Wrthi'n llwytho
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RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That (1) the report be noted; (2) The Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer to ensure that the next financial update to the Committee includes a focus on the Medium?Term Financial Plan and the transformation programme.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Director of Adults, Housing and Communities requesting consideration of commissioning an independent external review of complaint handling within the responsive repairs unit.
RESOLVED – That the Committee: (1) notes the proposed updated Code of Corporate Governance and recommends its approval by full Council; (2) notes the Senior Management Assurance Statement to be used for assessing the 2025/26 AGS (3) the Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer to arrange a Committee briefing on the Council’s business continuity arrangements.
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Executive Leadership Support and Chair of the Management Committee of the Pupil Referral Unit – Y Deryn Family of Schools, seeking assurance that the recommendations from the unsatisfactory internal audit report will be addressed promptly
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
No apologies for absence.
No declarations of interest.
The minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2025 were approved by the Committee as a correct recording and were signed by the Chairperson subject to two minor typographical amendments.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report on the control environment within the People and Communities Directorate. Sarah McGill, Corporate Director, was invited to present the report. Members were advised that the Directorate covers an extensive range of functions including Adults and Children’s Social Services, Housing and Communities Services, Development and Regeneration and Corporate Performance and Partnerships activity. The structure of the Directorate was detailed in the report. The Directorate consists of 3,134.82 FTE posts: 2,221.08 in Adults, Housing & Communities; 873.75 in Children’s Services; 46.79 in Development & Regeneration; 102.20 in Performance & Partnerships. The Directorate has an overall annual budget of £337 million (revenue) and £132m (capital). The Director of Adults, Housing and Communities and the Director of Children’s Services report to the Corporate Director for People and Communities. The Director of Adults, Housing and Communities presented at Committee in November 2025, and the Director of Children’s Services attended in March 2025 to provide assurance on their areas of responsibility respectively. The report therefore focused on the areas not overseen by those Directors - Performance & Partnerships and Development & Regeneration. The report provided details of these functions, the management structure and the directorate control environment. The Corporate 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 referred to the summary of risks outlined in the report. The Member noted that several key Housing and Regeneration risks remain red/amber rated, particularly those associated with the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) business plan and new build delivery. The Member asked how confident the Corporate Director was that the mitigations put in place were sufficient should funding or cost pressures worsen. The Corporate Director stated that a range of risks have been correctly identified. The development programme requires that each site identified for redevelopment has secured grant funding in place and that the profile viability tool works before the project moves forward. Existing rent assumptions are used. However, this represents the biggest risk as the Council doesn’t have control of rent setting which is a Welsh Government function. Rent assumptions are built into the HRA Business Plan and the Corporate Director considered that balanced decisions are taken whereby the return on investment is received within a 50-year period. Should there be a failure to receive grant funding the service area would not be able to move forward with the planned programme of works and the contract arrangements in place are flexible enough to reflect that. · A Member noted that the risk rating identified had been mitigated to an extent. The Member asked whether there was a level of confidence that the remaining mitigations will have an impact on the overall risk rating given the longer terms pressures from Welsh Government regarding rent levels. The Corporate Director considered that the long term risk related to the future delivery of the target to deliver new housing but there would be no risk to the investment that has already been made as funding has been secured for that investment. A distinction was drawn between the financial risk and achievement of the objective to deliver the new housing target. · A Member requested further details of the complaints received in the service area and what lessons have been learned from those complaints. The Corporate Director stated that complaints almost inevitably relate to the hand-over of new properties to tenants. When tenants move into new properties issues are often identified. There is a robust process in place to ensure that those issues are resolved, but in some cases issues continue which can result in complaints. The Corporate Director was confident that patterns are being identified and lessons are being learned from complaints and changes are being implemented as a result. · A Member noted that the service area has a significant number of partnership arrangements with other bodies. The Member asked whether the Corporate Director could provide any assurance that the memberships of those partnerships have sufficiently aligned purposes in order to gain results. The Corporate Director stated that a number of the individuals who are members of the partnerships are the same people so there will be some overlap. For example, the Regional Partnership Board’s remit lies in the connections between health and social care. In respect of the Public Service Board that would be a huge area of interest for Cardiff Council and its partners. It has been recognised that there needed to be much better connection and visibility of the different work streams being undertaken and who is responsible for them. The Performance and Partnerships Team have been looking at simplifying the reporting arrangements so that connections can be easily made. This is an ongoing piece of work. · Responding to a question from the Committee, the Corporate Director confirmed that there is a requirement that tenants are financially supported to move into new properties as part of redevelopment schemes. When tenants are ‘downsizing’ into smaller properties its is recommended that tenants discuss what assistance can be provided with their area housing office. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That (1) the report be noted; (2) The Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer to ensure that the next financial update to the Committee includes a focus on the Medium?Term Financial Plan and the transformation programme.
