Scrutiny Inquiry Panel - Grants

On 10 December 2025 the Grants Scrutiny Inquiry Panel discussed its final report on how the Council manages the grants it receives. The Panel agreed to send the report to the Scrutiny Programme Committee in January 2026, and then to Cabinet for a decision. The report makes eight recommendations to Cabinet.

1. Grants Scrutiny Inquiry: final report

   Decided

   The Panel agreed to submit the Grants Scrutiny Inquiry Report to the Scrutiny Programme Committee in January 2026, and then to Cabinet for decision.

   Why

   The report says grants fund a large share of some services, up to 35% of education and 19% of social care. Many grants are short-term and annual, with no inflation uplift, which makes planning and staffing hard. It quotes Amanda Carr, Director of the Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS), who said monitoring can be out of proportion for small grants, such as £500 warm hub grants. The report also notes the risk of clawback (money returned to the funder when conditions are not met) and cites Public Health Wales as an example of good practice.

   Based on the minutes, 1. FINAL REPORT Grants as at 01 Dec 2025 amended

Written by AI from the council's minutes and reports. Sentences with a number or name that can't be found in those papers are removed automatically, but mistakes are still possible. Councils publish no word-for-word record of meetings, so this says what was decided and why. Read the official papers to be sure.

1. 2

   Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests

   Minute

   None

2. 3

   Prohibition of Whipped Votes and Declaration of Party Whips

   Minute

   None

3. 4

   Minutes

   Minute

   The Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

   Papers: Minutes Grants SIP 23 Oct 2025
4. 5

   Public Questions

   Minute

   No public questions were received.

5. 6

   Grants Scrutiny Inquiry - Final Report

   Minute

   The Panel discussed there final report after it was circulated to those people who contributed to the inquiry for comment. The Panel agreed to submit their Grants Scrutiny Inquiry Report to Scrutiny Programme Committee in January 2026 and for it to then go on to Cabinet for decision.

   Part of an issue followed across 2 meetings

   Papers: 1. FINAL REPORT Grants as at 01 Dec 2025 amended

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.

• Joe Hale, ChairIndependentPresent
• Allan Jeffery, Committee MemberLiberal DemocratPresent
• Dai Jenkins, Committee MemberLabourPresent
• Kevin Griffiths, Committee MemberIndependentAbsent
• Lynda James, Committee MemberIndependentPresent
• Mark Tribe, Committee MemberConservativePresent
• Mike White, Committee MemberLabourPresent
• Peter Black CBE, Committee MemberLiberal DemocratAbsent

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