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RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the ‘Financial Resilience’ strategic business risk and risk control measures (mitigating actions) and shared the concerns of the Governance and Audit Committee.
RESOLVED The Committee scrutinised and noted the Outturn Monitoring Report 2021-22 and concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern.
RESOLVED That the Committee noted the Budget Monitoring Report – Period 4 (July) 2022-23 and expressed concerns regarding the provision of services going forward, due to the extreme pressures that were being faced. It was concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern at this time.
RESOLVED That the Committee endorsed the Annual Report 2021-22 prior to consideration by Council.
RESOLVED (a) That a full Members seminar be arranged to provide a detailed understanding of how the 21st Century School Programme was funded including specific details of the MIM, and financial implications of proposed projects both currently and in future years. (b) That an informal session be arranged to consider the Committees forward work programme for future meetings to ensure the programme of scrutiny reflects Members priorities.
RESOLVED That the Committee received the report.
No declarations of interest were received.
An accuracy correction was requested by Councillor Michael John, referring to Minute 5, bullet point two, of the meeting held on 23 June 2022,for ‘130,000 calls’ to be changed to ’13,000 calls’. Moved by Councillor Alan Dennison; Seconded by Councillor Rhys Jordan The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2022be approved as a correct record subject to the above amendment.
There were no public submissions or items of correspondence received.
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RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the ‘Financial Resilience’ strategic business risk and risk control measures (mitigating actions) and shared the concerns of the Governance and Audit Committee.
The Director of Resources outlined the ‘Financial Resilience’ Strategic Business Risk Report which had been referred to the Committee by the Governance and Audit Committee, following a proposal by Councillor Mike James. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance expressed that being a Local Authority did not bring with it any additional tools for managing complex finances and stated that the only effective response to such challenges, would be to reduce spending. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Following a question from Councillor Michael John regarding an increased contribution being made to reserves, the Director of Resources advised that in 2020-21 and 2021-22 a large amount of Welsh Government funding was received at the year end which enabled additional money to be entered into reserves, primarily to support catch-up programmes for services which had been paused during the pandemic. Members were advised that although reserves had been topped up, that did not alleviate the financial challenges that would be faced, but could bring with it some breathing space to temporarily bridge some funding gaps within service areas. · In response to a question from Councillor Michael John regarding the tourism levy, the Director of Resources provided further information and confirmed that any funding generated would be for the purposes of mitigating pressures on tourism within the County although the specifics of the expenditure was unknown until the legislation and guidance was released from Welsh Government in the coming years. · Councillor Alan Dennison queried if in light of current financial positions, the Authority were reconsidering funding positions in relation to projects. The Director of Resources informed Members that the Authority were currently undertaking a review of the whole capital programme to ascertain the pressures contained within the projects. · Councillor Alan Dennison made reference to a recent wage increase which Councillors would be in receipt of and queried what the additional cost would be to the Authority. It was stated that the award had been proposed by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales, and the Director of Resources advised that he would find out the specifics and email the Committee, as he did not have such data to hand. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to the Welsh Government funding which was received at the year end and queried if it could be used to bridge the funding gap and not put into reserves. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance advised that although there had been a history of funding received from Welsh Government, it was thought that it would not be the case this year. The Director of Resources provided information regarding how the projected funding gap was calculated and advised that grant funding was dealt with on a case by case basis due to the conditions that were attached to the funding received. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to the grant funding received last year and queried if it was all hypothecated. The Director of Resources informed Members that the additional funding was utilised to offset core expenditure where possible, and where not possible was entered into reserves to be used for catch-up programmes in future years. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to a number of projects where costs had increased due to a range of factors and queried if a running total of the increased costs of all projects was kept. The Director of Resources reiterated the Authority were currently undertaking a review of the capital programme which was due to be complete in the coming weeks. · Following concerns raised by Councillor Mike Stoddart in relation to funding the proposed new build school within Milford Haven, the Director of Resources outlined how the MIM was funded. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance added that any projects which increase in cost exceeding what was approved, would be reported to Cabinet for approval. · Councillor Mike Stoddart raised concerns regarding the Dyfed Pension Fund following unsettling updates from the Bank of England in recent weeks, and requested further information. The Director of Resources advised that he was not aware that the pension fund engaged in any financial instruments that would be deemed risky, but advised that the Head of Procurement & Customer Services would be attending a pension Board meeting and Members would be updated if any concerns were raised. · In response to a number of questions from Councillor Michael Williams, the Director of Resources advised that he would find out the latest PWLB rates and let him know although confirmed that the PWLB borrowing rates were currently fixed for the Authority. An update on other rates of borrowing were outlined, including capital financing and the Director stated that the Authority were currently borrowing internally. · Councillor Reg Owens queried how likely it would be that projects would need to be mothballed, to which the Director clarified that at present no current projects were being postponed, but a clearer position would be known following the ongoing capital programme review. · Councillor Alan Dennison highlighted a range of pension schemes and queried if a change to the current scheme could save the Authority money. The Director advised that the Local Government Pension scheme was bound by UK legislation so changes could not be made on a local level, although agreed that if it was the view of all Members, representations could be made. Moved by Councillor Mike James; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee scrutinised the ‘Financial Resilience’ strategic business risk and risk control measures (mitigating actions) and shared the concerns of the Governance and Audit Committee.