Swansea Public Services Board Annual Report 2023-24

Swansea Public Services Board Annual Report 23-24 (Word doc) [3MB]

Previous versions of Swansea Public Services Board's annual reports are available via the downloads section below.

• Message from Swansea Public Services Board
• Our vision and local well-being objectives
• The way we work - governance
• Swansea's local well-being
• Progress towards our local well-being objectives
  • Early years
  • Live well, age well
  • Climate change and nature recovery
  • Strong communities
• Our next steps
• How you can get involved

Message from Swansea PSB

As we reflect on the year 2023/24, it is with a sense of pride that we present the progress made in implementing Swansea's Local Well-being Plan. 

Our collective vision to make Swansea a prosperous place, where the natural environment is cherished, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive, has been the driving force behind our efforts.

This year, we have seen remarkable strides in our key objectives. Our commitment to the Early Years initiative has ensured that children in Swansea are receiving the best start in life, laying a foundation for lifelong success. 

The Live Well, Age Well program has enhanced the quality of life for residents at every stage, fostering a community where everyone can live well.

Our dedication to Climate Change and Nature Recovery has led to significant environmental achievements, with initiatives aimed at restoring biodiversity and reducing the impact of climate change. 

Moreover, the Strong Communities objective has strengthened the bonds within our communities, instilling and enriching a sense of pride and belonging.

The progress documented in this report is a testament to the power of collaboration and the unwavering spirit of Swansea's residents and stakeholders. 

As we move forward, we remain committed to building upon these successes and addressing the challenges ahead, ensuring that the well-being of Swansea continues to flourish.

Cllr Andrea Lewis, PSB Chair
Roger Thomas, Chief Fire Officer, PSB Vice Chair

Our vision and local well-being objectives

In Swansea, we believe in the rights of every person. Our vision is to work together to make Swansea a place which is prosperous, where our natural environment is appreciated and maintained and where every person can have the best start in life, get a good job, live well, age well and have every opportunity to be healthy, happy, safe and the best they can be. 

To achieve our vision we have prioritised our local well-being objectives. We hope that by focusing our collective efforts, we can make the biggest difference by working together. 

1. Early Years - To ensure that children have the best start in life to be the best they can be
2. Live Well, Age Well -  To make Swansea a great place to live at every stage of life
3. Climate Change and Nature Recovery - To restore and enhance biodiversity, tackle the causes, and reduce the impact of climate change
4. Strong Communities - To build cohesive and resilient communities with a sense of pride and belonging

The way we work - governance

The sustainable development principle

Swansea PSB is committed to acting in a manner which seeks to ensure the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We do this by ensuring every decision we make or action we take considers the sustainable development principle's five ways of working. 

Long term: The importance of balancing short-term needs with the need to safeguard the ability to also meet long-term needs.

Prevention: How to act to prevent problems occurring or getting worse may help public bodies meet their objectives.

Integration: Considering how public body's well-being objectives may impact upon each of the well-being goals, on their other objectives, or on the objectives of other public bodies.

Collaboration: Acting in collaboration with any other person (or different parts of that body itself) that could help the body meet its well-being objectives.
 
Involvement: The importance of involving people with an interest in achieving the well-being goals and ensuring that those people reflect the diversity of the area which the body services.

The national well-being goals

We aim to make our actions deliver as much value as possible by ensuring we look for multiple outcomes in all we do. By ensuring we think about each of the national well-being goals below we maximise our contribution to the Wales We Want.

1. A Prosperous Wales
2. A Resilient Wales
3. A More Equal Wales
4. A Healthier Wales
5. A Wales of Cohesive Communities
6. A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language
7. A Globally Responsible Wales

How we work as a Public Services Board

The limitations of the previous PSB governance structure were recognised and a governance review was undertaken to address this. The review also took on board advice from the Future Generations Commissioner and a new governance structure was put in place. The new governance arrangements embrace sustainable ways of working and place the delivery of the well-being objectives at the heart of what the PSB is trying to do to make a difference.  

The key finding from the review was that the work of the PSB is a core part rather than an addition to the existing work of its members. All levels of organisational staff should see PSB priorities as part of their day job not an additional responsibility although there is always a challenge managing limited resources. 

