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 Committee held on 17 November 2020 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Questions must be submitted in writing, no later than noon on the working day prior to the meeting.  Questions must relate to items on the agenda. Questions will be dealt with in a 10 minute period.

There were no public questions.

a)       Background Information.

b)       Swansea Public Services Board Annual Report 2019/20.

The Chair presented the report on ‘Scrutiny of Swansea Public Services Board’ and welcomed Councillor Andrea Lewis, Councillor Clive Lloyd, Roger Thomas, Adam Hill and Cherrie Bija who were all present for the consideration of this item.

 

Councillor Clive Lloyd, former Chair of Swansea Public Services Board, presented the Swansea Public Services Board Annual Report 19/20 and highlighted the following:

 

·            Governance Review & New Structure

·            Working towards a more co-production methodology

·            Establishing 4 key objectives - 

1.   Early Years

2.   Live Well, Age Well

3.   Working with Nature

4.   Strong Communities

·            Embedding the four objectives into Public Service Board organisations and their daily business

·            Ability to respond and work together on key issues as they arise e.g. community safety and critical incident groups on county lines

·            Impact of Covid-19  - no formal meeting of the Public Services Board during the first lockdown, but there was an excellent regional response and co-working during the pandemic

·            Consideration of more regional Public Service Board

 

Councillor Andrea Lewis, current Chair of the Public Services Board, outlined some areas of progress since taking over as Chair

 

·            Established 3 priority areas post Covid-19

1.   City for Wellbeing and Wildlife

2.   Green Climate Change Agenda

3.   County Lines, substance Misuse & Anti-Social Behaviour

·            Climate Change Charter to be presented to the Public Services Board to encourage partner organisations to sign up to the Charter

·            Commonality and co-working on regional issues such as substance misuse

 

Adam Hill, Deputy Chief Executive, noted that the regional relationships and networks built as part of the Public Services Board enabled a better response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also highlighted some key areas of progress across the 4 well-being objectives:

 

·            Early Years – SKIP Meithrin, 30 Hour funded childcare officer, Non Flying Start training, Best Start campaign

·            Live Well, Age Well – Big Conversation County-wide Forums

·            Working with Nature – Green Infrastructure engagement events, Urban Tree Planting Scheme, Swansea Environmental Forum and Environmental Centre

·            Stronger Communities – improvements to the High Street as well as key responses and joint working on criminality, anti-social behaviour, county lines, substance misuse, street sex working and exploitation of vulnerable people and public realm

 

Questions and discussions focussed on the following:-

 

·            Remit of the Public Services Board

·            Delivery of well-being objectives

·            Some examples of improvements / initiative implemented – regular patrol vans on High Street, needle exchange programme,  SWAMP project, food parcels to most vulnerable during Covid-19, clean-up campaign for shops and retail units, improvement of housing on High Street, responses to anti-social behaviour, urban tree planting, men’s sheds, funding secured for fire-breaks on Kilvey Hill, childcare offers and Flying Start.

·            Critical Incidents Group and joint working on issues requiring a swift response

·            Difficulty of meeting long term goals and delivering on ambitions with financial challenges and political change

·            Exploring regional Public Services Boards to avoid duplicating work for organisations that work across a number of Public Services Boards

·            Structure of partnership working during Covid-19

·            Work around improving children’s readiness to attend school – ability to monitor and measure progress

·            Performance measurement and management arrangements to evidence the difference the Public Service Board is making

·            Difficulty in measuring impact of certain actions particularly long term and when dealing with more qualitative outcomes and also where need to consider negative quantitative outcomes e.g. what didn’t happen as a result of an action / initiative

·            Issues of funding and stretched resources in partner organisations – usefulness of pooled budgets if they were to be available

 

The Chair thanked Councillor Clive Lloyd, Councillor Andrea Lewis, Roger Thomas and Adam Hill.

 

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

 

Councillor Lyndon Jones, Convener of the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel, presented a report on ‘Education Scrutiny Performance Panel Update’. He specifically highlighted the following: -

 

·            Ongoing concern regarding under performance of children receiving free school meals

·            The Panel had sent a letter to all teachers and staff in the education department, thanking them for their work during the pandemic and implementation of blended learning for pupils

·            Changes to the Panel’s Work Plan so as not to add too much additional work to those who are dealing with Covid-19, given current pressures

 

The Committee discussed the need for the Panel to ask about the outcomes from the Pupil Development Grant and monitoring its impact locally.

 

Resolved that the update be noted.

 

The Chair presented a report on ‘Membership of Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups’, following the agreement of a scrutiny work programme

 

Resolved that the membership of Panels and Working Group be approved as outlined in Appendix 1 of the report.

Discussion on:

a)       Committee Work Plan.

b)       Opportunities for Pre-Decision Scrutiny.

c)       Progress with Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups.

The Chair presented a report on the Scrutiny Work Programme 2020/22.

 

It was noted that the Work Programme would be subject to councillor / public requests received throughout the year. A public request had been received in respect of concerns regarding work on the bridleway works at Clyne Valley woods, which has been forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Environment Enhancement & Infrastructure Management to respond to.   The Chair also mentioned public correspondence received with views relating to the upcoming cabinet report on the ‘Proposed Lease to Mumbles Community Council under the Community Asset Transfer Policy’, concerning the development of a new skate park. This report will be subject of pre-decision scrutiny at January’s Committee meeting.

 

The Chair also referred to the inclusion of a small number of specific topics in the Committee work plan to ensure sufficient coverage of scrutiny across all cabinet portfolios and address any gaps in the overall work programme.

 

Work Plans for Scrutiny Performance Panels were provided for the Committee’s awareness.  It was noted that some Performance Panel work plans had been adjusted in order to support departments in dealing with Covid-19 and not create significant additional workload. The Convener of the Natural Environment Performance Panel referred to the cancellation of a meeting planned for 14 December due to Covid-19 pressures affecting Cabinet member / officer attendance.

 

Resolved that the report be noted.

The Chair presented a report on ‘Scrutiny Letters’ for information. This included correspondence with the Leader following discussion on COVID-19 response and recovery at November’s Committee meeting.  

 

Resolved that the scrutiny letters log be noted.

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