 July 2022 be noted.

2)              The Regional Market Stability report attached at Appendix A of the report be approved and recommended to Council for approval.

This item was deferred.

The Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration & Tourism submitted a report that sought to comply with Financial Procedure Rule 7 “Capital Programming & Appraisals) to commit and authorise schemes in the Capital Programme.

Resolved that:

1)              The Financial Implications set out in Paragraph 4 of the report be approved and the additional funding be authorised to be added to the approved scheme.

2)              Authority be delegated to the Interim Director of Place in consultation with the Director of Finance and Chief Legal Officer to approve a final construction cost for the project.

The Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure submitted a report that sought approval for the award of the construction contract for the Mumbles Coastal Protection project following a mini competition from the South West Wales Regional Civil Engineering Framework and to approve in principle a funding agreement between Swansea Council & Welsh Government.

Resolved that:

1)              The offer of funding as made be approved, but the Director of Finance enter into negotiations with Welsh Government to ensure that funding is secured and assured in the best possible form given current funding and financial market uncertainty.

2)              The construction cost for the scheme be approved and the scheme and its revised costs be added to the Council’s capital programme.

3)              The award of the construction contract for the Mumbles Coastal Protection project to the tenderer detailed in Sections 4 and 5 of this report be approved.

4)              Authority be delegated to the Head of Highways and Transportation and the Chief Legal Officer to enter into the legal documents necessary to progress the project.

Cabinet were requested to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the item(s) of business identified in the recommendations to the report(s) on the grounds that it / they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in the exclusion paragraph of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007 relevant to the items of business set out in the report(s).

Cabinet considered the Public Interest Test in deciding whether to exclude the public from the meeting for the item of business where the Public Interest Test was relevant as set out in the report.

Resolved that the public be excluded for the following item(s) of business.

(Closed Session)

Councillor C L Philpott asked questions relating to Minute 60 “Olchfa Land Sale Negotiations”.

Councillor C A Holley asked questions relating to Minute 59 “Contract for Mumbles Coastal Protection Project”.

This item was deferred.

The Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration & Tourism submitted a report that provided additional information.

The Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure submitted a report that provided additional information.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Service & Performance submitted a report that sought to determine whether a reduced offer should be accepted based upon the developers estimated development costs.

Resolved that the recommendations as detailed in the report be approved.