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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
RESOLVED: to agree that the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025 be presented to full Council on 17 July 2025 for approval.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Hunt, Ash-Edwards and Carter.
None received.
The minutes of the meeting held on 11 June 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
The Chairperson advised Committee that this strategy is under development and would be formally considered by Cabinet in September which offers the committee an opportunity for policy development scrutiny. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Isabelle Bignall, Chief Digital Officer, Emlyn Nash, Operational Manager, Digital Delivery and Chris Lloyd, Head of Technology to the meeting. The Chairperson noted that Cllr Weaver had sent apologies due to a prior commitment. Members were provided with a presentation from Officers, after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members discussed the extent to which officers felt confident that the Digital Strategy had successfully addressed the digital divide. It was noted that the Council’s App had reached a usage rate of approximately 30,000 interactions per month. Members acknowledged that the App had undergone significant improvements and was now considerably more user-friendly than at its initial launch. The Committee emphasised the importance of placing the customer at the centre of digital service design. It was agreed that public reassurance regarding the App’s safety and ease of use was essential, alongside efforts to educate both residents and businesses on how to use it effectively. Members were assured that a programme had been established to support this goal, with close collaboration between officers and community hubs. The Committee raised concerns regarding the responsiveness of the App, particularly in relation to issue reporting by local businesses (e.g., waste collection). Members observed that resolution times were often lengthy, leading to frustration among users. It was noted that having an account was a prerequisite for using the App effectively, and this was something that was being developed. Members sought clarification on whether the revised strategy would address response times and improve feedback mechanisms. Officers confirmed that the importance of closing the feedback loop had previously been endorsed by the Democratic Services Committee. A review of the website’s content management system was underway, with a forecasted timeline of two years to fully implement the feedback mechanism. Members agreed that once in place, this would likely lead to exponential growth in App usage. The Committee considered that resolving the feedback loop should remain a priority in digital discussions, despite potential budgetary constraints. The Committee recognised a clear aspiration to keep the public informed and acknowledged the App’s role as a gateway to accessing Council services online. Members suggested that any advertising space managed by the Council be strategically utilised to promote the App and encourage its adoption. Members noted that data security had been a key consideration in developing the strategy. The Cardiff Research Centre had been engaged to benchmark the Council’s digital strategy against those of the WLGA and other Welsh local authorities. While the draft strategy compared favourably, it had not yet been assessed against private sector best practices. The Committee suggested that officers consider monitoring private sector Apps to identify potential improvements. The Committee acknowledged that the Digital Strategy aimed to deliver cost efficiencies. It was reported that the Benefits Team had saved one full-time equivalent position following the introduction of ‘Babara the Bot’. Members enquired whether reducing headcount was a formal policy objective of the strategy. As this is a policy matter, the Committee requested that Cabinet’s position be clarified in the response. Officers informed the Committee that the Council’s website would no longer be hosted on SharePoint from next year. Members were reassured that this transition would not affect the use of Modern.Gov and viewed it as an opportunity to implement a more suitable platform. Responding to questions, Officers assured Members that the existing workforce possessed the necessary skills and capacity to deliver the new Digital Strategy. It was confirmed that the strategy’s implementation would not create recruitment challenges for the Council. The Committee expressed ongoing frustration with the requirement for repeated re-authentication. Officers explained that this measure was necessary to prevent data breaches and comply with government authentication standards. It was noted that a passkey system might replace multi-factor authentication in the future, but the current system must remain in place for now. Officers offered to share a Cabinet presentation on this topic. Members suggested that any proposed enhancements to digital security be shared with the Democratic Services Committee and included in their future work programme. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: to agree that the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025 be presented to full Council on 17 July 2025 for approval.
This item sought Committee’s approval of the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025. Members were invited to provide any observations or suggested amendments, prior to the report being presented to full Council on 17 July 2025. RESOLVED: to agree that the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025 be presented to full Council on 17 July 2025 for approval.
None received.
Members were reminded of a Joint Meeting of the Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee, with the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 17.45pm. The next meeting of the Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee was scheduled for Wednesday 10 September 2025 at 4.30pm.
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