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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: subject to the above observations and the accuracy of the data and chart relating to ‘Attendance (%) per Secondary Year Group’ in Appendix 1 to the report being confirmed, - (i) to acknowledge the measures taken to date in relation to school attendance and in supporting vulnerable pupils to re-engage with their education; and (ii) request that future reports contain clear comparative data on Denbighshire and other similar local education authorities’ performance in relation to school attendance and engagement.
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken between September 2021 and August 2025 to ensure that the Local Education Authority and the county’s schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018; and (ii) that a further report be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time monitoring the Local Education Authority’s performance in complying with the duties and statutory requirements placed upon it by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and detailing any challenges faced in meeting those duties.
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the key performance indicator performance for 2024/25 and direction of travel in achieving Net Carbon Zero Council, Ecologically Positive Council and 35% reduction in Supply Chain Emissions by 2030; (ii) acknowledges the Council’s strategic commitment of going as fast and as far as it can by 2030 as described and debated at Council in July 2024; (iii) acknowledges the extended scope of the Climate and Nature Strategy to now include a wider, area-based approach to achieving carbon reduction, carbon sequestration and nature recovery across the county, together with tackling climate risk through adaptation; (iv) supports the strategic view that this represents a positive movement in the Council’s enabling and leveraging the biggest benefit for the county, noting local authorities contribute 2 – 5% direct emissions but can influence around a third of emissions across a geographical space; (v) recognises the good work, projects, initiatives and developments delivered during the past financial year, acknowledging that the action now supports broad societal benefit – some of which is realised instantly and other which builds over time; and (vi) requests that a further progress report on the Strategy’s delivery be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports requested during the course of the meeting, to confirm the Committee’s forward work programme as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.
Resolved: that under Section 100A(4) of the of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph(s) 13, 14 & 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 10 FUTURE OF CEFNDY The Lead Member for Health and Social Care introduced the confidential report (previously circulated) which reviewed the viability of Cefndy Healthcare stressing that no decision had yet been made in relation to its future. She emphasised that the Committee’s feedback was sought on the potential options set out in the report to help inform the Cabinet’s decision in relation to the Service’s future which was expected to be taken at the end of October 2025. A viability review had been undertaken on Cefndy Healthcare. The review showed that Cefndy Healthcare faced serious challenges. Numerous reviews over the past 15 years had resulted in alternative options being explored in a bid to secure the Service’s future viability and sustainability. These included: • Restructures • Diversification • Social Enterprises • Private sector transfer and • Partnership working. As a business Cefndy Healthcare was struggling to compete in the global market, sales were declining with forecasts predicting the trend to continue. Additionally, Cefndy’s overspend continued to rise and significant investment was required in its machinery, equipment and building maintenance. Compounded to that the NHS as the biggest customer was under pressure to procure the cheapest available products. Cefndy Healthcare was established as a model of supported employment in 1976. Best practice had since moved on with national views of disability rights organisations deeming segregated working practices to be outdated. Instead, mainstream employment with the correct support was encouraged. In that respect Denbighshire County Council was a disability confident employer. Employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions were supported to work across schools, care services and offices with adjustments in place where needed. The viability report in Appendix 1 detailed the factors taken into consideration as part of the viability exercise, these being: • Economic • Financial • Workforce • Alternative delivery model along with the 5 options that would be presented to Cabinet in relation to Cefndy’s future. These being: · Do nothing · Investment from the Council · Reduction in workforce · Alternative Delivery Models · Closure Appendix 2 outlined the work undertaken from 2010/11 to review the Cefndy Healthcare model. This illustrated all internal and external work undertaken over the years to secure its long-term viability and sustainability. This was not a new consideration for the Council. Appendix 3 detailed the feedback received from UNISON on behalf of staff to the options put forward and the themes that were highlighted during a recent members’ workshop on the review. The Lead Member and Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the annual performance report presented to Performance Scrutiny Committee in 2024 had shown an underspend, but that had not taken into account funds in relation to a subsidy and management fee that Denbighshire County Council had contributed to the service, which meant in reality it had been running at a loss. Additionally, Cefndy’s main supplier of manufacturing materials had recently gone into administration. Sourcing alternative suppliers would substantially increase procurement costs. Members raised concerns that the information presented in the report merely highlighted why the Service was not viable rather than all relevant information for them to assess whether there was a transformation opportunity to consider, they felt that the proposal had been put to them as faít accompli and there had been insufficient member involvement or time to go through the information provided in order to consider the proposal. They referred again to the financial context table that showed profit generation in 2025. