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RESOLVED – That the public be excluded from the meeting at this point during consideration of this item as the Committee discussed exempt information of the description contained in paragraph 14 of Part 4 and paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Action 1972. The public may be excluded from the meeting by resolution of the Committee pursuant to Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 during discussion of this item. Audit Wales Recommendations Update Members received a presentation after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members asked if they were getting the right information and the complete update as the presentation did not seem to fulfil the recommendation requirements. Officers explained that this was an overview, and that full and complete information will be provided to a future Committee meeting. Members noted that the presentation included figures from six months ago and asked if there were updated figures to share with the Committee. Officers explained that there were no updated figures as yet, they will report back to Committee as soon as they can. Members were disappointed that the presentation did not address the progress on all Audit Wales recommendations and were assured that a full report on the options appraisals would be brough back to Committee. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
RESOLVED: to note the report.
Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Thomson and Zack Hellard.
None received, however Cllr Jackie Jones wished to state that her son had used Into Work services.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the public be excluded from the meeting at this point during consideration of this item as the Committee discussed exempt information of the description contained in paragraph 14 of Part 4 and paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Action 1972. The public may be excluded from the meeting by resolution of the Committee pursuant to Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 during discussion of this item. Audit Wales Recommendations Update Members received a presentation after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members asked if they were getting the right information and the complete update as the presentation did not seem to fulfil the recommendation requirements. Officers explained that this was an overview, and that full and complete information will be provided to a future Committee meeting. Members noted that the presentation included figures from six months ago and asked if there were updated figures to share with the Committee. Officers explained that there were no updated figures as yet, they will report back to Committee as soon as they can. Members were disappointed that the presentation did not address the progress on all Audit Wales recommendations and were assured that a full report on the options appraisals would be brough back to Committee. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were advised that this item had two elements: to scrutinise progress in delivering the leisure centre management partnership between the Council and GLL, and to scrutinise progress in addressing relevant recommendations from Audit Wales’s follow up report on Leisure Services in Cardiff. Accordingly, the item would be taken in 2 parts, with a presentation for each of these parts. Members were reminded that Appendix A (the presentation for Part A) contained confidential slides and were asked not to refer to these in open session. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Cllr Burke – Cabinet Member, Chris Hadfield – Operational Manager – Culture and Venues, Sarah Stork – Client Manager, Jon Maidment – Head of Parks & Harbour Authority, Jason Curtis – Head of Service and National Membership Manager and Joanne Smith – Leisure Centre Manager. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. GLL Leisure Centre Management Partnership Delivery Update Members noted that the presentation had referenced that GLL has customers and community at the heart of its operations. Members referred to Pentwyn Leisure Centre and the issues that the residents of Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn had had in recent years regarding the pool. Members asked what GLL would do to give something back to the community and make them feel part of, or at the heart of the decisions made. Members also asked for clarification on the pool plans. Members were advised that Pentwyn Leisure Centre, which was partially open now, would be fully open from June 2024 for dryside activites . There will be a full range of open days to encourage customers back to the leisure centre. There was planned consultation on the leisure programme and feedback from the community on this would develop the programme. Regarding the pool, Members were advised that GLL believed they would be the provider, there was no intention of a third party running it. With regards to the pool design, Members were advised that there has been ongoing discussion with Swim Wales who have been engaged throughout the process on design/costs etc. Members made a plea to GLL representatives to fully involve the community, including giving them plenty of notice, using various forms of media and communications in order to gain meaningful feedback. This was noted and Members were invited to provide contacts in the community if they wished. Members asked about the timeline for the pool opening and were advised that the pool should be open by June 2025. Members were pleased to hear that the pool would also be used as a therapy pool. Members asked for more information on GLL and were advised that they are a not-for-profit social enterprise. Member asked if GLL were involved in the running of Cardiff’s International Pool and were advised that it was not part of their portfolio. Members were saddened to hear the statistic that 50% of school age children in Cardiff cannot swim and asked if there was more capacity in pools during the school day and if more could be done with schools to encourage swimming as part of the PE curriculum. Members were pleased to hear of the work between GLL, Cardiff Council, Swim Wales, Cardiff Met and other providers to address this. Members also noted the importance of education around water safety in addition to learning to swim. Members referred to the GLL booking website and considered that it was difficult to navigate and more complicated than it needed to be to find out information such as opening times, prices, and swimming lesson information. Members were advised that the website is currently under review, they are aware of the improvements that are needed, and it will be upgraded. Members referred to Penylan Community Centre and the recent change in use from a sports hall to soft play, meaning that the classes held there previously, which Members understood were