The Public Services Board Structure

(Click the image to view a larger version of the diagram)

Whilst Swansea PSB has consciously sought to improve how we involve "usual suspects" there is still scope to include a wider stakeholder audience and opportunities to further involve the public more regularly moving forward. 

Regional Working takes place via joint meetings between Swansea and Neath Port Talbot PSBs. 

Swansea's local well-being

This chapter of the report summarises the latest situation in Swansea, comparisons with Wales averages and recent local trends in a selection of the National Indicators (Welsh Government) using the latest published statistics, and other developments in measuring well-being over the year.  

Later in this report, we describe the recent work undertaken to develop a comprehensive set of population-level outcome measures and monitoring arrangements. 

In the meantime, a selection of updates to the National Indicators that were included in the previous Annual Report (for 2021-22) are highlighted in the analysis below:

• The healthy life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived areas in Swansea (for 2018-20) was 19.8 years for females (Wales 16.9) and 14.9 years for males (Wales 13.3). Since 2011-13, the gaps have reduced for females in Swansea (from 18.8 years), and for males (from 17.5). (National Indicator 2)
• 5.6% of adults in Swansea reported fewer than two (of the five) healthy lifestyle behaviours (Wales 7.4%) (National Survey for Wales / NSW data, 2021-23). In the survey, Swansea is currently worse than the Welsh average for average annual alcohol consumption (units) and e-cigarette use, but better than the Welsh average on healthy weight, eating fruit and vegetables, and physical activity. (NI 3)
• Air quality in Swansea, as measured by annual average levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution exposure, has continued to improve, falling from 12.5 µg/m3 in 2011 to 7.6 in 2021 (modelled data - pollutants per cubic metre of air). However, average NO2 concentrations in Wales are lower (6.9 µg/m3 in 2021). (NI 4)
• In 2022-23, an estimated 13.3% of people aged 16+ living in households in Swansea live in material deprivation (that is, cannot afford particular goods and activities that are typical in society at a given point in time); below the Wales average (15.5%) but decreasing from 20.6% in 2017-18. The latest figures for Swansea increased over the latest year (from 10.6% in 2021-22), alongside increases in Wales - possibly indicating cost of living impacts. However, these are (national) survey-based estimates also subject to methodology changes, so short-term changes at a local level should be viewed with caution. (NI 19)
• In 2021-22, 60% of adults in Swansea felt safe (lower than Wales, 66%). Respondents were asked how safe they felt after dark at home, walking in the local area, and travelling (on a five point scale). Those that responded either 'very safe' or 'fairly safe' to all three questions were coded by the National Survey as 'feeling safe'. The Swansea figure has fluctuated in recent surveys, but is largely unchanged from 2018-19 (61%), although 95% confidence intervals in 2021-22 range from approx. 55% to 65%. (NI 25)
• In the National Survey 2021-22, 59% of people aged 16+ in Swansea agreed with all three statements related to community cohesion (Wales 64%): people agreeing that they belong to the area; people from different backgrounds get on well together; people treat each other with respect. The Swansea 2021-22 figure for 'belonging' was 40%, below the Wales average (45%). (NI 27)
• Volunteering is undertaken by 29.5% of people aged 16+ in Swansea in 2022-23 (slightly below the Wales average of 29.7%). These figures reflect people who stated that they currently (at time of survey) give their time for free (formally and informally) to help a list of clubs or organisations. Swansea and Wales figures are slightly higher than in the 2019-20 survey, although comparisons across years should be made with caution due to survey mode and pandemic-related changes. (NI 28)
• The National Survey also includes a set of six questions to assess levels of loneliness, calculated using the De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale. Based on these, 11.3% of people aged 16+ in Swansea (12.6% in Wales) were found to be lonely in 2022-23. The Swansea percentage in 2021-22 was higher at 14.2%. (NI 30)
• The number of households for whom homelessness was successfully prevented for at least 6 months, as a rate per 10,000 households, is also a National Indicator. During 2022-23 the rate for Swansea was 67.1 per 10,000 households, up from 59.3 in 2020-21. In Wales, this rate also rose, from 34.8 in 2020-21 to 39.6 in 2022-23. (NI 34)

