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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 12 May 2026 subject to the agreed corrections be received and confirmed as correct records.
RESOLVED that the Council I. noted the six-monthly Performance Update Report and Citizens' Voice Report; II. noted the feedback received from Governance and Audit Committee and Performance Scrutiny Committee; and III. approved the Performance Self-Assessment 2025/26. The motion was carried, with Councillors Tony Thomas, Karen Edwards and Chris Evans abstaining.
RESOLVED that Council: I. acknowledged the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group Annual Statement for 2025/26; and II. reaffirmed its commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the Council and to supporting continuous improvement in this area.
RESOLVED that Council: I. approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 as recommended by the Senior Leadership Remuneration Panel; and II. confirmed that it had read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment in reaching its decision.
RESOLVED that Councillor Andrea Tomlin be appointed as the County Council representative on the Standards Committee.
RESOLVED that Council approves the Committee Timetable for 2027 (attached as Appendix 1 to the report).
RESOLVED that Council and Council Workshop forward work programmes be noted. The meeting concluded at 12:15
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Merfyn Parry, Will Price and Alan Hughes The chair advised members that she had agreed to change the running order of the agenda, agenda item 9 on the agenda had been moved to number 7 on the agenda.
The Chair introduced an urgent matter relating to a climate‑change documentary currently being shown locally. Councillor Barry Mellor outlined an invitation to a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing on Thursday 30 July, 1.30–3.30pm, at County Hall. He explained that the film presented evidence on climate and nature risks in the UK, featuring expert contributions and public reactions. A facilitated discussion would follow the screening. He emphasised the relevance of the film to Denbighshire’s climate and ecological emergency declaration and ongoing work on decarbonisation, resilience, and nature recovery. Councillor Mellor asked Council to support writing to both the Welsh Government and UK Government requesting that the film be shown on prime‑time television. Council indicated unanimous support for writing to both governments. A short clip of the film was shown.
The Chair reported on recent engagements, noting in particular a visit to observe the little tern colony at Gronant sand dunes, organised with Countryside Services. She described the experience as highly enjoyable and highlighted the colony’s significance as the only one in Wales.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 12 May 2026 subject to the agreed corrections be received and confirmed as correct records.
The minutes of the Council meeting held on the 12 May 2026 were submitted. Matters of accuracy – · Page 10: A spelling correction was requested for the name Ioan. · Page 12: Councillor Terry Mendies requested that the word circulated be amended to corrected. The Monitoring Officer reiterated that accusations of falsifying reports were not acceptable under the Code of Conduct. Matters Arising – • Councillor Brian Jones stated he had not yet received the letter from the North Wales Council Leaders regarding Betsi Cadwaladr and A&E services. Councillor Jason McLellan apologised and confirmed he would provide it. • Councillor Mendies queried the accuracy of inspection reports referenced by the Corporate Director. The Monitoring Officer clarified that the Director’s assessment was based on information gathered during the inquiry. RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 12 May 2026 subject to the agreed corrections be received and confirmed as correct records.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the Council I. noted the six-monthly Performance Update Report and Citizens' Voice Report; II. noted the feedback received from Governance and Audit Committee and Performance Scrutiny Committee; and III. approved the Performance Self-Assessment 2025/26. The motion was carried, with Councillors Tony Thomas, Karen Edwards and Chris Evans abstaining.
The Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets presented the Council Performance Self-Assessment 2025/26 (previously circulated) alongside the Head of Corporate Support Service: Performance, Digital and Assets and the Insight, Strategy & Delivery Manager. The report formed part of the Council's statutory duties under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. Officers outlined the Council's overall performance during the year, identifying significant achievements across a number of service areas whilst acknowledging ongoing challenges relating to housing demand, educational attainment, climate change, financial sustainability and public confidence in local government services. Officers highlighted progress made against the Council's Corporate Plan priorities, including continued delivery of services within a balanced budget, increased reserves, successful regeneration projects, improvements in housing provision, recognition of Denbighshire as an Age Friendly Community and continued investment in environmental and biodiversity initiatives. Members were advised that while the majority of performance indicators showed stable or improving performance, a number remained priorities for improvement. Members discussed the following further – · Members questioned the response rates to both the staff survey and National Residents Survey and expressed concern that the views being presented may not fully represent the wider workforce or county population. It was suggested that alternative methods of engagement should be explored, including more direct contact with residents and greater use of digital communication methods. Members emphasised the importance of ensuring that residents and staff felt able and willing to contribute their views and that engagement should be strengthened as part of the development of the next Corporate Plan. In response, officers acknowledged the challenges associated with consultation and engagement exercises and advised that work was already underway to identify more effective approaches. Members were informed that the Council intended to undertake a broader programme of engagement as part of the Well-being Assessment and future Corporate Plan development process. Officers also emphasised that survey responses represented only one aspect of the Council's engagement activity and that service-specific feedback mechanisms often attracted significantly higher levels of participation. · Members highlighted education performance. Concern was expressed regarding school attendance levels and GCSE attainment, particularly in areas affected by deprivation. Members noted that improving attendance remained a key priority and sought assurance that sufficient attention and resources were