Scrutiny committees question the Cabinet's plans and decisions and can ask them to think again. More in the guide
The Scrutiny Programme Committee met on 13 May 2025 to question Swansea Public Services Board, consider the council's Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2024-25, and review the year's work. The Committee agreed to write to the PSB Chair and to the Cabinet Member for Education & Learning with its views, and noted a progress report from the Climate Change & Nature Scrutiny Performance Panel. No decision was recorded on the end of year review.
The Panel heard updates on the Swansea Skills Partnership, which links schools with employers and colleges, and on the council's school building programme. It also reviewed its own work for the year. The minutes record no formal decisions. The Panel's views will go to the Cabinet Member in a letter.
The Panel heard updates on the West Glamorgan Transformation Programme, the March 2025 performance report and the Council's progress on its Adult Services policy commitments. It also reviewed its own work for 2024-25 and agreed to add two items to its 2025-26 work plan. The minutes record no decisions on the first three updates, which were for information and discussion.
The minutes record no decisions on either, but the Panel asked for more information on several points and later wrote to the Cabinet Members concerned for formal replies.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Child and Family Services, a group of councillors who check the council's children's services, met on 6 May 2025. It considered monthly performance figures for February 2025, progress on the council's policy commitments in 2024-25, and its own review of the year. The minutes record no decisions, only an action to add a briefing on the target operating model to the 2025-26 work plan.
On 10 April 2025 the Panel considered three reports: an update on Additional Learning Needs reform, changes to the council's Pupil Referral Unit under Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) services, and how the council hears the voices of children and young people. It also accepted its work plan for 2024/25. The minutes record no decisions on the three reports.
The Panel met on 8 April 2025. It heard from Swansea University about the Campuses Project, a Swansea Bay City Deal scheme (a joint investment programme across the region) to build a med-tech and sports-tech cluster. It also received a report on the council's development and regeneration achievements over the past year. The minutes record discussion only, with no decisions, and a closed session on city centre project costs.
The Scrutiny Programme Committee met on 8 April 2025. Its main item was the annual crime and disorder session on the Safer Swansea Community Safety Partnership, where partners reported on their work and answered questions.
At its meeting on 1 April 2025 the Panel heard an update on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), a briefing on the Virtual School for looked-after children, and an update on services for young people aged 16 and over. The minutes record no decisions on these items. The Panel's letters to Cabinet Members followed the meeting, and one asks for a written reply by 8 May 2025.
The Climate Change and Nature Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 18 March 2025 to consider three reports: the Council's Asset Management Strategy for decarbonising its buildings, an annual update on Local Flood Risk Management, and an annual update on Air Quality Management. The minutes record no decisions by the Panel itself. They record the Panel's questions and the answers given, and several written responses were requested.
The Scrutiny Programme Committee approved the minutes of its February meeting and received reports on customer contact, the Digital Strategy, scrutiny panels, and the scrutiny work programme. The minutes record no declarations of interest and no decisions beyond approving the previous minutes and noting the Education Panel item was deferred. Several items have no published minute, so the committee's decisions on them are not yet known.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Child and Family Services met on 25 February 2025 to hear briefings on supported living for young people leaving care and on the work of the Corporate Parenting Board. The minutes record no formal decisions; the Panel asked questions and agreed actions, including providing homelessness team contact details and a Head of Service follow-up with Education on data about looked-after children.
The Panel considered two reports at this meeting: school attendance and exclusions, and how schools improve teaching and learning through clusters and regional working. For both, the minute records no decision, and the reports asked councillors to consider the information and give their views. The Panel also accepted its work plan for 2024/25.
The Scrutiny Programme Committee met on 18 February 2025 and received updates on the draft Tackling Poverty Strategy 2025-2030, the progress of the Workforce Strategy, and the work of the Child and Family Services Scrutiny Performance Panel. The minutes record no declarations of interest and no decisions beyond approving the previous minutes and agreeing a membership change, along with the usual resolutions to write letters to Cabinet Members.
