Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Alan Hughes.

Following the sad passing of the Committee’s Chair, Councillor Hugh Irving, the meeting’s proceedings were chaired by the Committee’s Vice-Chair, Councillor Gareth Sandilands.  Councillor Sandilands paid tribute to Councillor Irving’s dedicated and distinguished service to public life.  Particular reference was made to his role as Chair of Performance Scrutiny Committee, a position he had held since 2022 up until his death.  He conveyed the Committee’s condolences to Councillor Irving’s family and friends prior to all in attendance observing a minute’s silence in his memory.

The Committee was advised that two of the vacant positions on its membership how now been filled with the appointments of Councillors James Elson and Will Price.  Both were welcomed to their first meeting by the Vice-Chair.

Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered as this meeting.

The following members declared a personal interest in business item 7, ‘Additional Education Funding’:

Councillor Will Price as his wife was employed at Rhyl High School.

Neil Roberts as a Governor at Ysgol y Parc, Denbigh.

Notice of items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

No items of an urgent nature had been raised with the Vice-Chair or the Scrutiny Coordinator prior to the commencement of the meeting.

To receive the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 13 March 2025 (copy attached).

The minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 13 March 2025 were submitted.  It was:

Resolved:  that the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 13 March 2025 be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

Matters arising:  Page 8, Minutes of the previous meeting.  In response to an enquiry the Scrutiny Coordinator advised that dates for the commencement of the Task and Finish Group established to ‘Review the Roll-out of the New Waste and Recycling Service’ would be announced once confirmation was received from Group Leaders that they were in agreement with the political make-up of the Task and Finish Group.  The Corporate Director:  Governance & Business/Monitoring Officer advised that the nominations received from each Member Area Group had resulted in the membership being slightly out of synch with the Council’s overall political balance.  As a result, all Group Leaders had been consulted to determine if they were content with the political composition.  A further reminder had been sent out to Group Leaders the previous week, therefore it was anticipated that the membership would be confirmed within the forthcoming week.  The Leader undertook to resolve the matter with the Corporate Director:  Governance & Business/Monitoring Officer by the end of the week.

To receive a report (copy attached)  from the Insight, Strategy and Delivery Manager on positioning Denbighshire Council for success in securing high-value post-Brexit funding.

2.05pm – 2.35pm

The Leader Councillor Jason McLellan introduced the report (previously circulated) to the Committee

The report outlined the positive delivery of projects in Denbighshire and the Levelling Up Funding (LUF) gained. The report also outlined the lessons learnt from the initial funding rounds application process and emphasised the need for a clear governance path going forward.

The Corporate Director for Economy and Environment stated the report highlighted the Council’s success in gaining Post-Brexit Funding with three successful Levelling Up Fund (LUF) Bids which it had supported being awarded funding.

The Insight, Strategy and Delivery Manager provided further details to the Committee from the report.

The report summarised lessons learnt from delivering Levelling Up Funding (LUF) and Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) projects to assist in positioning Denbighshire County Council well for any future high-value funding that became available.

It was important to note that approach and timescales for programme and project design, applications and implementation were wholly dictated by UK and Welsh Government.

Appendix A set out an example of the current process and approach taken to prepare and apply for, deliver, and report on the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) applications. It included information on what steps were taken, who was involved and some reflections which had been fed into a wider Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis which also included consideration of programmes delivered with Levelling Up Funds. Further information on the SWOT analysis was provided in Appendix B to the report.

The response to LUF opportunities had been led by the Economic and Business Development Team in terms of submission of the applications. The response to the SPF and the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, (formerly called the Long-term Plan for Towns), was led collaboratively by Housing and Communities and Corporate Support Service - Performance Digital and Assets (CSS-PDA).

The delivery phase once in receipt of grant award letter had been led by the “Matrix Team” set up within CSS-PDA to deliver both the LUF and SPF programmes. While the team sat within CSS-PDA, it was fully funded by the external grant funding and reported day-to-day via a matrix management arrangement to the Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Sevices, for LUF and to the Head of Housing and Communities, for SPF.