being directed towards the issue. Officers advised that attendance figures were improving and confirmed that both attendance and attainment formed central elements of Education Service improvement planning · Members queried the progress towards the Council's climate commitments and sought clarification regarding the likelihood of achieving its ambition of becoming net carbon zero by 2030. Officers acknowledged that delivery of the target would be challenging but stressed that the Council remained committed to its stated ambition and continued to pursue significant decarbonisation projects through external funding opportunities and investment in buildings, fleet and biodiversity initiatives. · Members discussed highway maintenance performance and planning enforcement activity. Officers clarified that planning enforcement was monitored through service-level arrangements rather than through the corporate performance framework. In relation to highway defects, substantial improvements in repair performance over the previous year were reported, although Members noted that public concern regarding road conditions remained significant. · Several Members commented on the value of the self-assessment process itself. Whilst some expressed reservations regarding the concept of a council assessing its own performance, others highlighted the importance of external scrutiny, governance arrangements and independent audit processes in providing balance and assurance. It was noted that the report presented both achievements and areas requiring improvement and therefore provided a fair reflection of the Council's overall position. RESOLVED that the Council I. noted the six-monthly Performance Update Report and Citizens' Voice Report; II. noted the feedback received from Governance and Audit Committee and Performance Scrutiny Committee; and III. approved the Performance Self-Assessment 2025/26. The motion was carried, with Councillors Tony Thomas, Karen Edwards and Chris Evans abstaining.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Council: I. acknowledged the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group Annual Statement for 2025/26; and II. reaffirmed its commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the Council and to supporting continuous improvement in this area.
The Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets Councillor Julie Matthews presented the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group (SEG) Annual Statement for 2025/26 (previously circulated) alongside the Head of Corporate Support Service: Performance, Digital and Assets and the Insight, Strategy & Delivery Manager the report aimed to provide an annual update to Full Council on equality, diversity and inclusion matters and the work undertaken by the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group. Councillor Mattews highlighted the cross-party nature of the group and thanked both Members and officers for their ongoing contribution to its work. The Lead Member outlined the principal areas considered by the Group during the year, including oversight of equality objectives within the Corporate Plan, work relating to wellbeing impact assessments, the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, gender pay reporting and the work undertaken by a Task and Finish Group examining child poverty indicators. Reference was also made to Denbighshire's achievement of Disability Confident Leader Status and to work undertaken with asylum seekers through the Council's resettlement programme. Members were advised that equality, diversity and inclusion remained the responsibility of the whole organisation and that progress continued to be made despite limited dedicated resources. Attention was drawn to planned work over the coming years, including a more detailed analysis of equality-related data, strengthening opportunities for individuals with protected characteristics to contribute to decision-making processes and further Member development on equality issues. Members discussed the following further – · Members welcomed the report and recognised the importance of maintaining a strong focus on equality and inclusion across all Council services. Questions were raised regarding the relatively low ranking of Denbighshire in relation to the number of young people not in education, employment or training. Concern was expressed regarding the potential long-term impact of these figures and the socio-economic challenges facing many communities within the county. Officers acknowledged the concerns and advised that the data reflected wider challenges relating to deprivation and inequality. It was suggested that further consideration of the issue by the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group would be beneficial as part of its future work programme · Members highlighted the workforce equality data, particularly the statistic indicating that a significant proportion of the Council's lowest paid posts were occupied by women. Members emphasised the importance of continuing to improve opportunities for progression and reducing inequalities wherever possible. Whilst recognising that a range of factors influenced the data, including the prevalence of part-time and term-time roles within the workforce, it was argued that the Council should continue to challenge underlying inequalities and seek positive change over time. officers clarified that the Council operated equality-compliant recruitment, job evaluation and pay arrangements and did not apply discriminatory employment practices. They explained that the statistics reflected wider workforce patterns and occupational choices rather than unequal pay for equivalent work. It was also noted that female employees constituted the majority of the Council's workforce overall, which had an impact on the figures presented. Members were advised that the presentation of the data would be reviewed to provide greater context and understanding in future reports. · Members also discussed homelessness and socio-economic inequality. Concern was expressed regarding concentrations of homelessness within communities and the wider impact this could have on areas already experiencing deprivation. Officers explained that homelessness services were increasingly focused upon early intervention and prevention measures and that work was continuing to better understand the causes and patterns of homelessness across the county. It was acknowledged that homelessness represented a county-wide challenge and not one affecting only individual communities RESOLVED that Council: I. acknowledged the Strategic Equality and Diversity Group Annual Statement for 2025/26; and II. reaffirmed its commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the Council and to supporting continuous improvement in this area.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Council: I. approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 as recommended by the Senior Leadership Remuneration Panel; and II. confirmed that it had read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment in reaching its decision.
