Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest received.

There were no declarations of interest received.

·        28 November 2024

·        9 January 2025

·        13 January 2025

The minutes of the meetings held on 28 November 2024, 9 January 2025 and 13 January 2025 were approved as true and accurate records.

The minutes of the meetings held on 28 November 2024, 9 January 2025 and 13 January 2025 were approved as true and accurate records.

·        There are no Cabinet Forward Work Programme items to be considered.

There were no items for consideration from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.

There were no items for consideration from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.

·        There are no items to consider from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme

There were no items for consideration from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme.

There were no items for consideration from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme.

Members considered the Performance Monitoring items as listed on the agenda.

Members considered the Performance Monitoring items as listed on the agenda.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report.

Members considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack.

The Director of Strategy and Corporate Services outlined that the Strategy and Corporate Services directorate, which includes digital services, legal and democratic services, organisational development, and people management, is essential for the overall delivery of the Authority's Corporate Plan. The director advised that without these enabling services, along with the finance team, the other directors would not be able to deliver their services to the residents of Port Talbot.

In November, Heads of Service presented their service business plans for 2024-2025, outlining their goals for the current financial year. A half-year report was presented in November, providing an update on performance. The document presented for members to consider was the quarter 3 update on performance, aligned with those service business plans.

Members referred to the breakdown of accidents and incidents, with 654 reportable accidents and 46 lost time accidents in the third quarter. Members raised concerns about the high number of lost time accidents and requested a breakdown of the causes. The Head of Service provided detailed statistics, noting that the majority of accidents and incidents are related to service users. For example, 21 incidents involved challenging behaviour from service users, 10 occurred during control and restraint, 173 were physical assaults by service users, and 13 were verbal abuse. Other accidents included slip trips or falls, and employees being hit by moving, flying, or falling objects. Officers emphasised the importance of restraint training and noted that the majority of accidents and incidents occur in social services or education, particularly in Hillside Secure Home. She suggested that an annual health and safety report would provide a more comprehensive analysis of the data for members to consider in the future.

Members inquired about the Magic Notes transcription pilot being  implemented in social services. The Head of Service outlined that the pilot, which began in September/October last year, focused on transcribing in-person conversations in adult social care. The technology has saved social workers an average of 25 minutes per assessment and reduced admin time by 7.5 hours per week. The accuracy of the transcription was over 97%, and 100% of users found it beneficial. It was noted that the technology is being deployed more broadly within social services.

Members asked for the numbers of employees leaving the council, as percentages alone are difficult to interpret. Officers agreed to provide the numbers in future reports.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report.

Members considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack.

The strategy focuses on increasing the number of Welsh speakers, increasing the use of Welsh and creating favourable conditions for the language. The report highlighted improvements in visibility and use of Welsh within the Council and communities.

The report highlighted several improvements, including the inclusion of Welsh in induction slides and bilingual communications from the Chief Executive and the Directors. These changes aim to increase the visibility and use of Welsh within the Council. Members were further advised that a full-time staff member was employed in September to drive the Welsh language and equalities agenda, and this has led to noticeable benefits and progress in promoting the Welsh language.

Members emphasised the importance of long-term interventions and a broader spread of Welsh language cultural activities, beyond one-off events, ensuring sustained engagement and visibility of the Welsh language. Members suggested that there needs to be a broader promotion of the Welsh language across the County Borough and that it should not be concentrated to Pontardawe Arts Centre. Officers advised that further reports would reflect all events held across the county in relation to Welsh language.

Members enquired about the consideration of the Welsh language needs in the development of the RLDP. Officers outlined that there is an ongoing Welsh language impact assessment, and this identifies the language sensitive areas. Members were advised that an email outlining further information from the relevant officer would be circulated for information.

Some members expressed their concern about the cost of promoting the Welsh language. Members advised that they incur costs for translation services, but officers are currently exploring ways to reduce these costs, including the use of artificial intelligence for translation.

Following scrutiny, members noted the report.

·        Cabinet Forward Work Programme

·        Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme

Members noted the Forward Work 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 were no urgent items.

There were no urgent items.