Including the application stage and delivery stage, the draw on capacity across the organisation had been significant. A representative from the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) was required to lead each programme as the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) with significant time commitments and complexity, on top of already high workloads for those individuals. Calls on institutional capacity varied in terms of time and resource depending on the programme development phase, project aims and complexity.

Elected member and community involvement in the selection of SPF and LUF projects was illustrated as:

·      SPF projects derived from the corporate plan which had been approved following extensive public and member engagement

·      Details of governance arrangements for both funds had been shared with all councillors

·      Local Core Partnership Board established for SPF - creation and board membership endorsed by Cabinet in 2023

·      Communication plans shared with members as developed (strengthened after LUF round 1)

·      Member Area Group (MAG) regularly updated on individual projects and on progress with their deliverability

·      Officer teams liaised with local members prior to relevant delegated decisions

·      Final list of LUF projects endorsed by Cabinet.

It was noted that requirements and thus the ability to communicate and engage on the funds was governed in large by information and timelines shared by UK/Welsh Government. Officers had reported that these communications were initially low on substance, then late compared with other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider a report (copy attached) from the Insight, Strategy and Delivery Manager and the Strategic Planning and Performance Officer on the Corporate Risk Register- February 2025 review.

2.35pm – 3.05pm

The Lead Member for Corporate Strategy, Policy and Equalities introduced the Corporate Risk Register report (previously circulated) to the Committee.

The Corporate Risk Register was developed and owned by the Corporate Executive Team (CET) alongside Cabinet. The previous in-depth review had been presented to the Committee in November 2024.

The Council currently had 14 Corporate Risks on the Register. Risk 48 was proposed to be de-escalated to a service level and no new risks had been added. The Council would then have 13 Risks on the Register.

The Insight, Strategy and Delivery Manager provided further details on the Corporate Risk Register to the Committee.

Risk 21: The risk that the integration of health and social care services between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and the Council did not develop further, the Residual Risk Score had been heightened from C2 Possible/High Impact to B2 Likely/High Impact in accordance with the current situation.

Following the CET “deep dive” into Risk 48: The risk that recruitment and retention issues led to a loss of expertise and capacity resulting in poor or inadequate performance, CET agreed to de-escalate this risk from the Corporate Risk Register to a Service level. It was considered more appropriate for any recruitment and retention issues to be evaluated and managed by Heads of Service, for their service areas through their Service Risk Register (as the level of this risk would vary between services).

The first Senior Leadership Team (SLT) “deep dive” had been undertaken on Risk 14: The risk of a health & safety incident resulting in serious injury or the loss of life, with the Inherent Risk Score being heightened from C2 Possible/High Impact to B2 Likely/High Impact. The Residual Risk Score remained unchanged at E2 Rare/High Impact.

The Committee were assured that financial risks had an ongoing and detailed process in place to ensure that those risks were constantly monitored as part of general budget discussions.

The Vice-Chair thanked Officers for the report and welcomed questions.

Members requested further details on the reasons why it was determined that Risk 21 – the risk that the integration of health and social care between BCUHB and the Council did not develop further and was now worse than in previous iterations of the Register. This risk had been on the Register for a number of years and questions were raised regarding if the relationship between BCUHB and the Council was strained or precarious. The Corporate Director for Social Services and Education stated that the relationship between BCUHB and the Council was a positive one that was continually being worked on.  There were challenges at times due to frequent changes in personnel, restrictions relating to policy which were out of BCUHB and the Council’s control etc. Nevertheless, DCC’s relationship with BCUHB was very important and on a practitioner level were good and were working effectively.

Members questioned if there were effective controls in place to manage Risk 31 relating to fraud and corruption. The Monitoring Officer stated that the Council was confident but not complacent, there was a zero tolerance to fraud in the organisation with a robust process in place. The Council had a Fraud and Corruption Strategy in place and the Internal Audit (IA) team carried out proactive exercises annually both locally and regionally, with the Council regularly participating in exercises with the National Fraud Initiative (NFI).