The Panel reviewed the draft 2025/26 annual budget and the third-quarter budget monitoring report before Cabinet considered them on 20 February. This is called pre-decision scrutiny: councillors check the proposals before the Cabinet, the group of senior councillors who run the council, decides. The minute records the discussion but no decision by the Panel itself. In a letter dated 19 February, the Panel passed its views to the Cabinet Member, Councillor Rob Stewart, who is also the Leader.
The Panel raised points on school funding, National Insurance costs, grants, school reserves, Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and staffing. The minute records no formal vote; the points are to be passed to the budget scrutiny panel before Cabinet meets on 20 February 2025.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Social Services considered draft budget proposals for Adult Services, Child and Family Services and Tackling Poverty for 2025-26. It agreed a set of views and recommendations to put to Cabinet, welcoming a proposed £25.5m (14.9%) rise but raising concerns about savings, service levels and capacity. The Convener of the Service Improvement, Regeneration and Finance Panel will take these views to Cabinet on 20 February 2025.
The Panel considered the Performance Monitoring Report for November 2024 and received an update on the Adult Services Transformation Programme. The Panel agreed to add an item on hospital discharges and the step-down process to its 2025-26 work plan, and agreed to make informal visits to some establishments.
The Grants Scrutiny Inquiry Panel met as a pre-inquiry working group. The minute records that an updated terms of reference would be circulated to members and reported back to the next meeting, along with the plan for gathering evidence.
The Climate Change and Nature Scrutiny Performance Panel heard updates on public electric vehicle (EV) charging and on the Local Area Energy Plan, a plan for cutting carbon emissions in Swansea's energy systems to reach net zero by 2050. The minutes record questions and discussion but no decisions. The Panel later asked the Cabinet Member for written answers on three points.
The Committee heard an update on the council's Oracle Fusion computer system, which has now closed as a project, and questioned the Leader of the Council on his portfolio. It also approved a change to a scrutiny panel's membership, removing Councillor F D O'Brien from the Education Performance Panel. The Chair will write to the Cabinet Members involved with the Committee's views.
The Panel considered the Cabinet's draft budget proposals for 2025/26 to 2028/29 and the quarter 2 budget monitoring report for 2024/25, with the Leader and the Director of Finance attending. It also considered the quarter 2 performance report. The minute records no decisions; the Panel asked for more information on several proposed savings.
The Panel met on 7 January 2025 to consider an update on the Child and Family Improvement Programme and a performance monitoring report for October 2024. The Panel agreed that the Cabinet Member would share fostering information with all councillors, that a presentation by Bays+ would be included in a future item on supported living for young people leaving care, and that the Chair would look at trends in the data with the Head of Service early in the new municipal year.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Education considered progress on the council's Inclusion Strategy, including a new behaviour strategy, and the annual report on education performance, with questions to the Cabinet Member. The Panel noted its work plan and agreed to add a meeting with Morriston Comprehensive School. The minute records no decisions on the two briefings. The Panel said it would raise its views in a letter to the Cabinet Member.
The Panel considered two briefings on 11 December 2024: the annual report on Adult Services and Child and Family Services complaints for 2023-24, and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), a legal process for people who cannot consent and need to be kept safe in a hospital or care home. The published minutes record no decisions. The Panel also received the Director of Social Services' annual report, for which no minute has yet been published.
The Panel looked at three items: the mid-term budget statement for 2024/25, the council's recycling and landfill performance for 2023/24, and the annual report on Welsh Public Library Standards. The minutes record no formal decisions on the budget or recycling. For libraries, the Panel asked for more information on staff, absences, usage and stock, and for a report on the bailing plant.
The Scrutiny Programme Committee met on 10 December 2024 to check the work of several council services. Councillors questioned cabinet members and officers on tackling poverty, council housing standards, council house building, complaints handling, and the work of a scrutiny panel on adult services. The Committee asked its Chair to write to the relevant Cabinet Members with its views, and agreed that a draft Tackling Poverty Strategy will be scheduled for a future meeting when it is ready for review.
The Climate Change and Nature Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 19 November 2024 to hear briefings on the new Waste Strategy for 2025-30 and on water quality, management and pollution control. The waste consultation was delayed until early 2025 so that collections could be made more reliable first, with adoption due by mid-2025. On water, the minute records no decision, only requests for further information.