Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 February 2025 and 17 February 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 3 March 2025 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 6 February 2025 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
RESOLVED: That the evaluation report for the Work Welsh Scheme for 2024-2025 be noted and that it be sent to the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sharon Doleman, Abdul Khan, John Roberts, Abdul Khan and Aaron Wynne.
None.
None.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 February 2025 and 17 February 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 February 2025 and 17 February 2025 were submitted for approval. Clarity would be sought in respect of reference to the Strategic School Working Group addressing issues faced by schools (Minute 716). RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 February 2025 and 17 February 2025 be approved and signed as a correct record.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 3 March 2025 be noted.
The minutes of the Informal Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs meeting held on 3 March 2025 were submitted. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 3 March 2025 be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 6 February 2025 be noted.
The minutes of Conwy Opportunities Board held on 6 February 2025 were submitted. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Informal Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs held on 6 February 2025 be noted.
None.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
The Scrutiny and Committee Services Officer presented the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme (FWP). Members were advised that work was underway to draft a FWP for the next municipal year. Committee Members would be consulted shortly and encouraged to suggest items to include on the FWP, all of which would be subject to the completion of a Scrutiny Topic Selection Form. The following was discussed: • Confirmation of Welsh Government funding in respect of National Insurance contributions was not expected until June, 2025. It was anticipated that an update would be provided within the financial outturn report in July, 2025. • Reference was made to the Civic Hall project - the Scrutiny and Committee Services Officer was liaising with Project Managers in respect of project board updates, • It was confirmed that the membership of the Mochdre Commerce Park Project Board had been amended to reflect Councillor Gareth Jones; appointment as the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee representative. • It was confirmed that there was currently no update on the Mochdre Commerce Park, due to the legal process. - Consideration would be given to holding a closed session for Members to discuss the current position and to ask questions. - The Chair would discuss further at the informal meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs. • Delays in presenting the Asset Management Plan to democracy. It was noted that the Asset Management Disposal Policy would be presented to the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 12 May, 2025. However, there were concerns that a meeting of the Asset Management Task and Finish Group had not been arranged to review the policy prior to submission to scrutiny. • The remit of the Conwy Opportunities Board was being reviewed as part of the resilience strategy. RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the evaluation report for the Work Welsh Scheme for 2024-2025 be noted and that it be sent to the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure introduced the evaluation report for the Work Welsh Scheme for 2024-2025 and the Welsh Language and Translation Services Manager highlighted key points from within the report. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • The success of the scheme was acknowledged along with the excellent exam results achieved by Welsh learners. • It was suggested by a Welsh learner that there was a need to commit fully to the course in order to succeed. • It was noted that Welsh learners did not usually hear Welsh being spoken in the Council Chamber as they opted to use the translation service. - The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure would meet with Councillor Louise Emery who was a Welsh learner to discuss the matter. • In response to a query regarding retention of learners, it was advised that there would be a dedicated classroom at Coed Pella which would assist with accessibility. - Some learners had dropped out due to leaving the Authority or due to capacity issues. - A high percentage of learners completed their courses and support was provided. • It was suggested that there was a flaw in the Education system that resulted in adults needing to learn Welsh within the workplace. · There was disparity in the level of Welsh taught within Conwy County secondary schools. • Welsh speaking Members were encouraged to join the ‘sgwrsio’ scheme which involved conversations with Welsh learners. RESOLVED: That the evaluation report for the Work Welsh Scheme for 2024-2025 be noted and that it be sent to the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
The Cabinet Member for Audit, Policy and Performance introduced a progress report on the People Strategy (2022 – 2027) and the Head of People and Performance highlighted key points from within the report. The progress report outlined the work achieved so far to implement the actions published within the People Strategy. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Discussions were taking place with the Welsh Language and Translation Services Manager in respect of how Welsh language skills could be improved within some secondary schools. - The Welsh designation of Council jobs may be reviewed and some job roles could be contingent upon a candidate’s commitment to learn Welsh. - It was noted that a monitoring report on Welsh Standards would be presented to the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 12 May, 2025, so this could be an opportunity to discuss the Welsh designations further. - The level of Welsh required for a job role could be made clearer, for example there may be a requirement for conversational Welsh for some job roles but no requirement for written Welsh. • It was advised that processes were in place to provide staff cover for front line services. - Casual staff and agency staff were utilised within some service areas. - A report on agency staff was due to be presented to the Finance and Resources Scrutiny Commitee in due course. - Some job roles such as nappy collections would be reviewed due to difficulties in recruiting. • In response to a suggestion that a set of standard HR policies could be developed for all Welsh Councils, it was advised that differences in Council structures would make this difficult. - The backlog of policies requiring review was due to historical capacity issues. - All policies were being reviewed and updated as required. - Joint working was taking place in respect of policies and best practice was being shared. - The Cabinet Member for Audit, Policy and Performance advised that a meeting of the Joint Council for Wales on 11 April 2025 would discuss digitalisation and artificial intelligence. • It was queried as to how assurance was provided in respect of staff having relevant skills for their job roles following the closure of the core competencies project. - It was confirmed that the core competencies project had been closed as it was not sustainable. - Job specifications had been made clearer in terms of skills required. - Continued professional development and upskilling was offered through the Learning and Development Plan. - Feedback from services in respect of skills gaps would help to share the Learning and Development Plan. - Skills were assessed via the interview process and an induction process (both at corporate and service level) was in place for successful candidates as well as a probationary period. - The Conwy Conversation reviewed performance and training needs. • It was suggested that the business case for the talent programme be revisited in future as it was an important initiative for future resilience. • Concerns were raised in respect of local residents who travelled to England for work. - Promotion of Council careers was taking place within schools. - The Council was working with Darogan Talent who were looking to encourage graduates to return to Wales. - UK Shared prosperity funding had been secured for paid work placements for students during the summer holidays. - Whilst pay within Local Government was not always attractive, other benefits could be promoted. Following the debate, the following amendment to the recommendation (which was seconded) was put forward. · That the allocation of resources to the People and Performance service be reviewed in order to ensure the delivery of the People Strategy. Following the vote, the amendment to the proposal was lost and it was: RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the progress made to implement the People Strategy be noted.
The Cabinet Member for Audit, Policy and Performance provided Members with a presentation on the Equal Pay Audit 2018-2023. The Equal Pay Audit provided analysis on pay broken down by gender, ethnicity, disability and age. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Councillor Chris Hughes advised that he chose not to disclose his disability as he felt that it should not detract from his achievements. • The ethnicity pay gap had increased to 8.4%. - Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) was not a representative workforce. - A diverse workforce created better performance. - Work would take place to seek to address the low levels of ethnic minorities and those with disabilities who were employed by CCBC. • Whilst concerns were raised in respect of equal pay for non-teaching roles within schools, Members were reminded that the report related to equity of opportunity. - It was suggested that better pay for front line jobs could assist with the recruitment and retention of staff. - Issues with pay could be raised as part of the job evaluation scheme. • The Head of People and Performance would meet with the Chair to discuss a possible future report on equity for staff who were carers. RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the Equal Pay Audit 2018-2023 be approved.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
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