Agenda item

To consider the Wales Audit Office’s Annual Improvement Report on the Council (copy enclosed) and identify any required actions.

                                                                                                     10.45 – 11.15

A copy of the Wales Audit Office’s Annual Improvement Report for Denbighshire County Council had been circulated with the papers for the meeting.  The Corporate Improvement Team Manager (CITM) introduced the report which provided information regarding the latest Annual Improvement Report for Denbighshire and was the key external regulatory report received by the Council each year.

The Auditor General reports annually on how well Welsh Councils, Fire and Rescue Authorities and National Parks were planning for improvement and delivering their services.  Drawing on the work of the relevant Welsh inspectorates, as well as work undertaken on his behalf by the Wales Audit Office, the report presented a picture of improvement over the last year.  The three main sections of the report mainly cover Denbighshire’s delivery and self-evaluation of services in relation to 2011-12, and it’s improvement planning arrangements for 2012-13.  Overall the Auditor General had concluded that the Council had made good progress in delivering its improvement programme and no new recommendations had been made this year.  However, there was scope to improve the quality of some of the performance measures and evidence the Council uses to judge its effectiveness.  It was explained that the report did set out the progress the Council was making to address the recommendations and proposals for improvement made in previous reports.

The Committee was informed that a draft of the Annual Improvement Report had been presented to, and discussed with; the Chief Executive and feedback had been provided prior to the report being finalised.  The Annual Improvement Report would be presented to the Corporate Governance Committee on the 22^nd May, 2013, and to Council on the 4th June, 2013.

With the aid of a power-point presentation (copy circulated at the meeting) the Wales Audit Office Representative (WAOR) provided a detailed summary of the Annual Improvement Report which included the 2011-12 Performance Assessment Contributors, Findings, Conclusions, Performance Findings, Improvement Planning Findings and Overall Conclusions.  The WAOR highlighted the following main areas within the report:-

·                     Performance having continued to improve in most aspects of the Council’s work to adapt service delivery to address demographic change.

·                     The ambition of the Council having been emphasised by the setting of challenging targets.

·                     Estyn having judged that the Council provided good quality education services for children and young people with prospects for further improvement.

·                     The Council’s programme to improve roads had progressed.

·                     The corporate performance management arrangements had been proficient.  However, there was scope to improve the quality of some of the evidence to judge its effectiveness.

·                     The Council had made good progress in delivering its improvement programme.

·                     The arrangements to support improvement were good with well-developed links between the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan and Corporate Plan.

On the basis of these findings and conclusions the Auditor General had made no new recommendations this year. 

The WAOR advised that the Council’s progress in delivering Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) council housing by the Welsh Government’s deadline had been reported well internally, but not externally.  There had also been limited reporting on performance on collaboration work.  More extensive reporting of performance in this area, particularly the lessons learnt, would assist other authorities when considering entering into collaborative arrangements.  One area in which Denbighshire seemed to be falling behind some other local authorities was with respect to the take-up of direct payments, the Council was however attempting to improve its performance in this area.

The CITM explained that not all national indicators had been reported upon as there had been a specific focus on indicators which related to the Council’s priorities and those that measured what residents wanted. However, he accepted that the appropriate measures may not have been utilised in some of the areas but felt that the new Corporate Plan would address this issue and outlined the work currently being undertaken.

Following consideration of the report the Committee:-

RESOLVED – to accept the Wales Audit Office’s Annual Improvement Report and to note the Auditor General’s comments and observations.