Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

The Chair noted that the Members of the Scrutiny Committee had agreed to scrutinise the following item 4a, 6a from the Cabinet Forward work Programme.

The Chair noted that the Members of the Scrutiny Committee had agreed to scrutinise the following item 4a, 6a from the Cabinet Forward work Programme.

Cllr T. Bowen declared a personal interest in Item 4A Corporate Plan Annual Report. His wife works in Gnoll Country Park.

Cllr T. Bowen declared a personal interest in Item 4A Corporate Plan Annual Report. His wife works in Gnoll Country Park.

For the Committee to approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meetings held on 19/07/24 and 20/09/24.

The minutes of the meetings held on 19/07/24 and 20/09/24 were approved as an accurate record of proceedings.

The minutes of the meetings held on 19/07/24 and 20/09/24 were approved as an accurate record of proceedings.

Members considered item 4a from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.

Members considered item 4a from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report

Louise McAndrew Corporate Strategic Planning and Governance Officer informed members that it is a reflective document covering the period 2023/24 and was prepared as part of the council’s duty to report on the corporate plan. This report is based on the 2022/27 version of the corporate plan.

Members highlighted the following measures before asking questions on them.

• Flood and Pollution Mitigation Measures: Aim 12 shows as amber, indicating work with partners to develop these measures is ongoing but not yet complete.
• Regeneration and Economic Development Team Capacity: Well-being Objective 4, Aim 11, shows as red, highlighting the need to increase capacity within the team to better position the council for funding opportunities.
• Aim 19 is red, which involves assessing the impact of changes to the Council's operating model and proposing the repurposing of assets versus surplus requirements.

Members requested more information on the targets, the reasons for missing them, and current actions being taken. They noted the lack of this information in the report. Additionally, they observed that the three mentioned objectives are missing from the new six-monthly report, despite not being achieved.

Simon Brennan, Head of Property and Regeneration, acknowledged the difficulty of increasing capacity within the current budgets. He explained that officers will discuss this issue with the new Chief Executive in the coming weeks.

Members were advised that the council has utilised the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) to add staff members to the business team and these additions are helping with business support, particularly regarding SPF grants and managing the implications of the Tata Steel situation on the supply chain.

In terms of the regeneration team, officers haven't had any further resources yet.

Officers have been working on a long-term program for the past 15-20 years to divest buildings that are not needed or suitable for service delivery. This includes rearranging service delivery methods. The council has reduced its portfolio from approximately 1500 units, selling about a third of the sites or handing back leases over the last 15 years.

Members were informed that the council's property portfolio is currently quite lean. When a property becomes available, it is circulated among directorates, including education and social services, to check for internal needs. This process can sometimes take longer than desired. Once a decision is made, the property is either leased out or sold. While some buildings may not have significant value, divesting them reduces the council's liabilities.

Cllr. Jeremy Hurley the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Economic Growth mentioned that the Business Support team, did excellent work. However, the uncertainty over future SPF funding makes it hard to sustain the team, with some transferred over to assist with Tata. He explained that there is also concern that if SPF funding is rerouted through the Welsh Government, the authority might receive less due to top slicing.

The Cabinet member felt that there is an uncertainty of how to move forward, but the Industrial Alliance group's continuous lobbying of the UK Government has brought some more clarity. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

For the Committee to receive the Forward Work Programme of the Environment, Regeneration & Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Committee for 2024-25.

There were no items selected from the Scrutiny Forward Work Programme.

There were no items selected from the Scrutiny Forward Work Programme.

Members considered performance monitoring item 6A.

Members considered performance monitoring item 6A.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report

Officers gave members a brief overview of the report and explained that it meets the council’s duty to report on the progress of the corporate plan. Members were reminded that the Council adopted an updated corporate plan for 2024-27, which reflects 9 strategic transformation programmes.

Members were informed that going forward updates will be presented to members on a quarterly basis and officers will make it more succinct due to the length of the report. Officers acknowledged that there is more work to be done on the targets and presentation of the information to make sure it is clear.

Members noted that on page 23 of the report it highlights that funding for the Welsh Coastal Path Maintenance Grant has been received by the council and asked what figure that was.

Members also asked why that money hasn’t been spent on the 2 closed off sections of the Welsh Coastal Path recently at Margam and in Baglan. Members felt it would be more benefit to fix the coastal path rather than use the money on a link to the coastal path when the coastal path doesn't really exist.

Members also raised that on page 32 of the report on energy saving, you know there are some quite staggering sums there that schools have saved by checking their meters and by looking at the money they spend on energy.

Officers were asked, given the large amounts of savings, has this instigated a route and branch review of all school metering and billing at schools in the county borough?

Simon Brennan reported significant progress in recent years regarding school energy management. The energy team has identified discrepancies in billing and metering, which required intensive resource allocation to thoroughly review. Some schools have multiple energy supplies due to historical developments, and unknown supplies have also been discovered.

The work with schools has two main strands:

Energy Efficiency: General improvements and the initiation of the Sparks programme.

Technical Work: Detailed analysis by the energy team to ensure maximum efficiency, including exploring renewable energy options to reduce bills.

Ceri Morris Head of Planning and Public Protection clarified the maintenance of footpath 119, noting it is a relatively low-cost issue. They acknowledged the substantial costs associated with the closure of parts of the Wales Coast Path, particularly around the Quays area, which require significant capital investment due to tidal undermining.

They explained that the maintenance grant for footpath 119 is not suitable for these more substantial works. However, identifying it as part of the Wales Coast Path allows access to the Wales Coast Path maintenance budget, resulting in cost savings by not using the wider public rights of way maintenance budget, which has been reduced over time.

Officers will confirm the actual figure related to this issue after the meeting.

Members were concerned that the council are able to help other paths like the public rights of way by taking money from the Welsh Coastal Path. Members felt that the authority don’t want to be bottom  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

·       Cabinet Forward Work Programme

·       Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme

Members agreed to add the following item to the Forward Work Programme and add an additional Scrutiny meeting to scrutinise it on the 4th April 2025:

·       Highways and Engineering Works Programme.

Members noted the Forward Work Programme.

Members agreed to add the following item to the Forward Work Program and add an additional Scrutiny meeting to scrutinise it on the 4th April 2025:

·       Highways and Engineering Works Programme.

Members noted the Forward Work Programme.

Any urgent items at the discretion of the Chairperson pursuant to Section 100BA(6)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

There was none.

There was none.