In response to a question on controls in place for Risk 53 ‘the risk that Transformational Programmes and Major Projects benefits were not fully realised’, which was a very ‘live’ risk, CET and SLT would both be monitoring the risk scores relating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a report (copy attached) from the Head of Education and Children’s Services on the additional education funding to support learner wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and to support learners in poverty.

3.15pm – 3.45pm

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People introduced the report (previously circulated) to the Committee.

The report detailed the intended spending of the 500K transferred to Education to develop learner wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and support learners in poverty. This was a response to the agreed amendment at Full Council on February 20^th, 2025.

The Head of Education provided further details on the report’s contents to the Committee.

The additional funding would in turn address many issues children dealt with daily: apathy, despondency and more worrying mental health and well-being which had increased significantly since 2018. Most if not all referrals from schools to the Education Welfare Service had a repeating theme of the above issues.

Although the additional funding was for the Education Department the department always worked in close collaboration with schools and discussed this funding with a focused group of Head Teachers. Their views were that to realise maximum benefit from the additional money it should be invested in:

·                     Increasing capacity of Family Link Worker Support

·                     Additional staff to work with families

·                     Not only getting children into school but keeping them in school.

·                     Increasing Education Welfare Team Capacity

·                    Increasing Family Engagement Officers to develop parental engagement

An initial focus on attendance would improve the wellbeing of the most disengaged families and focus on families who may be living in poverty. It was acknowledged that in the first year the Education Department would not be able to address all areas but would focus on certain ones.

The proposed spending plan aimed to address the recommendations raised by Estyn in its January 2024 thematic report on improving attendance in schools.  It would also aim to meet the needs of schools to improve attendance and in turn improve behaviour and wellbeing.

Members were guided through a costing’s breakdown (totalling 500K) reflecting how the money would be spent on Education in Denbighshire which included recruiting Family Link Workers and Family Engagement Officers, Educational Psychologists, Welfare Officers and Behaviour Support staff, as well as modernising the data analysis system.

The Vice- Chair thanked officers for the report and questions were welcomed from the Committee.

The report referred to a focus group of Headteachers and further clarity was sought on which areas and sectors of the county they represented. The Head of Education informed the Committee that the focus group was made up of Headteachers from across the authority and from the whole range of education provision provided in Denbighshire. Meetings had also been held with the Principal Education Psychologist, the Lead of Education Support, the Inclusion Officer, the Early Years Lead and the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Lead, with all being involved in the strategic planning of the proposed spending of the additional 500K.

Members noted the report stated a total of 9 officers would be recruited and questioned if they were available to be recruited in the area. The Head of Education stated the recruitment of 9 officers would increase the capacity of the teams already in place. Recruitment was difficult, but it was hoped with the £500K being a recurring amount in the budget year on year, the posts would be permanent, and this would be appealing to potential applicants.  The Head of Education was confident that the proposals did not equate to the Service ‘spreading their resources too thinly’, the objective was to increase capacity in a number of specialist teams to enable them to target and support the most vulnerable pupils and families.  The neuro-profiling aspect of the work would not replace the Health Service’s obligations in relation to neurodevelopmental assessments, it would just assist  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider a report (copy attached) from the Digital Officer on poor internet connectivity in Denbighshire.

3.45pm – 4.15pm

The Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage in his capacity as the Lead Member for Broadband and Digital Strategy introduced the report (previously circulated) to the Committee.

The report provided information on the internet and telephony status of properties in Denbighshire. 83% of premises in Denbighshire had the equipment to have fibre broadband installed.

The Digital Officer provided further details on the report’s contents to the Committee.

Out of the 50,725 premises in Denbighshire, 2,580 premises received internet speeds lower than 30Mbs and 1,074 premises received internet speeds lower than 10Mbs.

The UK Government and Openreach had signed a deal to upgrade 3,667 premises in Denbighshire via the Project Gigabit scheme. It was important to note that the property list did not specifically target the hard-to-reach premises that suffered with less than 30mbps speeds. Some properties may not be upgraded to full fibre until the scheme ended in September 2030.

