Loading
The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: That the Directors for Social Services Annual Report be noted.
Resolved: that the Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved in readiness for implementation from 1st April 2026.
The Mayor reported the death of Councillor Charlotte Galsworthy’s mother and conveyed the Council’s condolences to her and her family. The Mayor also congratulated Pamela Janet Waite, President and former Chair of the Royal British Legion, on receiving recognition in the King’s New Year Honours for her services to charity and veterans.
The Leader acknowledged the petition calling for the return of Neath Museum that was being debated at Council and recognised the strong community commitment to preserving local heritage. An update was provided by the Leader on ongoing work to protect and promote the culture and heritage of Neath Port Talbot. The Leader noted that the visitor economy continues to perform strongly, supporting over 1,500 jobs and attracting more than one million annual visits, supported by the Dramatic Heart of Wales campaign, which reached 2.7 million people last year and the Leader noted a number of successes across the sector in Neath Port Talbot. The Leader noted that Neath Port Talbot has been designated a priority area by Arts Council Wales, enabling the appointment of the authority’s first Arts Development Officer to support local creative talent. The Leader also highlighted the closure of Pontardawe Swimming Pool in 2024 due to serious health and safety concerns and that a preferred site and outline facility plan have now been identified, and work continues to address the funding gap. The Leader finally noted that libraries remain central to community and cultural life, welcoming 360,000 visitors in 2025, issuing 270,000 book loans, and achieving a 64% increase in children participating in the Summer Reading Challenge.
The following declarations of interest were received in respect of agenda item 7 – Annual Presentation by South Wales Police: Councillor Mike Harvey – as they are employed by South Wales Police. Councillor Chris Williams – as their daughter is an active employee of South Wales Police. Councillor Sian Harris – as their son is an active employee of South Wales Police.
RESOLVED: that the minutes of the previous meeting of Council on 5th November 2025 and 17th December 2025 be approved as an accurate record.
There were none.
The Mayor invited petitioner Jordan Brinkworth to introduce his petition. The Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing, Councillor Cen Phillips thanked Mr Brinkworth for his petition as well as his commitment to promote our local heritage and history and noted that the Council agrees with the aim to bring museum provision back to Neath. The Cabinet Member highlighted some of the work that has been undertaken in this sector by the Council and noted that whilst the Councils ambition of permanent museum provision is still some way off becoming a reality, the Council is making real progress in working towards that aim. The petition presented is welcomed along with the community support it demonstrates for the Councils museum ambitions and work will continue to identify the best solution that can be sustainable for the long term so the people of Neath and beyond will be able to access and enjoy our museum collection in future and for many years to come. Members commended Mr Brinkworth for his presentation to Council and petition. Members supported the petition and noted that progress needed to be made on the matter. Members also noted that museum provision would need to ensure diversity and that stories from all walks of life were portrayed. It was also raised that any provision would need to be disability compliant. Members went on to note that Neath is fortunate in that it has a museum collection that many towns do not and the benefits that this brings and highlighted that Port Talbot is unlucky not to have a collection and the positives that this could also bring. Members discussed how museum provision could involve history from the whole of the County Borough. Councillor Cen Phillips closed the discussion in clarifying that some of the timelines of the process are dictated by the availability of grant funding but that the Council are treating this as a priority to move forward. Councillor Phillips acknowledged discussion on covering history from the whole Neath Port Talbot however noted that given the museum collection for Neath is already established it would be a good place to start. The Mayor thanked Mr Brinkworth for his presentation and confirmed that per the petitions scheme, he would write to him confirming the outcome of the debate.
