Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

There were no disclosures of Personal and Prejudicial Interests.

None.

To receive the minutes of the previous meeting(s) and agree as an accurate record.

Minutes were agreed subject to two changes relating to attendees initials.

Questions can be submitted in writing to Scrutiny scrutiny@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 with in a 10 minute period.

There were no public questions received.

Cllr David Hopkins- Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Performance

Carol Morgan – Head of Housing and Public Health

Cllr David Hopkins, Carol Morgan, Tom Price and Jon Roberts attended to give an overview of the Councils response to the report.

·       The report sets out four recommendations for Welsh Government and four recommendations for Local Authorities.

·       Building inspectors will be expected to undertake registration and competency requirements via a Competency Assessment Scheme. Council inspectors are currently undertaking exams to meet this requirement. Staff retention and succession will be important for the future.

·       Financial management is under discussion with plans to put future profit towards an earmarked reserve.

·       Opportunities to strengthen resilience through collaboration and regionalisation will be explored with meetings planned with Local Authority Building Control Cymru and Welsh Government.

·       Auditors were satisfied with the way the Council is setting its fees which are in line with regulations.

·       Building control work in partnership with the planning department however this will increase when introducing the three gateway phases given in the report.

·       The building control annual report will now be brought to this Panel in future.

Cllr David Hopkins - Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance                                                                                                

Richard Rowlands – Strategic Delivery & Performance Manager

Cllr David Hopkins and Richard Rowlands attended to give an overview of this review.

·       The purpose of this review is to check the Councils wellbeing objectives remain fit for purpose This is carried out by looking for any changes to the evidence base used to determine the objectives.

·       The review concluded that no changes to the objectives was needed, and so the Council's well-being objectives remain unchanged for the next financial year.

Cllr David Hopkins - Cabinet Member for Corporate Services & Performance

Richard Rowlands – Strategic Delivery & Performance Manager

Cllr David Hopkins and Richard Rowlands presented the report. It was   noted that:

·       Overall performance is good with some challenges, particularly on workforce and social care.

·       The newer report format aims to bring together the qualitative and the quantitative data in a more rounded way and incudes corporate safeguarding risks.

·       Corporate risks show the inherent risk score which before control measures are applied and the residual risk score is once the control measures have been applied.

·       The cost of living crisis inherent risk is the same as the residual risk showing that control measures are not able to lower the risk.

·       The Council are working in partnership with Pobl and Welsh Government on an additional 60 plus units of temporary accommodation with further information on this in the near future.

The work plan was noted.