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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 minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 August 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee together with the combined Forward Work Programme be approved.
RESOLVED: That the External Regulatory Report and action plan be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee, to provide assurance that the content has been acknowledged and that proactive steps have been made to address the recommendations included within the report and to provide assurance on the robustness and proportionality of the Council’s response.
RESOLVED: That the Staff Survey 2025 Results and draft Action Plan be noted.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Goronwy Edwards, Charlie McCoubrey, Emily Owen and Rhun ap Gareth (Chief Executive).
None.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 August 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 August 2026 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 August 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee together with the combined Forward Work Programme be approved.
Members were presented with the individual Forward Work Programme (FWP) for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined FWP. The following changes were highlighted: · The Council’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Large Language Model (LLM) Policy will be presented to the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee in October 2026. · An update on the Asset Management Framework 2026-2031 would be presented in January 2027. · The proposed dog control public space protection order (PSPO) report would be presented to the Economy and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 21 October 2026. The following was discussed: · Consideration would be given to when the Panel Performance Assessment action plan update would be presented. · A Member suggested that the financial aspects of the library element of the Venue Cymru Futures Project be considered by the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Member was advised to complete a scrutiny topic selection form. · The Cabinet Member for Housing, Regulatory and Audit advised that details of the PSPO procedural process and associated timelines would be provided to Members of the Committee via email. · It was agreed that the Forward Work Programme would be updated to reflect that the Environmental Enforcement Overview Report fell within the Housing, Regulatory and Audit portfolio. RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee together with the combined Forward Work Programme be approved.
The Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Planning introduced the Business Planning Framework for 2027-2028 and the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources highlighted key points from within the report. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • It was confirmed that Research Officers had been in post for approximately six months and were undertaking a range of work, including forecasting future demand within Social Care, analysis work on procurement and workforce, as well as better understanding the data held across the Council. • It was confirmed that in 2026/2027 Welsh Government had introduced a one-off flexibility to allow Councils to have a Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) holiday on the assumption that it could be demonstrated that a prudent provision for MRP was made. If this flexibility was extended to 2027/2028 it could be considered, however this would only alleviate the budget pressure in the short term as debt would still need to be repaid and the burden would be increased for the future. • It was noted that, there was currently no specific guidance as to how Welsh Government (WG) would support a Local Authority if they were faced with the need to issue a Section 114 notice. However, it was likely that the WG would provide support to any Local Authority in this position. • The unexpected increase in school balances at the end of the 2025/2026 financial year was likely attributed to unforeseen grant funding and it was confirmed that work was ongoing to review the school funding formula. • A report on fees and charges had been presented to the Committee in February 2026. • Reference to community consultations within the Business Planning Framework was welcomed. • It was noted that longer-term financial planning would need to be considered, with current planning arrangements covering a three-year period and scope to explore extending this timeframe. - Consideration would be given to developing a longer-term plan for the next administration, while ensuring that services for residents were not adversely affected. - However, it was noted that funding from Welsh Government was provided on an annual basis, which undermined the ability to plan over the longer term. • It was noted that the Council continued to review services and service delivery arrangements. - Financial benefits had been achieved through areas of integration, including the amalgamation of Social Care and Education, flood defence works, and rationalisation of the school estate. - Work was ongoing to identify further savings and improvements. • It was noted that the draft Waste and Resource Strategy would shortly be subject to consultation. • It was hoped that additional funding for Additional Learning Needs would be provided from the Welsh Government. The Committee extended their thanks and best wishes to Gareth Evans, Head of Finance, who would shortly be leaving the Authority. RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: a) That the timetable and process for the Business Planning Framework for 2027/2028 be approved. b) That the scale of the potential funding gap in planning for the 2027/2028 budget be noted, whilst accepting that, in the current context, financial planning continues to be extremely difficult.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the External Regulatory Report and action plan be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee, to provide assurance that the content has been acknowledged and that proactive steps have been made to address the recommendations included within the report and to provide assurance on the robustness and proportionality of the Council’s response.
The Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult Services and HR introduced the external regulatory report (Recruitment and retention challenges - the right people at the right time?) and the Head of People and Performance highlighted key points from within the report. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Congratulations were extended on the complimentary nature of the Audit report. - Staff received appropriate induction and ongoing support. Efforts to improve staff retention remained ongoing, together with a programme of training and development activities, including improvements to the e-learning provision. It was also noted that a retention survey had been trialled. • It was suggested that the action plan should include details on how progress against retention-related activities would be evaluated. • It was noted that the talent scheme formed part of the workforce plan and that previous reports had been presented on the use of agency staff, which provided further details. • It was confirmed that the leaver questionnaire had been digitised and that all staff leaving the organisation had the opportunity to complete it. Staff were also offered the option of an in-person discussion. • Staff wellbeing remained important, with advice provided and sickness absence monitored to ensure that line managers had access to an appropriate toolkit. RESOLVED: That the External Regulatory Report and action plan be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee, to provide assurance that the content has been acknowledged and that proactive steps have been made to address the recommendations included within the report and to provide assurance on the robustness and proportionality of the Council’s response.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Staff Survey 2025 Results and draft Action Plan be noted.
The Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult Services and HR introduced the Staff Survey 2025 Results and draft Action Plan and the Head of People and Performance highlighted key points from within the report. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Positive feedback had been received from trade unions. • The omission of school staff from the survey was highlighted. • In order to improve response rates, consideration was being given to the timing of the survey in relation to other surveys. - Turnround of results required improvement. - The Economy and Culture Service had recently undertaken an internal staff survey, which may have affected completion of the corporate staff survey. It was agreed that the response rate would be reviewed and circulated to Members of the Committee. • Increasing the response rate from frontline staff formed part of the action plan. • Service performance reviews were open to all Members and provided an opportunity for detailed consideration of each service. • Whilst electronic timesheets were being rolled out, not all staff had access to IT and some therefore continued to complete paper timesheets. • 360-degree appraisal was not used as standard, with the Conwy Conversation used instead to set personal objectives and support discussions regarding development and wellbeing. • It was noted that, at Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) conferences, Conwy had been recognised positively for its engagement with staff and trade unions. • Whilst it was recognised that there had been a positive response to the carers staff forum, it was noted that greater flexibility should be provided for staff who were carers, and that support should be applied consistently across departments. RESOLVED: That the Staff Survey 2025 Results and draft Action Plan be noted.
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