Venue: Council Chamber - Port Talbot Civic Centre. View directions
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Response from the Chair of the Public Services Board PDF 61 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The
Chair of the Public Services Board (PSB) requested to delay reporting progress
on Well-being Objective 4 - Well-being in the Workplace, as the lead officer
had retired earlier this year and successor arrangements had not yet been made.
An update would be arranged for the Committee in late autumn 2019. Members
had queried why a first class digital and transport infrastructure, was not
currently a priority of the PSB even though this had been included in the
vision of the Public Services Board. The Chair of the PSB explained that the
vision was intended to cover a 30 year time period. The current well-being objectives covered an
initial 5 year period and did not directly involve transport. However,
transport infrastructure was currently being addressed in other forums, such as
the Swansea Bay City Region. It
was emphasised that although there was great sympathy for members of the public
who were finding it hard to access public transport, the responsibility lay with
bus operators. It was noted that bus routes were ‘data driven’, and that if
there were not enough passengers on a route then changes would be made. An
All Member Seminar was scheduled for the end of November, to which the Managing
Director of First Cymru Buses had been invited. All
Members were encouraged to attend. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: This
item was scrutinised in conjunction with item 7 on the Cabinet agenda –
Building Safe and Resilient Communities Grant Funding report. Following
scrutiny of the Public Services Board Annual Report 2018/19 on 10 July 2019,
Cabinet Scrutiny Committee exercised their powers as set out in Section 35 of
the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (being the designated
overview and scrutiny committee for this purpose, as approved at Council in May
2015), and invited the lead officers on Objective 2 – Building Safe and
Resilient Communities to provide more in depth information to the committee. The
Director of Social Services, Health and Housing and the Director of NPTCVS gave
members a presentation on the Building Safe and Resilient Communities programme,
including the areas of the County Borough chosen to pilot the project, the
basic strategic plan framework and the governance structure. Members
drew officer’s attention to the report and explained that Cwmllynfell
was in the upper Swansea Valley not the upper Amman Valley. Members
noted that the starting point, outcomes, objectives and key performance
indicators (KPIs) for the Building Safe and Resilient Communities project, or
the precise purpose of funding had not yet been identified, and would depend on
suggestions and involvement from local community groups. Members
were concerned that the operation of the grant pot of funding provided for the
Briton Ferry and Melin areas of the programme had
been started prematurely. Officers explained that this funding would be
administered by NPTCVS by means of the ‘innovate and create’ grant scheme as
part of the Regional Partnership Board Transformation Fund arrangements. The
proposed allocation of funding from Council resources to support similar work
in the other pilot area would follow similar criteria but the governance of
that fund would need to reflect the fact that it is Council and not Welsh
Government funding. The criteria for applications to both funds was discussed,
in particular the need for sustainability going forward. Members
were pleased that both urban and rural areas had been chosen for the pilot, and
felt this would be useful for comparison purposes. Members queried how officers
would be able to tell whether a difference had been made or not. Officers
explained that in addition to first-hand accounts from local residents, there
would be a formal evaluation structure drawn up by Swansea University and its
partners. Members
requested further clarity on the evaluation structure/framework, as well as the
KPIs which would be used. Officers assured Members that as soon as the
evaluation structure had been written it would be brought back before the
Committee. Officers
explained that people were strengths within communities, as well as services
and buildings in those areas. The Committee emphasised the need for elected Members to be viewed as
key community assets. It was noted that timescales for the project were difficult to anticipate, but officers envisioned the pilot schemes taking a couple of years to establish and to ensure the programme was working, before any sort of roll out would begin. ... view the full minutes text for item 2. |
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting PDF 64 KB Minutes: That
the Minutes of the previous meeting, held on 31 July, 2019, be approved. |
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Forward Work Programme 19/20 PDF 73 KB Minutes: The
Committee noted the Forward Work Programme 2019/20. |