During the last year there have been a number of publication updates from public bodies related to the local measurement of well-being in Wales:

• In September 2023, the Welsh Government published its latest annual Well-being of Wales report, which included data updates for some of the 50 National Indicators (where possible). Whilst the 2022 report was the first to consider the new generational targets attached to some of the indicators, known as 'national milestones', the 2023 report expanded this further by including the second wave of milestones that were set in late 2022.
• As part of their Measuring National Well-being (MNW) programme, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) continue to publish Personal Well-being in the UK - containing estimates of life satisfaction, feeling that the things done in life are worthwhile, happiness and anxiety from UK to local authority level, using data from ONS' Annual Population Survey. In 2022-23, Swansea mean scores for 'life satisfaction' are slightly better than Wales and UK averages, but slightly worse in the three other measures. Over the year to March 2023, mean (average) scores in Swansea have deteriorated for the 'worthwhile', 'happiness' and 'anxiety' indicators to a greater extent than nationally, although these differences are marginal in relation to survey sample sizes and confidence intervals.
• The Thriving Places Wales Index, developed jointly by the Centre for Thriving Places and Data Cymru, measures the relative prevalence of conditions for well-being and quality of life at a local authority level in Wales, using a range of indicators (currently 55) across three identified 'domains' of well-being. In the most recent index (2022), Swansea had better conditions for well-being than the Wales average in the 'Sustainability' (especially) and 'Equality' domains but is worse than the Wales average in the 'Local Conditions' domain.

Progress towards our local well-being objectives

Early Years: To ensure that children have the best start in life to be the best they can be

The Swansea Wellbeing Plan has a focus on Early Years with a specific objective to ensure that children have the best start in life, to be the best they can be. To achieve that objective, services and agencies must work well together.   

The Welsh Government Early Years pathfinder investment, enabled agencies to come together and collaborate operationally. The investment supported agencies to find solutions to improve integration, and provide earlier intervention for children, young people and their families. Reviewing the outcomes of the investment and identifying lessons learnt was a key focus during 2023/24. Statutory agencies in Swansea recognise that working collaboratively on a strategic level is where improvements must be made over the next 12 months.

The following video is an example of where the Early years pathfinder investment was made in speech and language services.

Live Well, Age Well: To make Swansea a great place to live at every stage of life

Following Swansea's Human Rights City declaration in 2022, each PSB partner committed to creating an action plan to fulfil our commitments addressing our Human Rights City priorities. It has been essential throughout this journey to have public engagement and stakeholder involvement. This was no different when we were developing our action plans.

In June 2023, we held an action plan engagement event. This bought together stakeholders and members of the public to hear what their issues are, and what potential actions could be for our priorities. Each PSB organisation has used and considered this information to inform their own commitments.

In December 2023, as a council we launched our Human Rights City commitments. We also launched a registration process using an online web-form for members of the public to join our Stakeholder panel. To enhance our Human Rights commitments and our legal obligations within the Equality Act and the Public Sector Equality duty, we created for the first time a Human Rights and Strategic Equality plan for 2024-28. This plan was published in April this year. 

Work has been on going to raise awareness of Human Rights to the public and organisations by distributing guides informing public of their Human Rights, and a guide for organisations. We worked with the British Institute of Human Rights to deliver a bespoke training package detailing what is a Human Rights based approach and how to embed one in services and organisations. This training was for Councillors, senior managers and policy writers across the Council and our PSB partners. In December 2023, Swansea University held an inaugural lecture delivered by the Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt MS to mark Human Rights Day. A workshop was also held for organisations across Swansea on a Human Rights based approach. 

In February 2024, Swansea Council was invited to attend and present at a global UNESCO conference on Human Rights on a local level. We made a written contribution in their publication series alongside the conference on our work as a Human Rights City with a focus on accountability within a Human Rights City action plans. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our work and a testament to the effort we have made as partners in realising our ambition in being a Human Rights City.

Climate Change and Nature Recovery: To restore and enhance biodiversity, tackle the causes, and reduce the impact of climate change

The Step 3 delivery group undertook a survey of partner organisations to establish what arrangements they have in place to tackle climate change and nature recovery. The aim was to help improve understanding of who is doing what across Swansea that could support a more cohesive and coordinated approach to ensuring a just and equitable transition to net zero by 2050. It is intended to use the findings to share good practice and innovation, help build capacity and capability, and identify gaps and opportunities for collaboration.

