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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the timescales proposed for the 2024/25 accounts; the draft accounting policies and assumptions to be used in preparing the statement of accounts for 2024/25 and the key changes in the Code of Practice for 2024/25 and changes in the medium term.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That: (1) the Committee notes the Internal Audit Strategy 2025/26 2; (2) the Internal Audit Charter 2025/26 be approved;; (3) the Internal Audit Plan 2025/26 be approved; Members considered the principle and proposed safeguards relating to the Audit Manager’s potential appointment as a Director of the Cardiff Heat Network.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – (1)That the report be noted. (2) A report on progress towards 100% of Council activities having a business continuity plan in place be provided to the Committee at a future meeting
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chairperson agreed to consult directly with the Director of Education to discuss remaining areas of Committee interest / concern following exchange of recent letters.
Apologies were received from Councillor Lewis.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct: Councillor Item Nature of interest Reason Jayne Cowan 4 Personal Member of Glamorgan Archives Joint Committee Peter Bradbury 5 Personal Member of Cabinet Jayne Cowan 6.1 Personal School governor and member of Cardiff School Governors Management Committee Peter Bradbury 6.1 Personal School governor
The minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2025 were approved by the Committee as a correct record and were signed by the Chairperson.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report providing an update on the control environment within Governance and Legal Services. Members were advised that the Directorate consists of Democratic Services which has 27.5 FTE staff and Legal Services which has 67.64 FTE staff. The Glamorgan Archives Team is represented at the Directorate Management Team and reports to the Director and consists of 13.8 FTE staff. Glamorgan Archives are governed by the Glamorgan Archives Joint Committee which meets four times a year and is currently serviced by Cardiff Democratic Services. Democratic Services includes the Committee and Members Services and Scrutiny Teams, supporting the decision-making processes of the Council and Members carrying out their ward work; Electoral Services carries out electoral registration, the annual canvass, publication of the electoral register and administer elections; and the Protocol Office which supports the Lord Mayor in their role as first citizen of Cardiff and Chair of the Council. The report provided a summary of the key functions, service demands and corporate priorities for the Directorate. Members were asked to note the approach taken to risk management and internal audit engagement set out in the report. The Chairperson welcomed Debbie Marles, Director of Governance and Legal to the meeting. The Director was invited to deliver a presentation. The Chairperson then invited questions and comments from the Committee. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · The Director was asked to expand on the workload pressures, staff morale and the resources to deal with more complex legal cases, given that it is intended that the number of trainee solicitors placement would be reduced by one. The Director stated that the Management Team is conscious of workload pressures and these are being monitored and regularly discussed. Workload is captured in the Directorate Risk Register, particularly pressures in relation to supporting Social Services colleagues. Support is being given to assist colleagues within Social Services to develop their skills and additional funding has also been secured from Social Services to fund a temporary post to assist in that area. The Director advised that the service area is aware of the ‘hotspots’ in terms of workload pressures and consideration is being given to alternative ways of addressing those issues. Staff morale can vary but it is key that there are weekly meetings with Operational Managers where issues can be discussed. There are plans to build resilience and, as staff transition, there may be requirements to call upon locum solicitors to cover absences. In respect of the trainee solicitor posts, the Director stated that all directorates have been asked to find budget savings and one of the trainee posts has been offered in Legal Services. · Members noted the Risk Register entry in relation to lack of capacity within the directorate was rated red/amber. Members asked for further detail on the risk management process within the directorate and how it operates on a day to day basis. The Director stated that the additional funding secured from Social Services funded a post which provided training and supported colleagues in Social Services to review their processes. Those were considered to be mitigating factors and the red/amber rated was still under review once these processes are embedded within the client department. · A Member noted to large rise in school admission appeals referred to in the report. The Member, using school admission appeals as an example, asked