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RESOLVED (a) That the Committee considered and scrutinised the Outline Draft County Council Budget for 2023-24, the Outline Draft MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27 and the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2023-24. (b) That the Committee declines to advise Cabinet of its position in respect of the County Council Budget for 2023-24 and the MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27.
RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Corporate Scorecard Monthly performance data for October 2022 and considered the main issues arising.
RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Budget Monitoring Report 2022-23 as at November 22 and concluded that no recommendations to Cabinet, other Overview & Scrutiny Committees or the Governance & Audit Committee were necessary at this stage.
RESOLVED That the Committee considered the information provided and other than the information requests documented, did not require any further information regarding the capital programme at this stage, and noted that the Capital Strategy and Treasury Strategy for 2023-24 would be presented to Cabinet on 13 February 2023.
RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the consultation on the new draft well-being objectives for 2023 - 28 and considered the main issues arising.
RESOLVED That the Committee were content with the items scheduled for the Match 2023 meeting.
There were no declarations of interest received.
Moved by Councillor Steve Alderman; Seconded by Councillor Rhys Jordan AGREED That the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2022 be approved as a correct record in both English and Welsh.
There were no public submissions or items of correspondence received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED (a) That the Committee considered and scrutinised the Outline Draft County Council Budget for 2023-24, the Outline Draft MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27 and the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2023-24. (b) That the Committee declines to advise Cabinet of its position in respect of the County Council Budget for 2023-24 and the MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Resources on the Outline Draft County Council Budget for 2023-24, Outline Draft Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2023-24 to 2026-27 and the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2023-24. The Cabinet Member with responsibility forCorporate Finance introduced the reports stating that the provisional Welsh Government financial settlement which the Authority received in December 2022 had been as good as could have been expected, and had assisted in reducing the expected funding gap by around £9m, leaving the gap now in excess of £18m. It was recognised that to bridge the funding gap a balance would need to be struck between an increase in Council Tax and a range of budget savings It was stated that some of the appendices provided as part of the agenda pack were in the process of being updated, of which refreshed versions would be circulated to all Members in advance of the scheduled budget seminar. Due to Cabinet not having yet had the opportunity to discuss and provide their indication on the level of Council Tax increase required, the Cabinet Member offered his personal thoughts on the matter, which the Committee welcomed. It was emphasised that due to two of the appendices being deemed private and confidential by virtue of paragraph(s) 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, if Members wished to discuss details of those individual budget saving options during the meeting they should consider going into private session. The Director of Resources reiterated the significant challenge that lay ahead for the Authority in bridging the funding gap and added that it was a pressure which would be felt for the duration of the medium term financial plan at the very least. A reminder was provided that Pembrokeshire still had the lowest Band D Council Tax rate in Wales with any increase generating less in monetary terms than other Welsh Authorities. The Committee debated the contents of the reports and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Councillors Mike Stoddart and Jacob Williams expressed their discontent with taking any part of the budget discussions in private session and queried whether the reasoning given suggesting that going into private session should be considered would mean that all budget discussions, both at Committee and Full Council, could be taken in private, which was not something they could support. The Director advised that the advice had been provided by the Monitoring Officer on the basis that the information contained within could be deemed commercially sensitive and public discussion could cause financial implications for the Council. · In response to a question raised by Councillor Jacob Williams as to whether a firm legal position had been received regarding the reallocation of the second homes surcharge towards general Council services, the Cabinet Member advised that the full legal position would be addressed at the budget seminar but the current understanding was that the legalisation gave a large amount of discretion to Councils. Councillor Williams expressed that if such arrangement was formally proposed then it would be a very complex matter and would leave Councillors in an unfair position. · Councillor Mike Stoddart queried where the monies gained from the second home tax premium would be allocated to if the decision was made to proceed with that suggestion, would it be the general fund or for specific purposes. The Cabinet Member advised that the money could be allocated for specific purposes and stated that such re-allocation would be a decision made for the longer term not just one financial year to ensure sustainability. It was noted that the decision to proceed with such suggestion would need to be considered in accordance with sound assurance from the Head of Legal Services. · Councillor Simon Hancock requested further information as to what would be the next steps if the proposed cost cuts and efficiencies were not successful, to which the Director advised that the monitoring process would be the same as previous years with formal reporting taking place on a quarterly basis to avoid such scenario happening, but if it was deemed that a balanced budget was not possible then a decision would be made to move to a moratorium, with the worst case scenario being that funds would need to be drawn from the hardship fund or working balance. · Councillor Rhys Jordan queried if the current £5m balance of the 2nd Homes Council Tax scheme was the yearly figure, to which it was confirmed that it was. He raised concerns regarding the sustainability of using the 2nd Homes Council Tax funds towards Council services, to which the Director agreed that it was a risk, although such risk was dependant on a range of variables. · Councillor Mike James expressed that it was always disappointing to see youngsters leaving villages to seek affordable homes which has a negative knock on impact on village services. He added that the Enhancing Pembrokeshire scheme was a valuable scheme for such communities and it would be a shame to see that cease. Councillor Bethan Price concurred with Councillor James thoughts on the matter. [Councillor Michael Williams declared a personal and prejudicial interest in any discussion regarding the enhancing Pembrokeshire scheme, by virtue of being Chair of a charity which benefits from scheme funding] Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved that the Committee declineto advise Cabinet of its position in respect of the County Council Budget for 2023-24 and the MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27; Seconded by Councillor Tom Tudor. The Committee then proceeded to the vote, undertaken by way of a roll-call, which was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Alan Dennison, Jonathan Grimes, Simon Hancock, Mike James, Michael John, Rhys Jordan, Reg Owens, Bethan Price, Mike Stoddard, Thomas Tudor, Jacob Williams and Michael Williams [12]. Councillor Steve Alderman abstained from voting. There were no votes against the motion. RESOLVED (a) That the Committee considered and scrutinised the Outline Draft County Council Budget for 2023-24, the Outline Draft MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27 and the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2023-24. (b) That the Committee declines to advise Cabinet of its position in respect of the County Council Budget for 2023-24 and the MTFP for 2023-24 to 2026-27.
