Venue: Committee Room 1 - Civic Centre, Swansea. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services - Tel: (01792) 637292
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Apologies for Absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were
received from Councillors S E Crouch, P Downing, A J Jones and Mrs S Joiner. |
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Disclosures of Personal & Prejudicial Interest. PDF 30 KB Minutes: In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City
and County of Swansea, no interests were declared. |
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Prohibition of Whipped Votes and Declaration of Party Whips. Minutes: In accordance with the Local
Government (Wales) Measure 2011, no declarations of Whipped Votes or Party
Whips were declared. |
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To approve and sign as a
correct record the: a)
Minutes of the
Scrutiny Programme Committee held on 27 October, 2014; b)
Minutes of the
Special Scrutiny Programme Committee held on 13 November, 2014. Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Programme
Committee held on 27 October, 2014 and Special Scrutiny Programme Committee
held on 13 November, 20914 be agreed as correct records. Committee members commented positively on the experience of undertaking pre-decision scrutiny at the meeting on 13 November and the Chair stated that it provided a good template for future sessions. |
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Cabinet Member Question Session - Leader / Cabinet Member for Finance & Strategy. PDF 31 KB (Councillor Rob
Stewart attending) Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee took the opportunity to question Councillor R
C Stewart on his work having responsibility and accountability as
Leader/Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategy. The Leader referred to the continued reduction in funding
which had resulted in a requirement for further saving of £22m this year.
Cabinet Members were considering proposals for further savings with £81m
savings required in future years. The
approach taken was not to stop providing certain services but examine areas
that may be delivered differently. The Leader stated that momentum was picking up for
redevelopment of the City Centre. Sir Terry Matthews had visited The Leader referred to the first meeting of the Development
Advisory Group which had met that morning. The meeting comprised
potential investors, developers and designers all of whom, contrary to rumours,
had given their time free of charge. In respect of City Regions, Sir Terry Matthews had endorsed
the Council’s proposals however, Sir Terry Matthews stated that we were not
being bold enough in terms of plans and our ability to identify and access
funding opportunities. He referred to ‘Project Horizon’ which was a
funding stream available to all of the Key issues arising for discussions included: · The report of the Inward investment Scrutiny Panel
highlighted some of the issues raised by Sir Terry Matthews. This
information was contained in the City Centre brief. · The development of a toolkit to ensure the future resilience
and due diligence of third sector and community development trusts when the
Council considers using different models of providing services. · Advising
on the sale of capital assets and how the Council intend using the receipts. · The commitment of Sir Terry Matthews and his business
partners in making themselves available to the City Region. · The need to ensure a robust IT infrastructure to support the
redevelopment of the City and support businesses. ·
Disposal of the Civic Centre site and the need to increase the density
of people living and working in City Centre to make it viable. · Retaining
successful University graduates and encourage them to grow their business in · In
response to the comments made by Leighton Andrews, AM, Minister for Public
Services In Wales, the possibility of a merger with Neath Port Talbot.
Border issues and number of local representatives would need to be
resolved. · The proposal in relation to Hubs would be to retain within the
community and rationalise what is there. Separate services do not require
separate buildings. · The proposal to regenerate the City Centre and link St Davids, the Quadrant and Market. It is anticipated
that there will be a mix of leisure and retail. An opportunity existed to
larger scale development in terms of housing. · The
Civic Centre Site would be marketed just after Christmas with the appointment
of developers before the Summer
2015. Plans would be shared as they emerge. · As well as engagement in the budget
scrutiny involvement would be helpful in the scheme for the City Centre when it
becomes public. With regard to the challenges faced by the Authority,
reorganisation of Authorities was critical. In relation to energy needs,
the tidal lagoon should have benefit. Sir Terry Matthews expressed his
view that the Scheme was not big or bold enough. He referred to a
possible bridge to link The Chair referred to the two questions from members of the
public in relation to the Swansea Palace Theatre and the Library in the Civic
Centre. The Leader stated that the Swansea Palace Theatre had
benefited from £75k to undertake emergency work in order to stabilise the
building. In addition there was CADW funding. Nothing further could
be offered from the Council. Significant investment would be required to
bring the building back into use. Negotiations
were ongoing with the owner. In response to the Library, the Leader expressed his wish to
see library relocated back into City Centre which would increase
footfall. The relocation costs and facilities support the move back to
the City Centre. The Chair thanked the Leader/Cabinet Member for Finance and
Strategy for his attendance and response to questions. RESOLVED that the Chair of the Scrutiny Programme Committee writes to the Leader reflecting the discussion and sharing the views of the Committee. |
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(Councillor Mary
Jones, Convener – attending) Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor M H Jones, Convenor, Service Improvement &
Finance Scrutiny Performance Panel, provided a progress update on the work of
the Panel. The Panel was continuing with its usual work or regularly
scrutinising quarterly performance and budget monitoring reports, which also
included the Policy Commitment Tracker and Budget Savings Tracker. The
Panel had also considered the Councils End of Year Performance reports.
