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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 decision made by the Cabinet Member be referred to Cabinet for reconsideration on the following grounds: (a) For Cabinet and the Senior Leadership Team to have the opportunity to jointly review the decision-making processes related to the Long Course Weekend Host Agreement and identify any appropriate actions that might be taken. (b) For Cabinet to determine whether they wish this Individual Cabinet Member decision to be signed immediately or alternatively be considered in advance of the 2026 event, but after Member engagement and possible review by Overview and Scrutiny. (c) Given the admission of governance failure both in the papers and verbally today by the Head of Law and Governance, the matter be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further investigation.
Councillor Di Clements declared an interest by virtue of many of her family Members taking part in the Long Course Weekend event.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the decision made by the Cabinet Member be referred to Cabinet for reconsideration on the following grounds: (a) For Cabinet and the Senior Leadership Team to have the opportunity to jointly review the decision-making processes related to the Long Course Weekend Host Agreement and identify any appropriate actions that might be taken. (b) For Cabinet to determine whether they wish this Individual Cabinet Member decision to be signed immediately or alternatively be considered in advance of the 2026 event, but after Member engagement and possible review by Overview and Scrutiny. (c) Given the admission of governance failure both in the papers and verbally today by the Head of Law and Governance, the matter be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further investigation.
The Committee considered a report by the Interim Head of Service Infrastructure and Environment relating to the call-in of the retrospective Individual Cabinet Member decision made by the Cabinet Member for Resident’s Services on 22 July 2025 to enter into the Long Course Weekend (LCW) Host Agreement. The decision was called in on 25 July 2025 by Councillor Huw Murphy with the support of Councillors Alec Cormack, Chris Williams, Viv Stoddart, Tim Evans, Vanessa Thomas and Iwan Ward on the grounds that the decision made by Councillor Sinnett did not fully comply with the budget and policy framework and/or other stated reasons and that the matter should be called in for further scrutiny. The Chair invited Councillor Alec Cormack as a signatory to the call-in to present the reasons for calling in the decision made. In addressing the Committee, Councillor Alec Cormack stated that the decision to sign the Host Agreement was fundamentally flawed. He argued that it was contrary to the Cabinet’s original intention, the formal resolution passed in January, and the recorded Minutes of that meeting. He emphasised that Cabinet had clearly intended for the matter to return to Members before any final decision was made, and that this had not occurred. He expressed concern that the Agreement had been signed without the promised engagement with the Members' Event Forum or the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He questioned whether the Cabinet Member had given a personal assurance that consultation would take place prior to signing, and whether that assurance had been honoured. Councillor Cormack stressed that the governance failure was not just procedural but reputational, undermining public trust in the Council’s decision-making. He called for the matter to be referred back to Cabinet for reconsideration, stating that only in a private Cabinet setting could the necessary reflection and learning take place. He concluded by urging the Committee to take action to uphold transparency and accountability. Based on Councillor Cormack’s comments, Councillor John Cole Moved a referral back to Cabinet on the following terms; Seconded by Councillor Chris Williams: That the decision made by the Cabinet Member be referred to Cabinet for reconsideration on the following grounds: a) For Cabinet and the Senior Leadership Team to have the opportunity to jointly review the decision-making processes related to the Long Course Weekend Host Agreement and identify any appropriate actions that might be taken. b) For Cabinet to determine whether they wish this Individual Cabinet Member decision to be signed immediately or alternatively be considered in advance of the 2026 event, but after Member engagement and possible review by Overview and Scrutiny. Councillor Di Clements supported the Motion, citing clarity in the Cabinet Member’s previous statements and the need for proper process. The Chair then invited Councillor Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services to respond to the points made. Councillor Sinnett acknowledged that there had been a misinterpretation of the Cabinet’s January resolution. In response to Councillor Cormack’s concerns, he accepted that the process had not followed the intended governance pathway and apologised for the lack of clarity and Member engagement. He explained that the urgency to sign the Agreement was driven by time pressures and the need to secure arrangements ahead of the 2025 event. He stated that there was no deliberate attempt to bypass scrutiny or mislead Members, and that the decision was made in good faith under difficult circumstances. Councillor Sinnett confirmed that the Host Agreement included clauses allowing for variation and termination, which meant it could be revisited if necessary. He committed to ensuring that future decisions regarding major events would involve proper consultation with Members and supported a review of the Council’s Major Events Strategy to improve transparency and accountability. He also acknowledged the frustration felt by Members and residents over the lack of communication and committed to working with Officers to ensure that lessons were learned and processes improved. Councillor Rhys Jordan supported the referral back to Cabinet and criticised the timing of the agreement being signed the day before the 2025 event and lack of consultation with Members as well as the governance arrangements. That said, he expressed his support for the Agreement which he considered to be a good document. He