Agenda item

To receive the report of the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive presented his report which set out the Council’s draft Annual Self-Assessment for 2022/23 following its consideration at the Governance and Audit Committee on the 19 December 2023 and the Joint Consultative Committee on 20^th December 2023 (the minutes from both committees being included in the appendices for Members’ reference).

The Chief Executive advised that the purpose of the statutory Self -Assessment is to provide assurance that the Council is exercising its functions effectively, using its resources efficiently and economically and ensuring its governance arrangements are effective. In undertaking the annual self-assessment, the Council is discharging its duty to do so under the Local Government Elections Wales Act 2021.

The Chief Executive commented that this is the second year the Council has undertaken its statutory self-assessment which incorporates its annual corporate performance report. He added that the assessment brings together a wealth of information used to keep the Council’s performance under review, including the progress made against the themes for improvement identified in the previous year, how the priorities have been delivered in the corporate plan, an assessment of the Council’s corporate functions, the self-evaluation of council services and how the sustainable development principle has been applied.

The Chief Executive advised that the assessment brings together a huge amount of evidence from across the Council, gathered through its performance management framework and quarterly reports and the many reports brought together from Cabinet, Scrutiny Committees and Council meetings, which have been considered by Members throughout the year. It represents thousands of pages of information and throughout the assessment hyperlinks are available to the supporting evidence and data.

The Chief Executive commented that the report demonstrates the remarkable diversity of Council functions, the scale and scope of the services it delivers, and the considerable progress made in delivering its commitments throughout 2022/2023. He advised that sections 2 and 3 of the self-assessment provide an overview of the many commitments that have been met during this period. The Chief Executive stated that, across the themes of people, places and prosperity, he is satisfied through the self-assessment and via the challenge sessions he has held with the relevant Directors, that the Council has made good progress during the year, and in simple terms, this is a Council that delivers on its commitments.

In terms of priorities for improvement going forward, the Chief Executive advised That the nine themes were identified in the self-assessment for the preceding year (listed in paragraph 5.61 of the report) good progress has been made as described in section one of the assessment but they remain long term priorities for the Council. The Chief Executive commented that in addition, following the self-assessment exercise, the Council must continue to strengthen its arrangements for service user engagement and participation, including the evaluation of outcomes, and to build on the work carried out by the Council to strengthen the organisational culture in respect of diversity, equality and inclusion. The self-assessment includes evidence that the Council is well run, but the Chief Executive stressed the importance of the Council being prepared to challenge itself and to change its ways of working where needed.

The Chief Executive commented that he is satisfied that this comprehensive and robust self-assessment demonstrates that the Council is discharging its functions effectively and using its resources efficiently and wisely and that the robust governance and performance management arrangements are in place to ensure that it continues to do so. He added that he is happy to commend the self-assessment for approval ahead of its publication within four weeks and he acknowledged the work of the Performance Team, in particular Ms Lesley Lawson, for producing the report and for keeping the Council on track throughout the year.

The Leader of the Opposition referred to part 6 of the Act and paragraph 4.3 of the report and she sought clarification on the closing remarks on improving pupil attendance, set out on page 241 of the report. She paid particular reference to school attendance continuing to be a strong area of focus within the prosperity priority of the Corporate Plan. She queried whether, in the hope that pupil attendance will return to its pre pandemic level, any regard is paid to this mission for improvement to attendance. Furthermore, should the Council decide that pupils need to live a greater distance from the school to qualify for school transport she considered this would impact on families and undermine the very spirit of the challenge to improve attendance. The Leader of the Opposition asked whether any regard is paid to such proposals by the Corporate Senior Management team and is the human cost ever a consideration or does the financial argument prevail to further improve school attendance.

The Chief Executive responded that there is a section within the report which outlines how the Council delivers against its priorities. It also highlights those areas where progress has not been as advanced as we would like, including improving school attendance which is an area that continues to prove challenging in terms of attaining the pre pandemic attendance figures. The Chief Executive added that there are a number of factors that influence school attendance and it relates directly to the Council’s educational attainment outcomes and therefore remains a priority for the Council’s education services. He commented that in recent months a slow and steady improvement has been evidenced in school attendance rates as a result of the efforts being made.

In relation to the Home to School transport issue, the Chief Executive advised that the proposals have been put to Members around the potential changes which have been subject to consultation, Officers are currently considering the responses before further recommendations are proposed. He assured all Members that the budget is a vitally important consideration and is one of the key priorities identified within the self-assessment in terms of the Council’s ongoing financial viability. In conclusion, the Chief Executive confirmed that the implications of service changes are serious consideration for the senior leadership team and all Members.

In response to a query regarding the impact of road traffic and air quality, the Chief Executive advised that the Council has statutory responsibilities around local air quality management. There are local air quality management areas which have been declared as a consequence of nitrogen dioxide pollution derived from vehicle omissions which are closely monitored and work is undertaken across the Council, including the Council’s highways and traffic teams to manage and mitigate the impact.

A Member commented that the numerous links to other documents contained within the report, which need to be read in conjunction with the report to understand whether the Council has met its performance requirements during the year, detract from the overall judgement and make it difficult to see where we have not made as much progress. She added that the bullet point format also proves difficult to identify an ‘honest reflection’. The Member queried the definition of a ‘wicked issue’ and asked for further information in relation to what is described as inadequate in terms of service user engagement and participation (which is also referenced in the Minutes of the Governance & Audit Committee) and how the Council intends to improve the evaluation of outcomes.

The Chief Executive provided an explanation to the term ‘wicked issues,’ which are the key priorities and themes that emerge from the self-evaluation on an annual basis which the Council needs to focus on, of which nine were identified from the previous self-evaluation, such as the cost-of-living crisis, financial planning and resilience and supporting those in housing need. The Chief Executive commented that he had also highlighted a further two priorities in his presentation, those being strengthening our work on equality and diversity and improving service user engagement and participation. He added that the links serve to support the huge volume of information and enhance the document should Members wish to analyse the summary in greater depth. In section three of the self -assessment, he explained that further areas are explicitly identified where we have not made as much progress as we would like and the Council needs to focus its attention. Given that the report refers to the previous year, it is pleasing to note that progress has been made in many of these areas during his year. With regard to the two specific points raised around service user engagement and participation, the Chief Executive acknowledged that this is an area recognised where more consistency and improvements are required across some areas of the Council (with some service areas already achieving good levels of engagement).

The Leader of the Independent Group paid thanks to the Chief Executive and the Senior Leadership team for steering the council through some very difficult times.

Following discussion and consideration of the report it was RESOLVED to:

1.   Consider that the draft Self-Assessment at Appendix 1, is an accurate and robust reflection of the position of the Council and its services and meets the requirements of theLocal Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 Part 6.

2.   Note the progress made in respect of the improvement themes identified in the 2021/22 Self-Assessment.

3.     Consider the observations of the Governance and Audit Committee on 19 December 2023 and the Joint Consultative Committee on 20 December 2023.

4.     Approve the Annual Self-Assessment 2022/23 incorporating the Council’s Corporate Performance Report, and its publication within four weeks of approval.