Venue: Committee Room 5, Guildhall, Swansea. View directions
Contact: Scrutiny 636292
Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests.
Minutes:
|
2. |
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:
|
3. |
Notes and Conveners Letter PDF 120 KB
To approve & sign the Notes of the previous meeting(s)
as a correct record.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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4. |
Working with Nature - Statutory Member Q&A
·
Martyn Evans - Head of Operations South West
Wales
Minutes:
All statutory members are asked to respond to the following
questions in a roundtable discussion;
- Do you believe the
well-being plan reflects where the board decided partnership action was
needed?
- Do you believe the plan has
objectives which maximise the advantage of partnership working?
- Are there objectives
missing or objectives which should not be included?
- Are the objectives
ambitious enough or too ambitious in relation to improving the well-being
of people and place?
- What timeframes and
processes need to be in place to allow for effective reviewing of actions?
- Are you concerned about
the clarity of who exactly will be expected to deliver the actions leading
to the achievement of an objective?
- Are there areas of work which
have been identified where you feel collective action is not beneficial?
If so, what are they?
- Is there anything else you
would like to add or any area of work within PSB which you feel could
benefit from the contribution of scrutiny?
- Yes it has sufficient
content to steer action. The driver diagram sets out the four things
needed to achieve wellbeing by working with nature: managing the
environment, ensuring biodiversity, reducing our carbon footprint and
increasing knowledge & understanding to underpin action, including
community awareness. We’ve added a
fifth Objective since. ‘Sharing for Swansea’ to maximise benefits. We’ve
really taken this to heart in Working with Nature eg
by treating public land as one public sector.
- The Swansea PSB has legitimised
/ elevated the profile and status of Green Infrastructure with its ABMU,
Council and NRW must work in partnership on green infrastructure
- The objectives set in the
PSB WB Plan can only be delivered in partnership. They don’t
necessarily require the PSB to be there and we haven’t included any of our
respective organisations’ ‘day job’ eg improving
water quality – they’re all things above and beyond what we all do
separately but haven’t achieved to date.
- No missing objectives at
this point. The existing ones, if we are to implement them meaningfully
are plenty to be getting on with. Involving the private sector more,
circular economies etc
- Need better linkage with
WG regen and economy on the ‘Working with nature theme.’
- PSB aligns the work of all
public bodies, NRW strategy regarding resilience beckons other public
bodies to join together and add value
- Social and economic
outcomes can only be achieved if ecosystems are resilient – they underpin
everything
- Focus on getting momentum
on Working with Nature but need to listen to what each other are doing
- Nothing is missing and
Early Years and the preventative work is very encouraging e.g. NRW can
contribute to education – immediate outcomes are not achievable,
sustainability needs continuity
- The objectives are
ambitious and if achieved the outcomes will be enormous
- Positive that people care
about the environment (Penllergaer trees) but
the sanctions need to be severe – the legislation is strong and need to
ensure people are held to account
- Enforcement powers of
Council and NRW need to be combined
- The drivers are for
everyone to achieve
- The significance of what
we are trying to do means success won’t occur overnight – example of
Scandinavian countries given as good example. We do need however to check
we are going in the right direction. The PSB Research Group did try to
construct a monitoring review but the PSB didn’t think it was appropriate.
This will be picked up in the review of the PSB’s governance.
- We have to report annually
as a PSB to WG of steps we’ve taken to deliver.
- Future Generations
Commissioner and Scrutiny are holding people to account
- There are no areas where
collective action is not beneficial but there is a risk of no
accountability
- This (are you clear about
responsibilities?) is a really good one and often overlooked. We’re clear
about what NRW is doing on ‘Working with Nature’ but less clear is how we
contribute to other objectives – we’re not the only statutory member to
struggle with this as it’s new territory for all
of us. Eg AQ, community flooding, health
outcomes, rec & access offer.
- The objective leads have
not to date met regularly to compare notes, challenge one another and
check progress/ensure no overlaps, add value. We recognised this at a
recent PSB meeting and will begin to do this now we have work under our
belts.
- It’s only by communicating
and building these new relationships that these new opportunities and
contributions can be identified. Eg tacking
wildfires
·
Our renewed focus on governance will ensure
better joining up and commissioning/ attendance at other groups. We will be
asking work area leads direct to report on their work instead of reporting
through a co-ordinator.
- Need communication outside
of PSB, profile of PSB not high enough, too formal and not inclusive of
the public for meaningful involvement
- Should look at Circular
economies e.g. waste produced which doesn’t have an end – Wales is a
hotspot for waste crime but we do have a strong waste team in West Wales
|
5. |
Working with Nature - Objective Lead Update on Action Plan
·
Max Stokes - Senior Natural Resources Planning
Officer
Minutes:
- NRW has contributed to
lots of environmental data (especially at the Well Being Assessment
stage), consultation and held workshops
- Want to get profile of
environment up the agenda
- Green infrastructure
really important in Swansea both in rural and urban environments (scored
highly in Assessment consultation responses)
- Improving knowledge and
understanding is a real collaborative effort
- Multi PSB green
infrastructure project currently being undertaken – benefits to mental and
physical health with green infrastructure
- If you don’t live within 5
minutes of a green space the likelihood of accessing one drops hugely
- Currently creating a tool
to recognise what a ‘good’ green space is
- Initiatives where trees
are being planted as a result of PSB work
- The Well-being plan is a
strategic document for the whole area not just PSB
- Some grant bids being
approved as a result of PSB
- Climate change awareness
resources being developed
- Area statements will
improve opportunities and actions for people in those areas linking to
ecosystem services
- 6 Wales area statements
plus a marine one due to be published Dec 2019 – Apr 2020. Trying to
engage people now to get them right
- Needs to achieve
streamline and synergy, all about relationships which could be monitored
by scrutiny
|
6. |
Governance Update PDF 170 KB
·
Suzy Richards - Sustainable Policy Officer
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- The PSB’s purpose to
improve well-being in Swansea by contributing to the national goals
- 3 key phases – Year 1
assessment, Year 2 Well-being Plan, Year 3 Delivery ongoing PSB is about
way of working and prioritising
- New Chair appointed
October 2018 Andrew Davies ABMU
- Restrictive way of working
e.g. agendas can be restraining
- The Local Well-being
Objectives and steps underpinning them are what are legally bound to be
delivered
- Split into short, medium
and long term objectives
- Relationships have
improved between organisations – Working With
Nature came directly from consultation and Human Rights Cities was
developed by the PSB.
- Public relations addressed
as ‘poor’ and need to be dealt with via the governance review
- There is no budget for
communications
- Need mechanisms in place
to capture the added value – assessed under collaboration activity rather
than outcome
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7. |
Work Plan 2018/2019 PDF 62 KB
Minutes:
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|
Letter to Chair of Public Services Board PDF 264 KB
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