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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 16 December 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the report, and confirms the content of the draft Appendices for approval and publication on the Council’s website.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) recommend to Council to extend the existing Corporate Plan to 2028, such the next Corporate Plan runs 2028 – 2033, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix B to the report) as part of its consideration.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the initiation of the re-tender exercise for the Reactive Maintenance Framework, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix A to the report) as part of its consideration.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the recommendation to commence the procurement of a provider(s) as a delivery partner for the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) elements of the Connect to Work Supported Employment Programme (on behalf of the North Wales Local Authorities excluding Ynys Mon); (b) delegates authority to the Head of Housing and Communities Services for awarding the contracts above (SEQF and IPS) subject to consultation with the Section 151 Officer, Monitoring Officer and the relevant Lead Member(s) due to national time pressures to begin the delivery of the programme, and (c) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as part of its consideration. The Leader advised that it was the Head of Housing and Communities last Cabinet meeting before leaving the authority and conveyed best wishes to her for the future and thanked her for all her hard work over the years.
RESOLVED that Cabinet approves and adopts the draft local Code of Corporate Governance attached as Appendix 1 to the report.
RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the impact of the Welsh Government Provisional Settlement 2026/27 in section 4.1 of the report and the updated budget pressures and savings in sections 4.2 and 4.3 of the report.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the principles for funding capital schemes set out within the report, and (b) supports the projects shown in Appendix 2 to the report for inclusion in the 2026/27 Capital Plan and recommends accordingly to full Council.
RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 11.35 am.
There were no apologies.
No declarations of interest had been raised.
No urgent matters had been raised.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 16 December 2025 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the report, and confirms the content of the draft Appendices for approval and publication on the Council’s website.
Councillor Julie Matthews presented the report which provided an update on the Council’s performance against the Corporate Plan during April to September 2025, including Strategic Equality objectives, and the seven governance areas. Due to time pressures the report had been deferred from the last two Cabinet meetings. Cabinet approval of the report appendices was sought which included the six-monthly Performance Update Report (Appendix I), Performance Scorecard (Appendix II), and progress in delivering the Panel Performance Assessment action plan (Appendix III). Attention was also drawn to progress in delivering the nine improvement actions previously identified with one additional action for the Prosperous Board to review the performance management framework for the theme and the application/effectiveness of the utilisation of the wellbeing impact assessment tool in its scope. In response to requests from members a new user-friendly infographic had been provided that visually summarised achievements and challenges from April 2024 – March 2025 (Appendix IV and V). Councillor Matthews thanked officers for their work in producing the documents and recognised the achievements of all teams across the Council. She also thanked Heidi Barton-Price and Emma Horan who had recently left the Strategic Planning Team. The Head of Corporate Support Service: Performance, Digital and Assets and Insight, Strategy and Delivery Manager attended for this item. Cabinet was guided through the detail in the appendices and given a general overview of performance. Highlights included continued progress across social care and mental health, community benefits and carbon reduction. Areas recognised for urgent attention included Economic Development and Education with actions to drive improvement. Cabinet acknowledged the hard work in compiling the documentation and thanked the Lead Member and officers for the detailed overview and key messages arising from the performance reports. Cabinet also welcomed the infographic as a means of providing readily accessible information with further detail in the main report and were keen for it to be shared publicly, and members had also found the scorecard to be an extremely useful guide. Main points of debate included the following – · the Leader referred to his portfolio highlighting the number of indicators over which the Council had little or no influence together with areas when action could be taken locally including procurement and community benefits, and a focus on the new Economic Strategy and Growth Deal projects to drive progress · the infographic included both areas of good performance and challenges facing the Council, with a continuing commitment to improvement; once approved the performance report would be shared in its entirety on the Council’s website and it would also be broken down into segments to be shared in bite sized pieces via social media to provide a useful tool for both members and residents alike · Panel Performance Assessment Action 1 focused on developing the Council’s long-term vision and a report to Council Workshop in July 2025 had detailed the inclusive approach which would be taken forward; there was opportunity for the long-term visioning work to be aligned with the development of the next Corporate Plan with a combined consultation and engagement exercise in that regard to reflect the opportunities and challenges over the next 5-year plan and beyond with a proposed timeline included as part of the next agenda item · there was some debate on the extra £500k allocated to Education in 2025/26 to improve learner wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and support learners in poverty and any impact would be reflected in the Annual Performance Report submitted to Cabinet and Council in July. Attendance fell below the Wales average and was a priority for improvement but it was an improving trend. The Head of Service agreed to ascertain whether any data was available to date on a term by term basis which could be shared with members. Councillor Diane King (Lead Member) reported on the recent £500k investment and package of interventions to target poor performance. Performance Scrutiny Committee would be receiving a report on the impact of that extra funding in June · with regard to GCSE performance Denbighshire had recorded the lowest average Cat 9 score of all Welsh local authorities; it was noted that the Welsh Government had acknowledged the blunt measure of performance and following a review it would be withdrawn after the 2026 GCSE results. Cabinet was keen for such measures to show learner context and progress over time and the Head of Service agreed to raise the matter with the Head of Education, Corporate Director of Education and Lead Member on the impact of the removal of the indicator and review the range of relevant Key Performance Indicators to provide assurance that appropriate measures were in place to assess learner progress and improvement; the Lead Member for Education confirmed that she was working with the Head of Education in that regard. RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the report, and confirms the content of the draft Appendices for approval and publication on the Council’s website.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) recommend to Council to extend the existing Corporate Plan to 2028, such the next Corporate Plan runs 2028 – 2033, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix B to the report) as part of its consideration.
