Venue: Committee Room 3 - Civic Centre, Swansea. View directions
Contact: Scrutiny 636292
Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests.
Minutes:
·
Councillor Paxton Hood-Williams is a member of
the Swansea RDP Local Action Group
|
2. |
Prohibition of Whipped Votes and Declaration of Party Whips
Minutes:
|
3. |
Election of Panel Convener
·
Bethan Hopkins – Scrutiny Officer
Minutes:
·
Councillor Jeff Jones was appointed as Panel
Convener for 2019-20
|
4. |
Terms of Reference PDF 52 KB
Minutes:
·
Panel want to add to ToR ‘meetings to be added
when required’
|
5. |
Minutes PDF 111 KB
To approve & sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s)
as a correct record.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
·
Add query Panel had at last session around the
figures on Appendix E of the Business Plan
|
6. |
Wales Audit Office Report - Services to Rural Communities PDF 191 KB
·
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies – Cabinet Mmeber for
Investment, Regeneration and Tourism
·
Paul Relf – Economic Development and External
Funding Manager
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- There are ideas about what could be
delivered in terms of rural community provision but there are limits in
terms of the amount of funding available restrictions on what that money
can be used for
- Limits in terms of broadband provision
to rural communities and large scale infrastructure
- Need to connect the Rural Development
Partnership (RDP) with Swansea wide approaches and how the work links in
with the work of the PSB
- 60% of Swansea is rural but the rural
areas are sparsely populated and the urban areas are densely populated –
balancing funding allocations can be difficult
- Very keen on how to make more of rural
areas e.g. local food
- Need to link urban and rural areas
- WAO report sets high standards but the
Council will strive to meet them
- The Brexit outcome will impact the rural
grant programme
- There is scope and data available to
establish best practice from other areas in Wales
- Transport in rural areas is still an
ongoing concern
- The lack of broadband in rural areas is
a hindrance to many people to access online deals, community activity and
services – Welsh Government looking at this but little can be done at a
local level
- The Rural Development Programme ends in
2020 and there is no request in place to develop a new one currently
- Contingencies need to be planned for
whatever the Brexit outcome is – may request this is looked at after
October to feed into the funding issues
- The team engages with people in the
membership list and people not listed. They work with everyone who is
relevant
- Need to engage with WG much more and be
proactive in pursing issues around broadband services
- Gower AONB group looking at this issue
too
- Some difficulty given scale of issues
and resources over allocation and
- Some issues over deprivation and poverty
within rural areas – this can sometimes be masked in general data which
hides pockets of deprivation in wealthy areas
- Fundamental to have the balance between
effective tourism and the maintenance of the natural environment – green
infrastructure is very important in policy decisions
- Geography, settlement and sparsity all
have an impact on how an area is defined as rural – department to send
formula/data to Panel
- The Boundary Commission Review may have
an impact on how wards are classified
- Classifications could change in the
future and have funding impacts
- Discussion around wards who do not have
high levels of poverty or rural – funding streams not as readily available
- The team will assist with identifying
funding opportunities where capacity allows
- Some of the issues identified fall to
the obligation of the WG rather than local Councils
- Positive that communities get involved
to run services but this can be problematic and cause pressure for people
– debate which is ongoing
- Some points can be brought to the Local
Action Group for discussion e.g. wood being transported from Gower to
recycling centres as there is no kerbside collection
- Letter to be drafted to WG from Panel to
press the issue of Broadband funding and installation in rural areas
|
7. |
End of Year Review PDF 138 KB
Minutes:
- The detail behind some projects is still
opaque – will continue to explore more throughout the coming year
- Pleased at the range of projects looked
at by the Panel
- Meetings to be held ‘as and when’
required throughout the year
|
8. |
Work Plan 2018/19 PDF 48 KB
Minutes:
·
Want some more focus over the City Centre health
– in relation to empty shops and units and plans going forward
|
|
Letter to Cabinet Member PDF 166 KB
|
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Cabinet Member Response PDF 296 KB
|
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Letter to Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs PDF 256 KB
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Letter to Minister for Economy and Transport PDF 155 KB
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