Cabinet agreed the Council's draft budget proposals for 2026/27 to 2029/30 as the basis for public and staff consultation, and agreed how that consultation will run. The meeting also approved the minutes of 11 December 2025 with one amendment and heard a statement from the Leader on how the Old Carriageway, Clyne bridleway will be upgraded.
The Panel considered the Annual Complaints and Compliments Report 2024-25 for Adult Services and Child and Family Services, and the annual report of the Corporate Parenting Board, which oversees the council's care of looked after children. The Panel welcomed both reports, asked about rising justified complaints, investigation costs, health waiting times and educational results, and asked that positive feedback be shared with staff.
Cancelled
The Panel considered two reports: annual education performance against the Education Directorate's objectives, including progress on two 2022 Estyn recommendations, and progress with the Vulnerable Learners Inclusion Strategy. Both were for information, and the Panel asked questions and gave views.
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.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Service Improvement, Regeneration and Finance heard two updates on 9 December 2025. The Leader, Cllr Rob Stewart, and the Director of Finance gave a verbal mid-term budget statement for 2025/26. The Panel also heard progress on the draft Swansea City Centre Placemaking Plan, and officers agreed to arrange councillor workshops and explore a shorter version of the plan. The minutes record no formal decisions on the budget statement.
The Scrutiny Programme Committee met on 9 December 2025. It considered progress on the Children and Young People's Rights Scheme and the annual complaints and compliments report for 2024-25, and noted progress reports from its performance panel and work programme. It also approved the membership of a new Cost of Living inquiry panel and a Taxi Services working group.
At its meeting on 8 December 2025, the Adult Services Scrutiny Performance Panel received a briefing on recent inspections of The Hollies and St John's care homes, a presentation on the Council's internal day services, and an update on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The minutes record no formal decisions, except that the Panel welcomed the inspection results and asked for its thanks to be passed to staff, and officers agreed to share the day services slides.
Councillors met on 4 December 2025. They approved the Council's response to its first Panel Performance Assessment, a 4.3% rise in council house rents from April 2026, a co-ordinated school admissions scheme for September 2028, the 2026/27 Council Tax base and a community councillor for the Standards Committee. They also noted reports on policy commitments and written answers to earlier questions.
The Planning Committee met on 2 December 2025 and approved a full planning application by Swansea Council. The council wants to use about half of the former Dr Organic site in Swansea Enterprise Park as a depot for refuse collection vehicles and related services. The minute records approval, which matches the officer recommendation.
The Panel met on 25 November 2025 to consider the Annual Wellbeing Performance Report for Child and Family Services for 2024-25 and the Children's Reviewing Team Annual Report. The minutes record questions and discussion on both reports but no decisions. A letter from the Convener (the Panel's chair) to the Cabinet Member, dated 16 December 2025, sets out the Panel's views, and no formal reply is needed.
At its meeting on 20 November 2025, the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel was briefed on three topics: progress on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, literacy and reading support in schools, and careers advice including the draft Designing Destinations Strategy. The minute records no decisions. It says the Panel's questions and views would form part of a letter to the Cabinet Member, which is dated 8 December 2025 and says the Panel welcomed the draft careers strategy.
The Cabinet agreed to support the artificial grass position statement, endorsed the Resilient Swansea climate adaptation strategy for formal adoption, and granted retrospective approval for the National Forest for Wales grant application. Minutes for this meeting were published with the agenda; the minutes provided cover the declarations of interest and the items listed below.
On 18 November 2025 the Scrutiny Programme Committee questioned the Swansea Public Services Board, the Cabinet Member for Service Transformation on homelessness, and the Cabinet Member for Care Services on corporate safeguarding. The Committee agreed that its Chair would write letters reflecting those discussions. It also approved panel membership changes, deferred one panel update, and noted the work programme and scrutiny letters.
The minutes record no formal decisions on either item, only the Panel's questions and three follow-up actions on bathing water, event waste and the Drought Liaison Group. Councillors were asked to consider the water report and to recognise the Retrofit Framework and the risks identified with it.