The Mayor invited Chief Superintendent Steve Jones to give his presentation to Council. Members thanked Mr Jones for his presentation. Members went on to ask Mr Jones whether the protection of our communities was a priority and if so what the plan was in respect of people using illegal vehicles. Mr Jones highlighted that they are equipping the police with the tactics to be able to deal with these bikes, as well as highlighted the new technology at their disposal to assist with the problem. Members highlighted to Mr Jones that there is a hotspot of Skewen Park listed in his presentation and noted the closure of Skewen Police Station requesting that, if possible, they would like to see increased patrols in the area. Mr Jones responded that the closure of the station does not diminish the capabilities of officers and that he is encouraging inspectors to utilise the technology and ensure that officers are physically deployed in the right areas. Mr Jones also noted that Skewen Park does have a problem-solving plan wrapped around it which will include multiple agencies. Members asked why there had been such an increase in some reported crimes such as stalking and harassment and rape. Mr Jones clarified that the increase in stalking and harassment has been predominantly due to an increase in online instances, and sexual offences are seeing an increase in third party reports and that in some instances they have now garnered support of victims of historic sexual abuse were one person is reporting multiple instances. Member referred to comments made about dealing with complex stalking cases, particularly where perpetrators use online methods to contact or monitor victims. They asked for further explanation on the approaches taken by the police, noting concerns that survivors are often advised simply to reduce or remove their online presence. Mr Jones confirmed that it is not appropriate to ask victims to stay offline and noted that emphasis should be on targeting the perpetrator highlighting the work the Police Online Investigation Team do. Member highlighted that although police statistics indicate a decrease in reported domestic abuse cases locally, specialist helplines and services are reporting an increase in demand and questioned whether the apparent reduction in police recorded cases instead reflects a lack of reporting by survivors. Mr Jones acknowledged this and noted that per his presentation there is a need to increase trust in our communities and in the police, and lots of training and focus is going in to front line staff to deal with this and there is a dedicated investigation hub to deal with domestic abuse cases and are utilising new technology to support victims. Members noted their concerns that there was increase in serious sexual offences and wished to know whether this was an increase in cases, or an increase in people coming forward, and what the force was doing to increase the number of people coming forward. Mr Jones confirmed that serious sexual offences are a key priority for the police and there are dedicated teams in place to deal with these crimes. There has been an increase in both the crime itself and the people coming forward, and the goal is to increase confidence in reporting as it takes a lot for a victim to report these crimes. Members went on to query what the police class as a positive outcome in relation to the statistics around serious sexual assault. Mr Jones confirmed that this would be when an individual is charged with an offence. Members requested that future presentations should include heat map data on the whole of the county borough as some areas had not been included. Mr Jones noted this. Members noted that it was pleasing to see South Wales Police return to old policing values but noted that there were several very good PCSO’s who would be more valuable as full officers. Members highlighted that there was an increase in children wearing dark clothing riding bicycles in the dark which was unsafe and wished to know what the Police were doing to encourage children to wear brighter clothes and put light on. Mr Jones noted that funding for school liaison officers had been lost but that as a force the officers had been retained and so the Police still had the link with the schools and are continuing with things such as cycle proficiency, but the point will be fed back to the local inspector. Members asked Mr Jones whether he could share more information around serious sexual assault statistics as latest ONS statistics for England and Wales listed the overall charge rate as between 2 and 3 percent. Mr Jones clarified that South Wales Police are one of the leading forces and would send some specific data through to show what is being done in Neath Port talbot but that over the last 2 to 3 months as an area the success rate has hit 20 percent. Members responded that this does mean that 80% of people were not getting positive results although it was good to see South Wales Police was ahead of the curve on this matter. The Deputy Leader thanked Mr Jones for his presentation.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: That the Directors for Social Services Annual Report be noted.
The Head of Housing and Communities Chele Howard introduced the report. Members thanked the directorate for their hard work and dedication and commended officers for continually bringing forward new innovations. Members asked what the Council are doing to proactively work with the health board to ensure that low cost but high impact operations for the elderly are being delivered to allow individuals to return home and stop bed blocking. The Head of Service for Adult Services Angela Thomas confirmed that a lot of work is happening around this and offered to follow up with the Member that raised the matter directly outside of the meeting. Members asked whether there was a possibility or reopening the Age Concern Centre in Port Talbot as alternative provision was too far for residents to travel. The Head of Adult Services confirmed that they could not go in to detail but that plans are being put in place to maybe reopen the building in the future. Resolved: That the Directors for Social Services Annual Report be noted.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: that the Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved in readiness for implementation from 1st April 2026.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, Councillor Simon Knoyle introduced the report. Resolved: that the Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved in readiness for implementation from 1st April 2026.
There were none.
There were none.
There was none.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.