Wrthi'n llwytho
Does dim crynodeb o'r cyfarfod hwn eto. Caiff crynodebau eu hysgrifennu pan fydd y cyngor yn cyhoeddi'r cofnodion, sef ei gofnod swyddogol o'r hyn a benderfynodd cyfarfod. Maen nhw fel arfer yn ymddangos ychydig wythnosau ar ôl y cyfarfod.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.
There were none.
The minutes of the meetings held on 06/03/2026 were approved as an accurate record of proceedings.
There were no items selected from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.
There were no items selected from the Scrutiny Forward Work Programme.
Members scrutinised the Performance monitoring items.
The Chair noted that the annual report is presented to the committee each year. This year, however, it will also be submitted to Full Council, accompanied by a brief presentation. Members had no questions or comments. Following scrutiny, the recommendation was supported to Council.
Nicola Pearce Director for Director of Environment and Regeneration introduced the Heads of Service Business Plans, outlining the structure and approach to meeting the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Members were advised that the plans review last year’s performance, including successes, areas for improvement, and lessons learned, and set out priority actions and measures for the next 12 months. Members were advised that there is only one priority action relating to the Street Care service, as most of that portfolio falls under Visible Services and Street Scene, which was considered at the previous committee meeting. Simon Brennan Head of Property and Regeneration introduced his areas Business Plan and the priority actions. Chris Davies, Development Manager (Planning), and Lana Beynon, Planning Policy Manager, presented their respective priorities within Development Management and Planning Policy. James Davies, Head of Engineering and Transport, introduced the Head of Service Business Plan. Members were advised that the Engineering and Transport portfolio is divided into six service areas, three of which report to this Committee: SuDS Approval Body (SAB) and Highways Development Control, Engineering, and Passenger Transport. Officers explained that there is a single priority action in relation to Streetcare, focused on the Highway Asset Management Plan, including active travel considerations. An options report will be developed and updated as the year progresses. As the Head of Service was unavailable to attend the meeting, officers confirmed they would be happy to address any questions. Nicola Pearce noted that, alongside business-as-usual activity, a significant amount of work is taking place behind the scenes to deliver a number of major projects. Many of these are large in scale and will continue over several years. In relation to page 63, Members queried the active travel routes and asked whether GD Harris, the contractor delivering the Cimla to Neath works, has employed any local firms or staff. Members were concerned that a number of workers appear to be travelling from West Wales, which has been highlighted by local firms as a significant distance. Officers advised that they were unable to provide specific details at the meeting but would follow this up with the relevant team and provide a response afterwards. It was noted that the contract was awarded through an approved framework, with GD Harris identified as the most economically advantageous tenderer. Officers added that provisions are typically included to support local employment opportunities and confirmed that further detail would be provided in due course. Members asked about the position when Tata funding ended, given that a number of staff posts and projects, including support for former Tata employees setting up businesses, were dependent on that funding. Simon Brennan advised that all such funding streams were finite and that officers worked hard to secure replacement funding, but not everything would meet the criteria of new programmes and there were also revenue and capital differences. The council had benefited from substantial Tata-related funding over the previous three or four years and had always known it would be short term. Members then asked whether businesses established by former Tata employees were being monitored and offered continuing support. Simon Brennan confirmed that monitoring and evaluation arrangements applied to all funding streams and that the business support team continued to work with many firms that had been helped to become established, although some businesses did not wish to engage. Members asked about the Pride in Place Impact Fund and stated that they felt it was disappointing that highways projects had been excluded and asked whether this had been a missed opportunity to complete outstanding works and whether the exclusion was due to capacity or other reasons. Nicola Pearce clarified that each councillor had been allocated £25,000 through the Pride in Place Impact Fund and that a number of compliance criteria applied, including UK Government checks. Highway schemes were not prevented from coming forward. Her understanding was that officers who managed the programme had applied a minimum spend threshold of £5,000 to ensure schemes could be developed and delivered within the available two-year period. Paul Hinder the officer in charge had a