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.
AGREED: That the Committee commend officers and Lead Members on this comprehensive report, we ask future reports on such controversial issues be as detailed in highlighting where, when and by who were decisions of this nature made, including the minutes from meeting of both SLT and Lead Members following prior consultation with this scrutiny committee.
AGREED: - (i) That the Committee notes the report. (ii) That the Child Poverty Task and Finish Group be reconvened in October 2026, with appropriate officer support, to consider best practice, preventative approaches and opportunities for tackling child poverty in Wrexham. (iii) That the findings of the Task and Finish Group be reported back to a future meeting of the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
AGREED: That, subject to the amendment of the December agenda item from “Community Agents” to “Community Prescribing”, the work programme be approved.
Apologies were received from Councillors Trevor Bates, Krista Childs, Claire Lovett, and Jerry Wellens.
AGREED- That the minutes of the meetings held on 15 and 16 June be correct.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: That the Committee commend officers and Lead Members on this comprehensive report, we ask future reports on such controversial issues be as detailed in highlighting where, when and by who were decisions of this nature made, including the minutes from meeting of both SLT and Lead Members following prior consultation with this scrutiny committee.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/71/26) outlining the Committee's request for additional information regarding the proposed relocation of the Cunliffe Day Centre to Acton Resource Centre. The report provided details of the decision-making process, governance arrangements, consultation undertaken and equality considerations. The Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management acknowledged the considerable public interest generated by the proposal and advised that the matter had also been considered in detail by the Executive Board. He welcomed the opportunity for Scrutiny to examine the report and stated that lessons had been learned throughout the process. Members noted the additional information provided and discussed the decision-making process, governance arrangements, stakeholder engagement and consultation activity, together with the lessons identified for future projects involving significant public interest. The Chief Officer for Social Care advised that, with the benefit of hindsight, some aspects of the process could have been managed differently. Officers acknowledged the concerns that had been raised and explained that the report had been prepared to provide a clear account of events, identify lessons learned and support improvements to future practice. It was further noted that engagement with local members, community representatives and service users had developed as the process progressed. The following was discussed: • Members welcomed the acknowledgement that improvements could have been made to aspects of the process and recognised the importance of learning from experience. • Officers advised that the report had been produced in response to concerns raised by the Committee and sought to clarify the decision-making process, governance arrangements and engagement activity associated with the proposal. • It was noted that officers had continued to develop their approach to engagement and communication throughout the review process, including discussions with local members, community representatives and service users. • Members acknowledged that improvements had been made to communication and engagement following concerns raised through the scrutiny process and by members of the public. • Concern was expressed regarding the impact of the proposal on existing users of Acton Resource Centre and the extent to which stakeholder views had influenced the development of the proposal. Members noted the distinction between providing information and undertaking meaningful consultation prior to decisions being progressed. • Members discussed whether sufficient regard had been given to recommendations previously made by the Committee in relation to future updates on the relocation project and the closure of the Cunliffe Centre. Questions were raised regarding how scrutiny recommendations were considered within the wider governance process. • The Lead Member advised that Scrutiny played an important role within the Council's governance arrangements and that effective challenge contributed positively to decision-making. It was explained that discussions between senior officers and Lead Members formed part of the process for considering proposals and did not, in themselves, constitute formal decisions. • Officers acknowledged that there had been differing interpretations regarding the status of discussions held during the early stages of the proposal and accepted that this had contributed to confusion about the decision-making process. • Members highlighted that effective scrutiny depended upon timely access to relevant information and expressed the view that earlier awareness of the proposal would have enabled the Committee to consider the matter sooner. • Members reiterated concerns regarding consultation arrangements and stressed the importance of ensuring that the views of service users, community groups and people with protected characteristics were appropriately considered in future proposals. Whilst engagement activity had taken place, some stakeholders did not believe that a formal consultation had been undertaken before the proposal was communicated. • Assurances were provided that lessons identified from the process would inform future governance, communication and consultation arrangements for projects involving community assets. AGREED: That the Committee commend officers and Lead Members on this comprehensive report, we ask future reports on such controversial issues be as detailed in highlighting where, when and by who were decisions of this nature made, including the minutes from meeting of both SLT and Lead Members following prior consultation with this scrutiny committee.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: - (i) That the Committee notes the report. (ii) That the Child Poverty Task and Finish Group be reconvened in October 2026, with appropriate officer support, to consider best practice, preventative approaches and opportunities for tackling child poverty in Wrexham. (iii) That the findings of the Task and Finish Group be reported back to a future meeting of the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