It was agreed that Agenda Item No. 8, Corporate Scorecard – Monthly Performance Data, would be considered following Agenda Item No. 5, to enable the Directors to be in attendance to answer any specific service questions raised by Members.
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RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Corporate Scorecard Monthly performance data for October 2022 and considered the main issues arising.
The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive on the Corporate Scorecard – monthly performance data. The Chair welcomed the Assistant Chief Executive, Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager, Corporate Planning Manager and the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements to the meeting to partake in the item of business. The Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager outlined the main points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Councillors Michael John and Simon Hancock praised the easy read format of the data which enabled clear trends to be seen and analysed. · Councillor Simon Hancock raised concerns regarding the days lost due to stress and requested further information on the matter. The Director of Resources advised that the stress risk had been flagged by H.R. following an increase in sickness linked to stress, and advised that occupational health were working with individuals and conducting stress management audits to ensure appropriate actions were put into place. It was added that an additional mental health nurse had been appointed to the team 18 months ago who had added valuable capacity. · In response to a query raised by Councillor Simon Hancock regarding the persistent high level of Looked After Children and the introduction of a policy to assist with this, the Interim Director of Social Care and Housing confirmed that the strategy implemented had been having the desired effect although added that the current cost of living crisis and poverty within the County were adding to the referrals received. Additional information regarding the matter was provided and Members were informed that a policy regarding special guardianship orders was currently being worked on of which details were provided. · Councillor Simon Hancock requested further information regarding the levels of adult care enquiries and how Pembrokeshire figures compared to other Welsh Authorities. The Interim Director of Social Care and Housing confirmed that referrals had peaked which had been noted as part of last years care inspectorate report. The level of intervention was being managed in line with available capacity and it was confirmed that Pembrokeshire was taking the same approach to other Authorities in Wales. It was stated that close monitoring of figures was undertaken on both a local and regional level, although additional pressure had recently been seen following Government’s instruction for the NHS to ‘discharge as risk’ from hospital, which had created a large surge on care packages needing to be put in place at very short notice. · In response to a question from Councillor Simon Hancock, the Interim Director of Social Care and Housing advised that following a recent inspection, Care Inspectorate Wales had concluded that overall they were happy with safeguarding in Pembrokeshire and although a number of areas were highlighted to receive additional attention no regulatory issues were raised. It was noted that steps were being taken to address the areas highlighted. · Due to spending a large amount of time dealing with such matters, Councillor Jonathan Grimes suggested that it would be helpful to be provided with performance figures regarding the turnaround times of maintenance requests. He added that the information could assist when discussing the need for rent increases on Council properties with constituents. The suggestion was noted by the Assistant Chief Executive. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to the increase in waiting list figures for adult domiciliary care, to which the Interim Director of Social Care and Housing responded to advise that a range of factors had contributed to the figures which included workforce capacity and complexity of needs and due to projections not looking favourable for demand reduction further information was provided regarding Operation Nightingale. Councillor Stoddart expressed that information regarding waiting list times would be beneficial. · Councillor Alan Dennison raised concerns with the possibility of second home owners registering their main residence as the property with the highest level of Council Tax to reduce the second home premium they pay on the additional property. The Director of Resources advised that close monitoring of such activity took place, and the determination of a main residence was compared with electoral registration data and other data resources available to the Authority. · In his capacity as Carers Champion, Councillor Mike James raised concerns regarding the additional pressure which would be placed upon unpaid carers during Operation Nightingale. The Interim Director of Social Care and Housing concurred with the concerns and provided information regarding the introduction of a carers grant scheme to assist unpaid carers, although noted that the situation was complex and pressurised. · In response to a query raised by Councillor Michael Williams regarding child poverty within the County, the Interim Director of Social Care and Housing provided details of a whole County working group which had been formed following a notice of motion submitted by a previous Councillor, and stated that the group, amongst other work, were developing a poverty strategy to assist poverty levels. Moved by Councillor Steve Alderman; Seconded by Councillor Simon Hancock The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Corporate Scorecard Monthly performance data for October 2022 and considered the main issues arising.
