Wrthi'n llwytho
Does dim crynodeb o'r cyfarfod hwn eto. Caiff crynodebau eu hysgrifennu pan fydd y cyngor yn cyhoeddi'r cofnodion, sef ei gofnod swyddogol o'r hyn a benderfynodd cyfarfod. Maen nhw fel arfer yn ymddangos ychydig wythnosau ar ôl y cyfarfod.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.
There were no declarations of interest received.
The minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2026 were approved as a true and accurate record.
There were no items to consider from the Cabinet Forward Work Programme.
There were no items to consider from the Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Programme.
Members considered the Performance Monitoring Items.
Members considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. The Director of Corporate and Strategy Services outlined that the directorate is an enabling service, supporting the delivery of services across that authority. Performance by the directorate is reported quarterly. The Director outlined that Digital Services is the core enabler of organisational transformation, supporting improved outcomes for residents, service efficiency, reduced operation and cyber risk, workforce productivity, data-led decision making and modernised council operations. Members queried the Digital Services budget and highlighted that several figures appear to be unclear. Officers clarified that the £6 million figure referred to the overall Digital Services budget, and the lower figure related specifically to the CCTV service. Members were advised that following the Chief Digital Officer’s departure, there were two members of staff currently covering the strategic management responsibilities on an interim basis and that the substantive role would be recruited in the early autumn. Questions were raised about CCTV, including future investment, requests for new or relocated cameras, and income generation. Officers advised that capital funding had been agreed to replace ageing CCTV technology and that the service would form part of a wider five-year digital capital investment programme. Existing income-generating arrangements had been identified, but no additional active commercial opportunities were currently being pursued. Members also highlighted the need for a clearer process for requesting CCTV provision in response to local issues and police concerns. Members asked about wording relating to the recovery of unplanned digital costs from other service areas. Officers explained that work was underway to clarify where budgets should sit across the council’s digital landscape and to simplify funding arrangements. Members were advised that the council was looking to reduce the number of separate micro-sites and move suitable content into the main corporate website to improve accessibility and user experience. Concerns were raised about embedded links, inaccessible attachments, acronyms and the overall readability of the plans for Members and the public. Officers accepted these points and acknowledged the need to improve accessibility and produce more user-friendly versions in future. Members queried unclear wording in the sustainable development section. Officers explained that the wording reflected an intention to collect information once and reuse it across different corporate documents, although it was accepted that the sentence itself was not user-friendly. Members also discussed the CCTV monitoring service. Officers confirmed that CCTV was monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with real-time contact made with the police and other agencies when incidents arose. Members asked for future reports to include more illustrative information on the impact of the service, alongside existing statistical reporting. When considering the Legal and Democratic Services business plan, members noted that this appeared to be the only section to include a risk register. Officers confirmed that all services maintained risk registers, but this was the only one embedded directly in the business plan. Members considered the People and Organisational Development business plan. The five main functions of the service were outlined: civil protection and preparedness; Human Resources; learning, training and development; occupational health, safety and wellbeing; and policy, governance and performance. Members requested sight of the Strategic Workforce Plan review. Members asked about the People Manager Dashboard and internal communications. Members were told that improved workforce dashboards had been developed using iTrent and Power BI, but wider rollout had initially been restricted by licensing costs. A solution had now been identified to expand access more broadly. On communications, Members heard that the council continued to face challenges communicating effectively with a mixed workforce, some of whom were digitally connected and some of whom were not. A low-cost digital platform was being explored to improve production of internal communications and potentially support a wider communications approach. Members asked what staff newsletters contained. Officers explained that the council produced regular internal updates covering directorate news, policy developments, good news stories, service changes, staff initiatives, Welsh language content and training opportunities, all aimed at staff engagement. Members also discussed communication during incidents and major incidents. Officers acknowledged recent issues and advised that quick fixes were being developed to improve communication with Members during emergencies, potentially through a Teams channel or all-member text notification, alongside a clearer process for identifying a senior contact. Longer-term plans included training and exercising for elected Members. Members raised concerns, based on appeal panel experience, about employees appearing unaware of core council policies and procedures. Officers explained that these were addressed through induction checklists, mandatory training and corporate induction arrangements, with line managers responsible for ensuring completion. Mandatory training uptake was reported to the committee for scrutiny. Members also asked about career development opportunities. Members were advised that annual performance appraisals should identify training and development needs and career aspirations, although not all staff were currently receiving them. Work was therefore underway to digitalise appraisals through iTrent to improve oversight and compliance. Members also heard about the Talent Management Team, which supports both recruitment and internal career development through coaching and workshops. Members asked whether exit interviews were undertaken when staff left the authority. It was confirmed that leaving reasons were recorded by line managers and that exit questionnaires and interviews were also used where staff wished to participate. Work was also underway to better understand what attracted staff to join the council and how long they stayed. Members were advised that turnover remained low and that the Talent Management Team had been established in part to support employees considering their future within the council. Following scrutiny, the report was noted.
Members considered the report as circulated within the agenda pack. The Director of Finance, introduced the report and referred Members to page 204, which listed the services within his remit, and to page 206, which showed a directorate budget of £5.1 million for the year. He advised that the report set out the actions and performance measures for the year ahead. He also referred to pages 213 to 214 and the embedded link to the Audit Wales report, acknowledging that members had not been able to open it through the pack, and offered to circulate the report separately after the meeting. Members referred to page 210 under what did not work so well and asked why delivery of the internal audit plan had been delayed and why a number of special investigations had been required. Officers advised that each annual audit plan approved by the Governance and Audit Committee set aside a fixed number of days for special investigations. During the year, the Internal Audit team had been inundated with investigations, requiring more days than had been allocated. As a result, lower-priority audit work had slipped into the 2026/27 plan. Members asked about limited coverage of ICT risks. Officers advised that the Internal Audit team was relatively small. When the new Head of Internal Audit took up post about a year and a half earlier, it was recognised that the council did not have enough in-house capacity or capability to carry out all the required ICT audits. Three ICT audits had therefore been commissioned externally. Time had then been needed for procurement, appointment and delivery, and this had pushed the work into 2026/27. Two of the three audits had now been reported in the previous week, and the third would be reported in the following week. Members referred to page 211 and asked whether the plan to find a digital solution for customers visiting the office with council tax queries meant that the service was moving away from face-to-face contact. Officers advised that was not the intention. Since the pandemic, digital approaches had been explored that would still give customers face-to-face interaction, but not necessarily with a staff member physically present in the Civic Centre. Work on such a customer service solution had not yet progressed because of resource constraints in both Finance and Digital Services. Members asked about the review of the capital funding methodology which had been delayed because of Audit Wales work. He asked whether this related to a Wales-wide document or to specific feedback on Neath Port Talbot. Officers confirmed that the reference was to the all-Wales Building Blocks Capital Planning in Wales report issued in January. Neath Port Talbot had been one of six councils interviewed as part of that work. The report recommended use of a checklist to review capital planning processes. The council intended to carry out that review and bring the findings back to Members for scrutiny and decision. Following scrutiny, members noted the report.
There were no urgent items.
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.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.