Denbighshire was doing well compared to other local authorities in Wales in relation to internet connection. The relationship between Openreach and the Digital Officer had been crucial in the success of internet connectivity of Denbighshire premises.

The Vice-Chair thanked Officers for the report.

Members questioned how likely it was that places such as Llangollen and Dyserth would achieve a far higher build progress score in the forthcoming years.  Openreach’s Partnership Director for Wales and the West of England explained that there was a great amount of work in the pipeline to commence over the coming years which involved a team of 2,000 engineers. The UK Government had set a UK-wide target of having 99% of UK premises able to access full fibre by 2030, therefore the Welsh and Denbighshire target should be similar.  Welsh Government (WG) had announced in 2024 that it had extended its high-speed broadband scheme.  Nevertheless, a point would be reached where it would become cost prohibitive to roll-out this service to every premises, particularly in very rural or sparsely populated areas.  The Digital Officer added that Llangollen and Dyserth would be at 75% connectivity by 2026.

Members sought clarity on the availability of future Gigabit vouchers and questioned whether there were any similar schemes planned for the future. The Partnership Director for Openreach stated that the Gigabit vouchers were limited.  He advised that because of Project Gigabit, the UK Voucher Scheme was currently unavailable but may become available again in future. It was therefore important to connect as many premises as possible under the current contract. 

Officers confirmed that WG Access Broadband Cymru vouchers could be used for satellite installation costs, but the monthly contract costs of these systems were sometimes prohibitive for users. 

Members requested reassurance on the future of the Digital Officer post. The Principal Manager for Youth and Community Resilience stated that the Digital Officer post had been funded corporately since 2020. During the last financial year, the post was funded partly by SPF which enabled the post to be extended as a result of the funding. Moving forward it was hoped that external grant funding would be sourced to ensure the continuation of the role.

Members asked if when the report was next brought to Performance Scrutiny Committee, data could be provided on the number of residential premises and business premises connectivity separately. The Digital Officer explained that separating premises into categories was difficult, the Regulator OFCOM only provided a premises figure, and the data was not broken down into business or residential connectivity numbers. The Digital Officer stated he would be able to provide members with a connectivity report for their ward areas upon request.  Members were encouraged  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator (copy attached) seeking a review of the committee’s forward work programme and updating members on relevant issues.

4.15pm – 4.30pm

The Scrutiny Coordinator introduced the report and its appendices (previously circulated) to members seeking them to discuss the Forward Work Programme for the Committee.

An agenda item on Library Services and One Stop Shop Provision was scheduled to be brought to the Committee’s June meeting. In response to a request from the Lead Member, the Vice-Chair permitted the deferral of its presentation until the 17 July meeting.

The Committee’s Forward Work Programme was attached in Appendix 1. The next meeting was on the 12 June 2025 and there were two items scheduled for the meeting:

·      Council Performance Self-Assessment 2024 to 2025

·      Planning Software System

The Cabinet Forward Work Programme was attached in Appendix 3 for information and Appendix 4 contained information on the progress of the Committee’s resolutions.

The Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) had met on the 28 April.  No items discussed had been referred to the Committee. However, the SCVCG had agreed to transfer a historical item, listed under ‘Future Issues’ on the Committee’s Forward Work Programme on ‘Health and Social Care and Rebalancing of Social Care Agenda in the Denbigh area’, to Partnerships Scrutiny Committee as it felt it fitted better under the remit of that Committee. 

Members were encouraged to submit a Member Proposal Form if they had any item they wished to be considered at the next SCVCG meeting on the 30 June 2025.  It was:

Resolved:  subject to the above, to confirm the Committee’s forward work programme as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.

To receive any updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups.

The Vice-Chair informed members that he was scheduled to be interviewed by Estyn later in the week on the scrutiny of education related matters.  Estyn met with the Chair of the relevant scrutiny committee on an annual basis to discuss Scrutiny’s work with respect of examining the delivery of educational services in Denbighshire.

Meeting concluded at 4.45pm