what was being done to address the root cause of the increases in workload in Legal Services and more widely across the board in other directorates. The Director advised that Governance and Legal Services administer the appeals process and the appeal panel. Addressing the root cause therefore was a matter for the Education Directorate. However, Governance and Legal Services have been assessing how increased use of digital solutions can improve support in this area. There has also been further recruitment of panel members and an increase in the number of venues which can be utilised. The Director considered that there was merit in liaising with the Education Directorate and agreed to reflect on the comments made by the Member in respect of taking a holistic approach to reducing the number of appeals at source. · A Member noted that multi-location meetings and the conferencing system was rated red/amber in the risk register. The Member stated that 33 of 79 Councillors attended the recent Budget Council meeting remotely and, in his view, issues often arose which prevented Members performing their duties. The Member asked what steps were being taken to ensure that the performance of the conference system improves. The Director stated that the matter is high risk and rated red/amber because it is fundamental to the decision-making process. After each Council meeting there is a ‘lessons learned’ exercise. Some issues that arise are not related to the conference system, such as broadband connections and user issues. During the Summer Recess an assessment was made of alterative platforms in consultation with colleagues from ICT. The outcome of that exercise was that the existing conferencing system was more reliable and stable than other options. · A Member asked what could be done to reduce the time Cardiff takes to declare election results. The Member stated that in his experience Cardiff is the last authority to declare their results. The Director stated that Cardiff focusses on accuracy not on speed. Counting methods are considered in the run up to elections and consideration is always given to improving processes. · A Member considered that the role of the Monitoring Officer was a critical one in terms of the governance of the Authority. The Member asked whether robust arrangements were in place for deputising for the Monitoring Officer in their absence. The Director stated that in September/October 2023 both the then Director and Deputy Monitoring Officer left the authority so the question was pertinent. Members were advised that the Director joined Cardiff, firstly in an interim basis, and identified an Operational Manager within Legal Services to take on the role of Deputy Monitoring Officer. The Director has monthly development meetings with the Deputy Monitoring Officer where current issues are discussed. The Deputy Monitoring Officer will be undertaking external training and is also encouraged to attend All Wales Monitoring Officer meetings which provides networking opportunities. Moving forward it was also proposed that each OM1 within the directorate undertakes the role of Deputy Monitoring Officer. However, the Director was satisfied with current arrangements. · A Member stated that the existing conference system was chosen because translation was not available on Teams. However, it was there understanding that translation on now available. The Member also asked why elected members in Cardiff are unable to access web-based email when Senedd Members and Parliamentary Members are able to. The Director agreed to reflect on the Member’s comments. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted
The Committee received a report providing an update on the control environment within Children’s Services. The report provided an overview of the Directorate structure and its performance management, quality assurance, risk management arrangements and the wider control environment. The Chairperson welcomed Deborah Driffield, Director of Children’s Services to the meeting. The Director was invited to deliver a presentation following which the Chairperson invited Members to comment, seek clarification or raise questions on the information received. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · A Member welcomed comments from the Director that the training plan is being informed by complaints received. The Member asked that, given the fact that the workload pressures and associated risks impact on Children’s Services are dependent on other service areas such as Housing or Education, are risk assurance process across departments ‘joined up’ in a way that is supportive to Children’s Services. The Director wholeheartedly agreed that the service area is impacted not only by other services areas but also by the Police, health services and the criminal justice system. In addition to partnership boards, the service area has recently established a Children and Young People’s Board internally with a view to developing a preventative strategy that sets out what support families can expect across the Council. This year, as part of the budget setting process, there was also a concerted effort to look at cross-cutting areas. The Director welcomed the Member’s comments regarding risk and assurance and accepted that more work could be done to improve in