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RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Budget Monitoring Report 2022-23 as at November 22 and concluded that no recommendations to Cabinet, other Overview & Scrutiny Committees or the Governance & Audit Committee were necessary at this stage.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Resources on the County Council Budget - Budget Monitoring Report 2022-23 as at November 2022. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance outlined the main points of the report, stating that due to the current financial uncertainty it was difficult to project the outturn for 2022-23 and whilst the report reflected the latest intelligence, it should be noted that figures continue to change on a regular basis. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · The Chair requested further information regarding the freezing of recruitment to non-essential posts. The Director advised that all posts which become vacant were discussed by the senior leadership team to determine whether they were deemed essential. Some roles would be deemed non-essential whilst those deemed essential would be filled by individuals from the re-deployment pool, or put out to advert. It was noted that the process had been working well. · Regarding the freezing of recruitment to non-essential posts, Councillors Simon Hancock and Alan Dennison raised concerns regarding operational effectiveness, additional pressure on teams with vacant posts and sought clarification as to which posts would be deemed essential. The Director stated that for all areas of the Authority challenges were being experienced when trying to recruit to vacant posts, and added that all jobs within the base budget were deemed essential although recruitment to posts of which minimal impact would be seen if left vacant for a longer period of time was being paused. · In response to a question raised by Councillor Rhys Jordan as to whether any areas of the Authority were operating over budget due to being overstaffed, the Director advised that the Authority operated in a very lean manner and conclusions from external service reviews raised very few areas in which savings could be made regarding staffing levels. Moved by Councillor Simon Hancock; Seconded by Councillor Rhys Jordan The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the Budget Monitoring Report 2022-23 as at November 22 and concluded that no recommendations to Cabinet, other Overview & Scrutiny Committees or the Governance & Audit Committee were necessary at this stage.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Committee considered the information provided and other than the information requests documented, did not require any further information regarding the capital programme at this stage, and noted that the Capital Strategy and Treasury Strategy for 2023-24 would be presented to Cabinet on 13 February 2023.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Resources and the Deputy Chief Finance Officer (Capital) on the Capital Projects Programme. The Cabinet Member with responsibility forCorporate Finance outlined the main points of the report before handing over to the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Place, the Region and Climate Change who stated that in his opinion the Authority had struck the right balance between capital expenditure and investment of which was on a similar level to neighbouring Authorities. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · The Chair highlighted that with the cost of capital increasing, impact would be seen on the revenue budget which could see a negative impact on services and reiterated the need for continual monitoring to ensure the programme was both affordable and deliverable. · In response to a question raised by Councillor Rhys Jordan, the Director advised that the Authority had a portfolio of borrowing agreements each with different borrowing costs and periods and stated that the average rate across the portfolio of loans was reducing. [Councillor Reg Owens left the meeting at this juncture] [Prior to asking his question, Councillor Michael Williams recorded his dispensation which had been granted by the Standards Committee granting him consent to speak on matters relating to Tenby Harbour Sluice] · A range of questions were raised by Councillors Alan Dennison and Michael Williams in relation to cashless pay and display machines, removal of toll booths from the Cleddau Bridge, Tenby Harbour Sluice, Slipways/Pontoons and the need for an additional public service bus which could not be answered during the meeting. The Director agreed to obtain the information as requested by Members from the Director of Community Services and have it circulated to Committee Members following the meeting, via the Democratic and Services Officer. In summing up the Chair reiterated the importance for the Committee to continue monitoring the Capital Projects Programme of which a further discussion could be had during the next work planning session. Moved by Councillor Jonathan Grimes; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee considered the information provided and other than the information requests documented, did not require any further information regarding the capital programme at this stage, and noted that the Capital Strategy and Treasury Strategy for 2023-24 would be presented to Cabinet on 13 February 2023.
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RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the consultation on the new draft well-being objectives for 2023 - 28 and considered the main issues arising.
The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive on the Authority’s draft well-being objectives. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements and Communities introduced the report and welcomed any questions from Members. The Chair voiced that he felt all proposed objectives were appropriate but questioned how deliverable they would all be taking into consideration the current budgetary pressures. Councillor Simon Hancock made reference to the wellbeing objectives which had been outlined by the Public Services Board and commented that it would be reassuring if both sets of objectives were running in parallel and were not a duplication of each other. Moved by Councillor Simon Hancock; Seconded by Councillor Mike James The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the consultation on the new draft well-being objectives for 2023 - 28 and considered the main issues arising.
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RESOLVED That the Committee were content with the items scheduled for the Match 2023 meeting.
The Chair outlined the items scheduled for the March meeting and stated that a work programme session would be beneficial after the March meeting to set the items for June 2023 onwards. It was also raised that with the remit of the Committee covering such a wide scope of Directorates it may be worth considering submitting any specific service related questions prior to the meeting to ensure all information is available during the meeting and reducing the need for information to be provided to Members as a follow up post meeting. Moved by Councillor Alan Dennison; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee were content with the items scheduled for the Match 2023 meeting.
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