Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

 

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City & County of Swansea, no interests were declared.

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

Resolved that the Minutes of the Economy & Infrastructure Service Transformation Committee held on 16 January 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The Head of Property Services presented a ‘for information’ report which sought to advise on the improvements to the Council’s Public Toilet provision.

 

It was reported that the Council has 23 standalone public toilet units, as well those that are available for public use within its buildings and day to day management is undertaken by the Cleansing Team within Cultural Services.

 

The strategic development of Public Toilet provision, in Swansea, was set out in Swansea’s Public Toilet Strategy. The most recent version was approved by Cabinet, in March 2023.

 

The strategy’s governance was overseen by a Working Group made up of Swansea Council officers; the work of this group was informed by a wider Stakeholder Group, made up of representatives of different bodies representing the people of Swansea.

 

Since 2021, Swansea Council has spent almost £1 million on improvements to its stock of public toilets and the general improvements were identified through condition surveys that were carried out on all sites, in 2020-21.

 

The works have varied by location but have included retiling, roof repairs, drainage, the installation the introduction of sensor lights.

 

At present, Corporate Building Services were completing a full retile of the toilets in Singleton Park to coincide with other improvement works that are taking place to enhance the park as an event location.

 

The improvements to the toilet stock have gone hand-in-hand with improvements in their cleansing regime. This has been delivered through the improved training of operatives and an investment in the frequency of cleansing visits, to match the times of year when they are most used.

 

The remodelling of Rhossili’s public toilets was in response to the level of demand identified at a key visitor location which often resulted in queues extending up towards the hotel.

 

The Council is now in the process of transferring the responsibility for these toilets over to the National Trust who manage both the car park and the area surrounding the toilets. This will produce future savings in maintenance and cleansing.

 

The installation of the Changing Place units, in Knab Rock and Rhossili, was driven by the Public Toilet Strategy’s priority to “Focus on identifying and improving areas where there are people disadvantaged by the lack of toilet provision.”

 

The improvements have been funded through the combining of revenue budget allocations within Corporate Building Services and Parks & Cleansing.

 

The installation of the Changing Places and the remodelling of Rhossili’s toilets were also supported by successful grant applications for Visit Wales Brilliant Basics funding, totalling £276,000.

 

In 2025-26, the allocated maintenance budget is £130,000.

 

Committee questioning and discussion focussed on:

 

·       Transfer of the management of toilets at Rhossili to the National Trust – the Officer stated that negotiations were progressing and it was the intention to finalise arrangements as soon as possible.

·       Budget – the Officer confirmed that the budget was part of the core budget.

·       Consultation Period – the Officer stated that he would report back to the Committee regarding timelines.

·       Public Toilet Strategy Action Plan (March 2023 – March 2025) – the Officer confirmed that he would report back to the Committee regarding timelines.

·       Incentives for transferring the management of toilets at Southgate – the Officer stated that whilst he was uncertain on the nature of the leasehold, there was an element of additional land with the proviso that the toilet are maintained.

·       Radar Key – Members noted that Radar keys are widely available.

·       Membership of Quarterly Meetings – the Officer confirmed that the Cabinet Member was a regular attended of the quarterly meetings.

 

The Chair thanked the Head of Property Services for his informative report.

 

The Placemaking and Strategic Planning Manager presented a ‘for information’ report which sought to inform Members of progress on LDP2 and the next steps in the process, including a comprehensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement process to be undertaken in accordance with statutory requirements.

 

The Placemaking and Strategic Planning Manager provided a presentation and comprehensive overview of the following areas:

 

·       LDP2 Council Resolutions.

·       What is a Pre-Deposit Plan?

·       Supporting Documents.

·       Consultation.

·       Economy & Infrastructure Key Themes.

·       Next Steps.

·       Virtual Consultation.

 

Committee questioning and discussion focussed on consultation and the Officer stated the variety of different forms of consultation available.  It was noted that there was also a cross party member engagement group.

 

The Chair referred to the importance of the references to economy and transformation and Tourism, leisure and culture within the Plan.

 

The Chair thanked the Placemaking and Strategic Planning Manager for his informative presentation.

 

The Chair presented the Committee Work Plan 2024/25.

 

Resolved that the items for discussion at the meeting on 10 April 2025 include:

 

1)         Review of Swansea Bay Strategy.

2)         Tawe Riverside Strategy Update (including Musgrave)

3)         Annual Report 2024-2025.