The Lead Member for Finance, Councillor Delyth Jones presented the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 (previously circulated) alongside the Head of Corporate Support Service – People and the HR Services Manager the report had been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011. Members were informed that the statement brought together the Council's existing pay arrangements for all workforce groups, including Chief Officers and the lowest paid employees, and that its purpose was to ensure transparency, fairness and consistency in relation to pay and reward across the organisation. In presenting the report, officers explained that the statement had been updated to reflect nationally agreed pay awards and the latest information regarding pay differentials within the organisation. It was reported that the ratio between the Chief Executive's salary and that of the lowest paid employee currently stood at approximately 6.1:1, which remained significantly below the 20:1 ratio referenced in the Hutton Review of fair pay in the public sector. Members were also advised that the Council remained committed to ensuring that its pay structure met or exceeded the Real Living Wage. Members discussed the following further – · Members sought clarification regarding pay ratios and whether the Council could choose to adopt a lower ratio than the national benchmark. Reference was made to examples of other local authorities which had adopted a 10:1 ratio, and Members queried whether a similar approach could be considered locally. Officers confirmed that the Council was already operating well below both thresholds and advised that it would be within the Council's discretion to adopt a lower ratio should it wish to do so in the future. It was noted, however, that any significant changes to pay arrangements would require formal consideration and approval by Council · Members also raised questions about recruitment and retention challenges across different professional services and whether the Council's pay arrangements were sufficiently competitive to attract and retain suitably qualified staff. Reference was made to specialist roles where recruitment difficulties had been experienced nationally. Members suggested that a more detailed assessment of workforce pressures across individual services could assist in identifying areas of risk. In response, officers advised that such issues were examined through the Council's annual workforce planning process. This included analysis of recruitment and retention trends on a service-by-service basis and consideration of factors contributing to staffing difficulties, including pay, market conditions, skills shortages and wider employment factors. Members were informed that this work had recently been undertaken and would be reported through the appropriate scrutiny arrangements. Officers acknowledged that pay could be a contributing factor in some cases but emphasised that the Council's pay structure and job evaluation arrangements ensured fairness and consistency across the organisation. · The discussion also touched on the Council's commitment to the Real Living Wage. Officers confirmed that, based on current national negotiations, there was no reason to believe that the Council would fall below the Real Living Wage threshold and assured Members that annual reviews would continue to be undertaken to ensure compliance. RESOLVED that Council: I. approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27 as recommended by the Senior Leadership Remuneration Panel; and II. confirmed that it had read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment in reaching its decision.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Councillor Andrea Tomlin be appointed as the County Council representative on the Standards Committee.
The Deputy Monitoring Officer/Head of Corporate Support Services – People presented the Appointment of County Councillor to the Standards Committee report (previously circulated). The report sought the appointment of a County Councillor to fill a vacancy on the Standards Committee arising from the appointment of the Chair of Council, who had consequently stepped down from the Committee. Members were advised that the Standards Committee comprised four independent members, one Community Council representative and two County Councillors. It was further noted that the appointment was not subject to political balance requirements and could therefore be filled by a member from any political group. The Corporate Director: Governance and Business invited any members for nominations for the position within the Standards Committee. Councillor Terry Mendies nominated Councillor Brian Jones, in his supporting statement Councillor Mendies highlighted that Councillor Jones had extensive experience as a County Councillor, together with a significant background in the commercial sector. Councillor Mendies also referred to his willingness to challenge issues and ask detailed questions when carrying out his role as an elected Member. The nomination was seconded by Councillor James Elson. Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts nominated Councillor Andrea Tomlin, with his supporting statement Councillor Hilditch-Roberts referred to her commercial experience, attention to detail and evidence-based approach to decision making. It was argued that these qualities would be valuable in maintaining and promoting high standards of conduct within the authority. The nomination was seconded by Councillor Karen Edwards. As two nominations had been received, the Chair invited Members to vote by way of a show of hands. Following the vote, Councillor Andrea Tomlin received the majority of support and was therefore declared appointed to the Standards Committee. Upon her appointment, Councillor Tomlin thanked Members for the confidence placed in her. She stated that she would approach the role diligently, undertake the necessary preparation and continue to ask appropriate questions where required. She also acknowledged that she had previously attended meetings of the Standards Committee as an observer and therefore understood its role and responsibilities. The Chair congratulated Councillor Tomlin on her appointment and expressed confidence that she would make a valuable contribution to the work of the Committee RESOLVED that Councillor Andrea Tomlin be appointed as the County Council representative on the Standards Committee.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Council approves the Committee Timetable for 2027 (attached as Appendix 1 to the report).
The Democratic Services Manager presented the report seeking Council approval of the draft Committee Timetable for 2027 (previously circulated). A draft timetable was prepared annually for Council to approve, and the report also included an explanation as to how those committees had been scheduled to ensure a viable timetable considering the business needs of the council. Thanks were extended to the Senior Committee Administrator for preparing the scheme which required careful planning. It was recommended that Council approve the timetable which would allow the necessary meeting arrangements to be made. RESOLVED that Council approves the Committee Timetable for 2027 (attached as Appendix 1 to the report).
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Council and Council Workshop forward work programmes be noted. The meeting concluded at 12:15
The Council and Council Workshop forward work programmes were presented for consideration. RESOLVED that Council and Council Workshop forward work programmes be noted. The meeting concluded at 12:15
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