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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: (1) the report be noted: (2) an update report to be brought to the January 2025 meeting of the Committee on progress made against the outstanding internal audit recommendations with target dates in November and December 2025 for Adults, Housing and Communities Directorate.
RESOLVED - That Committee notes the content of the report and the recommendation made by the Ombudsman regarding monitoring of progress. • Chief Digital Officer to provide reflection and commentary in the next corporate complaints update on the Responsive Repairs ombudsman matters and lessons or enhancements that could be made corporately as a result.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted. • Corporate Director Resources to provide Members with a calculation of the actual 6.7% increase in Real Living Wage compared to the 4% increase budgeted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Apologies were received from Cllr Salah Ahmed.
No declarations of interest.
The minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2025 were approved by the Committee as a correct record and were signed by the Chairperson.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted: (2) an update report to be brought to the January 2025 meeting of the Committee on progress made against the outstanding internal audit recommendations with target dates in November and December 2025 for Adults, Housing and Communities Directorate.
The Committee received a report on the Adults, Housing and Communities Directorate control environment. Members were advised that the Adults, Housing and Communities directorate has 2,865 staff and covers a wide range of functions, including both statutory and non-statutory services. The report provided details of these functions, the management structure and the directorate control environment. The Chairperson welcomed Jane Thomas, Director of Adults, Housing and Communities to the meeting. The Director was invited to deliver a presentation following which the Chairperson invited comments or questions from the Committee. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · A Member asked whether the Director considered two Assistant Directors were sufficient to deliver effective control given the broad range of services the Directorate is responsible for. The Director considered that two Assistant Directorate were sufficient. Until recently the Directorate had been operating with only one Assistant Director in post. It was vital to have a sound Operational Manager structure with clearly defined responsibilities in place to support the control environment. · The Director was asked whether she was confident the new deadlines for internal audit recommendations would be met and whether, when those deadlines were agreed, they were realistic or optimistic. The Director stated that when deadlines are agreed with audit partners they are considered to be realistic. However, there are occasions when implementation of the recommendations can be more complicated than originally envisaged. When targets are reset they are realistic also. Operational Managers are held to account if deadlines are not met. · A Member requested the Director to comment on the level of long-term sickness in the Directorate and the re-prioritisation and reallocation of work on actions and recommendations. Members were advised that long-term sickness is monitored and regular meetings are held with HR and Occupational Health to discuss long-term sickness cases. The focus is on reducing long-term sickness wherever possible by encouraging staff to return to work. Consideration is given to whether sickness absence cover is required for the role after around one month depending on the nature of the work and the urgency, to ensure that service delivery continues. · A Member asked what level of training staff were receiving to ensure that, not only were they technically proficient, but that they also had empathy with service users. The Director stated that customer service training and induction is provided. Recently all Housing staff have had an opportunity to have additional bespoke customer service training to ensure that they are understanding of the issues services users, and in particular tenants, are facing. · A Member raised concerns that six internal audit recommendations had rescheduled dates and questioned whether Operational Managers were being held to account. The Member asked whether there was a culture of not addressing recommendations with sufficient urgency in the Directorate. The Director considered that six actions with revised target dates was a fairly low number given the number of audits undertaken during the year. The Director stated that recommendations are taken seriously but sometimes things happen that are beyond the direct control of the Directorate. · The Committee requested that an update report to be brought to the January 2025 meeting of the Committee on progress made against the internal audit recommendations with implementation dates at the end of November and December 2025. · A Member requested the Director to comment on the new Welsh Quality Housing Standard and whether the Directorate would be able to achieve the Standard by the required deadline. The Director indicated that the Standard was very challenging and requires housing to reach EPC level A. Whilst the energy efficiency level is good and generally higher than housing in the private sector, reaching EPC level A would be reliant on grant funding. Responding to a follow-up question, the Director stated that some housing stock would never achieve the required standard due to its age and construction type. However, this stock can be significantly improved. · A Member asked whether the Directorate benchmarks with other authorities in terms of Value for Money. The Director stated that costs will vary across authorities and Cardiff has more stock than most authorities in Wales. Cardiff benefits from this in some cases and in other cases Cardiff incurs higher costs. The Director considered that competition through procurement is the best way to ensure Value for Money. Within the Housing Repairs Service external expertise