Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Port Talbot Civic Centre. View directions

Items
No. Item

1.

Response from the Chair of the Public Services Board pdf icon 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.

2.

To receive a presentation from the Lead Officers on Wellbeing Objective 2 - Building Safe and Resilient Communities pdf icon PDF 66 KB

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.

3.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 64 KB

Minutes:

That the Minutes of the previous meeting, held on 31 July, 2019, be approved.

 

4.

Forward Work Programme 19/20 pdf icon PDF 73 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme 2019/20.