Agenda and minutes
Venue: Council Chamber - Guildhall, Swansea. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services - 636824
No. | Item | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Disclosures of Personal and Prejudicial Interests. Minutes: The Chief Legal Officer gave advice regarding the potential personal
and prejudicial interests that Councillors and / Officers may have on the
agenda. The Head of Democratic Services reminded Councillors and Officers that
the “Disclosures of Personal and Prejudicial Interests” sheet should only
be completed if the Councillor / Officer actually had an interest to declare.
Nil returns were not required. Councillors and Officers were also informed that
any declarable interest must be made orally and in writing on the sheet. In accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct adopted by
the City and County of Swansea the following interests were declared: 1)
Councillor T J
Hennegan declared a Personal Interest in Minute 72 “Updated Welsh Housing
Quality Standard Compliance Policy”; 2)
Councillors P M
Black, J E Burtonshaw, A M Day, C R Doyle, M Durke, C R Evans, V M Evans, W
Evans, E W Fitzgerald, S J Gallagher, L S Gibbard, F M Gordon, K M Griffiths, T
J Hennegan, C A Holley, P R Hood-Williams, B Hopkins, D H Hopkins, O G James, L
James, J W Jones, L R Jones, M H Jones, P K Jones, S M Jones, E J King, M A
Langstone, A S Lewis, M B Lewis, R D Lewis, W G Lewis, C E Lloyd, P Lloyd, P M
Matthews, P N May, D Phillips, C L Philpott, S Pritchard, A Pugh, J A Raynor, C
Richards, B J Rowlands, M Sherwood, P B Smith, R V Smith, A H Stevens, R C
Stewart, D G Sullivan, M Sykes, D W W Thomas, L G
Thomas, M Thomas, W G Thomas, L J Tyler-Lloyd, L V Walton & T M White
declared a Personal Interest in Minute 74 “Local Democracy & Boundary
Commission for Wales’ Review of Electoral Arrangements for the City and County
of Swansea”. Officers 1)
The Head of Democratic Services, H G Evans declared a Personal & Prejudicial Interest in
Minute 75 “Appointment of ‘Standing’ Deputy Returning Officer and Deputy
Electoral Registration Officer” and withdrew from the meeting prior to its
discussion. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
To approve & sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record. Minutes: Resolved that the following Minutes be approved and
signed as a correct record: 1)
Ordinary Meeting of Council held on 29
August 2019 subject to the following amendment in relation to Minute 59 “Notice
of Motion – Prorogation of Parliament”: The
note at the top of Page 7 has a typographical error. Delete the word “withdrawn” and replace with
“withdrew”. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Written Responses to Questions asked at the Last Ordinary Meeting of Council. PDF 205 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chief Legal Officer
submitted an information report setting out the written responses to questions
asked at the last Ordinary Meeting of Council. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcements of the Presiding Member. Minutes: 1)
Condolences a)
Honorary Alderman Byron G Owen – Condolences The Presiding Member referred with sadness to the
recent death of Honorary Alderman Byron G Owen.
Byron was a former Councillor, Cabinet Member and former Lord
Mayor. He served the Mynyddbach and Penderry communities for nearly 36 years and
was Lord Mayor of the City of Swansea for the 1991-1992 Municipal Year. His periods of service being: Ø Swansea City Council 10
May 1973 to 5 May 1976; Ø Swansea City Council 3
May 1979 to 31 March 1996; Ø City & County of
Swansea 4 May 1995 to 10 June 2004; Ø City & County of
Swansea 1 May 2008 to 18 March 2016. b)
Former Councillor John B Hague – Condolences The Presiding Member referred with sadness to the
recent death of Former Councillor John B Hague.
