Care for older and disabled people, children's services and safeguarding.
What councils do
Councils arrange care and support for older people, disabled adults and carers, protect children and adults at risk, and look after children in care. Much care is provided by private and charity providers the council pays.
Who decides
The Cabinet member for social services leads, and each council has a statutory Director of Social Services. Scrutiny committees examine how services are doing.
Having a say
Anyone can ask the council for an assessment of their care needs, or of their needs as a carer. If you're worried about someone's safety, contact the council's safeguarding team.
In numbers
Welsh councils plan to spend £1,045 per person on this in 2026-27.
It ranges from £918 in Monmouthshire to £1,337 in Ceredigion.
Children in care: 114 across Wales (2024-25).
Children in care who moved home three or more times: 8% across Wales (2024-25).
Children's assessments done on time: 85% across Wales (2024-25).
Decided: Cabinet approved receiving and committing the £2,962,397 additional 2026-27 Welsh Government grant to the capital programme for school repairs and maintenance, subject to the final grant award and conditions. It noted that schemes are still being developed. These may include roofing at YGG Bryn Tawe, works at Cefn Hengoed Community School, school-identified priorities such as toilet upgrades, early design for 2027/28 schemes, health, safety and safeguarding risks, and new heating for four primary schools on oil-fired boilers. It delegated to the Director of Education and the Director of Place the choice and priority of schemes. It also delegated to the Director of Finance and the Director of Education the power, if needed, to swap up to £1,533,800 of the grant for core capital funding already allocated to Education projects. The equivalent unsupported borrowing would move to the 2027-2028 programme.
Resolved that:
1) The findings of the Public Spaces Protection Order Review be approved.
2) The introduction of a new Public Spaces Protection Order covering Swansea City Centre, Swansea Beachfront and Dyfatty for a period of three years be approved.
3) The extension to the PSPO boundary as shown in Appendix C be approved.
4) The introduction of the revised Order attached at Appendix A be approved.
5) The proposed safeguarding-led enforcement and escalation framework, including the continued exploration of Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices as part of the Council's wider response to persistent anti-social behaviour be noted and endorsed.
6) The extension of the existing PSPO which restricts access to the service lane at the bottom of St Helen’s Road be approved.
7) The Director of Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Economy, Finance and Strategy and Children, Young People and Families, any other relevant Cabinet Member, and the Chief Legal Officer, be authorised to designate officers with enforcement powers.
Scrutiny Performance Panel – Child & Family Services,
RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the hearing in accordance with paragraph 14 of the Licensing Act (Hearings) Regulations 2005, to enable the Sub-Committee to take legal advice.
(CLOSED SESSION)
Members discussed the issues relating to the application.
(OPEN SESSION)
The Lawyer advising the Sub-Committee gave a comprehensive overview of the legal advice tendered.
The Chair indicated that the Sub-Committee had considered the application and representation made and the needs and interests of all parties in terms of the Council’s Statements of Licensing Policy, statutory guidance and the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.
The Sub‑Committee RESOLVED TO GRANT the application for a new premises licence as modified, subject to:
• Conditions consistent with the operating schedule (Appendix C),
• Mandatory conditions under the Licensing Act 2003, and
• The following modification:
Live Music
Friday & Saturday 1900- 2300
Recorded Music
Monday – Sunday 0900 - 2330
Supply of Alcohol
Monday - Sunday 1100 – 2330
1. No off sales are permitted at the premises.
2. An incident recording book, bound in numerical order, shall be maintained at the premises showing details of the date and time of all assaults, injuries, accidents or ejections, as well as details of the members of staff involved, the nature of the incident and the action/outcome. The book must be kept available for inspection by the Police and authorised officers of the Licensing Authority.
3. Comprehensive recordable CCTV system will be installed and maintained covering the trade areas whilst encompassing all ingress and egress to the premises. The system must continually record whilst the premises is open for licensable activities and during all times when customers remain at the premises. The system must be capable of providing pictures of evidential quality, in particular facial recognition. All recordings must be stored for a minimum period of 31 days with date and time. Recordings must be made available immediately upon the request of a Police or Authorised Officer.
4. The premises to keep up to date records of staff training and refresher training in respect of age-related sales including proxy sales to persons who are drunk and identifying and preventing drug misuse in written or electronic format available for inspection on request by an authorised officer.
5. The capacity of the premises will be calculated by way of fire risk assessment and staff to ensure capacity it adhered to at all times.
