Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Rooms A/B - Neath Civic Centre. View directions

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

The following Members made declarations of interest at the commencement of the meeting:

 

Councillor S.Rahaman         Re Third Sector Grant Funding – Award of Grants for Financial Year 2020/21, as he is he is a local authority representative and Secretary/Trustee of NPT BME Community Association.

 

Councillor S.Reynolds          Re Third Sector Grant Funding – Award of Grants for Financial Year 2020/21, as she is a trustee/current acting manager of Canolfan Maerdy. As her interest was prejudicial she withdrew from the room during the discussion and voting thereon.

 

2.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 65 KB

Minutes:

That the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 30 October, 2019, be approved.

 

3.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny

Minutes:

The committee scrutinised the following cabinet items:

 

Officer Indemnity

 

Officers explained the current arrangements concerning staff and assets, during the transfer period of the Material Recovery and Energy Centre (MREC) which was being brought in house to be Council run. Discussion also took place around the directorship of Coed D’arcy Ltd, and the plans for the future.

 

Following scrutiny, the committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by cabinet.

 

Third Sector Grant Funding – Award of Grants for Financial Year 2020/21

 

(At this point in the meeting, Councillor S.Reynolds reaffirmed her interests and withdrew from the meeting during the discussion and voting thereon.)

 

Members queried page 56 of the circulated report regarding financial support to the Black Minority Ethnic Community Association. It was noted that as the organisation had not been awarded charitable status in 2019, the money given in this period would be carried over and used in 2020/21.

 

Members noted that the monitoring arrangements fitted logically within budget timescales. The half yearly monitoring reports were needed by partners and would provide certainty and clarity and would inform this scrutiny committee.

 

The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 was discussed, and members requested that an update report be brought to a future meeting detailing the financial support that was provided under this legislation.

 

Following scrutiny, the committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by cabinet.

 

(Councillor S.Reynolds re-joined the meeting)

 

Quarter 2 Key Performance Indicators

 

The circulated report was discussed, and it was noted that the number of days lost to sickness included, in part, work related stress. Staff within the Council had been reduced by over 30 per cent in the last 10 years, so work load was increasing.

 

With regards violence against women, current legislation was not in line with increasing demand for services, which had led to a lack of investment. Relationship counselling was part of certain lessons within schools, but it was emphasised that teachers already had a high workload and were over worked, without being identified as solutions for solving this issue.

 

Problems with staff retention and employment of Welsh speakers was highlighted as a cause of the high average time to answer telephone calls in English and Welsh. This was being addressed by the employment of four modern apprentices.

 

Following scrutiny, the report was noted.

4.

Forward Work Programme 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Minutes:

The committee noted the Forward Work Programme for 2019/20.