The Committee received a financial update from Chris Lee (Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer) covering the 2026/27 budget and an ERP Project Update. Responding to a question, the Corporate Director Resources stated that any updates or reviews of individual systems that are not part of the ERP implementation will be brought into the ERP programme to ensure that integration with stand-alone systems is in place. Those systems will feature as part of the overall plan as dependencies. A Member noted that the budget consultation did not contain any questions around service cuts as no service cuts were proposed as a result of additional funding being received. The Members asked whether there was a reason the authority hasn’t consulted on spending priorities and whether this was a result of operating within a tight timeframe or as a result of a political decision taken by the administration. The Corporate Director Resources confirmed that the budget consultation was smaller when compared to previous years. The consultation, however, follows on from the Ask Cardiff Survey which did ask a number of more specific questions in relation to prioritisation of services. The budget consultation will provide an opportunity for people to comment on specific areas. Members were asked to note that the budget settlement was not received late. However, after the provisional figure budget was received, and budget agreement was reached by the Welsh Government which resulted in a late change to the final figure. A Member asked for further details of the £13.8 million worth of savings identified in the report and whether those savings are as a result of the more transformational changes within the organisation. The Corporate Director Resources stated Medium Term Financial Plan remains challenging in future years and budget setting is a continual process. Some of the savings identified, particularly around the Transformation Programme, need to deliver savings into the medium and longer term. The £13.8 million identified includes savings from a combination of areas but specifically in the change programme from the introduction of new AI products, robotic technology and wider more preventative costs reductions. Furthermore, the Corporate Director Resources added that each of the savings lines have been assessed and reviewed in terms of an Equalities Impact Assessment and the need for city-wide consultation. All the savings lines have been through those internal processes to ensure that they are true efficiencies rather than service changes. RESOLVED – That (1) the report be noted; (2) The Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer to ensure that the next financial update to the Committee includes a focus on the Medium?Term Financial Plan and the transformation programme.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 3 cyfarfod
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report enable Members to review and assess the authority’s ability to handle complaints effectively and make any associated recommendations. Members were reminded that the Council’s corporate complaints system (Halo) is now fully embedded, and the focus of reporting has moved from implementation updates to assessing performance, monitoring compliance, and strengthening the learning gained from complaints. The report provided an overview of current activity, highlighted areas requiring improvement, and outlined the actions being taken to enhance consistency and effectiveness across the organisation. Members were asked to note that an audit of the Council’s Complaints and Compliments arrangements across the Council has been completed. The objectives of the audit mirrored the areas that the Committee require assurance on. The audit was completed and provided an assurance rating of “Effective with opportunity for improvement”, confirming that the Council’s corporate complaint-handling arrangements remain fundamentally sound and compliant with policy, legislation and Ombudsman expectations. A summary of the audit findings was included in the report. The report provided a complaints handling update. Members were advised that the Authority’s complaints-handling policy has been confirmed as compliant with the Ombudsman’s principles. The Corporate Complaints Team continues to provide support, facilitate quarterly meetings to share good practice, and oversee bespoke training, which has become mandatory for all complaints-handling officers. The introduction of a Standard Operating Procedure has also improved consistency and efficiency across the Authority. The Mid-Year Complaints Report 2024/25 was appended to the report at Appendix A. The Mid-Year report indicated that the overall volume of complaints are in line with those received in 2024/25. The mid?year position also provided an early indication of where risks may be emerging in specific service areas. The report also included a section responding to commentary made previously by the Chair on behalf of the Committee, specifically in relation to an update on the Ombudsman’s investigations into the Responsive Repairs service area. The Chairperson welcomed Isabel Bignall, Chief Digital Officer and Rory Williams, Complaints Manager to the meeting. The officers were invited to deliver a presentation. The Chairperson invited the Committee to comment, seek clarification or raise questions on the information received. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · A Member noted that the Ombudsman’s report into the Responsive Repairs service noted numerous failures over a protracted period. The Member asked whether, in this case, interactions with tenants were considered as repeated service requests and, if so, whether there is a gap in the complaints handling system to convert persistent service failure in to formal complaints and corporate oversight. The Chief Digital Officer stated that this issue is being addressed by colleagues in Housing. Data indicates that 52% of calls to C2C are repeat calls. A systematic approach is being taken to analysing the calls received relating to housing. The Housing service area are aware of the overwhelming number of service requests they have and the backlog and efforts are being made to provide customers with more clarity. · A Member raised concerns around repeated service failures in relation to the assisted lift waste collections and the four recent referrals made to the Ombudsman. The Member stated that he and his colleagues are often contacted by the same residents to say that their assisted lifts have not taken place. The Member considered that there were particular ‘blind spots’ in the city and despite these issued being reported by residents and local members repeatedly, this issue has resurfaced. The Member questioned whether robust enough systems were in place to manage this issue. The Chief Digital Officer stated that following a report by the Ombudsman in 2022 a large amount of work was done within the service area to put improved processes in place. There was some improvement but the four referrals came as a surprise. The Chief Digital Officer did not consider that there was a systemic failure but management in the Waste Management service area had recognised an emerging trend and were addressing the issue with front line staff. · Responding to a follow up question the Chief Digital Officer advised that the four referrals to the Ombudsman’s Officer happened over a relative short period and there were no indication of any systemic problem and that statistics will verify that this issue has been an anomaly due to a change of staff rather than a systemic issue. · A Member asked what is being done to support service areas where response times or administrative processes need improvement. The Chief Digital Officer stated that those service areas that are not responding to complaints within the 20 day time limit are reported to SMT quarterly and service areas will be expected to explain their processes to SMT so that pinch points may be identified. The Chief Digital Officer considered that the framework was in place to hold service areas accountable therefore. · A Member asked when the administration and senior officers last considered whether there was enough office resource in place within the service area to deal with the increasing complex workload. The Chief Digital Officer considered that this would be a matter for respective services areas to respond to but a statutory requirement to provide effective resources to respond to complaints exists. · A Member asked whether the importance of introducing a new IT system in the Responsive Repairs Unit has been stressed as many of the complaints regarding that service have stemmed from repeated requests for service. The Chief Digital Officer stated that colleagues are working hard to identify the correct system and to bring about the improvements needed within the Response Repairs Unit. · A Member stated that in his experience as a local councillor, many residents come directly to their local representatives after failing to get a satisfactory response from C2C. The Member asked why constituents are needed to make referrals to the Ombudsman in order to get issues resolved. The Chief Digital Officer stated that she welcomed the Ombudsman’s report on the Responsive Repairs Unit as it provided focus, a recognition that more resources are required and for meaningful actions to take place. · A Member asked what monitoring is undertaken on the correlation between the enquiries logged on the Members Enquiry System and the complaints logged on the complaints system. The Member also asked whether fewer issues would be referred to the Ombudsman if more was done to resolve the matters being complained about rather than the focus being on responding to complaints within timescales. The Chief Digital Officer stated that Member Enquiries were outside the remit of the Committee and therefore that data was not available. · Responding to a point raised by a Member of the Committee, the Chief Digital Officer stated that some dip sampling of service area responses has been undertaken. Some responses were unsatisfactory. An assurance was given that services areas will be reminded of their responsibilities and provided with additional support where appropriate. · A Member welcomed the honesty of the report and the recognition that there are some areas where the authority can do better. The Member considered that a corporate complaints procedure was partly about redress for members of the public and partly for the organisation to demonstrate it was a learning organisation. The Member was reassured and felt that the Corporate Complaints Team was in itself an internal ombudsman and champion of the customer. · The Chief Digital Officer accepted feedback received by a Member in terms of demonstrating that the organisation has learned from complaints regarding assisted lifts. However, in the main the Corporate Complaints Team has been able to identify themes and support improvements. