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There is no summary of this meeting yet. One is written once the council publishes the minutes. The agenda and papers are below.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, the following interests were declared: - Councillor: 1) O James, declared a personal interest in agenda item 5.
Resolved that the Minutes of the Governance & Audit Committee held on 3 June 2026 were approved and signed as a correct record.
Euros Lake, Performance Audit Manager at Audit Wales, presented the Audit Wales report: The Building Blocks Capital Panning in Councils in Wales. It was noted the report stems from a national study which looked into how councils across Wales plan and manage their capital investment. It was noted that capital investments referred to spending on long-term assets such as schools, roads, buildings and other infrastructure that councils relied on to deliver services. The study examined whether councils had planned that spending effectively, whether decisions had been based on good information, and whether arrangements had supported good value for money. Members were advised that the audit did not assess individual capital projects but instead reviewed the overall arrangements councils had in place for planning and managing their capital programmes. The report concluded that, while councils across Wales continued to deliver significant capital investment despite challenging financial circumstances, there were opportunities to strengthen planning processes and improve the demonstration of value for money. Key findings included: • Councils did not always clearly set out the objectives of capital investments or how they supported corporate priorities and wellbeing outcomes. • Information on asset condition was not always comprehensive, making it more difficult to prioritise investment and plan effectively. • Short-notice and short-term grant funding arrangements created challenges for long-term planning and could encourage short-term decision-making. • Greater emphasis was placed on monitoring project delivery against timescales and budgets than on evaluating whether projects achieved their intended outcomes and benefits. The report made one recommendation for all councils, encouraging a review of capital planning arrangements, particularly in relation to asset condition information, post-project evaluation and Member training and scrutiny. Two further recommendations were made to the Welsh Government concerning the complexity of grant funding arrangements and the timing of funding announcements. It was noted that Swansea Council had accepted the recommendation and had identified actions relating to asset management, post-project evaluation, and Member development. Audit Wales was satisfied that the Council had appropriately considered the findings and had established clear actions, timescales and accountability arrangements for implementation. The Committee raised the following queries: • An update was requested in four months’ time on the Welsh Government’s action plan in response to the recommendations. • Clarification was sought regarding training for Members on capital expenditure, and it was confirmed that such training was already available. • A query was raised as to whether the matter was being considered by the relevant Scrutiny Panel. It was suggested that, if this was not the case, the matter should be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee. The Chair thanked the Audit Wales representative for the report.
Dave Howes presented the Social Services Directorate Assurance on Corporate Risk Management report to provide assurance to the Governance and Audit Committee that risk management arrangements within the Social Services Directorate are effective, embedded, and operating in line with the Council’s corporate risk management policy and framework, including the use of the corporate InPhase risk system and routine review and escalation arrangements. It was highlighted that the report was intended to provide assurance that appropriate oversight of risks was in place, the appendices contained details of specific risks at the relevant levels of the risk management hierarchy, which were also summarised within the report. Members were advised that the risks being managed were complex, multifaceted and longstanding. Some risks would always remain on the risk register and, although their level might fluctuate over time, they would continue to exist to some degree. Consequently, there had not been significant changes to the risk profile; however, assurance was provided that these risks remained under continuous review and focus. It was further noted that the Council had established two dedicated Scrutiny Performance Panels, focusing on Adult Services and Children's Services respectively. These long-standing arrangements, together with the Directorate’s risk management processes, external regulation and scrutiny, and the role of the Governance and Audit Committee, provided a high level of oversight of these important service areas. The Committee raised queries on the following: • Further assurances that actions were being taken to reduce the high-risk areas that remained a significant concern. • The availability of domiciliary care, including the role of skilled migrant workers. • The Transforming Complex Care Programme. • The Youth Justice Service building. • Support from the NHS for individuals discharged from hospital requiring domiciliary care. • Placement sufficiency within Children's Services. • Safeguarding arrangements. • Workforce sufficiency and wellbeing. The Chair thanked the officer and team for the report and the efforts they were making.