John was a former Councillor, Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader of the
Council, serving the Bôn-y-maen
community for nearly 16 years. His
period of service being: Ø City & County of
Swansea 6 June 1996 to 3 May 2012. c)
Former Lady Mayoress Elaine Francis-Davies – Condolences The Presiding Member referred with sadness to the
recent death of Former Lady Mayoress Elaine Francis-Davies. Elaine was Lady Mayoress in 2001-2002 and was
the ex-wife of Councillor Robert Francis-Davies. d)
Josh Gardener The Presiding Member referred with sadness to the
recent death of Josh Gardener, a firefighter with the Mid & West Wales Fire
and Rescue Service who died during a
training exercise when two boats collided in the Cleddau
Estuary, Pembrokeshire, on 17 September 2019. All present stood
as a mark of sympathy and respect. 2)
Filming, Recording and
Photography at Council Meetings Under the Authority’s “Filming, Recording and Photography at Council
Meetings” Policy (adopted on 24 November 2011), the Presiding Member stated
that he had allowed a film crew from Amazon News Media to film the Council
Meeting. 3)
Local Authority Pension Fund (LAPF) Investment Awards
2019 The
Presiding Member stated that City and County of Swansea Pension Fund had won
the Best Approach to Sustainable Investing Award at the recent LAPF Investment
Awards 2019. The
LAPF Investments Awards were established in 2015 in order to celebrate
outstanding achievement in the Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS). Over the years, an award from LAPF
Investments Awards has come to be recognised as mark of excellence in the field
of pension provision in the LGPS. He
congratulated Councillor C E Lloyd, Jeff Dong, Karen Cobb, the Pension Team and
the Authority’s Advisors, Hymans Robertson, particularly William Marshall for
their work. 4)
NHS Wales Awards 2019 The
Presiding Member stated that Swansea Bay's Primary Care Children and Families'
Wellbeing Team won the Improving Health and Wellbeing category of the NHS Wales
Awards 2019. The partnership with
Swansea Bay University Health Board and Swansea Council was recognised for
their work to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences in the Penderi
ward, which takes in some of the most deprived areas of the city. The
NHS Wales Awards are a national showcase for excellence and celebrate good
practice in delivering improved, high quality patient care across Wales. The Awards were launched in 2008 to celebrate
the 60th anniversary of the NHS.
The NHS Wales Awards are open to Teams and Organisations, with the aim
of uncovering, acknowledging and celebrating good practice that has helped to
transform patient care. He
congratulated all involved. 5)
The Great British High Street Awards 2019 Swansea High Street takes visitors right into the heart of
the City. Swansea High Street is taking major
steps forward to regenerate and future proof the High Street for years to
come. Following a £25 million investment
Swansea’s Urban Village will expand the High Street with new shops, businesses
and homes. As part of the Urban Village,
Swansea Tech provides space for 20 digital start-ups and employs over 300
people. Plans are also in place to build
two new student blocks to house more than 1,300 students. The weekly car boot sale along with the
theatre, and gallery attract a wide range of people to the High Street. Great
customer service is a hallmark of the high street with four businesses
achieving Swansea BID’s Extra Mile award. The
Presiding Member stated that he was delighted to announce that following a
visit of the judges last week, Swansea High Street is now in the final of the
Great British High Street Awards 2019.
Follow the link if you wish to vote for Swansea High Street https://thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/high-street-of-the-year-awards/champion-finalist-swansea 6)
Ironman
Cymru 2019 – Huw Evans, Head of Democratic Services The
Presiding Member congratulated Huw Evans, Head of Democratic Services for completing
Ironman Cymru in Tenby, Pembrokeshire on 15 September 2019. Huw swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles and then
ran a full marathon of 26.2 miles all within 14 hours, 22 minutes and 5
seconds. The
Leader of the Council and Councillors applauded Huw’s achievement. 7)
Corrections / Amendments to the Council Summons Item
11 “Local Democracy & Boundary Commission for Wales’ Review of Electoral
Arrangements for the City and County of Swansea” The
Presiding Member referred to Page 73, Table 2 stating that the line relating to
“Dunvant and South Killay” contained a typographical error. Column two related to the Local Democracy and
Boundary Commission for Wales’ “Welsh Proposed” name for Dunvant and South
Killay. The printed entry states
“Dyfnant a De Cilâ” which is what the report suggests however it should read “Dynfant a De
Cilâ” as that is what the Local Democracy & Boundary Commission for
Wales (LDBCW) suggested. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcements of the Leader of the Council. Minutes: 1)
Acquisition of the Palace Theatre, High Street,
Swansea The Leader of the Council referred to the recent Cabinet resolution to acquire the Palace Theatre, Swansea. He stated that it was a Grade II listed building, recognisable for its distinctive wedge shape. It is Wales' oldest surviving theatre. The Palace Theatre would be subject to a full refurbishment and be used as a place of work. He thanked Paul Relf and
Councillor Robert Francis-Davies for their hard work in the acquisition. 2)
Amendments to Cabinet
Portfolios The Leader of the Council stated that he had
made amendments to the Cabinet Portfolios which would take effect from 1
October 2019. A sheet outlining the
changes was circulated and the new Portfolios would be placed within the
Council Constitution. The
changes see Councillor C E Lloyd stepping down as Deputy Leader of the Council
for personal reasons. This is a
temporary arrangement until further notice.