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education reiterated that the cost of the Service had been reduced as far as possible and subsidies had been allocated previously. Investment in the building and its assets had been deferred but there was no more money available and it was becoming a health and safety risk. The figures did not show other overheads in respect of corporate support and management fees. In addition, The Committee heard that savings had been made through at least 3 restructures exercise in recent years which helped manage costs, but did not allow for sustained growth and 2 staff were released through the Councils voluntary exit programme in 2023 / 2024 but not all staff who applied go. Cefndy needed to find another minimum 3% annually for payroll expenditure. The Committee were advised that the Lead Member had been involved throughout the consultation process – as had the previous Lead Member during earlier reviews of the service. Officers were asked to look at transforming the service into making it more sustainable rather than viewing it as a growing budget pressure. It was suggested that the involvement of other services – e.g. Working Denbighshire – could expand opportunities to provide training on valuable skills. It could work as a stepping stone to the inclusive working model that was seen as best practice both nationally and internationally. It was felt that if there was a will to make the service work that it would also motivate existing employees. Members felt that regardless of it being an unusual service for the Authority to maintain, it was an innovative way to provide benefit and support to the community. The Committee heard from Denbighshire’s Unison Branch Secretary who welcomed the consultation that had been undertaken with unions thus far. Unison had had the opportunity to meet with Cefndy employees and discuss the proposal which they had responded to formally. Unison disagreed that Cefndy was a similar model to that of Remploy who closed their manufacturing businesses some years earlier. The level of support needed for Cefndy’s employees to undertake their role was far less, Cefndy’s employees were skilled workers. Ultimately staff wanted to save the business. Staff expressed the desire for the Council to continue to support the necessary budget for a period whilst options were explored to save it. Cefndy had never been a business focussed on being an independent profit-making organisation but a part of the Council for supporting employees with additional needs. They were asking for the Council to consider a number of ways – buildings and ways of working – to create a new model. Other services within the Authority such as the Community Equipment Store and Meifod had an affinity with Cefndy that could be brought together to create a single, functional and sustainable model, sharing workload and staffing. Unison was also asking for diversification to be explored more fully – similar products but a wider range. They specifically mentioned their process for cleaning and repainting products that could be expanded upon and offered in the private sector. Unison felt that the options put forward by employees were realistic. They stressed that if ultimately the options were explored but still deemed as unviable that there still needed to be a plan of continuity of support for employees and that the plan should be seamless. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the options proposed by Unison – consolidation, diversification and reduction – were all detailed in the report. They had been explored on numerous occasions, by external experts and had been exhausted. Financial support was not only needed for the day to day running of the service but also investment in the building and the machinery that was reaching its end of life. Employees were the main priority and continuity of support was an absolute. The Monitoring Officer clarified that the Transformation Board were working tirelessly trying to transform and secure the delivery of statutory services in the face of ever-increasing costs. The trajectory of Cefndy in economic terms was downward. There was little hope of an increase in sales when the cost of imported goods was so much cheaper. Addressing comments regarding the decision being a faít accompli he explained that the process had to ensure that staff were the first port of call for consultation. Officers had a duty to provide information on the recommendations being put forward. There had been an all-member workshop and further information provided to scrutiny. Any recommendation from scrutiny would then be referred to Cabinet before a decision was made. Alternative delivery models for Cefndy had been investigated previously but it was clear that it would not survive on its own as an alternative delivery model. Whilst Cefndy remained part of the Council’s service provision it was illegal for it to make a profit, it was only allowed to cover its costs over a 3-year period. Cefndy existed to supply opportunities for supported employment and the focus should remain on that. Members noted that Cefndy still managed to sell a decent financial amount worth of stock even though products were being supplied significantly cheaper from the Far East. In their view it showed that their products were still in demand and alternative options needed further investigation. It was suggested that Cefndy had facilities to offer a powder coating service and that could be an area of expansion for the service. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education confirmed that the option had been investigated but that would only provide for the employment of 3 staff, the machinery was dated, it would not provide options for other employees and the building would still require significant maintenance. Discussions had taken place with Llandrillo College to explore whether there were options to work with them in partnership with Cefndy. However, the College were clear that they did not want to consider any option to work in partnership with Cefndy as a factory manufacturing daily living aids, but if the Cefndy building and land were for sale that they might be interested purchasing it. Committee members felt that further work should be undertaken with the aim of securing a viable future for Cefndy Healthcare and its employees. At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Committee, by a majority vote: Resolved: having considered the contents of the report and its associated appendices, along with the representations made at the meeting and the answers provided to the questions raised, to – Recommend that Cabinet: • commit to keeping Cefndy open for a sufficient period of time to enable all alternative options proposed by staff, in particular consolidation, diversification, and use of the site to support local business to be fully and independently explored (including examination by county councillors); and • that a costs and benefits analysis is undertaken comparing the options referred to in (i) above with the financial and social costs and impact of closure. Meeting concluded at 3.10pm.
Apologies for absence were received from the Chair, Councillor Terry Mendies and from Councillor Andrea Tomlin along with Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport for business item 7. In the Chair’s absence the meeting’s proceedings were chaired by the Vice-Chair, Councillor Gareth Sandilands.
The following members declared a personal interest in business item 5, School Attendance and Engagement in Education and business item 6, Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation Update: Councillor Ellie Chard as a Local Education Authority (LEA) Governor at Ysgol Tir Morfa and a Town/Community Council Governor at Christchurch School Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, LEA Governor at Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy, Cynwyd Councillor Bobby Feeley as an LEA Governor at Rhos Street School, Ruthin Councillor Martyn Hogg as a Parent Governor at St Asaph VP School Councillor Carol Holliday as a Town/Community Council Governor at both Ysgol Penmorfa and Ysgol Clawdd Offa Councillor Alan Hughes as a Community Governor at Ysgol Caer Drewyn, Corwen Councillor Will Price as his wife was employed in one of the county’s schools in the field of Additional Learning Needs (ALN) support. Councillor Gareth Sandilands as a LEA Governor at Ysgol Clawdd Offa Co-opted Member Neil Roberts as an LEA Governor at Ysgol y Parc, Denbigh
No items of an urgent nature had been drawn to the Chair, or the Scrutiny Co-ordinator’s, attention prior to the commencement of the meeting.
The minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee held on 17 July 2025 were submitted. The Committee: Resolved: that the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 July 2025 be approved as a true and accurate record of the proceedings. No matters were raised in relation to the contents of the minutes.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the above observations and the accuracy of the data and chart relating to ‘Attendance (%) per Secondary Year Group’ in Appendix 1 to the report being confirmed, - (i) to acknowledge the measures taken to date in relation to school attendance and in supporting vulnerable pupils to re-engage with their education; and (ii) request that future reports contain clear comparative data on Denbighshire and other similar local education authorities’ performance in relation to school attendance and engagement.
Before presenting the School Attendance and Engagement in Education report the Head of Education introduced two senior school leaders representing primary and secondary schools – Rhian Jones from Ysgol y Faenol, Bodelwyddan and Ceri Evans from Rhyl High School. The Lead Member for Education, Children and Families introduced the report (previously circulated) highlighting that regular attendance at school was not just a legal obligation but a vital foundation for children’s education and development, social growth and long-term success in life. Each day of school missed was a lost opportunity of learning. Research showed that children who attended school regularly achieved better academic results, established routines and greater resilience and confidence. The information in the report detailed the measures taken to support vulnerable pupils to re-engage and benefit from their education. By continuing to monitor attendance data and implementing targeted strategies the Service and schools were able to foster an environment where children could thrive academically and socially. Continued collaboration amongst the teachers, families and communities were essential in overcoming the multi-faceted barriers to attendance and ensure that all pupils reached their full potential. The Head of Education reiterated that attendance was a priority for the Education Service, the schools and nationally and they worked closely together to provide support to schools and families. There was always room for improvement, appendix 1 showed Denbighshire’s position in comparison to the other 21 local authorities in Wales. Responding to members questions officers advised: • Fixed penalty notices (FPN) were the very last resort in the process open to the Local Authority. Two letters had been sent to parents recently highlighting the importance of attendance in school and the family’s role in promoting that. The most recent letter had also informed parents that in certain circumstances the legal route would be implemented and an FPN possibly issued. • Generally, there was a marked improvement in attendance when a FPN was issued. Affordability of fines was unknown, but the amount increased as it proceeded through the legal system. • FPN were not always related to in-term holiday absence, approximately 40% of FPN issues in Denbighshire were due to holiday absence. • Instances where FPN were paid immediately concluded the matter. Where FPN proceed through the magistrates’ courts under The Education Act the fine was determined by the court. • Attendance was not the only factor in determining whether absence proceeded down the FPN route, the Service also considered the parents’ willingness to support and engage with the process. • The 100% success rate of FPNs upheld in court was due to the excellent preparatory work of education, collaborating agency staff and the Council’s Legal Services department. • The matrix of absence codes contained in the report were set by Welsh Government. • The attendance register was a legal document that also supported safeguarding. A pupil who was over 30 minutes late for registration was classed as absent for that session as per Welsh Government rules. • The data in the appendix was a fraction of the information analysed. Education Services looked for patterns in the data and compared the figures with those across North Wales and nationally. Although, comparisons between individual schools or even nationally was problematic due to difference in pupil numbers and social deprivation etc. For that reason, the report was based on the mean (average) results for the 22 Welsh Local Authorities. • During quieter periods in the school year, e.g. towards end of term, the time was often used as a catch-up for pupils who may have missed some school. • The appendix showed that there was a 4.8 % drop in attendance between years 7 and 11, with year 11 attendance in particular being below the Welsh Average. Each school was analysing their own data in consultation with Education Services to highlight areas that required most attention. • The Community Engagement Managers roles were focussed on 3 areas; family engagement, community (linking with schools) and working multi-agency – collaborating with families, key services and key agencies. They would also be exploring opportunities to use schools as community hubs with a view to bringing communities and different generations together. • No further action had been undertaken by WG to change the school holidays dates to balance them out throughout the year. • Letters regarding a pupil’s ill-health were generally taken at face value. However, if a pattern of absence became apparent further investigations would be undertaken. • If high absence levels persisted there would occasionally be a request for verified evidence in the form of a doctor’s note which sometimes incurred a cost to the parents. • The transition from primary to secondary schools was well programmed starting before year 6. The key was close working between the cluster feeder schools and proposed secondary school. Data was compared between attendance at year 6 and 7 to identify any change to identify the reason or barriers. • Challenges around social media and other issues did occur in secondary schools. There were policies and pastoral care in place to address them. • Nationally there was a pattern of less attendance in year 11. Measures were taken to try to make the curriculum more relevant to them and focussing on work related skills and wider opportunities rather than solely on results and outcomes. • The role of the teacher had changed considerably with an increase in levels of providing emotional support for pupils. In response the provision of additional pastoral care had been implemented. It was highlighted that the information provided in the table and the diagram in appendix 1 on Year 11 differed by 10%. The Head of Education would double-check the information and report back to the Committee. The Committee requested that future reports include more analytical comparisons with other Local Authorities looking at the best way to provide comparable data. The issue of the use of how social media could have an impact on a pupil’s attendance, particularly if they were experiencing any form of online abuse or harassment was raised. Whilst many social media platforms had an age limit for access there were instances of underage use. Officers were asked whether there was a policy in place which required staff to report underage app usage to the Service or on-line platform directly and were informed that there was no such policy currently in place. Parents were ultimately responsible for their children’s social platform access and usage. Nevertheless, the Head of Education was willing to explore whether the Council should have a policy on reporting under age use of social media platforms. Following a comprehensive discussion, the Committee: Resolved: subject to the above observations and the accuracy of the data and chart relating to ‘Attendance (%) per Secondary Year Group’ in Appendix 1 to the report being confirmed, - (i) to acknowledge the measures taken to date in relation to school attendance and in supporting vulnerable pupils to re-engage with their education; and (ii) request that future reports contain clear comparative data on Denbighshire and other similar local education authorities’ performance in relation to school attendance and engagement.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken between September 2021 and August 2025 to ensure that the Local Education Authority and the county’s schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018; and (ii) that a further report be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time monitoring the Local Education Authority’s performance in complying with the duties and statutory requirements placed upon it by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and detailing any challenges faced in meeting those duties.
