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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
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No public questions were received.
The Cabinet Member and Lead Officers attended to provide the Panel with a strategic overview on Grants which served as an introduction to this inquiry topic. A written report had been submitted which gave background information into the corporate governance and framework in the management and monitoring of grants received by Swansea Council. The report included a register of all the grant income (Revenue and Capital) received by the Council in 2024/25. The Strategic Overview assisted the Panel to help inform the focus for the Panel’s Scrutiny inquiry. A number of questions were asked on the information provided and discussion, including on: · The different types of grant and impact on Council finances · Decision-making / approvals process · The reliance on grant funding and vulnerability to changes · Challenges with the grants process The report and discussion will form part of the Inquiry Findings Report and this will be brought back to the Panel at the end of the evidence gathering phase of the inquiry. It will then be considered alongside all the other evidence gathered when discussing and agreeing the Inquiry conclusions and recommendations.
The Panel discussed the focus of the Grants Inquiry and the draft Inquiry Terms of Reference and Project Plan, which the Panel was agreeable with but several comments were made suggesting minor amendments could be made, including asking about: · The cost of administering the grants process - what resources do we have within directorates to work on grants, and how much time / cost does it involve? · How much flexibility is there in how grants can be used and be targeted to address local needs? · How do we evaluate success? Also provided to the Panel was example of the ‘Call for Evidence’ that would be issued, to invite anyone outside of the Council including the public, to submit views; and an Integrated Impact Assessment Screening Form relevant to the Inquiry. It was agreed that an updated version of the Terms of Reference be circulated to Panel Members to reflect comments made. This would also be reported back to the next Panel meeting, along with the plan for evidence gathering that will enable the Panel to hear from stakeholders and collect a range of perspectives and experiences relevant to lines of enquiry over the course of the Inquiry.
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