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Committee received a report and were asked to note the Council’s Mid-Year Assessment of Performance 2025/26 in advance of consideration of the Council’s Annual Wellbeing Report 2025/26 later in the calendar year. Members were invited to comment or make appropriate recommendations relating to the Council’s performance to date in 2025/26. Members were reminded that consideration of the Council’s annual self-assessment report is a statutory duty of the Committee. The Chairperson invited Gareth Newell, Head of Performance and Partnerships, to present the report. The officer stated that the Council choses to present a Mid-Year Assessment to allow strategic discussions to take place during the year. The Mid-Year Assessment is developed using a similar process as the annual self-assessment and is considered by SMT, Cabinet and by the Performance Panel. The Mid-Year report provides a performance update and an opportunity for the Committee to consider the authority’s performance monitoring arrangements on more than one occasion each year. · A Member noted reference to the transition arrangements for the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund in respect of the governance and delivery arrangements that are yet to be determined. The Member asked whether there was any indication on those arrangements. The officer stated that there was more clarity provided by the UK Government including 1-year temporary transition arrangements and a ‘letter of comfort’ providing more detail on those arrangements. Colleagues are currently assessing the implication for service delivery. The Corporate Director Resources indicated that funding for the Local Growth Fund would be received via the South East Wales Joint Committee. · A Member stated that the year-end self-assessment report includes an explicit conclusion on each of the Wellbeing Objectives. The Mid-Year report did not have the same layout. The officer stated that the annual report primarily focusses on the statutory responsibility to provide an evaluative assessment at the beginning of each chapter. Officers would be happy to apply that to the Mid-Year assessment in future years also. · The officer was asked to comment on the space allocated within the report for each Wellbeing Objective. They considered that some objectives are broader than others and related to major statutory services, whilst others are narrower in focus. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Director of Adults, Housing and Communities requesting consideration of commissioning an independent external review of complaint handling within the responsive repairs unit.
The Committee received a report providing an overview of the management and delivery of recommendations received from Audit Wales, Estyn, Care Inspectorate Wales and His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Probation. The Head of Performance and Partnerships, was invited to present the report. Members were asked to note that the recommendations and findings received from the Local Government Ombudsman’s Public Interest Report into the Responsive Repairs Services were included in the report. · A Member noted the actions proposed by the Council in response to the Ombudsman’s report. The Member stated that the Committee had previously discussed whether the Council was seeking external assurance to check whether those actions were truly embedded. However, the actions proposed fail to address this. The Member asked whether management have considered the usefulness of seeking external assurance. The officer accepted the point made but consideration would be required by the service area and corporately on whether an additional action over and above those made was necessary. RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Director of Adults, Housing and Communities requesting consideration of commissioning an independent external review of complaint handling within the responsive repairs unit.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the Committee: (1) notes the proposed updated Code of Corporate Governance and recommends its approval by full Council; (2) notes the Senior Management Assurance Statement to be used for assessing the 2025/26 AGS (3) the Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer to arrange a Committee briefing on the Council’s business continuity arrangements.
