Issue - meetings

The report was noted.

Oonagh Gavin manager of the Homes as power stations project. Gave members a short presentation on the report provided.

Members asked if as well as the flats on Aberavon Sea front, has the HAPS team made any houses?

Officers advised that there's lots of activity happening across the region and on a regular basis they do a collation of the numbers of houses. Members were informed that there are HAPS houses already existing across all of the four local authority areas.

Members stated that it was good to see the HAPS initiative being so positive and having so many outcomes already.

Members enquired if the £3.7 million in funding that has been allocated, used and developed.  Members asked if the officers are now looking at drawing further money in from the shared prosperity fund and if the HAPS project is just continuing to grow.

Members also noted that the report stated 1804 jobs were created and asked for an outline where those jobs are.

Officers were also asked if any work is being done around rainwater recovery systems and is it being included into any HAPS properties.

Officers clarified that the 1800 jobs are the project target and that hasn’t been reached yet. It is part of the tracking exercise that will be ongoing as the project develops. Officers explained that it is early days with the collation of that data but officers hope within the next few months that they will have more detail on that.

Members were informed that the project was awarded the funding late last year and some of those contracts for the build of the houses or the retrofit of the houses are going through the contracting stage, but officers advised that is creating jobs.

Members asked if the city deal funding has all been allocated already? Officers explained that it had not. Officers referred to the supply chain Development Fund and that they are working on the scope and exercise of that and explained that the project has £7 million at its disposal.

Officers also stated that from the financial incentives fund, they have allocated £3.7 million of the total amount that they have which is £5.75 million.

Members noted that the report says that officers are yet to publish a full list of schemes because there might be legal matters going on in the background and members asked when they were likely to see a full list of schemes.

Members noted that ten jobs created already and that from February the investment has gone up by about £15 million in the last few months, but the number of jobs hasn't, members hoped they would come online shortly.

Officers reiterated that it would take a bit of time to collect the jobs data and advised that since March where officers set out where they were with the legal documentation, things have progressed and they will be able to publicise the schemes in the next few weeks.

Members asked about the Duracell batteries mentioned in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7