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED The Committee scrutinised and noted the Outturn Monitoring Report 2021-22 and concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance outlined the County Council Budget Outturn Monitoring Report for 2021-22 and stated that 2021-22 continued to be a challenging Period for Pembrokeshire due to a range of factors and expressed his thanks to everyone involved for their continued support of the Council and it’s services. The final net revenue expenditure was outlined along with the outturn position. Areas of the report were highlighted and the recommended reserves were outlined. It was stated that a significant increase in arrears had been seen which had led to an increase in the bad debt provision, although work was stated to be underway to manage the issues collaboratively. The levels of budget cost reductions and efficiencies were highlighted and were stated to have been significantly improved in comparison to previous years. A position update was provided in relation to the capital programme and concerns were raised in relation to the increasing funding gap which would result in a number of difficult decisions having to be made by Members. In summing up the Cabinet Member welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Councillor Michael Williams raised concerns regarding the viability of Scolton Manor and requested an update. The Director advised that work was still ongoing between the trustees of the Dyfed Welsh Church Act Fund and that a letter was being drafted to the Charity Commission to request their view on the best way to manage the ownership transfer. It was agreed that the Director would find out the most up to date position of the matter and let Councillor Williams know. · In response to clarification sought by Councillor Alan Dennison in relation to Scolton Manor, the Director informed Members that Scolton Manor was an asset of the Dyfed Welsh Church Act Fund and was currently rented to the Council. It was noted that the asset would need to be maximised to ensure it was financially viable. · Following reassurance sought by Councillor Reg Owens regarding the safeguarding of housing tenants in arrears, the Director advised that the legislation had recently changed which provided additional security for tenants and added that eviction was usually only considered as a last resort. · Councillor Michael John queried if staffing was a County wide issue or if Pembrokeshire was being effected more than other areas, to which the Director advised that difficulties were being experienced with both recruitment and retention and had been an ongoing issue for some time. Moved by Councillor Alan Dennison; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED The Committee scrutinised and noted the Outturn Monitoring Report 2021-22 and concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Committee noted the Budget Monitoring Report – Period 4 (July) 2022-23 and expressed concerns regarding the provision of services going forward, due to the extreme pressures that were being faced. It was concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern at this time.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance outlined the County Council Budget, Budget Monitoring Report for Period 4 (July) 2022-23. The report was stated to be a high level overview, reflecting the latest intelligence available to provide an indication of the projected outturn for the current year 2022-23. The projection for the full year was outlined to be an overspend of the budgeted figure and with the budget strategy outlined, it was noted that a moratorium was now in place and had been communicated to the extended leadership team. Reference was made to the Chief Executive and Director of Resources comments contained within the report and the need for all Authority departments to focus on meeting their budgets was reiterated. In summing up, Members attention was drawn to the virements which were approved by Cabinet and questions from Members were welcomed. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Following a question from Councillor Michael John regarding the moratorium, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance clarified that it only applied to non-essential matters. · In response to a question raised by Councillor Michael John regarding the new Welsh Government free school meal policy, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance confirmed that the projected cost of implementation which was calculated by Welsh Government was inadequate and had not enabled Welsh Local Authority’s to implement the policy on a fully funded basis. It was added that the matter was being discussed currently. · Councillor Michael John highlighted the introduction of 20MPH speed limits in residential areas and queried if that scheme would be fully funded. The Director advised that he was unsure but had hoped that the scheme would be partly funded. · In response to comments made by Councillor Michael Williams regarding the uncertainty of information being provided from Central Government, the Cabinet Member advised that Welsh Government had communicated to Local Authority’s that they were in a position where no more money could be provided. · Following a question from Councillor Michael John regarding the overspend projected for contingency, the Director advised that although the Authority had been prudent when budgeting for NJC pay awards, the awards had been much higher than predicted which had created a significant pressure. · Concerns were raised by Councillor Steve Alderman regarding the difficulty in recruitment and retention and it was commented that service provision could be negatively affected. In summing up the Committee expressed their thanks to the Director, Cabinet Member and finance teams for the work they were conducting in relation to balancing the budget. Moved by Councillor Michael John; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee noted the Budget Monitoring Report – Period 4 (July) 2022-23 and expressed concerns regarding the provision of services going forward, due to the extreme pressures that were being faced. It was concluded that it had no recommendations to make on any specific areas of concern at this time.
