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)             Councillor R V Smith declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 127 “Local Authority Governor Appointments” and stated that he had dispensation from the Standards Committee to stay, speak but not vote on matters relating to the Appointment of Local Authority Governors.

2)             Councillor A H Stevens declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 129 “Disabled Facilities & Improvement Grant Programme 2024/2025” and withdrew from the meeting prior to its consideration.

3)             Councillors C Anderson & D H Hopkins declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 131 “New Dining Facilities to Support the Universal Free School Meals Programme Together with an All-Weather Pitch & Community Facilities for Townhill Community Primary School” and withdrew from the meeting prior to its consideration.

4)             Councillor E J King declared a Personal Interest in Minute 134 “External Grants Approval for Glynn Vivian Art Gallery”.

5)             Councillors R Francis-Davies & R V Smith declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in Minute 135 “Extension of Existing Management Agreement & Lease Arrangements Relating to Wales National Pool Swansea” 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 12 January 2024.

2)             Cabinet held on 15 February 2024.

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 Director of Finance submitted a report that sought the adoption of a temporary Retail, Leisure & Hospitality Rates Relief Scheme relating to Business Rates, which has been introduced by Wesh Government for the financial year 2024/2025.

Resolved that:

1)             The details of the Scheme set out in the report be noted.

2)             The Rate Relief Scheme outlined in the report be adopted for 2024/2025.

The Local Authority Governors Appointment Group submitted a report, which sought approval of the nominations submitted to fill Local Authority (LA) Governor vacancies on School Governing Bodies.

Resolved that:

1)             The following nominations recommended by the Director of Education in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Education & Learning be approved:

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Performance submitted a report that outlined the corporate performance for Quarter 3 2023/2024.

Resolved that:

1)             The Council’s performance achieving the Council’s wellbeing objectives in Quarter 3 2023/2024 be noted.

2)             The use of this information to inform executive decisions on resource allocation and, where relevant, corrective actions to manage and improve performance and efficiency in delivering national and local priorities be endorsed.

The Cabinet Member for Service Transformation submitted a report that provided details of the Disabled Facilities & Improvement Grant Programme and sought approval to include schemes in the 2024/2025 Capital Programme. To provide details of the Housing with Care Fund (HCF) allocation to the Council’s Disabled Facilities Grant Programme for 2023/2024 retrospectively and 2024/2025 programme. 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 Disabled Facilities and Improvement Grant Programme as detailed, including its financial implications, and includes the Programme in the 2024/25 capital budget be approved.

2)             The Housing with Care Fund (HCF) allocation of £465,840 is provided to the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme, split into an allocation of £232,920 in 2023/24 to be approved retrospectively given the late award of the funding and £232,920 in 2024/2025.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure submitted a report which sought to confirm the Capital Work Programme for highway infrastructure assets.

Resolved that:

1)             The proposed indicative allocations, together with the Financial Implications set out in Appendix A of the report, be approved and included in the Capital Programme.

2)             Authority be delegated to the Head of Service for Highways and Transportation with the agreement of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure to prioritise, finalise and allocate funding to the appropriate schemes in line with the prioritisation approach detailed in the report.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Learning submitted a report which sought to comply with Financial Procedure Rule 7 “Capital Programming and Appraisals” to commit and authorise schemes in the Capital programme.

Resolved that:

1)             The capital scheme for £3,257,071, for new dining facilities to support the Universal Free School Meals programme together with an all-weather pitch and community facilities for Townhill Community Primary School be approved, subject to Welsh Government approval to slip the allocated grant funding of £500k into the next financial year.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance submitted a report which sought permission to negotiate a future sale for a sum likely to be in excess of delegated authority limits.

Resolved that:

1)             Permission be granted to proceed with negotiations and possible option agreements with the interested parties and, ultimately to enter a contract or contracts of sale at “Market Value” Such sum(s), likely to be in excess of delegated authority limits.

2)             Authority be delegated to the Head of Property Services in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance, the Chief Legal Officer and Director of Finance to conduct and conclude any negotiations for the disposal/s and to enter into any relevant documentation to protect the Council’s interests.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Learning submitted a report which sought approval to undertake a public consultation on the draft Accessibility Strategy for Schools 2024-2027. The Strategy sets out the Education Directorate’s plans for progressively increasing the accessibility of the local authority’s schools to disabled learners.

Resolved that:

1)             A consultation is undertaken to collect the views of stakeholders on the draft Accessibility Strategy to ensure that disabled pupils have increased accessibility to all maintained schools in Swansea.

2)             Following the consultation, a further report will be prepared for Council with the results of the consultation, and a final version of the Strategy to be adopted.

The Cabinet Member for Culture, Equalities and Human Rights submitted a report which confirmed the success of funding applications for the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and sought retrospective Cabinet approval for the applications made, which was inhibited at the time for reasons set out below.

Resolved that:

1)             The opportunity provided to the service to access time restricted external funding for the Glynn Vivian, by invitation from the Imperial War Museum and Arts Council Wales (Welsh Government) be noted.

2)             Formal approval be approved, retrospectively, to the response by way of application, in order to access the funding.

3)             The contractual terms of the grants and their uses, which will increase the reach and impact of the Gallery in Swansea, Wales and internationally as outlined in Paragraphs 1.1 and 1.2 of the report be approved.

Call In Procedure - Urgency: This decision is exempt from the Authority’s Call In Procedure as “either the Head of Paid Service, the Section 151 Officer or the Monitoring Officer certifies that any delay likely to be caused by the Call In Procedure could seriously prejudice the Council or the Public Interest including failure to comply with Statutory requirements”.

The Cabinet Member for Economy, Finance and Strategy submitted a report which sought approval to extend the current management arrangements for Wales National Pool Swansea between the Council, Swansea University and Wales National Pool Swansea. To comply with Financial Procedure Rule 5 to seek approval to continue with the current funding arrangements for a further two years.

Resolved that:

1)             The original management arrangements for the Wales National Pool Swansea and associated sporting facilities were formally extended for a period of three months from 24 December 2023 to 31 March 2024 and retrospectively approved that extension.

2)             The extension of the management arrangements for up to a further period of two years from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026 and approves the financial implications as set out in Paragraph 4 of the report be approved.

3)             Delegated authority be granted to the Head of Property Services in conjunction with the Chief Legal Officer to approve and enter into any legal documents required to achieve the extension and protect the Council’s interests.