this area. The Member asked whether Internal Audit has a role in joining up risks across different service areas. The Audit Manager advised that there have recently been developments in the Risk Management processes in the Council whereby risk registers have the capacity to be shared. · The Director was asked to provide further commentary on the Directorate’s complaints performance, in particular current performance against the 15 day response target and whether there was a system issue. The Director stated that complaints in Children’s Services are highly complex and they required a huge amount of investigation and interrogation of data. In child protection cases all records are interrogated and all the staff involved are interviewed. The Director considered that these are serious matters and if procedures have not been adhered to then that must be accepted and rectified. It was therefore, very often, impossible provide a comprehensive and sympathetic response within the 15-day target. Complaints received are managed internally and the quality assurance process can sometime lead to delays. RESOLVED – That the report be noted
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, Chris Lee, presented a financial update including resilience issues and gave a brief presentation setting out the budget position for 2025/26, including an update on the Budget Strategy 2025/26, the budget monitoring position at Month 9 including key revenue variances in directorates and the Medium Term Financial Plan. · A Member asked what consultation has been undertaken with school headteachers regarding addressing school budget deficits. The Corporate Director stated that, as part of the budget setting process, Finance and Education officers have discussed the issue at various forums including the School Budget Forum and the Headteachers Forum. Any individual school that is forecast to have a deficit budget is required to meet with officers. That process is currently underway as schools had only recently received their budget allocations for 2025/26. The Education Department has also established specific Efficiency Boards and Savings Boards in order to support schools to identify where savings can be delivered. Members were asked to note that no savings targets were applied to schools as part of the budget. · The Committee noted the continued pressures on school budgets. Members considered that the Committee should closely monitor the position as education is a top corporate priority which has one of the largest budget allocations. The Corporate Director accepted the point and stated that the authority will continue to identify and highlight the level of school balances. Members were further asked to note that a deficit budget had been forecast at the end of the current financial year and the mitigation actions taken resulted in a balanced position. · In terms of Capital Finance, a Member noted that the Major Repairs Allowance from Welsh Government was dependent on the Council’s housing stock achieving the Welsh Quality Housing Standard. The Member asked how confident was the Director that this would be achieved. The Director accepted that there was a risk around the funding and achieving the level of the quality standard. However, the grant levels identified in the Capital Programme have been confirmed and those levels will be received. · A Member stated that the Director of Education had previously indicated that her primary responsibility was affecting the quality of standards of education and outcomes in schools. The Director also acknowledged the role the Council plays in terms of finance and oversight. The Member considered that the finance issue could be addressed potentially at the detriment of the quality of education provided and the ability of Cardiff citizens to access it. The Member requested further details around the balancing of those risks – ‘the trade-off between better finance and the impact on children’. The Member raised concerns that the issue of school finance was not satisfactorily addressed when the Director of Education appeared before the Committee in November 2024 or through correspondence since. It was suggested that the Director of Education be invited to a meeting of the Committee ahead of their next scheduled appearance therefore. The Corporate Director stated that his presentation had focussed on the level of individual school balances and deficits. The non-delegated part of the education budget has received the largest increase in budget allocation for 2025/26 and this includes areas such as ALN and school transport. There is also a significant capital programme in school. Those areas form balancing priorities also. · A Member asked whether the new budget monitoring controls that have been introduced referred to in the risk register will become the new standard. The Director stated that the controls will be applied consistently across the Authority. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Part of an issue followed across 7 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the timescales proposed for the 2024/25 accounts; the draft accounting policies and assumptions to be used in preparing the statement of accounts for 2024/25 and the key changes in the Code of Practice for 2024/25 and changes in the medium term.