Councillors D H Hopkins and A S Lewis take on the Deputy Leader of the
Council role on a Joint Interim basis. Councillors
D H Hopkins, C E Lloyd and A S Lewis also had their Cabinet Portfolio titles
changed and some Cabinet Portfolio Responsibilities were shifted between these
3 Councillors with some additional ones added. The
table sets out the Cabinet Portfolios and relevant Councillors as of 1 October
2019:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Public Questions. 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. Minutes: A
number of questions were asked by members of the public. The relevant Cabinet Member(s) responded. Those
questions requiring written responses are listed below: a)
Sue Lyle asked the following question relating to
Minute 72 “Updated Welsh Housing Quality Standard Compliance Policy”: “Considering housing consumes 30% of all
fossil-fuel energy and that every fact we have about the climate point to the
urgency of action, when will all houses in the public sector be retrofitted to
reduce carbon emissions which will also help combat fuel poverty and boost the
green economy?” The Homes & Energy Cabinet Member stated that a
written response would be provided. b)
Peter Anderson asked
the following question relating to Minute 78 “Amendments to the Constitution”: “In light of Climate
Change now being included under the remit of the Equalities & Future
Generations Policy Development Committee, can someone explain - what are the
Council's top priorities for tackling climate change to meet the needs of
future generations and what plans are being made to implement them?” The Leader of the Council stated that a written
response would be provided. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Presentation - None. Minutes: A Presentation was not received. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Updated Welsh Housing Quality Standard Compliance Policy. PDF 309 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Homes & Energy Cabinet Member submitted a report which sought to
update the existing Welsh Housing Quality Compliance Policy, which was
initially approved by Council in 2016. Resolved that the report be endorsed. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Progress Towards Meeting the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. PDF 403 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Homes & Energy Cabinet Member submitted an information only
report which provided a progress update on achieving the Welsh Housing Quality
Standard on Council owned properties up to 31 March 2019. Note: Councillor P M Black referred to Paragraph
5.8 of the report and asked for a breakdown of the reasons for the 4,734
Properties within an Acceptable Fail in relation to Energy Rating. The Homes & Energy Cabinet Member stated that a written response
would be provided. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Minutes: The Returning Officer and Head of Democratic Services
submitted a joint report, which provided a response to the Local Democracy and
Boundary Commission for Wales’ Draft Proposals in relation to their Review of
the Electoral Arrangements for the City and County of Swansea. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the report had
been considered by the Constitution Working Group on 4 September 2019. That Group recommended that Council approve
the report for submission as part of the consultation period. The Group also instructed the Head of Democratic Services to
ensure that all Electoral Wards and Community Wards have a Welsh Language or
Bilingual name. The proposed names and
requests for proposed names were outlined in Appendices B and C of the report. Resolved that: 1)
The response to the Draft Proposals as detailed
in Paragraph 5 of the report be approved and forwarded to the Local Democracy
and Boundary Commission for Wales; 2) The Welsh Language Electoral Ward names as suggested by this Authority and set out in Appendix B of the report be recommended to the Welsh Language Commissioner to be placed on the “Standardisation of Welsh Place Names list”; 3) The Welsh Language Commissioner be asked to reconsider the use of “Dynfant” as the Welsh form of “Dunvant” so that “Dyfnant” becomes the formal standardised name; 4) The Welsh Language Community Ward names as suggested by this Authority and set out in Appendix C of the report be recommended to the Welsh Language Commissioner to be placed on the “Standardisation of Welsh Place Names list”; 5)
The Welsh Language Commissioner be asked to
consider suitable Welsh Language or Bilingual Community Ward names for those