team of only three officers, with the third having only recently joined. Members were advised that supplementary top-up funding was available through the Neighbourhood Improvement Programme for projects costing more than £25,000, and Members had until October 2026 to submit project ideas for that support. Delivery of projects would not rely solely on the small team because officers from Streetcare and Regeneration were also assisting. Members advised that they had specifically been told not to submit highways projects. The Director explained that this was not her understanding and undertook to check the position with Paul Hinder and provide a comprehensive answer to the Chair and Democratic Services. Members raised a further point linked to works on the dual carriageway and advised that the work team was using Coed Darcy as an overnight car park for heavy vehicles and did not consider that acceptable. Officers advised that bridge strengthening works were currently underway on the A465 where it adjoined the M4, involving six bridges with strengthening beneath the deck to ensure structural soundness. Centregreat was the contractor undertaking the work. Officers had not been aware that Coed Darcy was being used as a car park, but through SWTRA the contractor would be contacted and reminded of its responsibilities as a considerate constructor to avoid disturbance and nuisance to the community. In relation to the former BP site at Baglan, Members noted that the land is now owned by the Welsh Government and asked what was happening there. Simon Brennan advised that Welsh Government had acquired the site from Blackstone around two to two and a half years earlier. Significant work had since been undertaken, particularly investigating contamination and aquifers beneath the site. A remediation strategy was expected imminently, with planning likely at the beginning of 2027 and remediation potentially beginning in the latter part of 2027 into 2028. Nicola Pearce added that this was one of Welsh Government’s most strategically important economic development sites and the focus would be on economic activity to support job creation and higher-paid employment opportunities in Neath Port Talbot and the wider region. Members then asked about long-term use and whether housing was planned. Simon Brennan confirmed there would be no housing and that the housing focus would be on the Coed Darcy site. The site would be subject to a masterplan focused largely on industrial uses, and contamination and aquifer issues meant that housing was not being considered. Members noted the ageing population within the Port Talbot area and asked whether there is a strategic or masterplan approach in place to increase the provision of dropped kerbs. James Davies advised that a similar issue had arisen at the previous week’s Visible Services committee. Dropped kerbs formed part of active travel projects, including the Sandfields Active Travel Masterplan and wider schemes, and future works would include additional dropped kerbs. There was no separate wider dropped kerb plan within the highways engineering works programme, but Members could raise site-specific requests through the Member Surgery process later in the year. The Chair added that the Aberavon and Port Talbot active travel masterplanning work had already involved mapping missing dropped kerbs. Chris Davies also added that planning applications, particularly medium and larger ones, were consulted on with active travel officers and could deliver improvements such as dropped kerbs and route connections. He gave the Aberavon dialysis centre as an example, where planning permission had secured such works. The Chair added that intervention through the planning process at Burrows Yard had also achieved a wider footway and improvements. Members queried whether there was any review process once active travel schemes had been implemented, particularly if works had not been built to the correct standard and whether dropped kerbs would be checked for compliance. James Davies advised that projects were reviewed as part of the project process and also through the strategic active travel network mapping framework. He asked Members to bring any specific concerns forward so they could be checked with the relevant teams. The Chair then asked about the Neath Transport Hub project and the statement in the business plan that a step back had been taken and a broader regeneration strategy was being considered for the area. He asked who was now leading that work and how the scrutiny committee might engage. Simon Brennan advised that officers from regeneration and engineering were working jointly. A place plan for Neath would still be produced, but additional work was being undertaken on a broader masterplan to address the transport hub and wider issues, taking account of previous public consultation. James Davies advised that existing consultants working on the transport hub still had some funding available and would continue with masterplanning work. Transport modelling around Neath town centre was also being undertaken through the Regional Transport Delivery Plan. This would now be a more collaborative exercise and the Chair suggested the matter could return to a future meeting. The Chair then asked about capacity issues in regeneration and economic development and