The Committee received a report on the Statement of Accounts 2024/25 Accounting Policies and Timescales. The report provided an overview of the preparation for the 2024/25 Statement of Accounts, key changes in the regulation and looking forward to medium term expectation for the preparation of future Statement of Accounts. Members were advised that Councils are required to prepare the Accounts using a Code of Practice developed by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The Code is based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and sets out the minimum requirements for financial statements. Appendix 1 of the report introduced the contents and governance process involved in preparing the Council’s financial statements. Member were provided with an opportunity to consider the Accounting Policies and Timescales for 2023/24 and the process involved to support their scrutiny role. A guide produced by CIPFA on Understanding Local Authority Financial Statements was also attached at Appendix 2. The Chairperson welcomed Anil Hirani, OM Capital, Corporate and Treasury and Jessie Atkinson, Group Accountant to the meeting. The officers were invited to present the report. A Member asked how the Cardiff Capital Region would be accounted for in the Statement of Accounts, what factors would be taken into account and whether Cardiff Council has a preference. The Operational Manager advised that CJC was established as a separate legal entity for a purpose and it has legal powers given to it. The Operational Manager considered that the key issues are whether there was any control or undue influence by a local authority in its operating and financial framework. His view, therefore, was that CJC should not be consolidated into the Council’s accounts. That view has been put to the Working Group in a briefing paper. Officers were asked whether there was any risk of returning to the statutory deadlines for submission of the Statement of Accounts in the future. Officers advised that Audit Wales and the Council have identified that the key risk here is resourcing, as the list of requirements is increasing. RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the timescales proposed for the 2024/25 accounts; the draft accounting policies and assumptions to be used in preparing the statement of accounts for 2024/25 and the key changes in the Code of Practice for 2024/25 and changes in the medium term.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a progress report providing an update on the work and performance of the Internal Audit and Investigation Teams. The progress report covered the period from 1 January to 28 February 2025. Annex 1 of the report set out performance in relation to the Internal Audit Plan. It summarises the work performed, the priority recommendations raised, the critical findings, emerging trends, and relevant value for money findings across the Council for the assurance of the Governance and Audit Committee. Members were aware of matters that have affected the capacity of the audit team during the year which significantly impacted delivery of the audit plan in quarters one and two. Members were advised that there has been a targeted level of pro rata recovery of audit plan progress in quarter three. Efforts were made during quarter four to maximise audit coverage in key areas. The targeted proportion of the plan for completion in 2024/25 was set at 70%. However, given the capacity matters referred to in the report, the target will not be reached. Work has been underway on 37 audits during quarter 4 and as a result 61% of the audit plan has been worked on at the time of reporting. It is intended to issue the majority of these audits prior to the end of March. Any audits not completed by this date will be concluded in the early stages of 2025/26. Annex 2 focused on proactive and reactive fraud awareness, detection and investigation activities, including participation in initiatives, such as National Fraud Initiative (NFI) data matching exercises. The Audit Manager presented the report. Members were asked to note the summary changes to the audit standards and requirements further to the briefing session for Members on 14 January 2025. It was reported that at 28 February 2025 no draft report has been issued with audit opinions of ‘insufficient with major improvement needed’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. A Member noted that a number of audits featured in the report did not have an audit opinion. The Audit Manager stated that this was a formatting error in the report. All audits identified had an audit opinion of ‘effective with opportunity for improvement’. Concerns were expressed regarding the ‘major improvement needed’ across a number of service areas, including a number of audits in schools. A Member stated that in the past if has been within the Committee’s discretion to invite Headteachers, for example, to a meeting. The Audit Manager stated that in the current financial year there has not been an ‘unsatisfactory’ audit. A number of the audits mentioned by the Member were concluded in 2023/24 financial year and were reported to Committee at the time. Specifically, in relation to ICT managed technology in schools, the audit was concluded last year, and the recommendations have been agreed. Further information was sought by the Committee and addressed in a confidential letter received from the Director of Education. Members were reminded that any audit opinions of ‘unsatisfactory’ will be the subject of an executive summary report to the Committee. Any that are ‘insufficient with major improvement needed’ are reported to the Committee within progress reports and the recommendation tracker. A Member requested an update on the ‘unsatisfactory’ rating at Falconwood Children’s Home. Members were advised that the audit was concluded in 2023/24. A follow-up audit provided an opinion of ‘effective with opportunity for improvement’. The ‘unsatisfactory’ audit opinion previously was not related to any safeguarding matters. There were issues in relation to financial management and controls which have now been addressed. A Member asked whether the target for audits completed during the year was too ambitious and whether the approach changes from a risk-based approach at year end. The Audit Manager considered that the Audit Plan was ambitious and the intention is to set an audit plan within which there is suitable flexibility. The target is set below 100% to allow for instances where it is not viable to start audits during the year due to operational capacity issues. The risk-based approach doesn’t change in order to finalise audits that will enable results that are closer to the 70% target set out in the Audit Plan. The Audit Manager was asked to comment on whether managers within the respective service areas being audited embrace the audit findings. Members were advised that any disagreed recommendations are reported to the Committee. There have been no disagreed recommendations to report over the year. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That: (1) the Committee notes the Internal Audit Strategy 2025/26 2; (2) the Internal Audit Charter 2025/26 be approved;; (3) the Internal Audit Plan 2025/26 be approved; Members considered the principle and proposed safeguards relating to the Audit Manager’s potential appointment as a Director of the Cardiff Heat Network.