questioned why Members had not been consulted earlier despite a draft Agreement being available in May. He also expressed concern over public perception, suggesting it appeared the Council was “in the pocket” of the organisers. In response, the Chief Executive acknowledged the concerns raised by Councillor Rhys Jordan regarding the timing and transparency of the Agreement. He explained that the situation was complicated by staff changes and time pressures in the lead-up to the event. He confirmed that a management investigation had already been initiated and largely completed into the decision-making process around the Long Course Weekend Host Agreement. He advised that if any failings at officer level were discovered he would deal with them in accordance with the Authority’s extant procedures. He emphasised that there was no intention by Officers to mislead Members and emphasised that the Agreement was a sound document and entered into in good faith. He committed to a timely review of the Host Agreement and indicated that renegotiation could be considered if necessary. Councillor Carter asked the Cabinet Member to confirm when he had become aware of the need to make an ICM decision on the Agreement. The Cabinet Member responded that he had become aware of the requirement after the event had taken place. Councillor Carter raised concerns about the scrutiny process and legal implications of the Agreement. He specifically asked when Members would be able to review the signed document and whether it had been signed by the appropriate authority. The Head of Law and Governance acknowledged that there had been governance failures and confirmed that the agreement was legally binding and properly sealed. However, she confirmed that there was a break clause if Members had serious concerns, but repudiation would be a breach of the contract. The Chair acknowledged that the Host Agreement itself was not at issue and was a good document, subject to a few typographical errors, but pointed out that the issue was in relation to interpretation of the decision made. Councillor Di Clements asked for assurance that the Major Events Strategy would be reviewed urgently. Councillor Sinnett confirmed that work on the strategy had already begun and would be accelerated. Councillor Rhys Jordan reiterated the need for transparency and learning from governance failures. He proposed a formal referral to the Governance and Audit Committee and stressed that public perception of the Council’s actions was damaging. Councillor Huw Murphy supported the referral and stressed the importance of restoring public trust. He emphasised that the Council must learn from the procedural failures to prevent similar issues in the future. The Chief Executive added that Officer capacity was limited due to restructuring and that any renegotiation of the Agreement would require time. He urged Members to conclude their review in the autumn to allow sufficient time for potential changes before the 2026 event. Councillor Rhys Jordan suggested the following wording be added to the original Motion: given the admission of governance failure both in the papers and verbally today by the Head of Law and Governance, the matter be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further investigation. Councillor John Cole agreed to add this to his original Motion and Councillor Chris Williams concurred with the addition. The Committee was advised that Appendix B1 to the report contained commercially sensitive information in the form of the Host Agreement and to maintain the confidentiality of the document it was recommended that the Committee excludes the public from the meeting in order to discuss the Agreement. Accordingly, Councillor Di Clements Moved that the public be excluded from the meeting; Seconded by Councillor Mark Carter. On a point of order, Councillor Rhys Jordan questioned the need to exclude the public on the basis that he considered there was no need to discuss the Host Agreement. The Head of Law and Governance and Chief Executive reminded the Committee of the requirement to maintain the confidentiality of the document and to convene in private session. The Motion to exclude the public was put to the vote undertaken by way of a roll call and carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, Huw Murphy, Tim Evans, Rhys Jordan, Shon Rees, Viv Stoddart, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams and Anji Tinley [12] There were no votes against the motion or abstentions. At this juncture, the Committee convened in private session and the webcast was paused. The Committee was given the opportunity to ask questions on the confidential Host Agreement. The meeting then resumed in open session. As a final remark, Councillor Cormack clarified that the Cabinet’s resolution had placed a deadline on the organisers, not the Council, and that this distinction was important for public understanding. Councillor Jordan supported Councillor Cormack’s clarification and explained that the organisers had historically announced dates prematurely, frustrating Members and residents. He welcomed the multi-year agreement for its planning benefits but reiterated concerns about governance. The Motion was put to the vote by way of a roll call and was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, Huw Murphy, Tim Evans, Rhys Jordan, Shon Rees, Viv Stoddart, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams and Anji Tinley [12] There were no votes against the motion or abstentions. RESOLVED That the decision made by the Cabinet Member be referred to Cabinet for reconsideration on the following grounds: (a) For Cabinet and the Senior Leadership Team to have the opportunity to jointly review the decision-making processes related to the Long Course Weekend Host Agreement and identify any appropriate actions that might be taken. (b) For Cabinet to determine whether they wish this Individual Cabinet Member decision to be signed immediately or alternatively be considered in advance of the 2026 event, but after Member engagement and possible review by Overview and Scrutiny. (c) Given the admission of governance failure both in the papers and verbally today by the Head of Law and Governance, the matter be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further investigation.
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