The Lead Member for Education, Children and Families introduced the report (previously circulated) on the progress in implementing the statutory requirement of the Additional Learning Needs and Tribunal Act Wales 2018. Since the transformation period commenced in September 2021 significant effort had been made to ensure that all children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) received appropriate support through the new legislative framework. The report outlined the key developments, challenges and achievements during that period. The Head of Education advised that ESTYN had undertaken an enhanced local authority visit focussing on 2 key areas, attendance and additional learning needs. They presented their view on how the Authority approached and delivered ALN to support service delivery. Estyn concluded that the Authority had a dedicated and effective team of staff who shared effective working practices regularly. Opening the discussion up to members questions officers advised: • The Authority did have some pupils with complex needs that required out of county private provision. There were plans to extend the provision of ALN within the Authority. • There was a robust process to ensure that whenever out of county provision was required that it provided value for money. This process involved a panel of specialists, including Health colleagues, which considered all evidence and advice received before the Head of Education determined whether to place the pupil out of county. The annual cost for an individual with complex needs in a specialist provision could cost up to £40k annually. • There was a register of all staff from all schools who had received training and/or relevant qualifications in aspects of ALN work. Support in upskilling staff at schools where there was a shortage of ALN experience was provided. • There were regular school meetings with ALN Coordinators (ALNCo) and across school clusters that identified any additional training requirements. • When ALN forms were introduced WG said that they would be cost neutral but in reality, they had not taken into account the need to release time for ALNCOs to undertake the procedures. That had been fed back to WG. • The process undertaken to identify, assess and diagnose ALN had led to a backlog of cases and needed accelerating. Some children had had to wait up to 4 years for a Health Service neurological diagnosis. However, the Education Service did have procedures in place to support these children with the additional learning needs identified by their schools/Service pending a formal medical diagnosis. The objective of this approach was to help them progress their education and not hold them back whilst waiting for a formal diagnosis. • The Eclipse IT system used for capturing Individual Develop Plans was not a national system. Some local Authorities had found the system challenging. Denbighshire had worked with other local authorities in North Wales to procure and develop a system. The workload tended to be more onerous due to legislation rather than the IT system. • Every statutory ALN request received had to be considered to assess whether educational psychologist support was needed. The increase in complexities and vulnerabilities resulted in a greater demand for education psychologists’ advice. There was a difficulty in balancing the demands of the statutory requests with the early intervention support provided by Educational Psychologists. Staffing levels had been increased within the Service in an attempt to meet the growing demand. The strong working relationships fostered between the Service and schools, through the Team Around the School meetings, was assisting and supporting early intervention work. • The Service’s most valuable resource was its staff. The Service in collaboration with trade unions had developed a Wellbeing Charter for education. It provided guidance and a commitment from all to support the wellbeing of the workforce. • The Senedd Secretary for Education had recently circulated a letter on the importance of ‘down time’ to governing bodies, head teachers and local authorities advising that contact out of hour should only be made in urgent circumstances. • No teaching assistants would be expected to take on ALN responsibilities if it was not in the remit of their job description. If a teaching assistant felt that they were working considerably outside the expectation of their job description, they should raise it with the school. The Lead Member for Education, Children and Families thanked the team for their hard work and dedication to the Education Service. Members, at the conclusion of an in-depth discussion: Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken between September 2021 and August 2025 to ensure that the Local Education Authority and the county’s schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018; and (ii) that a further report be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time monitoring the Local Education Authority’s performance in complying with the duties and statutory requirements placed upon it by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 and detailing any challenges faced in meeting those duties.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the key performance indicator performance for 2024/25 and direction of travel in achieving Net Carbon Zero Council, Ecologically Positive Council and 35% reduction in Supply Chain Emissions by 2030; (ii) acknowledges the Council’s strategic commitment of going as fast and as far as it can by 2030 as described and debated at Council in July 2024; (iii) acknowledges the extended scope of the Climate and Nature Strategy to now include a wider, area-based approach to achieving carbon reduction, carbon sequestration and nature recovery across the county, together with tackling climate risk through adaptation; (iv) supports the strategic view that this represents a positive movement in the Council’s enabling and leveraging the biggest benefit for the county, noting local authorities contribute 2 – 5% direct emissions but can influence around a third of emissions across a geographical space; (v) recognises the good work, projects, initiatives and developments delivered during the past financial year, acknowledging that the action now supports broad societal benefit – some of which is realised instantly and other which builds over time; and (vi) requests that a further progress report on the Strategy’s delivery be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