The Audit Manager was invited to present the Audit Charter and Audit Plan 2025/26. Members were advised that at its meeting on 28 January 2025, the Draft Internal Audit Charter and Summary Audit Plan 2025/26 were presented for Committee to consider and provide comments. Accompanying the Charter was the Governance and Audit Committee’s draft Terms of Reference 2025/26 (subject to approval by Council). The Audit Plan was further developed and was presented for approval by the Committee. Discussions were held with senior management in directorates to shape the Plan, which has been developed applying a risk-based methodology in order to identify the planned activities of Internal Audit for 2025/26. The Senior Management Team considered and agreed the content of the draft Charter and Audit Plan 2025/26 having previously being briefed on the Audit Strategy. Members were asked to note the Non-Audit Responsibility section of the report. Members were advised that consideration is being given to the appointment of a senior officer from Finance to replace an existing Council Director who will be standing down from the Cardiff Heat Network. The Cardiff Heat Network is an arms-length wholly owned Council Special Purpose Vehicle that is making use of secured funding in the form of a UK government grant and a Welsh Government loan to conclude the construction of an initial phase of work to use heat generated at Viridor's Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Trident Park, which diverts non-recyclable waste from landfill every year. The Audit Manager has been identified as a potential replacement Director for the outgoing Council officer, and accordingly, the matter is being raised for Committee consideration and comment in principle. The Chief Executive would approve any Board Member changes, and in the event of Audit Manager appointment, the proposed safeguards to manage any perceived risk of independence and objectivity, are that the Audit Manager would not be involved in any audit work relating to the Cardiff Heat Network or Prosiect Gwyrdd. In accordance with the Audit Charter, the principles set out in paragraph 27 would apply, and an independent manager with the required qualifications and skills of a Chief Audit Executive, as per the Audit Standards, would be responsible for overseeing any such audits, with no involvement of the Audit Manager. Members welcomed the focus on management of school budget set out in the Audit Plan 2025/26. A Member suggested that the audit should take place early in the year. The Audit Manager noted the comment and invited Members to provide further commentary or observations on the scope of the audit. There were no objections or concerns raised by the Committee regarding proposal to potentially appoint the Audit Manager to the board of the Cardiff Heat Network. Responding to a question from the Committee, the Audit Manager stated that he has exercised objectivity in the past and included areas within the Audit Plan that he has responsibility for. The Committee supported the proposal. RESOLVED – That: (1) the Committee notes the Internal Audit Strategy 2025/26 2; (2) the Internal Audit Charter 2025/26 be approved;; (3) the Internal Audit Plan 2025/26 be approved; Members considered the principle and proposed safeguards relating to the Audit Manager’s potential appointment as a Director of the Cardiff Heat Network.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report providing Members with an overview of the findings of a local report by Audit Wales, entitled “Waste Management Follow-up Cardiff Council” – March 2025. The report noted, “that the Council is making reasonable progress with addressing the recommendations from our 2022 waste report but further work remains to address them fully.” The Chairperson welcomed Neil Hanratty, Director of Economic Development and Matt Wakelam, Assistant Director, Street Scene in Planning, Transport & Environment, Infrastructure and Operations to the meeting. The Director was invited to make a statement. The Director advised that the Audit Wales report was welcomed. The report was balanced and all the recommendations have been accepted. Work is ongoing to implement the recommendations and good progress is being made. It was anticipated that by the end of the current quarter the Council will be achieving a 64% recycling rate set against the Welsh Government target of 70% and a plan is in place to close the gap. Audit Wales have acknowledged the challenges facing the authority in the city – including 30% of housing stock being flats and HMOs, a large student population and sizeable trade waste operation within the Council. A Member noted that work is being done with universities in Cardiff and asked whether engagement was sufficient. The Assistant Director stated that a lot of work has been done with the universities in terms of waste presentation and recycling. Some onus has also been placed on landlords to ensure that the correct waste receptacles are available at their properties. A Member asked whether the trade union dispute has been resolved and whether the service area has sufficient resources to implement the Waste Strategy. Members were advised that trade union dispute was in relation to a pay deal