often over-subscribed, are now held at other venues further away. Members asked what consultation took place with the community on this change of use. Members were advised that the change of use was part of the transformation plan and there needed to be changes made to the service model. It was noted that any change and displacement of classes is likely to lead to disappointment, but Members were advised that the classes were not fully used, GLL have tried to offer classes as near by as possible and that they have only received 15-20 letters of complaint about the change, which is minimal compared to the larger numbers of people who are using the new soft play facility. Regarding consultation, Members were advised that there was none undertaken, there were no other options available and GLL had a plan and timescale that they needed to stick to, to make the business plan work. It was explained that the change should ensure that the facility is sustainable, it will be a different demographic using it, but the numbers will increase. Members asked for information on the usage of previous classes and GLL agreed to provide a full breakdown of use and also anticipated future use. Members asked about the market research that was undertaken before making the decision on the change of use, how the change of use was communicated to service users and what engagement there was with ward Members. Members were advised that GLL had reviewed other soft play facilities, undertaken an internal review, and looked at the external market and income potential. Regarding communications, the General Manager had been sent to talk to people, there were very tight deadlines, and the decision was made quickly in order to meet the small window of opportunity for installation in this financial year. There was no local ward member engagement/consultation, and this was due to the timescales, but it was noted that going forward this would be done before decisions are made and communication with the local community would also be improved. Members asked for more information on the Men and Boys only swimming sessions and were advised that this was fairly new and currently held at the Star Hub, further information could be provided in the coming months. Members noted that the statistics in the presentation indicated that approximately 13% of GLL members are BAME, while the 2021 Census shows that around 21% of Cardiff's population are BAME. This suggests lower uptake of GLL services from BAME communities. GLL representatives offered to provide a more detailed breakdown of BAME membership and usage, overlaying it with the 2021 Census information. Members noted the partnership with the NHS and asked if this arrangement could be enhanced. It was explained that the partnership is growing by the month, they have recently had some NHS funding which they have used for coaching. It was also explained that one of the biggest wins for GLL was that people who wouldn’t have used a leisure centre otherwise, attend an NHS programme and once complete they continue to use the centre. Members highlighted the campaign called ‘Boys Need Bins’ which calls for sanitary bins in male changing rooms. GLL representatives said they would be pleased to support the campaign. RESOLVED – That the public be excluded from the meeting at this point during consideration of this item as the Committee discussed exempt information of the description contained in paragraph 14 of Part 4 and paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Action 1972. The public may be excluded from the meeting by resolution of the Committee pursuant to Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 during discussion of this item. Audit Wales Recommendations Update Members received a presentation after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members asked if they were getting the right information and the complete update as the presentation did not seem to fulfil the recommendation requirements. Officers explained that this was an overview, and that full and complete information will be provided to a future Committee meeting. Members noted that the presentation included figures from six months ago and asked if there were updated figures to share with the Committee. Officers explained that there were no updated figures as yet, they will report back to Committee as soon as they can. Members were disappointed that the presentation did not address the progress on all Audit Wales recommendations and were assured that a full report on the options appraisals would be brough back to Committee. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
The Chairperson advised Members that this item formed the first part of Committee’s short scrutiny on Employment Services. Members have the opportunity to explore the overall landscape for Employment Services in Cardiff and scrutinise three main areas that contribute towards meeting Corporate Plan commitments and the Race Equality Task Force recommendations, namely, Cardiff Commitment, Employment Services, and the Corporate Apprenticeship & Trainee Programme. Members were advised that they would receive a presentation from officers providing some contextual information and providing an update on progress in meeting the Corporate Plan commitments for Cardiff Commitment and Into Work services. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Cllr Bradbury – Cabinet Member – Tackling Poverty and Supporting Young People, Hayley Beynon – Operational Manager – Advice, Khalid Osman – Into Work Manager, Tracey Thomas – Chief Officer – HR, Ken Poole- Head of Economic Development and Vicky Poole – Acting Cardiff Commitment Partnership Manager. Cardiff Commitment The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation on Cardiff Commitment from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members asked about the rationale behind the small increase in KPI target given that the previous targets had been easily achieved. The Cabinet Member explained that there was so much uncertainty regarding the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) that he considered it would be irresponsible to put a stretched target if there was no guaranteed funding on the ground. He considered it was a responsible target given the situation with grant funding and the 2/3-year grant cycle. Members asked about aspirations and what more could be done. Officers stated that they take a tailored approach, responding to needs across the city. There had been a positive response from the private sector, and they would explore how they could take this further, utilising Corporate Social Responsibility. Officers added that there are 98 primary schools and 18/19 secondary schools in Cardiff, so the ambition is to support them all and make sure what they are doing is working, then expand. Asking about those children who are not in formal education, Members were advised that Officers work with Youth