The survey, structured around 12 themes, asked respondents to outline existing policies and strategies, current projects and future plans related to each theme, and challenges that they face. Responses revealed examples of good practice and innovative actions across many themes, which could be used to inspire action by others, and self-assessment scores suggest a higher level of activity and confidence in relation to the Nature Recovery, Energy Generation, and Transport and Travel themes. 

The Adaptation and Mitigation work is to conclude in December, so the work is continuing until then, with workshops being timetabled for end of May into June 24. The strategy will identify key priorities for action and from this a full action plan will be drawn up by Signatories, with timescales, lead members etc for the different aspects of work for 2050 identified by Net Zero Wales and the Adaptation Framework. The mapping will/is helping inform the gaps and is being used by the contractors to gain a fuller picture of the key partners of the Signatories Group.  

Strong Communities: To build cohesive and resilient communities with a sense of pride and belonging

We want to make Swansea a vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming place, where everyone has equal access to opportunities and feels truly proud to live, work and play in Swansea. 

To achieve this, we need to develop a place where people belong, feel safe, and where people's backgrounds and circumstances are appreciated and valued. Working together to understand individual and community issues will help shape solutions based on lived experience and build cohesive and resilient communities, that have a sense of pride and belonging. 

Over the last 12 months, we have delivered a series of actions to help us achieve our aim, of building cohesive and resilient communities with a sense of pride and belonging. 

A community safety village event was held as part of the Welsh Firefighters Challenge on Saturday 3 June in Oxford Street, Swansea, and provided an opportunity to engage with members of the public on a variety of subject matters. The event was well attended and resulted in the referral of approximately, 55 Home Fire Safety visit requests, and approximately, 130 engagements with families.

On 17 October, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service hosted a 'Walking in our Shoes' event, which looked to broaden the awareness of partners' work and improve networks, particularly amongst those who engage directly with our communities. The event focussed on 3 principal areas, operational response; community safety; and protection in the built environment. The event was well attended by partner organisations and included representation from a good cross-section of roles, including, Ecologists, Conservation Officers, Public Health Practitioners, Building Control Team Leaders, Risk Management Surveyors and Community Safety coordinators.

Finally, a safeguarding event was held in the Swansea.com stadium, during safeguarding week in November. The event included keynote speakers, interactive workshops and brought a together a diverse range of organisations to discuss ways to improve safeguarding across Swansea, by sharing ideas, promoting best practices, and identifying new ways of working together to make the communities we serve safer.

Work is progressing well, and we hope that over the next few years, you will be able to see the change in your communities. 

Developing Swansea's integrated cultural offer

Delivery of an Integrated Cultural Strategy is being aided by Shared Prosperity Funding for a Culture and Tourism Anchor. This has enabled several staff to be appointed tasked with new programming and pulling together a creative network and collaboration opportunities as well as consultancy for engagement and delivery of a Cultural Strategy. Another key piece of work is a sector analysis report to understand the needs of Swansea's creative and cultural sectors, aiming to foster sustainable growth for community well-being and economic prosperity.

A Cultural Tourism Marketing Officer has also been appointed to promote the diversity of the offer, all year round to residents of Swansea and visitors within a 90-minute drive time and a Music Officer will create opportunities to perform at major events across Swansea.

The Partnership Agreement between Swansea Council and Sport Wales is fundamental to the delivery of our strategic plan for sports and health - "Creating an active Swansea"; achieving specific outcomes against our aims of "Developing a Sporting infrastructure", "Developing Communities" "Lifelong learning and Skills development" and "Tackling Health Inequalities".

Assessment to date demonstrate that all targets in the plan have been or will be delivered; with some being exceeded and cited as good practice. These include the expansion of our female engagement project "Us girls"; increased participation in our inclusion project "Street-sports Swansea" and for the first time, the local delivery of the national "60 plus" activity programme, in partnership with Freedom Leisure.

Examples of our activity and marketing material are below:

Arts and Culture

Winter Well-being

Iolo's Spring Safari

Happy Place

To Influence and connect with other governance arrangements across the Swansea Bay region.