across the authority and that has now been settled. The Assistant Director stated that new ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ legislation has been introduced that will require payments to be made to local authorities in relation to the collection and processing of packaging. Any additional funding will be targeted on change projects that will help deliver the 70% target recycling rate. Responding to a question from the Committee, officers stated that Cardiff compares favourable with other core cities in terms of its recycling performance although there are specific challenges in Cardiff. Some local authorities in Wales are almost reaching 70% recycling but those authorities introduced segregated recycling a number of years ago. Officers considered that as Cardiff and, more broadly Wales, were achieving such high recycling performance it was difficult to identify any exemplars in other authorities which Cardiff can learn best practice from. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received the Annual Audit Summary 2024 summarising all audit work undertaken by Audit Wales in Cardiff since the last Annual Audit Summary for 2023, which was issued in June 2024 and considered by the Governance and Audit Committee on 9 July 2024. The outputs from the audits undertaken were reported to the Committee previously. Julie Rees and Sam Clements of Audit Wales were invited to present the report. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Part of an issue followed across 4 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – (1)That the report be noted. (2) A report on progress towards 100% of Council activities having a business continuity plan in place be provided to the Committee at a future meeting
The Corporate Director Resources presented the Corporate Risk Management Report (Q3). Members were advised that at the quarter three position, 271 risks were reported from DRRs. All escalated risks and requests for de-escalation were discussed and approved in SMT on the 4 March 2025. SMT agreed that eighteen Directorate risks would be carried forward as SMT escalated risks at quarter three. It was also agreed that the Corporate Risk Team would engage with Directorates during quarter four of 2024/25 to review their escalated risks and to go through the action plans for each risk and to discuss the key next steps. Members were asked to note that the Budget Monitoring (Control) residual risk has been revised from B2 to C3 and thus remains on target for reaching the target risk of D3 prior to Q4 2024/25. This is due to an improved monitoring position reported at month 6, and a subsequent report on month 9 at the Cabinet meeting of 27 February 2025 has shown a further improvement, thus giving some level of assurance of the risk target being achieved. A Member commented that there are a number of risks contained in the report with extraordinarily long descriptions and a number of target controls that have slipped. The Member asked whether those issues would be discussed and SMT. The Member also asked whether there has been any review of the risk management guidance. The Corporate Director accepted the point raised regarding risk descriptions and confirmed that this has been discussed with management in service areas. The Corporate Director Resources agreed to feedback the comments regarding slippage and risk management guidance to SMT. A Member noted reference to a Behavioural Change Strategy in relation to the Air Quality and Clear Air Strategy and questioned whether other areas could also benefit Behavioural Change Strategy being applied more widely, such as waste management. The Corporate Director Resources accepted the point and agreed to raise this matter at SMT. A Member noted that 85% of the Council activities have a business continuity plan and requested an update on progress achieving 100%. The Corporate Director Resources agreed to provide an update on progress to the Committee at a future meeting. RESOLVED – (1)That the report be noted. (2) A report on progress towards 100% of Council activities having a business continuity plan in place be provided to the Committee at a future meeting
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received the Treasury Management Strategy for 2025/26 was approved as part of the Budget Report to Council in March 2025. The report has been prepared to provide Governance and Audit Committee Members with the Treasury Management Strategy for 2025/26. Members were asked to note the main points of the Strategy set out in the report. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Part of an issue followed across 8 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chairperson agreed to consult directly with the Director of Education to discuss remaining areas of Committee interest / concern following exchange of recent letters.
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chairperson agreed to consult directly with the Director of Education to discuss remaining areas of Committee interest / concern following exchange of recent letters.
No urgent items.
8th July 2025 (to be confirmed at Annual Council in May).
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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