The Corporate Director: Governance and Business introduced the report (previously circulated) which provided an overview of the key performance indicators 2024/25 of the Council’s Climate and Nature Strategy and the direction of travel towards 2030 goals. The Council had declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency in July 2019 and adopted a Climate and Ecological Strategy in 2021, which declared that the Council would become a net Carbon Net Zero and Ecologically Positive Council by March 31st 2030 in addition to improving biodiversity across the Council. The strategy was reviewed in 2024 leading to the revised Climate and Nature Strategy. The Council’s Constitution was amended in 2020 to ensure that all decisions had regard to tackling climate and ecological change. The report related to the fourth year of the journey to 2030 goals. Since adoption of the original strategy in 2021 progress has been made on: • Biodiversity, • Reducing carbon emissions from the Council’s fleet and built estate, and • Sequestration of carbon through land use management. The Council was 33% of the way to meeting the Carbon net Zero target with 5 years to go to attain the 100%. In respect of the Ecology Positive target, 47% of Denbighshire’s owned and operated land was now classed as in high species richness, with five years to go to reach the target of 51%. The Climate and Nature strategy would continue to pursue external funding. Thus far 42% of expenditure had been covered by external grants. The Climate Change Manager gave a presentation to the Committee highlighting the performance results for 2024/25, showing each performance indicator by service area with an overall positive outcome in a challenging environment. Responding to members’ questions officers advised: • That the 3 dedicated roles in the Energy and Carbon team that supported the built environment projects had only been up to full capacity since August on a 5-year programme, it would take a full year to assess their impact. • Work was ongoing in understanding what employees’ needs were in order to travel in a more sustainable way. Promoting and facilitating lift shares by service and location and encouraging a bike to work week (looking at facilities needed to assist with such initiatives). • Sourcing funds for large capital projects was challenging. Securing external funds helped in reducing the funding risk to the Council. The Low Carbon heat grant from WG was a 90% intervention rate. • Most of the short-term return capital projects (5 to 7 years) had been implemented, going forward they were more likely to be 17 to 20 year expected returns on Invest to Save decisions. • All projects undertaken did count towards meeting the Authority’s goals. Buildings in the Denbighshire Leisure Limited (DLL) portfolio counted towards the Council’s target as they were wholly owned by Denbighshire County Council. • The target to reduce the carbon footprint in the supply network was 35% which was reported to Welsh Government. • The Authority took carbon reduction measures seriously in planning all major projects. Sometimes the opportunity cost was too much, for example in the first round of 21st Century Schools the choice was less solar array or less classrooms. • The Capital Scrutiny Group (CSG) was provided with clear references to Carbon reduction targets and costs etc. for projects submitted for its consideration. Consideration needed to be given to the finite finance available to assess business cases, with competing priorities and legislative requirements such as health and safety (H&S) and ongoing maintenance costs. The majority of projects relating to climate change were dependent on external funding. • With regard to Denbighshire’s fleet vehicles, electric vehicles (EVs) were considered at the point that a diesel vehicle needed replacing. Gap funding would be used to cover the difference in vehicle purchase cost. To date that funding had all been covered by WG energy service grants. Committee members raised concern of the lack of communication between different services. Giving examples of where climate change projects had been undertaken in green spaces but were at risk of not being maintained due to the not being factored in to works undertaken in Environmental Services. It was suggested that more engagement was need with voluntary groups who had an interest in environmental space. Following and in-depth discussion the Committee: Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the key performance indicator performance for 2024/25 and direction of travel in achieving Net Carbon Zero Council, Ecologically Positive Council and 35% reduction in Supply Chain Emissions by 2030; (ii) acknowledges the Council’s strategic commitment of going as fast and as far as it can by 2030 as described and debated at Council in July 2024; (iii) acknowledges the extended scope of the Climate and Nature Strategy to now include a wider, area-based approach to achieving carbon reduction, carbon sequestration and nature recovery across the county, together with tackling climate risk through adaptation; (iv) supports the strategic view that this represents a positive movement in the Council’s enabling and leveraging the biggest benefit for the county, noting local authorities contribute 2 – 5% direct emissions but can influence around a third of emissions across a geographical space; (v) recognises the good work, projects, initiatives and developments delivered during the past financial year, acknowledging that the action now supports broad societal benefit – some of which is realised instantly and other which builds over time; and (vi) requests that a further progress report on the Strategy’s delivery be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports requested during the course of the meeting, to confirm the Committee’s forward work programme as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.
The Scrutiny Coordinator introduced the report and appendices (previously circulated) seeking members to review the Committee’s Forward Work Programme. The next meeting of the Performance Scrutiny Committee was scheduled for the 6 November 2025. There were four agenda items listed for that meeting. Confirmation had been received that the Proposed Car Parking Tariff Structure’ report would be available. The Committee had agreed earlier that update reports on Additional Learning Needs and the Climate and Nature Strategy should be presented to the Committee in 12 months. The Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) met the previous week and had agreed that an item on the impact of the additional funding allocated to Education Services to support school attendance, behaviour and wellbeing be presented to the Committee in June 2026. The Scrutiny Coordinator referred to the appendices to the report which included: • The member scrutiny proposal form • Cabinet’s forward work programme and • Updates for the Committee from the last meeting. Following consideration of the information the Committee: Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports requested during the course of the meeting, to confirm the Committee’s forward work programme as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.