The Chief Officer for Social Care submitted a report (COSC/34/26) in response to the resolutions made by the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee following consideration of report COSC/26/26. The report provided an update on the Committee's previous consideration of child poverty, including the outcome of the grant application submitted to Welsh Government and options for progressing further scrutiny of the issue. The Chair introduced the report and advised that, due to his involvement in the original Topic Request Form, he would provide a brief overview of the background before inviting questions from Members. Members were reminded that a Topic Request Form relating to Child Poverty had been submitted to the Committee in March 2024 and considered in June 2024. Following that meeting, a Task and Finish Group had been established to examine the issue in greater detail. It was noted that the Committee had previously been advised that officer support could not be provided from existing Council resources. A grant application for £25,000 had subsequently been submitted to Welsh Government to support this work; however, the application had been unsuccessful. Members were advised that, following correspondence with Welsh Government and elected representatives, further consideration of the matter had been deferred until after the Welsh Government elections. The Committee was reminded that child poverty had been identified as a significant factor contributing to a range of social and economic challenges facing children, families and communities. The Chair highlighted the importance of prevention and early intervention in improving outcomes for children and reducing future demand on statutory services. The following was discussed: • Members sought clarification regarding the unsuccessful funding application and the reasons why the grant had not been awarded. • Officers advised that further information would be sought from Welsh Government regarding the decision. It was noted, however, that the Council continued to undertake work relating to poverty prevention through its wider anti-poverty agenda. • Members emphasised the importance of understanding and addressing child poverty as a preventative measure, recognising the relationship between poverty, family difficulties and demand for children's services. • Concern was expressed regarding the increasing costs associated with children entering care and the potential long-term financial implications for local authorities if preventative approaches were not strengthened. • Members highlighted examples of work undertaken by other local authorities and suggested that benchmarking and the sharing of best practice could support the identification of effective approaches. • It was suggested that child poverty should continue to receive specific consideration rather than being incorporated solely within wider anti-poverty work, to ensure a continued focus on issues affecting children and young people. • The Chief Officer for Social Care acknowledged the importance of the issue and advised that officers would support further scrutiny work. It was noted that related work concerning prevention and early intervention was already being undertaken within Social Care and that there were opportunities to link this work to the Committee's interests. • Members discussed arrangements for reconvening the Task and Finish Group to progress the work. AGREED: - (i) That the Committee notes the report. (ii) That the Child Poverty Task and Finish Group be reconvened in October 2026, with appropriate officer support, to consider best practice, preventative approaches and opportunities for tackling child poverty in Wrexham. (iii) That the findings of the Task and Finish Group be reported back to a future meeting of the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: That, subject to the amendment of the December agenda item from “Community Agents” to “Community Prescribing”, the work programme be approved.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/72/26) inviting the Committee to consider the draft Work Programme of the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix 1. The Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the report and advised that topic request forms could be submitted by Members, officers and external stakeholders. Members were informed that the work programme had been reviewed in detail at the June meeting and had subsequently been amended to accommodate consideration of the relocation of day services and child poverty at the current meeting. It was also noted that the programme had been balanced to ensure sufficient time was available for discussion of significant items. Members were advised that the cancellation of the April and May meetings had reduced the Committee's available capacity during the municipal year, placing additional pressure on the remaining meetings. The Committee noted that the October meeting would include the deferred Health and Social Care update, together with a report relating to Berwyn Prison, following previous scrutiny work in that area. The Committee reviewed the items scheduled within the forward work programme, including Community Safety Planning, Community Prescribing, the Library Services Review, the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment and a number of budget monitoring reports requested previously by Members. It was noted that the work programme would continue to be reviewed at each meeting and amended as necessary throughout the year. Members were advised that there was currently one vacant agenda slot within the February meeting and were encouraged to submit additional topics for future consideration through the topic request process. During discussion, Members noted that the December agenda item currently listed as “Community Agents” should be updated to “Community Prescribing” to reflect changes to the service model. The Committee agreed that the work programme should be amended accordingly. AGREED: That, subject to the amendment of the December agenda item from “Community Agents” to “Community Prescribing”, the work programme 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.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Dyw'r cyngor ddim wedi cofnodi presenoldeb ar gyfer y cyfarfod hwn.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.