Agenda item

 

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bryan Davies, and Cabinet Member, Alun Williams, Diana Davies and Rob Starr, Officers, to present the report.

 

Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a new Self-Assessment based performance regime for Principal Councils.

 

The Self-Assessment Report for 2022/23 discharges the requirements of both: • The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – to set and review progress against our Corporate Well-being Objectives • The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 – the duty to keep performance under review, consult on performance, report on performance, arrange a Panel Performance Assessment and respond to a Panel Performance Assessment.

 

It was reported that following positive feedback from Welsh Government peers, retained a similar format for this year to help in disseminating key messages and keeping it succinct, as requested by Welsh Government. Improvements made this year to strengthen the report are as follows:

 

• Providing further detail on the consultation and engagement undertaken during the year and how it is used.

• Providing details of the stakeholder consultation to support self-assessment.

• Providing further detail in the evaluation commentary of the Council’s overall performance.

• Updating the Self-Assessment Action Plan, adding the new actions identified along with a progress update.

• Expanding the benchmarking section (further work is ongoing to develop this in conjunction with Data Cymru).

• Added “Council Structure” section to provide details of how the Council is structured.

• Included links to other related reports and strategies, which is seen as best practice.

 

The Governance and Audit Committee has a statutory responsibility to consider the Self-Assessment Report and make recommendations on the findings and the actions that the Council proposes to take. The Report was considered at its meeting on 27 September 2023 and approved the report to proceed for approval at Cabinet and Council. No formal recommendations were made to the conclusions or the actions, although minor formatting amendments have been made to improve the quality of the report prior to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Following approval by Governance and Audit Committee the process of producing the 2022/23 Self-Assessment Report is now complete and cannot be amended further.

 

The Self-Assessment Report is scheduled to proceed to Cabinet on                         7 November and Council on 30 November, before being submitted to Ministers, Estyn and the Auditor General for Wales, as well as being published on the website. Panel Performance Assessment Update Part of the new Self-Assessment Performance Regime is the duty to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment once in every election cycle. Panel Assessments are intended to provide an independent and external perspective of the extent to which the Council is meeting the performance requirements of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The aim is to support Councils to achieve their aspirations through developing and understanding how they are operating and how they can ensure they are able to deliver effective services long-term. The Council’s first Panel Performance Assessment is being organised for the first quarter of 2024/25 and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association. Preparatory work, such as appointing the Panel and scoping the Assessment will be conducted over the next several months.

 

During discussion, the following was noted:

 

·       Members congratulated and praised all involved in producing the                Self-Assessment report as an excellent easily readable document. The Leader of the Council also thanked Officers for their hard work in producing the document. 

 

Following discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation:

·       To receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives

To ensure the Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee are updated on the progress of preparing the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

Committee Members agreed to receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and the Officers for attending and presenting the information to the Committee.

 

        

 

et Member, Alun Williams, Diana Davies and Rob Starr, Officers, to present the report.

 

Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a new Self-Assessment based performance regime for Principal Councils.

 

The Self-Assessment Report for 2022/23 discharges the requirements of both: • The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – to set and review progress against our Corporate Well-being Objectives • The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 – the duty to keep performance under review, consult on performance, report on performance, arrange a Panel Performance Assessment and respond to a Panel Performance Assessment.

 

It was reported that following positive feedback from Welsh Government peers, retained a similar format for this year to help in disseminating key messages and keeping it succinct, as requested by Welsh Government. Improvements made this year to strengthen the report are as follows:

 

• Providing further detail on the consultation and engagement undertaken during the year and how it is used.

• Providing details of the stakeholder consultation to support self-assessment.

• Providing further detail in the evaluation commentary of the Council’s overall performance.

• Updating the Self-Assessment Action Plan, adding the new actions identified along with a progress update.

• Expanding the benchmarking section (further work is ongoing to develop this in conjunction with Data Cymru).

• Added “Council Structure” section to provide details of how the Council is structured.

• Included links to other related reports and strategies, which is seen as best practice.

 

The Governance and Audit Committee has a statutory responsibility to consider the Self-Assessment Report and make recommendations on the findings and the actions that the Council proposes to take. The Report was considered at its meeting on 27 September 2023 and approved the report to proceed for approval at Cabinet and Council. No formal recommendations were made to the conclusions or the actions, although minor formatting amendments have been made to improve the quality of the report prior to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Following approval by Governance and Audit Committee the process of producing the 2022/23 Self-Assessment Report is now complete and cannot be amended further.

