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At its meeting on 27 January 2026, the Scrutiny Performance Panel for Climate Change and Nature was briefed on the closure of the Council's Sustainable Transport Strategy and its replacement with a Swansea Local Transport Plan. It also received the annual update on Local Flood Risk Management. A scrutiny panel is a group of councillors that questions Cabinet Members about their work. The minutes record no decisions on either item.
No disclosures of interest were received.
No declarations were made.
Panel agreed the Minutes of the meeting on 18 November 2026 as an accurate record of the meeting.
Letter to Cabinet Members following the meeting on 18 November 2025 and the response were noted.
No questions were received.
Cabinet Member Andrew Stevens and officer Matthew Bowyer summarised the closure of the Sustainable Transport Strategy and explained the transition into a Swansea-specific Local Transport Plan (LTP) aligned to the regional plan (2025–2030). Key Points Made: • The Strategy had grown too broad, therefore, corporate/staff transport issues will form a separate workstream while public-facing transport matters move into the LTP. • The Regional Transport Plan includes significant baseline data and monitoring indicators, with annual reporting to the CJC. • The LTP will distil regional ambitions into local priorities, including links to TfW rail proposals and the Swansea Bay Metro. • Stakeholder engagement will include targeted sessions with technical groups, members, access groups and special interest groups. • A staff trial (Better Points), funded by South Wales Metro, is underway to test behavioural incentives for sustainable travel. Inclusivity and digital access issues will be reviewed during the pilot. Reward schemes will prioritise local businesses and avoid incentives contradicting sustainability aims. • Active travel funding remains strong; most schemes continue to rely predominantly on Welsh Government funding streams, now under the Regional Transport Grant. • Officers emphasised that future technologies (self-driving vehicles, drones) will be considered, but mass transit will continue to be essential due to efficiency and congestion considerations. • Workplace EV charging: A new back-office system will improve data collection and inform expansion for staff charging. Fleet utilisation review is ongoing. • Panel asked questions about the changes the LTP will introduce, how reductions are going to be measured, access to the Better Points scheme, actions planned whilst the LTP is developed, workplace EV charging, engagement with stakeholders, links with other departments/organisations, accessibility and affordability of public transport.
Cabinet Member Andrew Stevens and officers Bob Fenwick and Chris Pike presented an update on flood schemes, maintenance priorities, pressures arising from climate change, and staffing/resource issues. Updates were provided on grant-funded schemes and recent structural changes affecting the SAB function. Key Points Made: • Stakeholder engagement for new Flood Risk Management Strategy (FRMS) will include Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Welsh Water, CADW, local councillors and residents. • Grant applications submitted for Brockhole Stream construction, with results pending. Kingrosia Park and West Street are advancing toward construction in 2027–28. Additional schemes (Llandewi Corner, Killay) are progressing through resilience funding streams. • Proactive drainage maintenance teams have significantly reduced blockages; additional funding is now built into baseline budgets. • Rainfall radar and predictive modelling support early intervention and resource deployment. • SAB team restructuring has brought it into Highways Development Management to reduce duplication and improve efficiency. • Responsibilities clarified: • Council: Normal watercourses and adopted highway drainage • NRW: Major rivers and coastal areas • Welsh Water: Foul & stormwater sewers • Private owners: Surface water on their own property. Explanation emphasised the challenge of expectations where flooding affects private homes. · Interim mitigation for delayed schemes includes proactive gully maintenance, targeted cleansing before heavy rain, and operational improvements at high‑risk sites. · Recruitment of drainage engineers remains challenging; work continues with Swansea University and other institutions on placements and graduate pathways. • SAB applications continue to increase; vacancies are being filled to meet statutory deadlines. • Section 106 funding may be used for drainage if improvements are reasonable, proportionate and directly related to development impacts. • Flood prioritisation now uses catchment-based rather than ward-based assessment to reflect topography and risk patterns. Delivery is not expected to be negatively affected. • Technology improvements include drainage management systems, cameras on culverts, and modern design approaches. Sustainable drainage features (ponds, rain gardens) are increasing but require careful design and maintenance. • Panel asked questions about the priority areas in new FRMS, stakeholder engagement, mitigation measures to support most at risk communities, responsibilities of the different bodies, increased workload from SAB applications, moving from ward based to catchment-based assessment, coastal erosion scheme development, shortage of drainage engineers, technology for the future, use of attenuation ponds. Actions: · Confirmation to be provided on whether any major coastal erosion schemes are currently in development.
Panel considered the work plan and noted items for the next meeting.
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