Ness Young, Director of Corporate Services presented the Implementation of 2025 Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) Recommendations report to provide assurance to the Governance and Audit Committee that all recommendations arising from the Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) undertaken in June 2025 have been fully implemented and embedded within the Council’s governance, performance, transformation and corporate planning arrangements. The Committee heard that: • Eleven recommendations had been made and two areas for further consideration had been identified. • The draft report and the Council’s action plan had been presented to the Committee and subsequently presented to and approved by Council. • All recommendations and areas for further consideration had now been implemented and embedded within the Council’s business-as-usual governance arrangements. • The changes had been incorporated into the governance and operating arrangements. These actions had: o Strengthened the strategic clarity of the organisation. o Improved the prioritisation of resources. o Enhanced organisational capacity. o Established more robust governance and oversight arrangements across the transformation agenda, digital workforce and capital planning arrangements. The Chair thanked the officer for presenting such a positive report.
Ness Young, Director of Corporate Services, presented the “for information” report on the Amendments to the Council’s Corporate Plan 2023-28 to update the Committee on the amendments to the Council’s Corporate Plan 2023-28. The Committee heard that the report had been presented to Council on 2 July 2026 and had sought Council’s agreement to a number of changes to the Corporate Plan. It was noted that the Corporate Plan operated within the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, which required wellbeing objectives to be reviewed to ensure they remained relevant. The Committee was advised that: • The wellbeing objectives remained relevant. • Delivery steps, success measures and key performance indicators (KPIs) had been streamlined and refreshed. • The Committee discussed the low level of engagement with customer satisfaction and feedback arrangements. The Committee noted the report.
The Chair introduced the report and reminded Members that the role of the Governance and Audit Committee was to seek assurance that the Council had effective arrangements in place for governance, performance management and improvement, rather than to examine matters in the level of detail undertaken by scrutiny committees. Ness Young, Director of Corporate Services, presented the Annual Review of Performance 2025-26 report which presented a summary of Swansea Council’s Annual Review of Performance for the financial year 2025–26 for review and comment, in accordance with the requirements of Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. It also demonstrated how the Council is acting in accordance with the sustainable development principle under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The committee heard that that overall performance had been mixed during the year. It was noted that there had been strong delivery in some areas; however, pressures remained within statutory services, workforce capacity, financial sustainability and climate change. Several corporate risks remained high, some had deteriorated, and data quality continued to present challenges. It was noted that the self-assessment considered three key areas: governance, use of resources, and performance and improvement. Significant input had been received from Directorates and Heads of Service during the preparation of the report. The draft report had been considered by the Strategic Governance Group and discussed informally with Cabinet. It was also scheduled to be considered by the Scrutiny Performance Committee before being presented to Council for approval. Ness Young said the Annual Review concludes that the Council made progress against its Well-being Objectives during 2025-26, but service performance was mixed and remains under significant pressure. Whilst most Corporate Plan actions were either complete or on track, only around half of reported performance indicators achieved their target, with a minority remaining off track. The Review highlighted continuing challenges arising from increasing demand for services, financial constraints, workforce capacity pressures, homelessness and housing demand, decarbonisation commitments, and the pace of delivering transformational change. It recognised that performance varies between services and that, although progress has been made in a number of areas, further improvement is required to strengthen service resilience, improve outcomes in underperforming areas, ensure transformation programmes deliver measurable benefits, and maintain sustainable performance within a challenging operating environment. The Chair acknowledged that the council's performance had been mixed, with both positive achievements and areas that had proved more challenging to deliver. It was recognised the positive areas while also highlighting concerns about underperformance. In particular, the chair noted the indicators identified as high-risk ("red" risks), where performance had remained below target for a sustained period and where further escalation was taking place. The Chair concluded she had raised these concerns with Councillor Chris Holley, who had assured them that the matters would be considered by the scrutiny committee. Rather than discussing the details at that meeting, the Chair noted that the issues would be communicated to the appropriate forum, where they could be examined in greater detail. The chair thanked the officer and Committee noted the report.
The Chair introduced the “for information” Quarter 4 and End of Year 2025-26 Performance Monitoring Report the report which provided an update on the Council’s Quarter 4 and End of Year Performance for the financial year 2025-26. It was noted that the report had been presented in detail to the relevant Scrutiny Committee. The Chair advised that any questions or issues relating to performance rather than this Committee’s assurance role would be referred to Councillor Holley in line with the remit of the Scrutiny Programme Committee The Committee noted the report.
The Governance & Audit Committee Action Tracker was reported ‘for information’.
The Governance & Audit Committee Work Plan was reported ‘for information’.
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