 

The Self-Assessment Report is scheduled to proceed to Cabinet on                         7 November and Council on 14 December, before being submitted to Ministers, Estyn and the Auditor General for Wales, as well as being published on the website. Panel Performance Assessment Update Part of the new Self-Assessment Performance Regime is the duty to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment once in every election cycle. Panel Assessments are intended to provide an independent and external perspective of the extent to which the Council is meeting the performance requirements of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The aim is to support Councils to achieve their aspirations through developing and understanding how they are operating and how they can ensure they are able to deliver effective services long-term. The Council’s first Panel Performance Assessment is being organised for the first quarter of 2024/25 and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association. Preparatory work, such as appointing the Panel and scoping the Assessment will be conducted over the next several months.

 

During discussion, the following was noted:

 

·       Members congratulated and praised all involved in producing the                Self-Assessment report as an excellent easily readable document. The Leader of the Council also thanked Officers for their hard work in producing the document. 

 

Following discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation:

·       To receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives

To ensure the Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee are updated on the progress of preparing the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

Committee Members agreed to receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and the Officers for attending and presenting the information to the Committee.

 

        

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bryan Davies, and Cabinet Member, Alun Williams, Diana Davies and Rob Starr, Officers, to present the report.

 

Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a new Self-Assessment based performance regime for Principal Councils.

 

The Self-Assessment Report for 2022/23 discharges the requirements of both: • The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – to set and review progress against our Corporate Well-being Objectives • The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 – the duty to keep performance under review, consult on performance, report on performance, arrange a Panel Performance Assessment and respond to a Panel Performance Assessment.

 

It was reported that following positive feedback from Welsh Government peers, retained a similar format for this year to help in disseminating key messages and keeping it succinct, as requested by Welsh Government. Improvements made this year to strengthen the report are as follows:

 

• Providing further detail on the consultation and engagement undertaken during the year and how it is used.

• Providing details of the stakeholder consultation to support self-assessment.

• Providing further detail in the evaluation commentary of the Council’s overall performance.

• Updating the Self-Assessment Action Plan, adding the new actions identified along with a progress update.

• Expanding the benchmarking section (further work is ongoing to develop this in conjunction with Data Cymru).

• Added “Council Structure” section to provide details of how the Council is structured.

• Included links to other related reports and strategies, which is seen as best practice.

 

The Governance and Audit Committee has a statutory responsibility to consider the Self-Assessment Report and make recommendations on the findings and the actions that the Council proposes to take. The Report was considered at its meeting on 27 September 2023 and approved the report to proceed for approval at Cabinet and Council. No formal recommendations were made to the conclusions or the actions, although minor formatting amendments have been made to improve the quality of the report prior to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Following approval by Governance and Audit Committee the process of producing the 2022/23 Self-Assessment Report is now complete and cannot be amended further.

 

The Self-Assessment Report is scheduled to proceed to Cabinet on                         7 November and Council on 30 November, before being submitted to Ministers, Estyn and the Auditor General for Wales, as well as being published on the website. Panel Performance Assessment Update Part of the new Self-Assessment Performance Regime is the duty to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment once in every election cycle. Panel Assessments are intended to provide an independent and external perspective of the extent to which the Council is meeting the performance requirements of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The aim is to support Councils to achieve their aspirations through developing and understanding how they are operating and how they can ensure they are able to deliver effective services long-term. The Council’s first Panel Performance Assessment is being organised for the first quarter of 2024/25 and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association. Preparatory work, such as appointing the Panel and scoping the Assessment will be conducted over the next several months.

 

During discussion, the following was noted:

 

·       Members congratulated and praised all involved in producing the                Self-Assessment report as an excellent easily readable document. The Leader of the Council also thanked Officers for their hard work in producing the document. 

 

Following discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation:

·       To receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives

To ensure the Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee are updated on the progress of preparing the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

Committee Members agreed to receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and the Officers for attending and presenting the information to the Committee.

 

        

 

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bryan Davies, and Cabinet Member, Alun Williams, Diana Davies and Rob Starr, Officers, to present the report.

 

Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a new Self-Assessment based performance regime for Principal Councils.

 

The Self-Assessment Report for 2022/23 discharges the requirements of both: • The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – to set and review progress against our Corporate Well-being Objectives • The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 – the duty to keep performance under review, consult on performance, report on performance, arrange a Panel Performance Assessment and respond to a Panel Performance Assessment.

 

It was reported that following positive feedback from Welsh Government peers, retained a similar format for this year to help in disseminating key messages and keeping it succinct, as requested by Welsh Government. Improvements made this year to strengthen the report are as follows:

 

• Providing further detail on the consultation and engagement undertaken during the year and how it is used.

• Providing details of the stakeholder consultation to support self-assessment.

• Providing further detail in the evaluation commentary of the Council’s overall performance.

• Updating the Self-Assessment Action Plan, adding the new actions identified along with a progress update.

