Agenda item

Rhoi gwybodaeth i'r Cydbwyllgor Trosolwg a Chraffu am y cynnydd a wnaed yn erbyn Amcan Cynllun Llesiant Cwm Taf 'Economi Gryf' mewn perthynas â 'chyflogaeth a sgiliau' a 'chaffael' (trwy gyfrwng cyflwyniadau Power Point ac adroddiadau)

Bydd aelodau'n cael cyfle i fonitro cynnydd yn y maes hwn ac i nodi unrhyw wybodaeth bellach yr hoffen nhw ei hystyried o ran helpu i gyflwyno'r Cynllun Llesiant.

The Head of Procurement Delivery RCTCBC provided Members with a summary of the expenditure on ‘goods works and services’ that takes place locally by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.

Members were informed that in order to deliver the range of services that the Councils are responsible for, contracts are put in place with a large number of external organisations. In addition to delivering contracts that are compliant with the law, the Procurement Service(s) has a key role in supporting and enabling service areas to deliver economic, social, environmental and cultural outcomes through the contracting process.

The Head of Procurement and Delivery provided Members with a brief overview of the regulatory requirements that Contracting Authorities are legally obliged to follow and provides a summary of spend that has occurred for the financial year 2020/21.

In conclusion, Members were advised that high level monitoring provides assurance that there is significant public spend directly with businesses within our local communities.  Through active engagement and appropriate procurement practices, we believe there is scope to improve local spend levels further.

Following the update, Members ACKNOWLEDGED the contents of the report, in particular the financial values spent with local suppliers across both Councils.

Following on from this, The Service Director Community Services RCTCBC provided Members with a presentation and a short video overview in respect of employment and skills in the region.

Following the presentation and video, Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions.

Councillor Isaac welcomed the scheme to get people back into work and queried whether feedback was being provided by employers to applicants who were not successful in obtaining the role. He noted that any feedback given by employers could do a lot to boost the applicant’s confidence in the future. The Service Director RCTCBC noted her agreement and assured Members that employers on the scheme always provide feedback to the applicant and in particular about how the applicant could improve. The Service Director RCTCBC also noted that this responsibility also falls on to large organisations such as the Council and assured Members that the Council will provide feedback to every applicant as part of its HR process.

Councillor Caple queried whether the scheme monitors vacancies in both the private and public sector. The Service Director advised Members that they do receive data updates from Data Cymru in both RCT and Merthyr Tydfil and assured Members that those updates are received through on a regular basis. Members were advised that this also links in with the work being done with our regeneration partners and that an Employment Liaison Officer will work closely with partners to see any future developments in respect of employment opportunities in the region. The Service Director also assured Members that a Local Authority cluster group meets every two months to consider any employment opportunities in the region and that an knowledge is shared between partners.

Following the presentation, Members ACKNOWLEDGED the update from the Service Director Community Services and the Chair thanked her for providing the Committee with a comprehensive update.