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: -

Councillor A S Lewis – Minute No.25 – Innovative Housing Programme – To Support the Delivery of 2000 New Affordable Homes in Wales – Cabinet Member lead on Colliers Way and Parc Yr Helyg sites – personal.

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

Resolved that the Minutes of the External Funding Panel held on 4 October 2017 be signed and approved as a correct record.

The More Homes Development Manager presented a report that provided details of the Bid for Welsh Government Innovative Housing Programme – to support the delivery of 20,000 new affordable homes in Wales.

Resolved that:

1)            The Phase 1 bid is approved retrospectively;

2)            The submission of a second funding bid for Phase 2 by the Welsh Government deadline is approved.

The Partnerships & Commissioning Officer presented a report which sought decisions upon applications to a one-off round of funding of the Swansea Compact Fund 2018/19.

It was proposed that the three services previously procured through the Change Fund by means of a contract, be rolled over for 6 months to allow for continuity whilst the commissioning process was progressed.  The three current procured services were Swansea Council for Voluntary Services, Swansea Citizens Advice Bureau and Swansea Environmental Forum.

It was added that the remaining funding had been launched as an open funding round called the Compact Fund.  All applicants had to link their applications, projects or core services directly to the Council Corporate Plan, explaining how they contributed to one of the five priorities.

Councillors requested that additional information be provided in respect of each applicant for Compact Funding

Resolved that:

1)            Contract agreements are extended for 6 months of 2018/19 to the three existing organisations previously in receipt of a three year SLA;

2)            The applications for Compact Funding are deferred to the next scheduled Panel meeting on Wednesday, 10 January 2018, in order for additional supporting information on each applicant to be provided.

The Panel was requested to exclude the public from the meeting during the consideration of the item of business identified in the recommendations to the report on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in the exclusion paragraph of 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, relevant to the item of business as set out in the report.

The Panel considered the Public Interest Test in deciding to exclude the public from the meeting for the item of business where the Public Interest Test was relevant, as set out in the report.

It was Resolved that the public be excluded for the following item of business.

(Closed Session)

The External Funding Manager presented a report to provide an update on planned European and other External funding applications and provided performance updates on projects previously approved by the Panel.

Resolved that: -

1)    The updates on projects outlined in Sections 2 to 5 of the report, alongside detailed project performance information within the monthly monitoring report is noted.

2)    The extension of the existing Workways+ Project to December 2022 is approved;

3)    The submission of a Business Plan to WEFO to seek ESF funding to deliver the Swansea Working: Workways+ Short Term Unemployed project is approved;

4)    Any additional VVP grant made available by Welsh Government to supplement the existing Property Enhancement Development Fund and Homes Above Shops schemes is approved.