whether these concerns related specifically to regeneration, economic development or the funding team. Simon Brennan confirmed that both regeneration and economic development had experienced capacity issues over the years, driven by a substantial increase in work and large projects. Work was underway on a revised structure to manage those pressures while recognising uncertainties around future Welsh Government and UK Government funding. Discussions on the proposed structure and funding were advanced and the matter would likely move forward within the next two to three months. The Chair then asked about the corporate landlord model and why progress had appeared difficult. Simon Brennan advised that the issue partly concerned understanding of what the model was and what it was not. At one extreme, individual services would largely control their own buildings, while at the other, a PFI-style landlord model would make occupiers simple tenants with no direct responsibility, but that would require a major expansion of staffing. The authority was operating somewhere between these extremes, moving from around level 2 towards level 3 on that spectrum. This meant tighter governance and control without the full staffing implications of a pure landlord model. He referred to examples where occupiers had undertaken unauthorised works, such as painting with non-fire-retardant paint or changing room uses in ways that affected fire safety. Discussions had also taken place with Audit Wales, but no full agreement had been reached because of different perspectives. Supporting policy documents on acquisitions and disposals were being progressed through the Corporate Asset Management Group. The Chair then asked about the preventative maintenance strategy and how realistic this remained. Simon Brennan advised that the issue was fundamentally one of funding. The maintenance budget was split, with at least half being absorbed by servicing and testing, leaving only a modest maintenance allocation. From 1 April each year, the service was effectively restricted to emergency works only. Planned preventative maintenance therefore remained an aspiration rather than a deliverable reality. Buildings were condition-assessed and components such as boilers might be identified for replacement after 15 years, but in practice they were kept running until failure and then repaired for as long as parts remained available. Nicola Pearce added that maintenance pressures were always considered through the budget process, but all services were currently submitting pressure bids and the list would exceed the small funding envelope available. The Chair then asked whether maintenance would be put forward as a particular intervention in the budget process. Nicola Pearce confirmed that maintenance was always a factor in those considerations. The Chair then asked about the corporate accommodation delivery plan and whether it was now being reframed from a strategy into a delivery plan. Simon Brennan advised that several versions had been developed over time and that it was now recognised more clearly as a delivery plan than a strategy. The direction of travel was largely settled. At The Quays, staff had recently been asked to attend in person for a minimum of two days each week in order to support team building and service continuity. That had changed accommodation assumptions, increasing floorplate usage. Once accommodation had been given up, it would be very difficult to reinstate because suitable office space in the county borough was limited and the council’s buildings were quite specific to service need. Staff survey feedback had also identified the condition of upper-floor office accommodation in the current building as a concern. Officers were therefore trying to develop a creative proposal to secure long-term funding for the building’s future. On most days, The Quays now has occupancy around 60 per cent to 70 per cent, slightly higher than before Covid, although staff movements for meetings and site visits meant that desks were not continuously occupied. He expected the revised delivery plan to be available in the autumn. The Chair then turned to Planning and asked whether the service review document could be shared with Members, particularly the short, medium and long-term recommendations. Chris Davies advised that the annual performance report had already been produced as one of the outputs from the review and that planning performance statistics were also reported to Welsh Government and internally. The service had sought to use the annual report not only to show statistics but also to demonstrate the breadth and importance of planning work, including major schemes and collaboration across the authority and with external partners. Staff had been engaged in reviewing the recommendations and identifying which ones were quick wins, medium-term actions and longer-term ambitions. He indicated that the recommendations, or at least relevant elements of them, could likely be shared with Members. He referred to changes already implemented, including publication of consultee responses and making reports public, as well as communication and engagement improvements. The Chair also referred specifically to the ongoing lack of conservation officer capacity as a longstanding weakness. Following scrutiny the report was noted.