None.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: that under Section 100A(4) of the of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph(s) 13, 14 & 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 10 FUTURE OF CEFNDY The Lead Member for Health and Social Care introduced the confidential report (previously circulated) which reviewed the viability of Cefndy Healthcare stressing that no decision had yet been made in relation to its future. She emphasised that the Committee’s feedback was sought on the potential options set out in the report to help inform the Cabinet’s decision in relation to the Service’s future which was expected to be taken at the end of October 2025. A viability review had been undertaken on Cefndy Healthcare. The review showed that Cefndy Healthcare faced serious challenges. Numerous reviews over the past 15 years had resulted in alternative options being explored in a bid to secure the Service’s future viability and sustainability. These included: • Restructures • Diversification • Social Enterprises • Private sector transfer and • Partnership working. As a business Cefndy Healthcare was struggling to compete in the global market, sales were declining with forecasts predicting the trend to continue. Additionally, Cefndy’s overspend continued to rise and significant investment was required in its machinery, equipment and building maintenance. Compounded to that the NHS as the biggest customer was under pressure to procure the cheapest available products. Cefndy Healthcare was established as a model of supported employment in 1976. Best practice had since moved on with national views of disability rights organisations deeming segregated working practices to be outdated. Instead, mainstream employment with the correct support was encouraged. In that respect Denbighshire County Council was a disability confident employer. Employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions were supported to work across schools, care services and offices with adjustments in place where needed. The viability report in Appendix 1 detailed the factors taken into consideration as part of the viability exercise, these being: • Economic • Financial • Workforce • Alternative delivery model along with the 5 options that would be presented to Cabinet in relation to Cefndy’s future. These being: · Do nothing · Investment from the Council · Reduction in workforce · Alternative Delivery Models · Closure Appendix 2 outlined the work undertaken from 2010/11 to review the Cefndy Healthcare model. This illustrated all internal and external work undertaken over the years to secure its long-term viability and sustainability. This was not a new consideration for the Council. Appendix 3 detailed the feedback received from UNISON on behalf of staff to the options put forward and the themes that were highlighted during a recent members’ workshop on the review. The Lead Member and Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the annual performance report presented to Performance Scrutiny Committee in 2024 had shown an underspend, but that had not taken into account funds in relation to a subsidy and management fee that Denbighshire County Council had contributed to the service, which meant in reality it had been running at a loss. Additionally, Cefndy’s main supplier of manufacturing materials had recently gone into administration. Sourcing alternative suppliers would substantially increase procurement costs. Members raised concerns that the information presented in the report merely highlighted why the Service was not viable rather than all relevant information for them to assess whether there was a transformation opportunity to consider, they felt that the proposal had been put to them as faít accompli and there had been insufficient member involvement or time to go through the information provided in order to consider the proposal. They referred again to the financial context table that showed profit generation in 2025. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education reiterated that the cost of the Service had been reduced as far as possible and subsidies had been allocated previously. Investment in the building and its assets had been deferred but there was no more money available and it was becoming a health and safety risk. The figures did not show other overheads in respect of corporate support and management fees. In addition, The Committee heard that savings had been made through at least 3 restructures exercise in recent years which helped manage costs, but did not allow for sustained growth and 2 staff were released through the Councils voluntary exit programme in 2023 / 2024 but not all staff who applied go. Cefndy needed to find another minimum 3% annually for payroll expenditure. The Committee were advised that the Lead Member had been involved throughout the consultation process – as had the previous Lead Member during earlier reviews of the service. Officers were asked to look at transforming the service into making it more sustainable rather than viewing it as a growing budget pressure. It was suggested that the involvement of other services – e.g. Working Denbighshire – could expand opportunities to provide training on valuable skills. It could work as a stepping stone to the inclusive working model that was seen as best practice both nationally and internationally. It was felt that if there was a will to make the service work that it would also motivate existing employees. Members felt that regardless of it being an unusual service for the Authority to maintain, it was an innovative way to provide benefit and support to the community. The Committee heard from Denbighshire’s Unison Branch Secretary who welcomed the consultation that had been undertaken with unions thus far. Unison had had the opportunity to meet with Cefndy employees and discuss the proposal which they had responded to formally. Unison disagreed that Cefndy was a similar model to that of Remploy who closed their manufacturing businesses some years earlier. The level of support needed for Cefndy’s employees to undertake their role was far less, Cefndy’s employees were skilled workers. Ultimately staff wanted to save the business. Staff expressed the desire for the Council to continue to support the necessary budget for a period whilst options were explored to save it. Cefndy had never been a business focussed on being an independent profit-making organisation but a part of the Council for supporting employees with additional needs. They were asking for the Council to consider a number of ways – buildings and ways of working – to create a new model. Other services within the Authority such as the Community Equipment Store and Meifod had an affinity with Cefndy that could be brought together to create a single, functional and sustainable model, sharing workload and staffing. Unison was also asking for diversification to be explored more fully – similar products but a wider range. They specifically mentioned their process for cleaning and repainting products that could be expanded upon and offered in the private sector. Unison felt that the options put forward by employees were realistic. They stressed that if ultimately the options were explored but still deemed as unviable that there still needed to be a plan of continuity of support for employees and that the plan should be seamless. