Venue: Multi-Location Meeting - Council Chamber, Port Talbot & Microsoft Teams. View directions
Contact: Alison Thomas Email: a.thomas6@npt.gov.uk
No. | Item |
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Chair's Announcements Decision: The
Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Minutes: The
Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. |
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Declarations of Interest Decision: There
were no declarations of interest received. Minutes: There
were no declarations of interest received. |
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To consider items from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme Decision: Members
considered the items selected from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme. Minutes: Members
considered the items selected from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme. |
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Contract Procedure Rules Additional documents:
Decision: Following
scrutiny, the recommendation was supported to Cabinet. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. The
documents governs the arrangements for how the Council will enter into contracts.
The Procurement Act 2023 will come into force at the end of February, which
will set out the legislative process, following the UK’s departure from the EU.
The purpose of the rules is to provide transparency with regards to how the
Council undertakes its business and contracts. The document provided is the
baseline document which will form part of the Council’s Constitution. Officers
will be provided with training to ensure that they understand the key changes of
the new requirements. There will also be easy read documents produced for
members of the public to understand the new requirements. Members
queried if the new legislation allowed for conditions to be input which can
ensure that any contracts that are entered into, the authority must consider using
local businesses, as opposed to nationally driven contracts? Officers
reinforced that procurement rules are dictated by legislation and there are
general principles embedded including non-discrimination and transparency.
Equal opportunity must be given to anyone within the country to be able to bid for
a contact. However,
the authority will try and ensure that there are no barriers to prevent anyone
from being able to participate in the bid for a contract. The Procurement
Strategy sets out NPT first, and this requires officers to make sure that, when
designing tenders, local organisations are given the opportunities to bid on
the same level as other organisations. The Procurement Strategy embeds the
social value in procurement. This includes a key duration in tender and
contract which encourages suppliers to deliver community benefits, engage with
local business and create local jobs. Officers must consider the wider social,
economic and environmental benefits of a contract. Officers
outlined that larger contracts are split into smaller contracts to make sure
that local businesses who may be able to deliver one particular aspect can do so,
as opposed to one organisation having the monopoly of work. Engagement work is
also undertaken with local suppliers, including meet the buyer events. There is
also advertising undertaken locally for tenders. Officers stressed the community
wealth elements as an important integral part of procurement activity. Following
scrutiny, the recommendation was supported to Cabinet. |
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Complaints and Compliments Annual Report 2023/2024 Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. Officers
outlined the content of the report. Members
noted that it was difficult to leave a compliment via the website. You have to
actively search how to leave a compliment, yet it is easier to leave a
complaint. Members asked that the website be improved so that how to leave a
compliment is as visible as how to make a complaint. Officers
noted that there is a significant amount of work being undertaken to the
corporate website. There is also a residents online account being set up which will
enable residents to interact with the authority. The reformed pages will also
allow ease of access to submit general enquiries, compliments and complaints. Officers
confirmed that that was a piece of work being undertaken so that there is
consistency across the directorates with regards to how stage 1 and stage 2
complaints are dealt with and how data is captured. There should be a report in
early February with regards to this and possible recommendation to strength and
improve this. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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Self-Assessment 2023/2024 Additional documents:
Decision: Following
scrutiny, the recommendation was supported to Cabinet. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. Officers
provided a brief summary of the report and outlined that it is a statutory document
that must be published by the authority. Members
noted that some of the suggestions and comments made on this document
previously had been taken on board and incorporated into the document. Following
scrutiny, the recommendation was supported to Cabinet. |
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To consider items from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme · No scrutiny committee
forward work programme items to be considered. Decision: There
were no items from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme to consider. Minutes: There
were no items from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme to consider. |
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Performance Monitoring Decision: Members
considered the performance monitoring items. Minutes: Members
considered the performance monitoring items. |
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Capital Budget Monitoring 2024-25 Additional documents: Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. Members
queried some of information pertaining to the underspend outlined in the education
budgets. Members specifically referred to the capital maintenance budget and
universal free school meals. Officers
advised that with regards to capital maintenance, most of the work will take
place during the school summer holidays as it relates to refurbishment,
building work and electrical work. With reference to the support learners with
additional learners needs, this was a late grant offer and work will commence
in September-December period. In relation to the community focused schools,
there are four projects which are due to commence in early Autumn. Officers
confirmed with regards to capital grants, when they are received, they have to
go through a tendering process, designs have to be drawn up and this is also
usually subject to planning. It takes time to ensure that this process is
followed as required. Members
considered the shared prosperity fund and queried if the timescales to spend
the funding were going to be met. Officers confirmed that the vast majority of
funding is on target to be spent in line with the timescales. Members
were advised that the funding programme is headed into a transition year. This
means that the old funding programme is coming to an end, therefore funding
which was made available to organisations up until March 2025, if not spent
before then, will need to be returned to UK Government. However, officers