is brought in to establish a schedule of rates for different types of repairs that is benchmarked against market rates to ensure that rates paid to contractors are not excessive. The schedule takes account of rates paid by authorities of a similar size to Cardiff. Consideration has been given to a benchmarking exercise in relation to cost modelling for different services, particularly in housing, when funding allows. · The Director was asked to comment on the mitigations in place to safeguard lone workers in the Directorate. The Director stated that lone working remains on the Directorate Risk Register as some staff do provide services alone and at night, for example social workers in mental health cases. Lone working risk assessments are undertaken and there are a range of measures in place to ensure staff are safe, including devices that ensure they can contact assistance immediately. The Director was satisfied with the level of support in place but consideration is constantly given to way that would improve matters. · A Member noted that the target dates for meeting the level of risk mitigation was Q4. The Director was asked to comment on the level of confidence in reaching the targets for escalated risks. The Director stated that the escalated risks were recently reviewed and confidence was high that the targets would be met. Some risks are harder to manage because there are external factors such as new home office legislation in respect of care workers. RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted: (2) an update report to be brought to the January 2025 meeting of the Committee on progress made against the outstanding internal audit recommendations with target dates in November and December 2025 for Adults, Housing and Communities Directorate.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED - That Committee notes the content of the report and the recommendation made by the Ombudsman regarding monitoring of progress. • Chief Digital Officer to provide reflection and commentary in the next corporate complaints update on the Responsive Repairs ombudsman matters and lessons or enhancements that could be made corporately as a result.
The Committee received a report providing details of the investigation by the Public Service Ombudsman Wales into the Responsive Repairs Unit (RRU), based in the Adults, Housing and Communities Directorate as part of its role to review and assess the authority’s ability to handle complaints effectively, and make any associated reports and recommendations. Members were advised that the RRU is responsible for repairs to 14,200 Council homes. The Service completes over 4,000 new repair works each month. Most of this work is carried out by inhouse operatives, with external contractors used for specialist work or to manage peaks in workload. The Unit has faced a number of challenges in recent years. The pandemic led to restricted access to properties, while the post pandemic increase in demand, together with problems in supply chains resulted in a backlog of repairs. This together with an increased number of urgent and complex repairs, particularly relating to damp and mould resulted in significant problems with service delivery. A comprehensive service review took place in early 2024 and resulted in the development of a Repairs Improvement Project. Significant improvements have been made as a result of the review and unallocated works have reduced from 5,851 in May 2024 to 530 in July 2025. Improvements have also been made to complaints handling arrangements and complaints now represent just 0.5% of monthly repairs. Work to improve the service continues through the Repairs Improvement Programme overseen by the Director. The Ombudsman investigated a complaint relating to the repairs service between 2021-2024. The Ombudsman has upheld the complaint and the Council has fully accepted the findings. A summary of the findings and recommendations was set out in Appendix 1 of the report. Despite recognising and acknowledging the extensive work carried out by the Council to improve the Repairs Service, the Ombudsman has decided that it was in the public interest to publish the findings. The full Ombudsman report was included at Appendix 2 of the report. The report recommended that the Council should “Share the final report with Members of its Audit and Governance Committee to enable it to monitor the progress and outcome of the recommendations below.” All learning from the complaint will be incorporated into the Repairs Improvement Plan. Progress in delivering the Repairs Improvement Plan, including completion of the Ombudsman recommendations, will be monitored through the fortnightly Repairs Improvement Meetings chaired by the Director and regular updates on progress will be made available to Community and Adult Social Services Scrutiny Committee. Jane Thomas, Director of Adults, Housing and Communities was invited to deliver a presentation on the Responsive Repairs Unit and Ombudsman’s report, following which the Chairperson invited comments and questions from the Committee. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · A Member considered that the Ombudsman’s report highlighted a catalogue of failures and negligence that had led to a family’s health suffering. Damp and mould in properties can have catastrophic effects on people. The Member was disappointed that the presentation started by providing the context within which the complaint had occurred rather than starting with an apology. The Director stated that the authority is sorry for what had occurred and a lot of time has been spent trying to identify what when wrong in this case. The main focus has been on rectifying those issues so that they do not happen again. The family concerned has received a full apology from the Chief Executive. The recommendations in the report were fully accepted and redress payments have been made to the family. · A Member asked whether the Director is doing customer service training along side the other staff within the Housing Service. The Director was open to attending customer services training. The Director considered that all the managers within the directorate should attend the training also. · The Committee noted the reduction