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 Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Action Log be Approved.
RESOLVED That the performance, capacity and risks in relation to Financial Services, Procurement and Revenue Services be noted.
RESOLVED That the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed. [Councillor Steve Alderman left the meeting at this juncture.]
RESOLVED That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed prior to consideration by Council.
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be approved. The Chair thanked the Translator for their work during the meeting.
Councillor Michael John nominated Councillor Steve Alderman; Seconded by Councillor Pat Davies. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Steve Alderman be elected as Vice-Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
There were no Declarations of Interest received.
Moved by Councillor Michael John; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2026 be approved as a correct record.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Action Log be Approved.
The Chair highlighted that the Action Log was presented on the supplementary agenda and noted that many of the actions were questions raised at previous meetings where an answer could not be provided at the time. Moved by Councillor Steve Alderman; Seconded by Councillor Jonathan Grimes. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Action Log be Approved.
There were no items of public submission or correspondence received. [Councillor Joshua Beynon joined the meeting at this juncture.]
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the performance, capacity and risks in relation to Financial Services, Procurement and Revenue Services be noted.
The Committee considered a joint report by the Head of Finance and Revenue Services and Head of Resources and Procurement regarding the Financial, Procurement and Revenue and Benefits Services. The Chair welcomed the Director of Resources, Head of Finance and Revenue Services and the Revenues and Benefits Manager to the meeting to partake in the discussion and answer questions. The Chair then welcomed Councillor Jon Harvey, the Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies to his new appointment who then introduced the update report on financial services, procurement and revenues and benefits highlighting that they were critical services underpinning the Council’s financial sustainability, governance and delivery of front-line services. The Committee then debated the contents of the report and the key points were noted as follows: In response to a question raised by the Chair regarding the delay in closure of the accounts, the Director of Resources explained that they were not a big team and currently had two members of staff on sick leave and one member of staff on a phased return. The remaining work was being completed by both Heads of Service and Senior Financial Officers. The Chair, on behalf of the Committee, wished all staff that were off on sick leave well and raised concerns of the additional pressure on the Heads of Service. It was noted that a Capital Accountant had been appointed on a temporary basis to provide additional support. Councillor Michael Williams highlighted the complaints that he was receiving regarding the Valuation Office Agency backlog. The Chair clarified that the Committee had previously written to the Valuation Office Agency but no explanation or plan of action had been received. The Revenues and Benefits Manager advised that there was no identifiable pattern in processing as some applications were taking 12 months and others less. All accounts remained under review and the Valuation Office Agency had advised that they were working through the backlog but were unable to provide a timescale. The Director of Resources clarified that where the Council taxpayer can provide evidence that they meet the requirements of appeal, recovery action would not take place. In response to a concern raised by Councillor Pat Davies regarding housing rent arrears, the Director of Resources advised that a lot of the housing rent arrears debt was historic debt and work is ongoing with legal services in respect of recovery of this debt. It was noted that legislation had previously precluded evictions but this was now something we would be considering. Councillor Davies highlighted concerns that the Authority would still need to find accommodation for any evicted tenants. Clarification was sought by the Chair regarding the rise in council tax arrears and the Head of Finance and Revenue Services explained that part of this related to issues with the Valuation Office Agency, as previously discussed. The Authority was now looking at digital solutions to find different ways of working to collect the outstanding debt and it was anticipated that this would improve the position. Concerns were raised by Councillor Jonathan Grimes regarding the Call Centre and the difficulties that were still being experienced in getting a response. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies advised that wait times had reduced following the addition of five new members of staff who were now fully trained and operational. The Head of Finance and Revenue Services emphasised that there were additional methods of making payments including an option to go through to the Revenue and Benefits team, MyAccount, the County Hall cash desk, the Post Office, Direct Debit and automated payment systems. Councillor Grimes suggested the need for increased publicity regarding these additional methods. In response to questions raised by Councillor Huw Murphy regarding the Valuation Office Agency and the Authority’s responsibility for chasing potentially artificial debts, the Director of Resources explained that all 22 local Authorities were in a similar position, facing similar delays with the Valuation Office Agency. Discussions were taking place with the Deputy Director responsible for Revenue Services at Welsh Government who were also holding discussions with the Valuation Office Agency. The Director of Resources further clarified that the level of arrears and recovery of those arrears within the financial year more than offsets the loss of the in-year council tax collected so did not have an adverse effect on the annual budget. The Revenues and Benefits Manager further clarified that they meet with the Valuation Office Agency on a quarterly basis and that this back log was also affecting England with 400 Local Authorities attending meetings. From 1 April 2027, a new class of taxation will be coming into effect that will allow any property moving from business rates into council tax 12 months where they will not pay the premium. The Chair sought clarity on what measures were being taken to ensure targets were being met. The Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies explained that the Authority’s budget was mainly staff and software costs which included the financial management system. However, all services had been tasked with identifying 5% budget savings, which often equates to losing staff and placing additional pressures on every team. The Director of Resources clarified that the Authority was as lean as it could be and it had been identified that additional resource was required in some areas. Councillor Michael Williams highlighted the need to ensure that statutory responsibilities were being fulfilled and raised concerns about staff needing to undertake multiple roles. Councillor Williams emphasised the need for a complete restructuring of the way local government was financed. The Chair thanked all members of staff for the work they had undertaken and then Moved the recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the performance, capacity and risks in relation to Financial Services, Procurement and Revenue Services be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed. [Councillor Steve Alderman left the meeting at this juncture.]