Community Wards as outlined in Appendix
C of the report. Note: Councillor J W Jones asked that it be noted that whilst be supported
the majority of the report he did not support, the recommendations in relation
to Dunvant and Killay South. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Minutes: The Returning Officer submitted a report which sought to appoint the
Head of Democratic Services, Huw Evans as the ‘Standing’ Deputy Returning
Officer (DRO) in line with good practice and to also appoint him as the Deputy
Electoral Registration Officer (DERO). Resolved that: 1)
The
Head of Democratic Services, Huw Evans be appointed as the ‘Standing’ Deputy
Returning Officer to exercise all Returning Officer functions currently
exercisable by the Chief Executive; 2)
The
Head of Democratic Services, Huw Evans be appointed as the Deputy Electoral
Registration Officer to exercise all Electoral Registration functions currently
exercisable by the Chief Executive; 3)
Any
consequential changes to the Council Constitution be carried out. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Swansea Bay City Region – Amendments to Joint Committee Agreement. PDF 155 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Leader of the Council submitted a report to approve the amendments to
the Swansea Bay City Region Joint Committee Agreement. Resolved that: 1)
The amendments
to the Swansea Bay City Region Joint Committee Agreement as attached at
Appendix B of the report be endorsed; 2)
The Chief
Legal Officer / Monitoring Officer be endorsed to enter into a deed of
variation to effect the changes to the Joint Committee Agreement and to grant
delegated authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of
the Council to make any minor amendments to the Agreement as are required
between the Partner Authorities. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Treasury Management Annual Report 2018/19. PDF 623 KB Minutes: The Section 151 Officer submitted an
information report which detailed the Council’s Treasury Management activities
during 2018-2019 and compared actual performance against the strategy laid down
at the start of the year. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendments to the Constitution. PDF 222 KB Minutes: The
Presiding Member, Monitoring Officer and Head of Democratic Services jointly
submitted a report seeking to amend in order to simplify, improve and / or add
to the Council Constitution in relation to the following areas: a)
Part 3 “Responsibility for Functions” - “Policy Development Committees
(PDCs) - Terms of Reference”. Resolved that: 1)
The sixth Term of Reference be amended to read as follows: “vi) To
develop Council Corporate Priorities in relation to Equalities & Future
Generations, including Climate Change.” |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Membership of Committees. PDF 117 KB Minutes: The Business
Transformation & Performance Cabinet Member submitted a report which sought
Council approval to the nominations / amendments to the membership of Council
Bodies. He referred to the report
stating that the Leader of the Council had also made changes to the Authority’s
Outside Bodies as outlined below: 1)
Swansea Bay Community Health Council Remove
Councillors H M Morris & M Sykes. Add
Councillors V M Evans & P B Smith. Resolved that the membership of the Council Bodies
listed below be amended as follows: 1)
Equalities &
Future Generations Policy Development Committee Remove Conservative Vacancy. Add Councillor D W Helliwell. 2)
Planning Committee Remove Councillor S M Jones. Add Councillor M H Jones. 3)
Poverty Reduction
Policy Development Committee Remove Councillors D W Helliwell & L R Jones. Add Conservative Vacancies. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Councillors' Questions. PDF 529 KB Minutes: 1)
Part A “Supplementary
Questions” Eleven (11) Part A
‘Supplementary Questions’ were submitted.
The relevant Cabinet Member(s) responded by way of written answers
contained in the Council Summons. Those supplementary question(s)
required a written response are listed below: Question 3 Councillor E W Fitzgerald
asked the relevant Cabinet Member: “Are you aware of the concerns relating to the International Commission
on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the concerns relating to the
fact that it is they that provide the guidance?” The Environment &
Infrastructure Management Cabinet Member stated that a written response would
be provided. 2)
Part B ‘Questions not
requiring Supplementary Questions’ Five (5) Part B ‘Questions
not requiring Supplementary Questions’ were submitted. |