in the number of unallocated repairs. However, there is still a heightened demand for urgent works which isn’t declining. A Member asked what assurance the Director can give that the improvements that have been implemented in the RRU are embedded and aren’t based on short-term interventions. The Members asked whether any independent assurance that the work is proceeding and is sustainable has been considered. In respect of the urgent works, Members were advised that there are a high number of urgent works and more urgent works are being identified. This has arisen from changes to the guidelines for assessing damp and mould issues nationally. More cases are being recorded as urgent. More capacity has been built into the RRU and these works are being scheduled. There is robust performance management in place which is regularly reviewed. Outstanding works are ‘risk coded’ which has enabled more targeted interventions. The Director considered that control will remain in place and the Community and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee will have oversight on the performance figures in the future. No independent assurance has been considered to date. However, a review may be considered at the end of the action plan. · The Audit Manager stated that a broad review of complaints handling arrangements has recently been undertaken. In terms of the Adult, Housing and Communities Directorate, Internal Audit were aware of the issues highlighted in the report and the recommended course of action. Internal Audit have asked to remain engaged in the implementation of the report’s recommendations. During Q4 the work plan for next year will be looked at and it may be considered that an advisory audit or assurance piece is appropriate. · A Member asked whether the customer services and equalities training that is to be provided to all staff will be mandatory. The Director confirmed that the training will be mandatory. Members were asked to note that generally there is very high customer satisfaction in terms of the service operatives. The Ombudsman had recommended that all staff receive an email reminding them of their responsibilities. However, the authority additionally considered that refresher training was necessary. · A Member felt that the recommendations in the report were reactive. The Member asked what has been learned from the analysis of early warning signals in this case but were not described clearly enough. The Member noted IT systems used by the RRU were not integrated and welcomed the plan to integrate these systems in future. The Director was asked how much analysis has been undertaken in respect of specifying the IT systems needed to eradicate problems such as these in the future and what lessons had been learned from this, and other, Ombudsman’s reports. The Director stated that, in this case, the authority accepted that there were problems within the RRU service and were attempting to procure more capacity. What was not apparent was the pressure on scheduling staff and the scheduling system. Early warning systems are now in place – for example – each trade has been categorised in order to establish whether they have more work outstanding than is deemed acceptable allowing for appropriate actions to be taken. Core data is being reviewed in order to see if any areas are struggling allowing the authority to respond quickly to any issues identified. Four different IT systems were going to be replaced by a single system and the Director accepted that it was essential to get the specification right. External advice has been sought to allow the authority to do that and ensure that the replacement system is specific to the needs of the RRU service. The Director confirmed that lessons are being learning from this and other Ombudsman cases and policies are being updated as a result. RESOLVED - That Committee notes the content of the report and the recommendation made by the Ombudsman regarding monitoring of progress. • Chief Digital Officer to provide reflection and commentary in the next corporate complaints update on the Responsive Repairs ombudsman matters and lessons or enhancements that could be made corporately as a result.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted. • Corporate Director Resources to provide Members with a calculation of the actual 6.7% increase in Real Living Wage compared to the 4% increase budgeted.
The Committee received a financial update from Chris Lee (Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer) covering the Month 6 position and a 2026/27 budget update, including key assumptions for closing the predicted budget gap. In respect of the ongoing procurement of a new finance IT system, a Member asked whether recent legislative process changes in procurement would be including in the tender specification and therefore the system. The Section 151 Officer confirmed that external support is being provided in terms of HR, Procurement and Finance and the authority would be procuring a system based on the most up to date requirements. A Members noted that the Real Living Wage had been increased by 6.7% but was previously modelled at 4%. The Member asked what sort of impact the additional amount would have. Members were advised that the increase was spread across internal staff and commissioned services. The Section 151 Officer agreed to provide Members with the projected figures. Responding to a question, the Section 151 Officer stated that projected budget gap was extremely challenging. A number of levers are being looked at, not just in terms of budget savings but also whether there are opportunities. The authority is finalising its Local Government Pension Scheme requirements following its tri-annual evaluation and it was anticipated that this should allow a contribution to be made towards closing the budget gap. A Member asked whether the authority accepted the Welsh Government’s population projection figure or whether this could be challenged. Members were advised that the rationale used to calculate the figure was accepted. RESOLVED – That the report be noted. • Corporate Director Resources to provide Members with a calculation of the actual 6.7% increase in Real Living Wage compared to the 4% increase budgeted.