The Committee considered a report by the Director for Education on the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report seeking comments prior to submission to Cabinet. The Chair welcomed Councillor Alistair Cameron, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Councillor Delme Harries as Members Champions for the Welsh Language to the meeting to partake in the discussion on the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26. The Corporate Policy and Research Officer was also in attendance for this item. The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care introduced the report advising Members that they were required, as an Authority to provide an Annual Report. He advised that key points included the Call centre had seen an increase in Welsh language calls with two new staff members being fluent Welsh speakers. In addition, there had been an increase in requests for translation at meetings. The Committee was advised that the recruitment policy noted that the level of skill must be clearly defined for each role and thanked the Corporate Policy and Research Officer for the preparation of the report. The Committee then debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: The Chair suggested that, as the new staff induction included a 10 hour Welsh taster course, could this be extended to the new Member induction process. Councillor Alistair Cameron advised that, as a Welsh Learner himself, this would be good initiative. It was further noted that the courses were inexpensive and heavily subsidised; however, he was concerned on placing an additional drain on resources. Councillor Michael James highlighted one of the questions in the Welsh Language consultation regarding speaking Welsh as a ‘yes or no’ response only rather than the level of Welsh. The Corporate Policy and Research Officer advised that this could be reviewed. The Corporate Policy and Research Officer committed to meeting with Councillors Alistair Cameron and Delme Harries outside of the meeting following the Eisteddfod to discuss ideas to keep the legacy and enthusiasm of the Welsh Language. It was recognised by Councillor Delme Harries that there were less than 1,000 followers on the Authority’s Welsh Facebook page and he questioned the need for separate English and Welsh pages due to the additional resource required. The Corporate Policy and Research Officer advised that this was currently being reviewed with internal work to update to a new intranet which would provide the opportunity to capture all information bilingually. In response to a question raised by the Chair regarding the number of Welsh language MyAccount users, the Corporate Policy and Research Officer advised that this was governed by how the individual user signed up to the service. Councillor Huw Murphy praised Councillors Pat Davies, Bethan Price and Alistair Cameron for speaking Welsh during the meeting emphasising that it was not easy to speak in your second language. The Chair emphasised the promotion and use of the Welsh Language and Culture in the County highlighting the fantastic St Davids Day celebrations that had taken place and the upcoming Eisteddfod. Moved by Councillor Michael James; Seconded by Councillor Pat Davies. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed. [Councillor Steve Alderman left the meeting at this juncture.]
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed prior to consideration by Council.
The Chair welcomed the Head of Democratic Services to the meeting to present the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report to the Committee. The Head of Democratic Services advised that the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee played a key role in reviewing the Council’s corporate functions, performance, and strategic direction and presented the report to Members. The Chair thanked the Head of Democratic Services and the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Officer for their work in compiling the report highlighting excellent work of the Democratic Services team. The Chair also thanked the work that had taken place to ensure the meeting had been able go ahead, following the disruption experienced due to traffic congestion in Haverfordwest. Councillor Huw Murphy highlighted concerns regarding the Peer Panel Assessment review undertaken the previous year that had recommended the call-in mechanism be utilised for important reasons only. Councillor Murphy advised that the constitution was clear that anything could be called-in. The Chair clarified that the review had been undertaken from other Authorities where it may have been used for more exceptional reasons. Pembrokeshire had good practice and that recommendation may have been more appropriate to those other Authorities. The Chair then Moved the recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Michael James. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2025-26 be endorsed prior to consideration by Council.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be approved. The Chair thanked the Translator for their work during the meeting.
The Chair then presented the Forward Work Programme to the Committee highlighting the planning session that had taken place in May 2026 where a number of items had been recommended. Councillor Huw Murphy highlighted the recent update on the Celtic Freeport suggesting a review in early 2027. There were concerns that the 11,000 jobs were not materialising and that this required additional scrutiny. The Chair clarified that the former Chief Executive of the Celtic Freeport had attended in January 2026 and that a seminar with the Interim Chair and other Officers had taken place. An invitation had been extended for the Chair to return to the Committee in early 2027 for the review. Councillor Michael Williams concurred with Councillor Murphy that the seminar did not provide reassurance and that both the Chair and Manager of the project had since left. The Chair agreed that there were concerns and that pressure needed to be maintained. In response to a concern raised by Councillor Michael James regarding transport being included in the Strategic Partnerships City Deal discussion planned for November, the Chair agreed to invite a representative from transport to attend. Councillor Pat Davies agreed with concerns regarding apprenticeships and transportation, particularly in the North of the County and the Chair advised Members that both he and Councillor David Howlett were members of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Scrutiny Committee and reassured Members that the Authority was always championed ensuring that Pembrokeshire was included. Moved by Councillor Michael James; Seconded by Councillor Jonathan Grimes. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be approved. The Chair thanked the Translator for their work during the meeting.
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.