Councillor Julie Matthews presented the report on the proposal to extend the period of the Corporate Plan by a year to 2028 thereby changing the timing of the next Corporate Plan to run 2028 to 2033 and to recommend the proposal to Council. Some background was provided on the legislative requirements and process for producing a Corporate Plan, Wellbeing Objectives and Strategic Equalities Plan. Given lessons learned following the last council election and challenges midway through the development of the Corporate Plan, and taking into account the approaches of other local authorities, it was proposed to extend the delivery period of the current Corporate Plan by one year to 2028 in order to enable the next new Council in May 2027 to develop their own Corporate Plan, building on preparation work undertaken ahead of the election. The new Corporate Plan, Wellbeing Plan and Strategic Equalities Plan would then be a 5-year plan running from 2028 – 2033. Consultations had been carried out with the Senior Leadership Team, Cabinet and Council informally who had indicated support for the proposal. Officers reported on the process including plans to complete the required Wellbeing Impact Assessment collaboratively with Conwy and Denbighshire Public Services Board to provide a solid foundation to build the next Corporate Plan. Attention was also drawn to the Wellbeing Impact Assessment appended to the report and whilst extending the timeline raised risks of delays in updating priorities and/or ways of working most risks were mitigated by ongoing delivery of more detailed strategies. If Cabinet approved the proposal it would go to Council on 27 January to consider. Cabinet was supportive of the proposal and welcomed the opportunity for the newly elected Council and Cabinet to develop their own 5-year plan rather than looking to revise a draft Corporate Plan, particularly given the challenges of developing a new Corporate Plan during an election period and the uncertainty and potential change in priorities that could be put forward mid-way through its development. It was also noted that Denbighshire was in the minority in terms of the existing Corporate Plan periods compared to local elections and other authorities. Cabinet agreed that the proposal should go forward to full Council for consideration. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) recommend to Council to extend the existing Corporate Plan to 2028, such the next Corporate Plan runs 2028 – 2033, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix B to the report) as part of its consideration.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the initiation of the re-tender exercise for the Reactive Maintenance Framework, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix A to the report) as part of its consideration.
Councillor Julie Matthews presented the report seeking Cabinet approval of the re-tendering of the Council’s Reactive Maintenance Framework which expired in July 2026. A new tender process would need to start no later than February 2026. The Council’s Property Maintenance Team provided a responsive repair service for schools and other council buildings ensuring issues were addressed quickly and safely. Repairs were carried out by approved contractors, selected through a fair process that considered cost, quality, and specialist skills. The current framework was due for re-tendering and was expected to be awarded on a two-year contract with the option to extend on a 1 plus 1 basis, totalling a potential 4-year contract. The annual spend on repairs and maintenance was circa £2m per annum totalling £8m over the life of the framework. Re-tendering the framework would ensure the Council achieved best value from its maintenance contractors and ensure continuity of service. Attention was also drawn to key points arising from the Wellbeing Impact Assessment. The Head of Corporate Support Servies: Performance, Digital and Assets added that Cabinet approval was required due to the value of the tender, and the outcome would be reported back to Cabinet in June/July. She explained the scope of the framework and type of work carried out to enable a timely response to maintenance works. Cabinet discussed the benefits of the framework, including the use of local contractors, and raised questions around capacity, competitive pricing and performance management. Officers advised that the framework lotting strategy aimed to strengthen capacity and supported local contractors to bid for a place on the framework which in turn would create opportunities and investment locally. The price model included an hourly rate which would form part of the evaluation process and fixed at the start of the contract and productivity would be closely monitored to ensure value for money. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the initiation of the re-tender exercise for the Reactive Maintenance Framework, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Wellbeing Impact Assessment (Appendix A to the report) as part of its consideration.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the recommendation to commence the procurement of a provider(s) as a delivery partner for the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) elements of the Connect to Work Supported Employment Programme (on behalf of the North Wales Local Authorities excluding Ynys Mon); (b) delegates authority to the Head of Housing and Communities Services for awarding the contracts above (SEQF and IPS) subject to consultation with the Section 151 Officer, Monitoring Officer and the relevant Lead Member(s) due to national time pressures to begin the delivery of the programme, and (c) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as part of its consideration. The Leader advised that it was the Head of Housing and Communities last Cabinet meeting before leaving the authority and conveyed best wishes to her for the future and thanked her for all her hard work over the years.
Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader presented the report seeking Cabinet approval to commence the procurement to appoint delivery partners to deliver part of the Connect to Work Supported Employment Programme across North Wales and to delegate authority to the Head of Service for awarding the contracts. Connect to Work funding would help disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment, to find sustainable work. The programme would be delivered via a dual model approach: Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) or Individual Placement and Support (IPS). The report detailed the intended commissioning work to be undertaken by Denbighshire County Council leading as the Accountable Body on behalf of the North Wales local authorities (excluding Ynys Mon) to appoint delivery partners to deliver the SEQF and IPS elements of the programme. The services being procured were fully funded by grants as detailed within the report together with the governance arrangements. The Head of Housing and Communities and Working Denbighshire Regional Programme Manager attended for this item. The Head of Service provided some background to the UK wide programme and proposal for Denbighshire to lead on the procurement of specialist support to be able to deliver the programme across the region and the procurement requirements for each local authority. Given the tight timescales Cabinet was asked to delegate authority for the final commission to the Head of Service and the report outlined the risks and mitigations in place. Cabinet considered and discussed the report with officers, and questions were raised regarding the evaluation process, Denbighshire’s lead role and capacity to deliver the programme, performance management going forward and funding requirements. In response to Cabinet’s questions officers advised that – · there had been two early market engagement sessions held with potential providers which had helped shape the procurement documentation · providers familiar with working with the relevant cohort of people and who had delivered supported employment in the past would be sought and the lots had been structured in such a way as to encourage participation of local providers · the services being procured for the programme were fully grant funded through the Department of Work and Pensions and a percentage management fee across the four years of the programme had been agreed to fund a Programme Manager and a Quality Compliance and Performance Regional Lead with quality of delivery and performance management key areas of the programme · details of the governance arrangements for the programme had been included in the report and were further elaborated on at the meeting; as the Accountable Body Denbighshire would oversee performance, training, communications, quality, risk and financial management but each local authority would have responsibility for monitoring their own performance and delivery and to feedback · budgets were tight and spend per individual low compared with other employability models so much work was being done to maximise that spend. The Leader thanked officers for the work carried out on the programme. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the recommendation to commence the procurement of a provider(s) as a delivery partner for the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) elements of the Connect to Work Supported Employment Programme (on behalf of the North Wales Local Authorities excluding Ynys Mon); (b) delegates authority to the Head of Housing and Communities Services for awarding the contracts above (SEQF and IPS) subject to consultation with the Section 151 Officer, Monitoring Officer and the relevant Lead Member(s) due to national time pressures to begin the delivery of the programme, and (c) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as part of its consideration. The Leader advised that it was the Head of Housing and Communities last Cabinet meeting before leaving the authority and conveyed best wishes to her for the future and thanked her for all her hard work over the years.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet approves and adopts the draft local Code of Corporate Governance attached as Appendix 1 to the report.
The Leader welcomed to the meeting David Stewart, Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee who was in attendance for this item. Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader presented the report seeking Cabinet’s adoption of the draft local Code of Corporate Governance. The Council was responsible for a wide range of functions and must conduct its business in accordance with the law and to proper standards with appropriate controls in place. The Council regularly reviewed its governance arrangements and had received a very positive Peer Panel Assessment report. The draft Code had been based on the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) guidance, centred on seven core principles to underpin the governance arrangements of all public sector bodies, and set out how the Council adhered to those core principles. The Council’s culture was another important element to ensure effective governance. Once the draft Code was approved work would be done to its layout and design to make it as accessible as possible before it was published on the Council’s website. The Corporate Director: Governance and Business guided Cabinet through the report detail and appendices. The Governance and Audit Committee (GAC) had suggested a minor amendment (included in the final draft) and recommended its adoption. The Chair of the GAC thanked the Corporate Director for his work on the draft Code and highlighted the benefits of the document to ensure a common understanding of governance, its importance and what was involved, and demonstrated the Council’s commitment in that regard together with its usefulness to account against when compiling the Annual Governance Statement. Cabinet highlighted the vital importance of good governance and welcomed the draft Code as a useful tool in maintaining high standards of good corporate governance. In response to questions the Corporate Director confirmed the intention to review the Code on an annual basis when preparing the Annual Governance Statement. If it was deemed that changes were required, they would be submitted to the GAC for consideration prior to Cabinet. If no changes were required that would be reported with the Annual Governance Statement to GAC. Councillor Bobby Feeley advised that GAC’s Independent Lay Member Nigel Rudd had been appointed Chair of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee’s GAC. RESOLVED that Cabinet approves and adopts the draft local Code of Corporate Governance attached as Appendix 1 to the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the impact of the Welsh Government Provisional Settlement 2026/27 in section 4.1 of the report and the updated budget pressures and savings in sections 4.2 and 4.3 of the report.