6. Emergency lighting and fire alarm testing to be recorded and maintained.
7. Structural safety of premises to be maintained.
8. External lighting around premises and in car park and to be maintained at all times.
9. Notices shall be clearly displayed in the premises to emphasise to customers the prohibition on providing sales of alcohol to persons under the age of eighteen years.
10. Notices shall predominantly displayed at all exists requesting patrons to respect the needs of local residents and leave the area quietly.
11. Notices shall be predominantly displayed in all areas used externally asking patrons to respect the needs of the local residents and use the area quietly.
12. No bottles, shall be moved, removed, or placed in outside areas between 0900 hours and 1800 hours.
13. Outside areas to be kept free of rubbish.
14. A Challenge 25 proof of age scheme shall be operated at the premises where the only acceptable forms of identification shall bear their photograph, date of birth and a holographic mark.
15. A log shall be kept detailing all refused sales of alcohol. The log should include the date and time of the refused sale and the name of the member of staff who refused the sale. The log shall always be available for inspection at the premises by the police or an authorised officer of the Council whilst the premises are open.
16. Key staff members to have undertaken safeguarding training and premises to have a designated safeguarding officer.
17. No adult entertainment is permitted at the premises.
Reasons for Decision
The Sub‑Committee carefully considered the application and operating schedule, the Officer’s report and agenda pack, the written and oral representations from other persons, the oral submissions made on behalf of the applicant, the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy, and the Statutory Guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003.
The Sub‑Committee determined the application on its individual merits with a view to promoting the four licensing objectives.
The Sub‑Committee attached significant weight to the fact that no relevant representations were received from any Responsible Authority, including South Wales Police, licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards. Members considered this to be a strong indication that the application did not give rise to concerns of a regulatory nature in respect of the licensing objectives.
The Sub‑Committee carefully considered the written and oral representations from residents. These included concerns regarding noise nuisance, particularly from music and the use of the balcony area, late‑night bottling out, anti‑social behaviour, the potential change in the nature of the premises and increased use by the public, together with issues relating to traffic, parking and highway safety.
The Sub‑Committee recognised these concerns as genuinely held. However, Members noted that certain matters raised, including parking, traffic conditions and behaviour beyond the premises, are not licensable matters or are beyond the control of the premises licence holder and therefore cannot be determinative of the application. These matters were nevertheless considered insofar as they related to the licensing objectives.
The Sub‑Committee placed considerable weight on the evidence and assurances provided by the applicant. Members noted that the premises is a long‑established golf club and that the intention of the application is not to fundamentally alter the nature of the premises but to modernise its licensing arrangements and support its ongoing viability.
The Sub‑Committee noted that the applicant acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and had taken steps to address them, including agreeing to a voluntary modification to restrict bottling out to between 09:00 and 18:00 hours, and confirming that a clear point of contact would be available for local residents.
The Sub‑Committee further noted the measures in place to promote the licensing objectives, including the provision of comprehensive CCTV coverage, the operation of a Challenge 25 policy and staff training in relation to age‑restricted sales, safeguarding arrangements including designated safeguarding officers, a course marshal system, incident recording procedures and general responsible management practices.
Members were satisfied that these measures, together with the conditions attached to the licence and the agreed modification, were appropriate and proportionate to address the concerns raised.
In particular, the Sub‑Committee was satisfied that the prevention of crime and disorder would be promoted through the presence of CCTV, trained staff and established management practices. Public safety would be promoted through structured safety and safeguarding arrangements. The prevention of public nuisance would be addressed through the restriction on bottling out, together with conditions relating to noise control and the use of external areas; and the protection of children from harm would be ensured through the Challenge 25 policy, staff training and safeguarding measures.
Accordingly, the Sub‑Committee concluded that the concerns raised by residents could be appropriately mitigated by the conditions attached to the licence together with the agreed modification. Members were satisfied that those measures were necessary and proportionate to promote the licensing objectives.
In light of the absence of Responsible Authority objections, the applicant’s engagement and willingness to mitigate concerns, and the robustness of the proposed conditions and operating schedule, the Sub‑Committee determined that the grant of the premises licence, as modified, would promote the licensing objectives.
The Sub‑Committee therefore resolved to grant the application.
Right of Appeal
Any party to the decision has the right to appeal to the Magistrates’ Court within 21 days of receipt of the formal decision notice.