Part of an issue followed across 7 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Audit Manager, Chris Pyke, presented the Audit and Investigation Team – Progress Update report. The report covered the period 1 July to 30 September 2025 and follows an update provided at the Committee meeting on 16 September. The Internal Audit Progress Report at Annex 1 sets out performance in relation to the Internal Audit Plan, summarising 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. The Investigation Team Progress Report at 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 confirmed that there have been no compromises to independence and the global internal audit standards for the public sector in the UK have been maintained since they came into effect on 1 April 2025. Members were asked to note that the Audit Manager’s appointment to the board of the Cardiff Heat Network will shortly be finalised. Independence safeguards for this non-audit role will apply. These are that the Audit Manager would not be involved in any audit work relating to the Cardiff Heat Network and Prosiect Gwyrdd. Responding to questions from the Committee, the Audit Manager stated that Internal Audit do try to define what ‘added value’ means in terms of client feedback as whether insights provided in audits contribute to good governance, risk management, control or improved efficiencies. Negative responses are rare and typically arise from audits where audit opinions are positive, and the audit has provided assurance, but has not offered many new opportunities for improvement, or findings that were not already known to management. In respect of the number of open audit recommendations which have an insufficient with major improvement needed rating, the Audit Manager considered it is imperative that those recommendations are addressed as they will be of a higher risk rating. Internal Audit continue to emphasise the importance of completing these. The timeliness of completing recommendations is also a performance metric and an area where performance is below the target and this will be a key point of emphasis when this is discussed by the Senior Management Team. A Member referred to the Executive Summary provided in the report in respect of Ysgol Bro Edryn which highlighted ongoing concerns. It was noted that the school’s deficit had increased from £28,963 in 2024/25 to a deficit of £820,800 in 2025/26. The Member asked whether any additional support could be provided to the school when it was contending with changes in the management structure, responding to failings identified within an Estyn report and grappling with a significant deficit. Additionally, major structural issues have now been identified at the school. The Audit Manager stated that not all the concerns raised were covered by the Audit but issues of governance and risk management were included. The audit identified a lack of control around financial management and the school needs to address this through the new management arrangements in place, and the deficit budget protocol, which is underway at the school. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report on the National Fraud Initiative 2024/25. The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) is a biennial UK-wide counter-fraud exercise which helps prevent and detect fraud by analysing data submitted by participating bodies. Members were advised that in Wales, the NFI operates under the Auditor General’s statutory powers. Participation is mandatory for unitary local authorities, NHS bodies, police forces, and fire and rescue authorities. The Welsh Government, some Welsh Government arm’s length bodies (Natural Resources Wales, Arts Council of Wales, Sport Wales, National Library of Wales, Transport for Wales), and South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee participated in the exercise on a voluntary basis. There is no direct cost to participants. Audit Wales receives funding, through the Welsh Consolidated Fund, to pay for bodies to participate in the NFI covering the central data matching processing for the biennial exercise, as well as the annual exercise for council tax and electoral register datasets. The main costs to participants are, therefore, the resources used to submit data and conduct follow-up work once data matches are released. The Chairperson invited Nicholas Raynor of Audit Wales to present the National Fraud Initiative 2024-25: Update for Cardiff Council report. Nicholas stated that the update was to be presented to the Governance and Audit Committee of all Welsh local authorities and was intended to remind Members of the importance of the NFI exercise and to help support oversight and scrutiny of the exercise. The report provided a national level update on the current NFI exercise in terms of data matching and provided details of the financial outcomes reported by the Welsh bodies – which amounted to circa £5.7 million to date. A Member asked why all public bodies are not involved in the exercise. Members were advised that the Auditor General in Wales mandates all local authorities, all health boards, all police authorities and all park authorities to take part in the exercise. Other bodies are encouraged to participate also. There are currently 49 bodies involved. Responding to a question, Nicholas stated that the direct cost to a local authority taking part in the exercise is zero. The cost to the authority is in submitting data and investigating; this cost is low when compared to the level of savings being generated. The Audit Manager was asked to