The Scrutiny Programme Committee met to discuss several key issues, including fly-tipping, recycling services, and the appointment of a co-opted member. The committee approved the appointment of Councillor Peter May as a non-voting co-opted member, reviewed the recycling and waste collection services, scrutinised the Cabinet Member for Community Services' responsibilities regarding fly-tipping, approved the Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25, and agreed to the membership of scrutiny panels and working groups.

Appointment of Councillor Peter May as Non-Voting Co-opted Member

The committee approved the recommendation to appoint Councillor Peter May as a Non-Voting Co-opted Member. This followed changes to the membership of political groups, which meant that the Uplands Political Group was no longer entitled to a councillor on the Scrutiny Programme Committee.

The report recommending the appointment noted that:

Councillor Peter May has served as a member on the Scrutiny Programme Committee since May 2022. During that time, he has gained / developed the knowledge, skills and experience valuable to the Committee's Scrutiny function.

Council Procedure Rule 47 allows a committee to appoint a non-voting co-opted member. The appointment was made to retain Councillor Peter May's experience and maintain continuity within the committee.

Update on Recycling and Waste Collection Service

The committee received an update on the Recycling and Waste Collection Service, following a previous discussion in July 2024. Councillor Cyril Anderson, Cabinet Member for Community Services, provided the update, which addressed issues that had affected collection services during 2024.

The update included:

• Staffing: Progress on recruitment, impact on service reliability, and use of agency staff.
• Vehicle Reliability: Impact of vehicle breakdowns on services.
• Performance: Number of missed or delayed rounds and recycling performance figures.
• Coordination with Street Cleansing: Measures taken to improve coordination between waste collection and street cleansing.

The report noted that every day, a minimum of 41 fully crewed lorries are required to collect waste from Swansea residents and businesses. In a year, this amounts to 10,701 rounds. The report also highlighted the impact of staffing numbers, collection quality, vehicle availability, and resident behaviour on the performance of waste collections.

The council had upscaled and employed 52 drivers and 118 carriers in order to reduce the need for agency staff.

Data on round completion performance from February to August 2025 was presented:

Additional data collected from the Contact Centre showed the number of reported missed collections between July 2023 and July 2025.

The report stated the intent to invest in a new system which will take customer service requests and map it against rounds to provide quality data on effectiveness and success.

Scrutiny of Cabinet Member Portfolio Responsibilities: Fly-Tipping Reduction and Enforcement

The committee scrutinised Councillor Cyril Anderson's portfolio responsibilities, focusing on fly-tipping reduction and enforcement. The discussion covered aims, objectives, plans, and the delivery of work related to this portfolio responsibility.

Councillor Cyril Anderson provided a report on fly-tipping, noting that fly-tipping and littering cost the council approximately £2.7 million per year to clear.

The report outlined the responsibilities of local authorities and Natural Resources Wales in addressing illegally deposited waste. Swansea Council's approach focuses on the 3 Es : Education, Engagement, and Enforcement.

The report detailed measures to reduce fly-tipping, including:

• Blocking access to known fly-tipping areas.
• Taking enforcement action against those who disregard kerbside collection arrangements.
• Supporting the Keep Recycling Out campaign.
• Undertaking education and engagement activities.
• Working with the police to stop vehicles carrying waste.
• Working with private landowners to remove waste.
• Regularly monitoring fly-tipping hotspots.

The report also provided data on fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions taken between April 2024 and March 2025, broken down by ward.

The report also referenced the Public Protection and Waste Enforcement Policy.

Approval of Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25

The committee approved the Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25, which provides an overview of the work of scrutiny for the previous municipal year. The report uses a 'scorecard' approach to highlight key indicators related to performance questions, participation and engagement, impact on council business, and outcomes.

Key points from the report included:

• The Scrutiny Programme Committee met 10 times, and there were 52 Scrutiny Panel and Working Group sessions.
• Overall councillor attendance across scrutiny activities was 71%.
• Meetings with direct public input rose to 26%, and 23% of meetings attracted media coverage.
• Scrutiny issued 68 Chair's/Convener's Letters, with timely cabinet responses averaging 19 days.
• Cabinet accepted or partly accepted 79% of recommendations from the Community Assets Inquiry.

The report also included feedback from councillors and participants, highlighting areas for improvement such as getting agendas out earlier, undertaking visits to see services, and enhancing preparation for meetings.

Membership of Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups

The committee agreed to the membership of various scrutiny panels and working groups. Councillors Adam Davis, Mike Day, and Joe Hale were added to the Climate Change & Nature Scrutiny Performance Panel. The Adult Services Performance Panel renewed its co-option of Mr Tony Beddow for the 2025/26 municipal year.

The committee also agreed to the membership of the following new bodies:

• Cost of Living & Community Resilience Scrutiny Inquiry Panel: Mair Baker, Oliver James, Adam Davis, Hannah Lawson, Joe Hale, Lynda James, Michael Locke, Allan Jeffery, Lyndon Jones.
• Heritage Protection & Restoration Scrutiny Working Group: Adam Davis, Mike White, Hannah Lawson, Michael Locke, Mark Tribe, Lyndon Jones, Will Thomas, Peter May, Francesca O'Brien.
• Streetscene Scrutiny Working Group: Mair Baker, Hannah Lawson, Dai Jenkins, Mike White, Peter Black, Allan Jeffery, Tony Fitzgerald, Michael Locke, Lynda James, Cheryl Philpott, Mary Jones, Mark Tribe, Will Thomas, Peter May, Brigitte Rowlands, Francesca O'Brien.
• Taxi Services Scrutiny Working Group: Dai Jenkins, Mike White, Michael Locke, Mark Tribe, Lyndon Jones.
• Public Toilets Scrutiny Working Group: Oliver James, Dai Jenkins, Mike Day, Mark Tribe, Tony Fitzgerald, Will Thomas, Peter May, Brigitte Rowlands, Francesca O'Brien.
• Business Support Scrutiny Working Group: Hannah Lawson, Peter Black, Mike Day, Lynda James, Mary Jones, Michael Locke, Mark Tribe, Lyndon Jones, Will Thomas, Brigitte Rowlands, Francesca O'Brien.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee reviewed the agreed Scrutiny Work Programme for 2025/26, including the committee work plan, performance panels, and working groups. The committee noted that the next meeting would include discussion of the Independent Drugs Commission Report, the Children & Young People's Rights Scheme Progress Report 2023-25, and a follow-up on the Co-production Working Group.

Scrutiny Letters

The committee reviewed the log of scrutiny letters produced following various scrutiny activities. The log included details of the recipient, main issues, cabinet portfolio, and dates of sending and receiving responses.

Date and Time of Upcoming Meetings

The committee noted the dates and times of upcoming scrutiny panel, working group, and regional meetings.