Support Services and they take a more targeted approach, they will continue to do this in partnership. The Cabinet Member added that they work across directorates and Cabinet portfolios, which is vital. Members heard that Cardiff Commitment’s biggest strength is community, working from primary schools upwards, exposing talent in communities to businesses and combining skills into the employment pathway. A discussion took place around Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the motion passed at Council in March 2023. Members referred to CEDAW noting it was about mainstreaming and having a lens on intersectionality for girls/women. The Cabinet Member agreed and noted that there is an increase in girls moving out of education and training, so this will be a focus moving forward. He stated that this is ingrained in what the Council is doing, particularly in Hubs/Safe Spaces etc. which were part of Cllr Thorne’s portfolio. Officers added that they work closely with the Child Friendly City team, there is a real focus on schools, and they have been asked to support girls with STEM subjects and Computer Science. Members heard about an event that had been held in conjunction with Microsoft and key employers on International Women’s Day. Members asked if the Equality Impact Assessments would be coming to scrutiny. The Cabinet Member explained they were not part of the agenda pack, the Head of Democratic Services was working on sharing them on SharePoint, an update would be provided in the May Committee meeting. Members asked if there was an interface with employability and the Welsh Baccalaureate. Officers explained that the Cardiff Commitment Curriculum Scheme look at this area. Employment Services Members received a presentation after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members asked what cross-portfolio work was being undertaken to address issues that overlap such as homelessness/young people with disabilities. The Cabinet Member explained that services are taken to the people that need them, where they need them. Officers gave the example of going into supported accommodation settings to provide advice and support, putting on sessions such as cooking on a budget, numeracy, how to build flat pack furniture etc. Officers emphasised that when people come in or when Officers go to them, they usually need more than one service so cross directorate/portfolio working goes on all the time. Members referred to the Youth Mentoring Team and asked if this pre-dated the Welsh Government pilot. Officers advised that it did and there were updates taking place currently. Members referred to neurodiversity and asked if it was possible to widen the scope to recognise wider neurodiversities, as per the Motion that was passed at Council last month, to support employers and third sector partners to help, even if its signposting from the Council initially. The Cabinet Member agreed and said it was already on the radar. Members noted the KPI on the percentage of Black/Minority Ethnic people had no target. The Cabinet Member explained that it is a new target, from the Race Equality Task Force and Corporate Plan, and that they would work with the Race Equality Task Force to set an agreed target. Members considered that the Gateway statistics were impressive, there has been a significant increase in ethnic minority employees, that coincides with the anonymised applications process. Members considered it would be helpful to get other employers to use the same process. Officers agreed and said it was a sad positive move forward, they are going to be pushing it further and speaking to other employers to do so too. Members discussed the construction academy and the Indoor Arena development. Officers explained that they are looking to develop social value commitments, there is a Social Value Officer, and this is a key commitment of the Race Equality Task Force, and would apply to other major projects sites as well, such as the International Sports Village (ISV). Members discussed women over 50, who may have given up work to raise their children, and now want to get back into the employment market. Officers explained that they do try to develop skill sets, look at what transferrable skills people have and how these can be used for sustainable employment opportunities. Officers added it was important to change mindsets and boost confidence too. Members were pleased to hear that over the last year, economic activity has improved and considered this was positive news. Corporate Apprenticeship & Trainee Programme Members asked how the Apprenticeship & Trainee Programme links to the Into Work Service. Officers advised that they are corporate schemes which are ringfenced for people who live/study in Cardiff and they link with into Work Services through advertising the positions. Members discussed monitoring the success and drop out rates of the programme. Officers advised that monitoring is done, however Exit interviews could not be mandated. The drop out rate is low; this could be attributed to the fact that Cardiff Council are a real living wage employer, and also the career pathways that are available within the Council. Members referred to disaggregated statistics in different categories and Officers advised that trainees are Council employees and therefore all the required data is held. Officers added that compared to organisation as a whole, the number of trainees/apprenticeships from BAME communities is higher; this could be attributed to the engagement undertaken with local schools, particularly in the Southern arc of the city. Members referred to working with Trade Unions as employers. Officers explained that they have a very good relationship with the Trade Unions, both internally in the Council and as employers. Members asked where the programmes are advertised and were advised that they are on the Council Jobs website, they also work with Careers Wales and Cardiff Commitment. Officers added that the programme is open to all age groups. Members discussed neurodiversity and Officers informed Members that there was a Neurodiversity Steering Group, help and support is available in completing application forms, a mentor can be provided and there is the link with Into Work Services. Members stressed it was important to note that some people do not realise they are neurodiverse. The Cabinet Member emphasised that he will reflect on how best to adapt policies to reflect the needs of those with neurodiverse traits. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: to note the report.
Members were provided with an update on correspondence sent and received from the Committee. Members were advised that most responses have been received, there were two outstanding, one of which was outside of the timescales and would be chased up. RESOLVED: to note the report.
None received.
Tuesday 14 May 2024 at 4.30pm.
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