Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, no interests were declared.

In accordance with the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, no declarations of Whipped Votes or Party Whips were declared.

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

Resolved that the Minutes of the Scrutiny Programme Committees held on 15 September 2020 and 1 October 2020 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Questions must relate to matters on the open part of the Agenda of the meeting and will be dealt with in a 10 minute period.

There were no public questions.

The Chair welcomed Councillors Mark Child and June Burtonshaw to the Scrutiny Programme Committee. He also welcomed, subject to Committee approval, Councillor Susan Jones as Convenor of the Adult Services Performance Panel and Co-optee of the Scrutiny Programme Committee.   

The Scrutiny Team Leader presented the report on the ‘Role of the Scrutiny Programme Committee’

Resolved that:

1)          The co-option of Scrutiny Performance Panel convenors to the Committee be agreed; and

2)          The co-option of partner organisations to enable representatives to participate in the Committee’s scrutiny of the Public Service Board be agreed.

The Leader / Cabinet Member for Economy, Finance & Strategy, the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Place were present for the Committee’s consideration of the Council’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and recovery planning. 

The Chief Executive highlighted some updates which included: -

·            Impact of the second wave

·            Supporting businesses through the firebreak

·            Developments of vaccines and preparation for roll out of mass vaccination

·            Management of immigration from Denmark following the Covid-19 mutation in mink

·            Impact and resources for Test, Trace and Protect

·            Additional issues other than COVID-19 challenging the Council, including weather and flooding

·            Monitoring staff well-being

·            Monitoring requirement of the field hospital

·            Support for the City Centre

·            Progress of Swansea Central Phase 1 regeneration project

Questions and discussions with the Leader and Officers focused on the following:

·            Progress of information / conversation on vaccinations and priority areas

·            Impact on staff should the field hospital be required

·            Scale of people arriving from Denmark – known cases had been contacted and advised to isolate

·            Position of large retailers in Swansea

·            The three phases (remobilise, refocus & reshape) and timescales of the Recovery Plan

·            Clarification of the reshape phase – Review of the Corporate Plan, Capital Plan and Workforce

·            Transformation Strategy 2022 – 2026 – Inclusion of further legislation e.g. Environment Act as well as Brexit – further detail to be included in the Action Plan

·            Potential impacts of Brexit

The Chair thanked the Leader and Officers.

Resolved that the Chair of Scrutiny Programme Committee write to the Leader, reflecting the discussion and sharing the views of the Committee.

The Scrutiny Team Leader presented a report on the Scrutiny Work Programme 2020/22 for consideration and highlighted the following: -

·            Papers from the Work Planning Conference held on the 13 October 2020, outlined at Appendix 1 of the report;

·            The summary of topics suggested outlined at Appendix 2 of the report; and

·            The draft Scrutiny Programme 2020/22 outlined at Appendix 3 of the report. 

The Committee held a discussion on the draft Work Programme that centred around the following: -

·            Topics being aligned with the Corporate Priorities and focused on areas of concern.

·            The move away from routine Question and Answer Sessions with Cabinet Members to allow time for topical issues in Committee meetings

·            Resumption of the Procurement Inquiry Panel

·            Scrutiny of the Public Services Board to be carried out by the Scrutiny Programme Committee instead of a separate performance panel

·            Change of frequency of the Adult, Child & Family and the Natural Environment Performance Panels

·            Working Groups proposed for Workforce, Digital Inclusion, Bus Services and Healthy City

·            Flexibility to look at issues that arise through the year

The work plans for the Audit Committee and the Policy Development Committees were provided for awareness to help identify and avoid duplication of work.

The impact of COVID-19 was also highlighted as a consideration on resources and scrutiny activity, and could affect the delivery of the work programme.

Resolved that:

1)        The draft Scrutiny Work Programme for 2020/22 be agreed.

2)        The proposed Committee work plan be agreed

The Chair presented a report on ‘Membership of Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups’.

Resolved that:

1)          Councillor Peter Black be added to the Service Improvement & Finance Scrutiny Performance Panel;

2)          Councillor Mike Day be added to the Child & Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel;

3)          Councillor Peter Jones be removed from the Child & Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel;

4)          Councillors Peter Black and Peter Jones be removed from the Adult Services Scrutiny Performance Panel;

5)          Councillor Louise Gibbard be removed from any Panels and Working Groups; and

6)          The Performance Panel Conveners be noted as follows:

The Chair presented a report on ‘Scrutiny Letters’ for information.

Resolved that the scrutiny letters log be noted.

The dates and times of the upcoming Panel / Working Group meetings were noted.

The Chair advised that the next Committee meeting on the 15 December would focus on:

·            Scrutiny of the Public Service Board

·            Pre-decision scrutiny on a report bound for cabinet on 17 December concerning the Proposed Lease to Mumbles Community Council under the Community Asset Transfer Policy, which relates to the proposed development of a new Skatepark by the Community Council.