These had assisted in identifying key areas that require on-going and in-depth performance
monitoring. The Panel also identified some key areas which prompted them
to drill down further into performance. An example of this was the Flying Start
Programme. The decision to look at Flying Start in more detail arose as part of
the Panel’s on-going performance monitoring. The Panel noted from the End of
Year Performance report that a number of the targets relating to this area had
not been set due to new data gathering methods and they were also made aware of
a number of risks identified with the expansion of the programme that were highlighted
in Corporate Improvement Plan. Therefore a service briefing was requested to
enable the Panel to understand the performance issues around the Programme in
more detail. The Panel has also initiated additional activities outside
standard meetings, including a visit to the Flying Start project in Mayhill and
a development session on effective use of performance data with the Local
Government Data Unit, which has been opened up to all scrutiny councillors. The Convenor highlighted achievements/impact and future work
programme items. The Chairman thanked the Convenor for the progress update
and the Panel for their good work. He added that any work and/or correspondence
of the Service Improvement & Finance Panel that may be of relevance to other
Performance Panels should be shared with other conveners. The Chair also stated that he had arranged to meet with the
Chair of the Audit Committee and Cllr Mary Jones in order to develop the
relationship between scrutiny and the Audit Committee and ensure coordination
of work programmes. RESOLVED that the progress report be noted. |
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Scrutiny Work Programme 2014 - 15. PDF 63 KB Includes: a) Committee Work Plan; b) Progress of Panels/Working
Groups; c) Forward Look (Cabinet Business. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair presented
the Scrutiny Work Programme 2014/15. The report explained the background
and purpose of the Scrutiny Work Programme and the current position of all
scrutiny activities. The Work Programme referred to the work currently
active, showing progress and the established Scrutiny Panels and Working
Groups. The Work Plan timetable for future Committee meetings was also
provided. The Chairman referred to the summary of the work being
undertaken by the Transformation of Adult Social Services Panel and the update
of the work of the panels. He also informed the committee that, with the
conclusion of some pieces of work, there was capacity for further inquiries to be
undertaken and invited the committee to identify topics, reflecting on
previously identified priorities. RESOLVED that: a.
The proposed activities in
relation to the Transformation of Adult Social Services be endorsed; and b. School Governance and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services be the next topics for potential scrutiny inquiry panels. |
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Membership of Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups. PDF 25 KB Minutes: The Chair presented a report which advised of changes
required to the membership of the various Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups. RESOLVED that the following be agreed: a.
Cllr Andrew Jones appointed as convener for the
Corporate Culture Panel b.
Cllr Terry Hennegan appointed as convener for the
Corporate Building & Property Services Working Group c.
Cllr Gordon Walker joining the Local Floor Risk
Management Working Group d.
Membership
for the Sustainability Working Group as follows:
e. Councillor David Cole appointed as Convenor for the Planning Services Working Group. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair reported the updated Scrutiny Letters Log and
referred to the recent correspondence between Scrutiny and Cabinet
Members. He reiterated the importance of letters showing how scrutiny is
making a difference and capturing impact. The Chair advised that the request for Cabinet Members to
respond to scrutiny letters within 21 working days is being reported to Council
on 2 December for agreement. RESOLVED that: a.
The letters and action
log be NOTED; and b. The Planning Services Working Group be authorised to reconvene for a further meeting in order to follow up on performance issues raised. |
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Scrutiny Dispatches - Future Reporting. PDF 35 KB Minutes: The Chair reported that the Leader of Council had agreed a
change to the monthly reporting of Scrutiny Dispatches at Council meetings and replace it with a new trial system whereby the Scrutiny
Dispatches report will be presented to Council on a quarterly basis with full
discussion allowed on the report. The chair made proposals for the future
reporting of Scrutiny Dispatches, which would now focus on impact and how
scrutiny is making a difference, containing a small number of ‘significant
stories’ to show specific achievements and outcomes. He proposed that the first
of the new Dispatches report be prepared for the December committee for
agreement. RESOLVED that the approach proposed by the Chair and future reporting arrangements be agreed. |
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Scrutiny Development Session: Making the Best Use of Performance Information:
Minutes: The Chair referred to the Scrutiny Development Session
‘Making the Best Use of Performance Information’ taking place on 25 November. |
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Scrutiny Development Session: Making Scrutiny More Effective:
Minutes: The Chair referred to the forthcoming Scrutiny Development Session, ‘Making Scrutiny More Effective’, that will be held on 29 January 2015. |
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Date and Time of Future Committee Meetings for 2014/15 Municipal Year (all at 4.30 p.m. except where noted):
* special meeting re. Gypsy & Traveller Site
Provision – Review of Process *
Minutes: The dates and times of future meetings for the 2014/15 Municipal Year were submitted for information. |
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Date and Time of Upcoming Panel / Working Group Meetings:
Members of the public are
welcome to attend the above Panel / Working Group meetings. Contact the
Scrutiny Team if you would like to attend. Minutes: The date and time of upcoming Panel/Working Group meetings were submitted for information. |