The Chairman advised that an alteration to the running order would be made, where Agenda Item No. 8 - Annual Corporate Self-Assessment Report would be taken last on the agenda, following the Forward Work Programme item.
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RESOLVED That the Committee endorsed the Annual Report 2021-22 prior to consideration by Council.
The Head of Democratic Services outlined the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2021–22 and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · Councillors Michael Williams and Michael John commented that although clear improvements to scrutiny had been made, further work was needed to ensure Committees were concentrating on key issues to ensure effective scrutiny was being conducted on specific matters. · Councillor Mike Stoddart made reference to the often long length of Committee reports, and suggested that in some cases such detailed information was not necessary and that the time and resources spent producing the reports could often be better invested. · Councillor Jacob Williams commented that in his opinion some of the best scrutiny was conducted when a decision of Cabinet was called in, as Committees were able to focus entirely on one matter. 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 endorsed the Annual Report 2021-22 prior to consideration by Council.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED (a) That a full Members seminar be arranged to provide a detailed understanding of how the 21st Century School Programme was funded including specific details of the MIM, and financial implications of proposed projects both currently and in future years. (b) That an informal session be arranged to consider the Committees forward work programme for future meetings to ensure the programme of scrutiny reflects Members priorities.
The Chairman outlined the items scheduled for the November Committee meeting and suggested that to ensure Members priorities were aligned and that the Committee was scrutinising key issues, a forward work planning session could be beneficial. Following a discussion by the Committee, Councillor Michael Williams Moved that a full Members seminar be arranged to provide a detailed understanding of how the 21st Century School Programme was funded including specific details of the MIM, and financial implications of proposed projects both currently and in future years; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. Councillor Alan Dennison agreed that a forward work planning session would be beneficial as suggested by the Chair, and formally Moved that an informal work planning session be arranged; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The votes, undertaken by way of show of hands, were carried. RESOLVED (a) That a full Members seminar be arranged to provide a detailed understanding of how the 21st Century School Programme was funded including specific details of the MIM, and financial implications of proposed projects both currently and in future years. (b) That an informal session be arranged to consider the Committees forward work programme for future meetings to ensure the programme of scrutiny reflects Members priorities.
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RESOLVED That the Committee received the report.
The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements and Communities introduced the Annual Corporate Self-Assessment report before handing over to the Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager who outlined the main points and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: · A suggestion was made by Councillor Alan Dennison for the performance levels to be clearly defined by colours; green for score one, amber for scores two and three and red for score four to enable a clear visual. · Councillor Alan Dennison requested further information regarding the score one for ‘clean environment’ to which the Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager informed Members that the scores were made up of various strands and highlighted that the Authority were one of the best performing in Wales in relation to waste and recycling but recognised that there was still more work to be done around some environmental matters. It was noted that if Members were unhappy with any scores then that feedback would be taken on board during the production of the final report. · In response to a question from Councillor Alan Dennison, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements and Communities outlined the core elements of the improvement programme and the interventions which had taken place to date and advised that the Authority’s continuous improvement strategies were outlined within the Council’s Programme for Administration which was due to be published in November. · In response to a question from Councillor Tom Tudor, regarding how materials collected as part of the curbside collections were further recycled, the Corporate Policy and Partnerships Manager advised that the environmental services team would be able to provide more specific details. The Corporate Planning Manager added that detailed information regarding the matter was outlined on the Welsh Government website. · Following frustrations expressed by Councillor Reg Owens regarding experiencing difficulties in reaching Council officers via phone, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements and Communities concurred that specific roles did require staff to be in the office, but commented that benefits had also been seen with staff working from home. Members were assured that work was ongoing to ensure any problems with officers phone were fixed and it was stated that they could be contacted via a range of methods. Members were encouraged to pass on any difficulties they were experience in contacting staff so the matters can be resolved. · Following questions raised by Councillors Alan Dennison and Tom Tudor regarding the use of space within County Hall, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Improvements and Communities provided some information on a number of Council buildings which had been re-purposed as a result of smarter-working arrangements. Moved by Councillor Michael John; Seconded by Councillor Tom Tudor The vote, undertaken by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee received the report.
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