confirmed that NPT are on target to spend funding allocated to them. Members
queried that the ‘direct food support’ fund was. Officers confirmed that this
is the successor of what was previously the ‘food poverty grant.’ The grant is
available for provisions such as the foodbank, to apply for capital equipment. Officers
confirmed that the racetrack at Cwrt Herbert is the athletics track. Members
queried why there appears to be no funding allocated for the clearance of the
demolition of Dyfed Road. Officers confirmed that a budget was allocated in
2023/24 which is when the main demolition happened. There was some residual
expenditure in 2024/25 for which there was no budget. Officers
advised that with regards to Milland Road car park, the authority does lease
the car park and under the terms and conditions of the lease the authority has
responsibility for the repair and
maintenance of the site, including the retaining walls. Members
queried the budget outlined for 6 Station Road renovation works. While the
budget remains unspent, the project is marked as complete. Officers confirmed
that currently the building remains unoccupied. The work required on the
building is quite extensive and currently exceeds the amount of funding
available. However it has been placed on a list of priority buildings, that
should Welsh Government make more capital funding available, the building is identified
as a priority. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024-25 Additional documents: Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. Members
queried how officers were monitoring the unachieved in year projected savings
within the various departments. Officers confirmed that there are monthly
meetings with the various service managers to consider their budgets an
determine what they are doing in relation to income and savings delivered to
date and where they consider their budgets are likely to be at the end of the
year. Whilst it is acknowledged that this can be subjective, it is accepted
that this the red, amber, green assessments are the best view in terms of
whether the savings are deliverable moving forward. When considering budget
planning for the forthcoming year, the recurring pressures are then given
consideration as to whether they need to be considered as base budget pressures
or if its merely a timing issue. Members
queried why inflation had not been awarded within the 24/25 budget. Officers
confirmed that no inflation was awarded for the supplies and services budget.
Therefore, any department which had a supplies and services budget were advised
that they had to deliver within their respective cash budgets. However, what
had not been pre-empted was that particular areas would rise at over 3%, for
example highways maintenance. This meant that the budget was put under greater
pressure and resulted in an in-year over spend. Moving forward, officers are
considering a service specific approach to ensure that inflation is allocated
accordingly across the various services. Members
queried the overspend on the home to school transport budget and queried
whether there was an ability to rectify this overspend in-year. Members were
advised that the in-year target savings of £250,000 was supposed to be achieved
through retendering of a batch of home to school transport routes in September.
However, following the retendering process the savings did not accrue and the
routes came out more expensive. Some of the cost increase was offset by route
rationalisation, however the overall position reflected an overspend of
£659,000. A meeting has been held with the consultants who have indicated that
if the retendering process is carried out again next year, they are confident
that they should be able to deliver the £350,000 overspend, plus the £500,000
that in the medium-term financial plan. There is also further work going on
within the service area to try and reduce transport costs. Members outlined
their concern with regards to the contract and the fact that savings have not
yet materialised. Officers confirmed that the work that is being carried out by
NPT officers, is complimentary to the external consultants. Officers confirmed
that there is a multiservice input to manage this project. Officers suggested
that a member seminar on this item may be useful to members to understand the
contract and the service areas involved in this project. Members suggested that
a joint scrutiny meeting needs to be called to consider this item in further
detail. Members noted the school deficits that are coming forward and queried the reality of the recovery ... view the full minutes text for item 5b |
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Treasury Management Monitoring 2024-25 Additional documents: Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. There
were no questions. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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Treasury Management Mid-Year Review Additional documents: Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. There
were no questions. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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To resolve to exercise the powers 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 by Council May 2015 Decision: Resolved: To exercise the powers 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 by
Council May 2015 Minutes: Resolved: To exercise the powers 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 by
Council May 2015 |
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Public Services Board - update Additional documents:
Decision: Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. Minutes: Members
considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. The
Public Service Board Well-Being Plan was published in 2023 and is in place for five year period. The report presented is a six month
highlight report, which will be used to inform the annual report. Member
asked if the report takes into account the number of
exclusions of young people in schools. Members were advised that the pupils
that are excluded both fixed term and permanent are monitoring. No primary
pupils have been permanently excluded in this current academic year. Following
scrutiny, the report was noted. |
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Selection of items for future scrutiny · Cabinet Forward Work
Programme (to follow) · Scrutiny Committee Forward
Work Programme Additional documents: Decision: The
Forward Work Programme was noted. Minutes: Members
were informed that the Public Participation Strategy had been withdrawn as an
individual report from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme, and would be incorporated
as part of the Self-Assessment and Corporate Plan. The
Director advised that he made the decision to incorporate the strategy into the
other documents. The Public Participation Strategy sets out a
number of requirements to promote local democracy and encourage and enable
local people to participate in the decision-making process. It does not require
a specific report in terms of setting out the participation strategy
but it can be reports within the annual self-assessment report. The
Forward Work Programme was noted. |
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Urgent Items Any
urgent items at the discretion of the Chairperson pursuant to Section
100BA(6)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). Decision: There
were no urgent items. Minutes: There
were no urgent items. |