Effective partnerships, such as the Public Service Board (PSB), require well-defined terms of reference and clear lines of accountability. This involves avoiding redundancy with other partnerships and identifying gaps in the partnership landscape relevant to the PSB's work.

Numerous public services and third-sector partners participate in various collaborations, addressing a wide range of issues. To facilitate coordination, the PSB has compiled a register of local partnerships associated with its work and mapped their connections. By leveraging this map, the PSB aims to simplify, streamline, and align its efforts within the broader partnership context. The goal is to enhance efficiency, minimize duplication, and address any gaps.

The PSB has diligently collected information on different partnerships in Swansea, including details like terms of reference, meeting frequency, and membership. Over time, this map will be refined and updated. Additionally, it serves as a valuable resource when the PSB Chair engages with other partnership leaders. These interactions provide opportunities for collaboration, ultimately benefiting the PSB's mission.

To improve data quality and accessibility across the Swansea Bay region.

Swansea Council, the Regional Partnership Board, NPT, and other PSB partners collaborate within a regional data group. Their purpose is to identify gaps and opportunities for data sharing, as well as to enhance alignment between Population Needs Assessments and Well-being Assessments.

The group focuses on current and future assessment requirements, aiming to identify commonalities and gaps in data. They also explore information sources to bridge these gaps. In this endeavour, partners jointly research and define population measures, which are then mapped against well-being objectives and drivers. This data serves as a valuable resource for future population and well-being assessments, allowing progress toward our well-being objectives to be evaluated.

Draft criteria for selecting indicators have been developed and shared with partners for consultation. Notably, citizen perspectives play a central role in well-being assessments. Data and insights gathered through citizen and community engagement complement statistical details, providing a more grounded reflection of reality.

Furthermore, this work aligns with the development of the Population Health Strategy for the region. As part of data management, the possibility of creating a 'data lake' for improved data maintenance and sharing is under consideration. Although the Welsh Government's funding plans for PSB data portals via Data Cymru are currently on hold, a representative from Data Cymru recently participated in one of our meetings. We are exploring the potential for a regional data portal for Neath Port Talbot and Swansea in the upcoming financial year.

To Develop Swansea PSB performance management arrangements which measure and monitor the PSB's progress.

The Public Service Board (PSB) has been working to craft a performance management framework, along with a comprehensive set of population-level outcome measures and their associated monitoring protocols.

The framework comprises an action plan for the fiscal year 2023-24. This action plan encompasses specific tasks, intended outcomes, key milestones, and success criteria. Importantly, the action plan undergoes regular review and updates annually.

Additionally, the framework will incorporate population-level outcome measures and corresponding monitoring arrangements. Our ongoing efforts involve researching and mapping potential population metrics against the PSB Well-being Plan's objectives and drivers. As mentioned earlier, we've established criteria for selecting relevant indicators.

To enhance accessibility and engagement, we've also produced a video as an alternative medium for presenting this year's annual PSB report. We hope that this video supplement will reach a wider audience alongside the traditional written report.

Conclusion

It has never been more important for us to pull together, connect and understand the resources we have here in Swansea. All PSB members have shown willingness to work together collectively, stronger, more resilient and better connected.

Maintaining effective communication and relationships has been vital. It has been important to use our relationships and networks we have built up over the past years and draw on one another's knowledge and experience.  It has been crucial for all our different organisations to come together to help and support one another.  

PSB members/stakeholders together are stronger and we must not lose sight of how much we can achieve when we work together and support one another.

Our next steps

Swansea PSB's strengths lie within the expertise, experience and enthusiasm of its partners, from the frontline staff working to deliver the local well-being objectives to the leadership representatives who work together to strategically improve Swansea's well-being.  

Austerity and continued uncertainty will continue to challenge our organisations moving forward.

How you can get involved

The work undertaken by Swansea Public Services Board is published online at https://www.swansea.gov.uk/psb.

Our Swansea PSB Meetings are held in public and questions from the public are invited via a standing agenda item Public Question Time.

You can also contact our Public Services Board Co-ordinator directly by email at swansea.psb@swansea.gov.uk

We welcome your involvement, ideas and suggestions in all areas of our work so that we could consider for our future work.