provide further details on the processes undertaken when a data match is received in order to provide assurance that there is an appropriate and balanced response. Chris Pyke stated that Internal Audit’s involvement begins with the co-ordination of the submission of data for matching. It was key to ensure that quality data is good. Matches received are disseminated to the relevant service areas and engagement is undertaken with the management within those areas. The Counter-Fraud Oversight Group provides an overview of NFI data matches and progress. The Counter-Fraud Oversight Group is a subset of the Senior Management Team and is chaired by the Section 151 Officer and includes a number of Directors. The Audit Manager stated that there will be a number of erroneous matches that don’t indicate any fraud so officers seek to understand the cause of this and if this can be avoided in future. In cases where matches identify a system or control issue, there is an expectation that this would be acted upon. Responding to comments from the Committee, the Audit Manager advised that, in terms of the c.19,000 data matches identified in respect of single person discount for Council Tax, there is no risk category assigned, so attention is needed to assess and prioritise matches. 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 risk management position at quarter two 2025/26. The report set out the risk reporting process and the escalation process. Members were asked to note that 255 risks were report in the Directorate Risk Registers (down from 271 in Q1). All escalated risks and requests for de-escalation were discussed by Senior Management Team (SMT) on 18 November 2025. It was agreed that twelve Directorate risks would be carried forward as SMT escalated risks at quarter two, and these will continue to be reviewed to ensure they are managed in accordance with the Risk Management Strategy. SMT also approved the inclusion of a new corporate risk onto the Corporate Risk Register - ‘Condition of School Estate’. It was agreed that this should now become a corporate risk due to the growing maintenance backlog, combined with financial constraints, that have increased the likelihood of reactive failure, disruption to education delivery and reputational damage. Members were also asked to note that the residual risk target has increased from D1 to C2 for the corporate risk in relation to Information Governance and the factors affecting this which were summarised in the report. Members also received updates on the corporate risks relating to the Housing Emergency and Climate Change. A Member asked for clarification of the criteria used to elevate the risk ‘Condition of School Estate’ to the CRR. The Member noted that the lack of funding from Welsh Government was a significant restraint on the ability of the authority to manage this risk and asked whether the Committee should expect a further deterioration of the risk and what assurance could be given that this would not happen. The Deputy 151 Officer stated that the risk has been elevated in order to have corporate oversight of issues such as financial, health and safety and maintenance. The point made by the Member was accepted. Members were advised that a number of issues will need to be resolved in order to improve the position. The Cabinet Forward Plan includes a number of reports in the next few months on this issue which will provide more detail in terms of proposed solutions. There will be some funding available but prioritisation process is needed to identify how far those resources will allow the condition of school estate to be maintained and improved. The Deputy 151 Officer accepted that the narrative in the report in respect of school budget deficits was unclear and gave an undertaking to address this in the next quarterly report. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a on the Council’s Treasury Management activities since 1 April 2025 and the position as at 30 September 2025 including investments and borrowing. Members were asked to note that there have be no breaches of the key indicators, the level of borrowing undertaken and the level of planned borrowing. Responding to a question from the Committee, Anil Hirani, Operational Manager advised that two risks identified in the report are that interests rates do not fall in the longer term and risks around refinancing. A Member noted that the level of external debt has increased by around £92 million between March and September. The Member asked for further details on what the borrow was used for. Members were advised that borrowing is taken to cover a range of capital expenditure commitments set out in the Approved Capital Investment Strategy including highway investments and on-going key activities such as coastal defence works and the new indoor arena. A Member asked whether there was a risk that the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) might be over-subscribed and funding might not be available when needed. Members were advised that the PWLB does its own due diligence and there was no precedent for this happening. The Section 151 Officer stated that the Council’s approach to borrowing short term loans based on interest rate forecasts is subject to external advice and consistent with approaches and advice provided to all other local authorities. 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 6 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
No urgent items.
The next meeting is scheduled for 27 January 2026.
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