• Expanding the benchmarking section (further work is ongoing to develop this in conjunction with Data Cymru).

• Added “Council Structure” section to provide details of how the Council is structured.

• Included links to other related reports and strategies, which is seen as best practice.

 

The Governance and Audit Committee has a statutory responsibility to consider the Self-Assessment Report and make recommendations on the findings and the actions that the Council proposes to take. The Report was considered at its meeting on 27 September 2023 and approved the report to proceed for approval at Cabinet and Council. No formal recommendations were made to the conclusions or the actions, although minor formatting amendments have been made to improve the quality of the report prior to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Following approval by Governance and Audit Committee the process of producing the 2022/23 Self-Assessment Report is now complete and cannot be amended further.

 

The Self-Assessment Report is scheduled to proceed to Cabinet on                         7 November and Council on 30 November, before being submitted to Ministers, Estyn and the Auditor General for Wales, as well as being published on the website. Panel Performance Assessment Update Part of the new Self-Assessment Performance Regime is the duty to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment once in every election cycle. Panel Assessments are intended to provide an independent and external perspective of the extent to which the Council is meeting the performance requirements of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The aim is to support Councils to achieve their aspirations through developing and understanding how they are operating and how they can ensure they are able to deliver effective services long-term. The Council’s first Panel Performance Assessment is being organised for the first quarter of 2024/25 and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association. Preparatory work, such as appointing the Panel and scoping the Assessment will be conducted over the next several months.

 

During discussion, the following was noted:

 

·       Members congratulated and praised all involved in producing the                Self-Assessment report as an excellent easily readable document. The Leader of the Council also thanked Officers for their hard work in producing the document. 

 

Following discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation:

·       To receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives

To ensure the Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee are updated on the progress of preparing the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

Committee Members agreed to receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and the Officers for attending and presenting the information to the Committee.

 

        

 

 

 

 

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bryan Davies, and Cabinet Member, Alun Williams, Diana Davies and Rob Starr, Officers, to present the report.

 

Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a new Self-Assessment based performance regime for Principal Councils.

 

The Self-Assessment Report for 2022/23 discharges the requirements of both: • The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – to set and review progress against our Corporate Well-being Objectives • The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 – the duty to keep performance under review, consult on performance, report on performance, arrange a Panel Performance Assessment and respond to a Panel Performance Assessment.

 

It was reported that following positive feedback from Welsh Government peers, retained a similar format for this year to help in disseminating key messages and keeping it succinct, as requested by Welsh Government. Improvements made this year to strengthen the report are as follows:

 

• Providing further detail on the consultation and engagement undertaken during the year and how it is used.

• Providing details of the stakeholder consultation to support self-assessment.

• Providing further detail in the evaluation commentary of the Council’s overall performance.

• Updating the Self-Assessment Action Plan, adding the new actions identified along with a progress update.

• Expanding the benchmarking section (further work is ongoing to develop this in conjunction with Data Cymru).

• Added “Council Structure” section to provide details of how the Council is structured.

• Included links to other related reports and strategies, which is seen as best practice.

 

The Governance and Audit Committee has a statutory responsibility to consider the Self-Assessment Report and make recommendations on the findings and the actions that the Council proposes to take. The Report was considered at its meeting on 27 September 2023 and approved the report to proceed for approval at Cabinet and Council. No formal recommendations were made to the conclusions or the actions, although minor formatting amendments have been made to improve the quality of the report prior to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Following approval by Governance and Audit Committee the process of producing the 2022/23 Self-Assessment Report is now complete and cannot be amended further.

 

The Self-Assessment Report is scheduled to proceed to Cabinet on                         7 November and Council on 30 November, before being submitted to Ministers, Estyn and the Auditor General for Wales, as well as being published on the website. Panel Performance Assessment Update Part of the new Self-Assessment Performance Regime is the duty to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment once in every election cycle. Panel Assessments are intended to provide an independent and external perspective of the extent to which the Council is meeting the performance requirements of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The aim is to support Councils to achieve their aspirations through developing and understanding how they are operating and how they can ensure they are able to deliver effective services long-term. The Council’s first Panel Performance Assessment is being organised for the first quarter of 2024/25 and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association. Preparatory work, such as appointing the Panel and scoping the Assessment will be conducted over the next several months.

 

During discussion, the following was noted:

 

·       Members congratulated and praised all involved in producing the                Self-Assessment report as an excellent easily readable document. The Leader of the Council also thanked Officers for their hard work in producing the document. 

 

Following discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation:

·       To receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives

To ensure the Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee are updated on the progress of preparing the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

Committee Members agreed to receive the Self-Assessment Report 2022/23 including the Annual Review of Performance and Well-being Objectives.

 

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and the Officers for attending and presenting the information to the Committee.