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the options proposed by Unison – consolidation, diversification and reduction – were all detailed in the report. They had been explored on numerous occasions, by external experts and had been exhausted. Financial support was not only needed for the day to day running of the service but also investment in the building and the machinery that was reaching its end of life. Employees were the main priority and continuity of support was an absolute. The Monitoring Officer clarified that the Transformation Board were working tirelessly trying to transform and secure the delivery of statutory services in the face of ever-increasing costs. The trajectory of Cefndy in economic terms was downward. There was little hope of an increase in sales when the cost of imported goods was so much cheaper. Addressing comments regarding the decision being a faít accompli he explained that the process had to ensure that staff were the first port of call for consultation. Officers had a duty to provide information on the recommendations being put forward. There had been an all-member workshop and further information provided to scrutiny. Any recommendation from scrutiny would then be referred to Cabinet before a decision was made. Alternative delivery models for Cefndy had been investigated previously but it was clear that it would not survive on its own as an alternative delivery model. Whilst Cefndy remained part of the Council’s service provision it was illegal for it to make a profit, it was only allowed to cover its costs over a 3-year period. Cefndy existed to supply opportunities for supported employment and the focus should remain on that. Members noted that Cefndy still managed to sell a decent financial amount worth of stock even though products were being supplied significantly cheaper from the Far East. In their view it showed that their products were still in demand and alternative options needed further investigation. It was suggested that Cefndy had facilities to offer a powder coating service and that could be an area of expansion for the service. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education confirmed that the option had been investigated but that would only provide for the employment of 3 staff, the machinery was dated, it would not provide options for other employees and the building would still require significant maintenance. Discussions had taken place with Llandrillo College to explore whether there were options to work with them in partnership with Cefndy. However, the College were clear that they did not want to consider any option to work in partnership with Cefndy as a factory manufacturing daily living aids, but if the Cefndy building and land were for sale that they might be interested purchasing it. Committee members felt that further work should be undertaken with the aim of securing a viable future for Cefndy Healthcare and its employees. At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Committee, by a majority vote: Resolved: having considered the contents of the report and its associated appendices, along with the representations made at the meeting and the answers provided to the questions raised, to – Recommend that Cabinet: • commit to keeping Cefndy open for a sufficient period of time to enable all alternative options proposed by staff, in particular consolidation, diversification, and use of the site to support local business to be fully and independently explored (including examination by county councillors); and • that a costs and benefits analysis is undertaken comparing the options referred to in (i) above with the financial and social costs and impact of closure. Meeting concluded at 3.10pm.
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC It was recommended in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 that the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business because it was likely that exempt information (as defined in Paragraph(s) 13, 14 & 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act) would be disclosed. Councillor Bobby Feeley proposed that on the grounds stated that the discussion on the item be undertaken under confidential Part II business. Councillor Carol Holliday seconded this proposal. Councillor Gwyneth Ellis objected to this proposal. On being put to the vote the Committee by a majority: Resolved: that under Section 100A(4) of the of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph(s) 13, 14 & 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 10 FUTURE OF CEFNDY The Lead Member for Health and Social Care introduced the confidential report (previously circulated) which reviewed the viability of Cefndy Healthcare stressing that no decision had yet been made in relation to its future. She emphasised that the Committee’s feedback was sought on the potential options set out in the report to help inform the Cabinet’s decision in relation to the Service’s future which was expected to be taken at the end of October 2025. A viability review had been undertaken on Cefndy Healthcare. The review showed that Cefndy Healthcare faced serious challenges. Numerous reviews over the past 15 years had resulted in alternative options being explored in a bid to secure the Service’s future viability and sustainability. These included: • Restructures • Diversification • Social Enterprises • Private sector transfer and • Partnership working. As a business Cefndy Healthcare was struggling to compete in the global market, sales were declining with forecasts predicting the trend to continue. Additionally, Cefndy’s overspend continued to rise and significant investment was required in its machinery, equipment and building maintenance. Compounded to that the NHS as the biggest customer was under pressure to procure the cheapest available products. Cefndy Healthcare was established as a model of supported employment in 1976. Best practice had since moved on with national views of disability rights organisations deeming segregated working practices to be outdated. Instead, mainstream employment with the correct support was encouraged. In that respect Denbighshire County Council was a disability confident employer. Employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions were supported to work across schools, care services and offices with adjustments in place where needed. The viability report in Appendix 1 detailed the factors taken into consideration as part of the viability exercise, these being: • Economic • Financial • Workforce • Alternative delivery model along with the 5 options that would be presented to Cabinet in relation to Cefndy’s future. These being: · Do nothing · Investment from the Council · Reduction in workforce · Alternative Delivery Models · Closure Appendix 2 outlined the work undertaken from 2010/11 to review the Cefndy Healthcare model. This illustrated all internal and external work undertaken over the years to secure its long-term viability and sustainability. This was not a new consideration for the Council. Appendix 3 detailed the feedback received from UNISON on behalf of staff to the options put forward and the themes that were highlighted during a recent members’ workshop on the review. The Lead Member and Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the annual performance report presented to Performance Scrutiny Committee in 2024 had shown an underspend, but that had not taken into account funds in relation to a subsidy and management fee that Denbighshire County Council had contributed to the service, which meant in reality it had been running at a loss. Additionally, Cefndy’s main supplier of manufacturing materials had recently gone into administration. Sourcing alternative suppliers would substantially increase procurement costs. Members raised concerns that the information presented in the report merely highlighted why the Service was not viable rather than all relevant information for them to assess whether there was a transformation opportunity to consider, they felt that the proposal had been put to them as faít accompli and there had been insufficient member involvement or time to go through the information provided in order to consider the proposal. They referred again to the financial context table that showed profit generation in 2025. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education reiterated that the cost of the Service had been reduced as far as possible and subsidies had been allocated previously. Investment in the building and its assets had been deferred but there was no more money available and it was becoming a health and safety risk. The figures did not show other overheads in respect of corporate support and management fees. In addition, The Committee heard that savings had been made through at least 3 restructures exercise in recent years which helped manage costs, but did not allow for sustained growth and 2 staff were released through the Councils voluntary exit programme in 2023 / 2024 but not all staff who applied go. Cefndy needed to find another minimum 3% annually for payroll expenditure. The Committee were advised that the Lead Member had been involved throughout the consultation process – as had the previous Lead Member during earlier reviews of the service. Officers were asked to look at transforming the service into making it more sustainable rather than viewing it as a growing budget pressure. It was suggested that the involvement of other services – e.g. Working Denbighshire – could expand opportunities to provide training on valuable skills. It could work as a stepping stone to the inclusive working model that was seen as best practice both nationally and internationally. It was felt that if there was a will to make the service work that it would also motivate existing employees. Members felt that regardless of it being an unusual service for the Authority to maintain, it was an innovative way to provide benefit and support to the community. The Committee heard from Denbighshire’s Unison Branch Secretary who welcomed the consultation that had been undertaken with unions thus far. Unison had had the opportunity to meet with Cefndy employees and discuss the proposal which they had responded to formally. Unison disagreed that Cefndy was a similar model to that of Remploy who closed their manufacturing businesses some years earlier. The level of support needed for Cefndy’s employees to undertake their role was far less, Cefndy’s employees were skilled workers. Ultimately staff wanted to save the business. Staff expressed the desire for the Council to continue to support the necessary budget for a period whilst options were explored to save it. Cefndy had never been a business focussed on being an independent profit-making organisation but a part of the Council for supporting employees with additional needs. They were asking for the Council to consider a number of ways – buildings and ways of working – to create a new model. Other services within the Authority such as the Community Equipment Store and Meifod had an affinity with Cefndy that could be brought together to create a single, functional and sustainable model, sharing workload and staffing. Unison was also asking for diversification to be explored more fully – similar products but a wider range. They specifically mentioned their process for cleaning and repainting products that could be expanded upon and offered in the private sector. Unison felt that the options put forward by employees were realistic. They stressed that if ultimately the options were explored but still deemed as unviable that there still needed to be a plan of continuity of support for employees and that the plan should be seamless. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education advised that the options proposed by Unison – consolidation, diversification and reduction – were all detailed in the report. They had been explored on numerous occasions, by external experts and had been exhausted. Financial support was not only needed for the day to day running of the service but also investment in the building and the machinery that was reaching its end of life. Employees were the main priority and continuity of support was an absolute. The Monitoring Officer clarified that the Transformation Board were working tirelessly trying to transform and secure the delivery of statutory services in the face of ever-increasing costs. The trajectory of Cefndy in economic terms was downward. There was little hope of an increase in sales when the cost of imported goods was so much cheaper. Addressing comments regarding the decision being a faít accompli he explained that the process had to ensure that staff were the first port of call for consultation. Officers had a duty to provide information on the recommendations being put forward. There had been an all-member workshop and further information provided to scrutiny. Any recommendation from scrutiny would then be referred to Cabinet before a decision was made. Alternative delivery models for Cefndy had been investigated previously but it was clear that it would not survive on its own as an alternative delivery model. Whilst Cefndy remained part of the Council’s service provision it was illegal for it to make a profit, it was only allowed to cover its costs over a 3-year period. Cefndy existed to supply opportunities for supported employment and the focus should remain on that. Members noted that Cefndy still managed to sell a decent financial amount worth of stock even though products were being supplied significantly cheaper from the Far East. In their view it showed that their products were still in demand and alternative options needed further investigation. It was suggested that Cefndy had facilities to offer a powder coating service and that could be an area of expansion for the service. The Corporate Director: Social Services and Education confirmed that the option had been investigated but that would only provide for the employment of 3 staff, the machinery was dated, it would not provide options for other employees and the building would still require significant maintenance. Discussions had taken place with Llandrillo College to explore whether there were options to work with them in partnership with Cefndy. However, the College were clear that they did not want to consider any option to work in partnership with Cefndy as a factory manufacturing daily living aids, but if the Cefndy building and land were for sale that they might be interested purchasing it. Committee members felt that further work should be undertaken with the aim of securing a viable future for Cefndy Healthcare and its employees. At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Committee, by a majority vote: Resolved: having considered the contents of the report and its associated appendices, along with the representations made at the meeting and the answers provided to the questions raised, to – Recommend that Cabinet: • commit to keeping Cefndy open for a sufficient period of time to enable all alternative options proposed by staff, in particular consolidation, diversification, and use of the site to support local business to be fully and independently explored (including examination by county councillors); and • that a costs and benefits analysis is undertaken comparing the options referred to in (i) above with the financial and social costs and impact of closure. Meeting concluded at 3.10pm.
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