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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.
Cllr Chris Holley was agreed as the Convener for the Service Improvement, Regeneration and Finance Panel for 2025/26.
There were no disclosures of Personal and Prejudicial Interests.
None.
There were no public questions received.
Cllr David Hopkins and Richard Rowlands attended to give an overview of the report. The Annual Review of Performance assesses the Council’s delivery of its functions, use of resources, and achievement of well-being objectives for 2024/25 and was received by the Panel prior to this report being presented to the Council meeting in July 2025. Questions and discussions focussed on the following: • The Council’s statutory self-assessment for 2024/25 rated overall performance as “Good” across governance, resource use, and delivery of well-being objectives. • All six well-being objectives were individually assessed as “Good”, with strengths and areas for improvement identified. • Members questioned how stakeholder feedback influenced the ratings and officers explained that a balanced judgement was made using performance data, audit reports, and stakeholder input, reviewed by the Strategic Governance Group. • Clarification was sought on the National Residents Survey and the Lived Experience Panel, including their relevance and methodology. Members requested access to Swansea specific results from the National Residents Survey and more information on the Lived Experience Panel. • Officers confirmed that cross-cutting improvement priorities are embedded in service plans and the transformation programme with monitoring through the corporate risk register. Senior management regularly reviews progress on these priorities, with oversight mechanisms in place. • It raised the importance of managing public expectations, which was acknowledged as a key challenge post-pandemic.
Cllr Cyril Anderson and Rachel Jowitt talked through the recyclate income at the Baling Plant. The report covered how recycling streams are managed, sold to the market and the processes, financials and compliance required.. Questions and discussions focussed on the following: · Swansea exceeded its 2024–2025 recycling income target and achieved 70.5% recycling rate. · Processes are audited by National Resources Wales (NRW) with the last audit in 2022/23 which gave a substantial rating with no recommendations for improvement for the recyclate process. · The report covered domestic and commercial waste at both kerbside and household waste recycling centre collections, with 30 of 36 materials under medium to long term contracts. Each stream has its own bespoke market and manufacturing process. · Members asked whether Swansea’s success had drawn interest from other councils; officers confirmed regular collaboration and benchmarking. · Questions were raised about contract durations, pricing mechanisms, and the use of monthly mini competitions for volatile materials. Officers explained that contracts typically span 3–5 years. · Clarification was requested on duplicate entries and zero tonnage figures in the appendix; officers agreed to provide written responses where necessary. · Members asked for a breakdown of recycling contributions from household waste recycling centres, which will be provided in writing. · Wood recycling was discussed, and the flexible plastics trial is ongoing. · Concerns were raised about the environmental impact of transporting recyclables and the need for more local processing facilities. · Members encouraged NRW and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) to consider any opportunities to expand local reprocessing capacity.
The Panel discussed and agreed its work plan for 2025-26.
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.
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