Chris Saunders, Head of Tourism, Heritage, Leisure and Culture, presented his areas service plan. Members were informed that this year Education used a new format, adopting the corporate template after retaining the previous format during the Estyn review period. The service comprised three teams: libraries, destination development, and recreation and commercial activity. Each had its own service plan, and for the recreation and commercial side, individual sites such as Margam Park and Gnoll Park also had their own plans. Members were advised that tourism development centred on delivery of the Destination Management Plan. Improving reading and literacy drew on the library service plan. The Cultural Strategy work included the cultural partnership and was affected by further developments from Welsh Government. Major projects remained a substantial element of the work, although there were fewer than in the previous year because some had been delivered. Arts was a priority area following Arts Council recognition and the securing of funding for an Arts Development Officer. An arts strategy would come forward shortly, and the authority was awaiting confirmation on whether it had been shortlisted for the Town of Culture bid. A major operational focus remained driving efficiency and financial performance across sites such as Margam and the Gnoll, alongside day-to-day management improvements at Aberavon Seafront supported by additional funding. Health and safety remained important, as did health and wellbeing work through Celtic Leisure Partnership, library initiatives, Glan-yr-Afon and the National Exercise Referral Programme. Members asked whether padel courts had been considered for Aberavon Seafront, noting the current growth in padel and the possibility of low-staffing, card-operated facilities. Officers advised that padel had not featured in the Aberavon masterplan but could be revisited. A Cabinet report due at the end of July 2026 would include an update on investment proposals, one of which was padel at Neath Sports Centre as a trial. Chris Saunders agreed that it was revenue-positive at present, although that might level off as provision increased. He added that if a suitable site could be identified at the seafront, the idea could be supported. Members asked for an update on Four Winds. Officers advised that the council had been chasing solicitors for an update and had received nothing back. It was advised that the site was being managed by a housing association pending planning. A pre-application had previously gone to the Design Commission for Wales and had received a negative response, which officers had expected. Further contact had since taken place with the applicant and consultant on a revised scheme. A new pre-application response had now been issued and, while it raised issues, they were not considered insurmountable. Because of the scale of the proposal, a Pre-Application Consultation would be required, so public consultation by the applicant was expected. Officers would not be surprised to see an application later in the year. Members asked about St Mary’s Church building and whether any support was being given to Calon Films in relation to a Dick Penderyn film, which members felt could provide a major tourism boost. Chris Saunders advised that he was aware of the matter and that discussions had taken place, but it was not work currently sitting directly with him. He would go back and ask for more information. Members then asked, with reference to page 189 and library service savings, what was meant by reductions in licence fee costs and a review of general subscriptions, and how these would affect users. Clare Davies, Library Services Co-ordinator, advised that licence fee savings came from reducing the number of public access PCs. A review had been undertaken across libraries to assess provision and usage. Not all public access PCs had been replaced, and fewer licences were therefore needed. Members enquired why card payments had not yet been introduced in libraries, arguing that this created a barrier for users, especially for printing where many people no longer owned printers and both main libraries were some distance from free cash points. Clare Davies advised that this matter sat within the service’s own detailed service plan and had already been identified for further work during the year. Initial discussions had taken place with other service areas. There would be costs for card machine rental and transaction charges, and in some cases the charge per transaction could exceed the cost of the library service being purchased, such as low-cost printing. She wanted to explore the matter further, including discussion with the Chair in his role as a trustee of Taibach Library, where a card or identity-based payment system was already in place, to understand the operating model before deciding how to proceed. Clare Davies also advised that from 14th July 2026, the library service would introduce digital library cards and a library app. The Chair asked about the Aberavon Seafront Masterplan and whether the projects and schemes within it had yet been prioritised, as local Members had received significant public feedback and he was concerned that projects might progress without a clear agreed sequence. Officers acknowledged that this required joint work across services. Much of the recent focus had been on operational issues at the seafront, but further work was still needed on the masterplan. Progress had been made on the Naval Club site through feasibility work using Shared Prosperity Fund money in the previous year. Funding had also been secured for demolition of that site later in the year, with a further bid planned for end of year three Local Growth Fund support to build it out. Officers acknowledged that funding opportunities often arrived in tranches and required flexibility, but agreed that a more targeted approach to the masterplan was needed and that this was a piece of work officers would pick up. The Chair asked whether that targeted masterplan work might be seen within the year. Officers said that they would like to do it in the next few months, if possible, although it would depend on priorities and resources. It was advised that Lana Beynon’s team had already made progress on some environmental management elements of the seafront, although those were not major development items. Following scrutiny the report was noted.
There was none.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.