Councillor Delyth Jones presented the report updating Cabinet on the Welsh Government’s Provisional Funding Settlement for Local Government 2026/27 and its implications for setting a balanced budget for 2026/27. In brief, the Council’s provisional funding settlement from Welsh Government (WG) in November 2025 resulted in a headline increase of 2.7% compared to 2025/26. The WG had allocated additional in year funding for teaching and non-teaching pay awards and the increase in the employer’s national insurance contributions which had been amalgamated into the base budget, and the true increase was 5%. In December 2025 the WG announced a budget agreement with Plaid Cymru which resulted in a further increase in the expected settlement to an overall increase of £14.686m or 6.8%. Budget pressures amounting to £21.011m had been highlighted in the 2026/27 budget. Whilst the increase in settlement was welcomed it would not fund all the budget pressures which still required a combination of savings and increases in Council Tax to set a balanced budget. Given the ongoing work to deliver savings and the development of a more transformational approach proposals to reduce costs of circa £3.1m did not include reduced services. The Head of Finance and Audit added that the final budget settlement would be published later that day and reiterated that whilst the increase was positive it did not cover all pressures and there was no indication as to the settlement in future years. Attention was drawn to a £1.7m pressure for Additional Learning Needs which had been included for the first time. The proposals under consideration to achieve a balanced budget had been attached to the report and did not include cuts or reductions to services but focused on efficiencies and transformation projects. It was stressed that the budget was a continual process and there was a need to take a medium-term view. Both Governance and Audit and Performance Scrutiny Committees would be receiving the same report details and feedback would be brought back to Cabinet. Future budget activity in February included a Members Budget Briefing and budget reports to Cabinet and then to Council to set a balanced budget and council tax levels for 2026/27. The Leader thanked the Lead Member and Head of Service for the overview of the current position. Councillor Diane King welcomed the increased settlement but highlighted the considerable pressure on the Education Budget, specifically the increasing number of pupils with Additional Learning Needs and in poverty. The funding formula was based on need and used a number of underlying data sets, one of which was pupils eligible for free school meals which had increased for Denbighshire in the latest data set reflecting the increased pressures in that regard. RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the impact of the Welsh Government Provisional Settlement 2026/27 in section 4.1 of the report and the updated budget pressures and savings in sections 4.2 and 4.3 of the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the principles for funding capital schemes set out within the report, and (b) supports the projects shown in Appendix 2 to the report for inclusion in the 2026/27 Capital Plan and recommends accordingly to full Council.
Councillor Delyth Jones presented the report seeking Cabinet’s support of projects identified for inclusion in the 2026/27 Capital Plan, as recommended by the Capital Scrutiny Group, for submission to full Council for consideration and approval. Cabinet was reminded of the agreed principles for funding capital schemes set out in response to the financial challenges facing the Council, limited capital resources, and the need to limit the impact of the Capital Plan on the revenue budget. Details of the work of the Capital Scrutiny Group (CSG) in reviewing the allocations presented by services in line with the agreed principles were provided together with the CSG’s recommendations and reasons for supporting specific projects. The total block allocations (£7.790m) remained slightly above the provisional Welsh Government funding level (£7.038m) as it was recognised that following reductions to the allocations over the last two years, they could not be reduced further without the risk of assets not being maintained to required standards. Therefore, £0.752m of Council funding was required and it was proposed to fund £0.250m from prudential borrowing and £0.502 from capital receipts. The Head of Finance and Audit gave examples of capital schemes funded by the block allocation, detailed the financial position and drew attention to the appendices which covered the rationale for the allocations and recommended funding source. The Leader confirmed the block allocations had been reviewed by CSG and had gone through the democratic process with a final decision to be made by Council. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the principles for funding capital schemes set out within the report, and (b) supports the projects shown in Appendix 2 to the report for inclusion in the 2026/27 Capital Plan and recommends accordingly to full Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 11.35 am.
The Cabinet forward work programme was presented for consideration and members noted the following amendments – · Extension of Dynamic Purchasing Agreement for school transport contracts – added to February · Mental Health Supported Housing Project – removed from March and June · North Wales Regional Collaboration Agreement for the Supported Living Agreement and the Pre-Placement Agreement – added to March RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 11.35 am.
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