The Committee received a report providing Members with Mid-Year Annual Government Statement and an updated version of the draft Code of Corporate Governance from the Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer. Members were asked to consider recommending approving the updated code for approval by Council prior to the year ending March 2026. Members were also asked to consider and note the questions to be used for the Senior Management Assurance Statements in 2025/26. A Member noted reference to the authority’s business continuity arrangements set out in the report. The Member asked how often those arrangements are tested, when those arrangements had last been tested and in what sort of scenarios. The Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer stated that business continuity covers a range of service delivery matters up to, and including, emergency management and cyber-security responses. The Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer agreed to arrange a briefing on the Council’s business continuity arrangements to the Committee. A Member suggested that the five-case business model might be included within the document. The Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer stated that although not explicitly contained within the programme of project managerment, the principals of the five-case business model are embedded completely within the organisation. However, the point was accepted. RESOLVED – That the Committee: (1) notes the proposed updated Code of Corporate Governance and recommends its approval by full Council; (2) notes the Senior Management Assurance Statement to be used for assessing the 2025/26 AGS (3) the Chief Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer to arrange a Committee briefing on the Council’s business continuity arrangements.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Executive Leadership Support and Chair of the Management Committee of the Pupil Referral Unit – Y Deryn Family of Schools, seeking assurance that the recommendations from the unsatisfactory internal audit report will be addressed promptly
The Committee received a progress report providing Members with an update on the work and performance of the Internal Audit and Investigation Teams. The report covered the period 1 October to 31 December 2025 and follows the update provided at the Committee meeting on 25 November 2025. Chris Pyke, Audit Manager, was invited to present the report. The Audit Manager provided summaries of Annex 1 and Annex 2 to the report. The Chairperson opened the debate on this item. A Member raised concerns regarding the internal audit progress report and the audit findings that were insufficient with major improvement needed or unsatisfactory. The Member stated that in the past Headteachers and the Chairs of Governing bodies were invited to appear before the Committee and were asked to explain the position in their schools and provide assurance that the audit recommendations were being addressed. The Member requested that the Chair to write to the Executive Leadership Support and Chair of the Management Committee of the Pupil Referral Unit – Y Deryn Family of Schools, seeking assurance that the recommendations from the unsatisfactory internal audit report will be addressed promptly. The Audit Manager stated that the Director of Education asked for an internal audit to be undertaken at the Pupil Referral Unit – Y Deryn. Members were reminded that whenever there is an unsatisfactory audit a follow-up audit is always undertaken six-months after the initial audit. That audit had been programmed and will take place. The Chairperson stated that he was fully supportive of any efforts to improve internal controls but he was not minded to support drilling into individual audit details on a consistent basis given the responsibilities and terms of reference for the Committee. However, the Chairperson did support the idea of emphasising to those responsible for internal controls the Committee’s concerns and seeking explicit assurance that a pro-active response will be pursued with vigour. A Member noted that commentary relating to audit finding in three schools stated that the sub-optimal issues identified related to issues of ‘governance’. However, the Member considered that the issues more accurately related to weaknesses in internal controls and administrative arrangements. The Member asked officers to clarify whether there were also concerns regarding governance and oversight in the schools in question and how those issues are being addressed. The Member also asked whether the family of Y Deryn schools have a unified governing body or whether each school has their own governing body. The Audit Manager stated that the Management Committee for the Pupil Referral Unit - Y Deryn schools operate on a similar basis to a governing body and there are clear requirements setting out how the Management Committee should function. In terms of the audit findings at the three schools in question, examples were given of areas of governance that need improvement, some at an operational level and some at a governing body level. The Member noted that there were numerous issues picked up by internal audit relating to school management. The Member questioned whether school governance processes are working as they should. The Audit Manager stated that the Education Directorate are establishing a reference library on Sharepoint providing the key information required by governing bodies in once place, such as policy and guidance information and training resources. It was considered that the questions put by the Member would be matters for the Director of Education and Lifelong Learning. Members were advised that the current Director of Education is an advocate for internal audit and recognises the need for recommendations to be implemented. RESOLVED – That: (1) the report be noted; (2) the Chair to write to the Executive Leadership Support and Chair of the Management Committee of the Pupil Referral Unit – Y Deryn Family of Schools, seeking assurance that the recommendations from the unsatisfactory internal audit report will be addressed promptly
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Audit Manager presented a report providing Members with the Draft Internal Audit Strategy 2026/27 and the Draft Internal Audit Charter 2026/27 and appendices, including a draft Committee Terms of Reference. The report also provided a link to Audit Methodologies, and the Draft Summary Audit Plan for 2026/27. Members were advised that the report was presented for information. Consideration of these documents provides a pathway for the Committee’s March meeting, when Committee will be asked to formally approve the Internal Audit Charter and the risk based Internal Audit Plan. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 6 cyfarfod
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
No urgent items
The next meeting is scheduled for 24 March 2026.
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