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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED to: 1. Acknowledge the update from the Chair of the PSB of the work undertaken by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB in October 2025 and January 2026 particularly in respect of Improving Community Well-being and Resilience.
RESOLVED to: • Note the supportive resource delivered by the Manager of Co-Production Network for Wales; and • Request that the PSB JOSC establish pre meetings to assist Members with their lines of enquiries.
RESOLVED to: 1. Approve the draft Work Programme for the 2025/26 Municipal Year and beyond to include items as discussed; 2. Agree the calendar of meetings proposed for 2026; and 3. Arrange an ‘in person’ training session to further support the PSB JOSC ahead of the April meeting.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the hybrid meeting of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Services Board, Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
Members noted that, as set out within its terms of reference, their core statutory functions include the Five Ways of Working (as set out on the agenda).
There were no declarations of interest declared pertaining to the agenda:
The minutes of the virtual meeting held on the 3rd October 2025 were approved as an accurate record of the meeting (subject to it being noted that Cllr D Hughes, MTCBC was in attendance).
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: 1. Acknowledge the update from the Chair of the PSB of the work undertaken by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB in October 2025 and January 2026 particularly in respect of Improving Community Well-being and Resilience.
The Chair of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Mr P Mee, presented an update on the work of the PSB over the past two quarters including meetings of the Board held on the 16th October 2025 and 9th January 2026. The Chair referenced the work with Data Cymru which has progressed on the development of the of the data dashboard and website upgrade. He was pleased to report that at the Board meeting in October, Members were complimentary of what was being developed into a live, interactive data source to support the well-being assessment and partner organisations in accessing information they need. He added that further work was agreed to include resident survey data and promotion. The Chair advised that the Board received feedback from the survey undertaken of work across partners In response to the climate change risk assessment noting considerable and positive work being undertaken across the region and how this would feed into the three working groups that are now taking forward the three areas of infrastructure pinch points, post-industrial landscape and climate resilient communities that are being prioritised for the risk assessment. The Chair reported on the update that was received on the children and young people involvement work, and the ongoing efforts to ensure the voice of children and young people are heard across partner organisations and it was agreed that the PSB would continue to support this work. The Chair explained that a detailed update was received from the Regional Safeguarding Board, highlighting the important work of the Board, the implications of the introduction of the SUSR and the need to build capacity to meet growing demand for chairs and reviewers for reviews with PSB members being asked to support this. The Chair confirmed that during the last period he had convened a task and finish group to review the priorities of the PSB and refocus its work on key priorities in support of the PSB well-being objectives. Th in respect of community cohesion given current task and finish group reported to the October meeting where the PSB confirmed their commitment to the current workstreams of Climate Change, Healthy Travel and Food Resilience. Members were also supportive of the continuation of the children and young people network. In addition, the Chair explained that the PSB agreed to receive regular updates from the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) given current concerns and further work is to be undertaken in respect of Health Inequalities. The Chair advised that at the Board in January, the task and finish group reported further on this work, he pointed out that the report he presented to that meeting on improving community well-being and resilience is included within the papers for today’s meeting. The Chair wished to elaborate on the work and he outlined that the report includes details of the WG commitment to Wales becoming a Marmot Nation which refers to the review of health inequalities undertaken by Sir Michael Marmot in 2020 and the principles identified to reduce inequality. WG have approached both RCT and Merthyr Councils to submit an Expression of Interest to be amongst three participants in a Marmot Nation/Health Equity Wales initiative. The Chair explained that the report explores some of the evidence based around health inequalities, referring to the value of early intervention and preventative services, the CMO for Wales annual report and the latest update to the WIMD both published in December 2025. He add that these show some rather worrying trends with healthy life expectancy between the most deprived areas and those least deprived which is of particular concern in Cwm Taf Morgannwg given the number of communities that featured amongst the most deprived in Wales and those with deep rooted deprivation. The Chair advised that there is a huge range of work already underway across the region which is summarised in section 7 of the report, including a range of place based or hyper local initiatives. The role of the community and voluntary sector is discussed and how they are particularly well placed to deliver on this agenda. The report concludes by highlighting the potential for the PSB to provide leadership for this work. Following deliberation, the PSB agreed to support the recommendations and this workstream will now complete the suite of priority areas for the PSB over the coming year. The Chair explained that it is now the intention to pull the various workstreams together into a coherent work plan and programme of delivery which together with the PSB’s strengthened governance arrangements will assist this committee with its work. The Chair reported that at the meeting in January, the PSB also received an update on community cohesion, noting the strategic collaborative agreement developed by the Chief Constable for SWP that has been supported by the local authorities across the force region. Also, a detailed update was received from the regional partnership including an update on the integrated community care service which members of this committee considered in some detail at the last meeting. The Chair confirmed that the CEO of the CCR was also in attendance at the meeting to provide an update on their work and to discuss the potential alignment of agendas in support of promoting economic well-being across the region. Aligned to this item was an update from the three LA’s in respect of UK funding streams including the LGF and Pride of Place initiatives which are now taking shape. In conclusion, the Chair drew members’ attention to the need for the PSB to develop a new well-being assessment for the region for publication in May 2027. The Board received a proposed way forward and timeline for the development of the assessment including more flexibility in its content and focus and the ability for it to be more targeted which was welcomed by the Board. The Chair of the PSB responded to a number of queries, including one around timescales and when outcomes will be available for the JOSC to review. The Chair advised that in respect of work around health inequalities and Pride of Place initiative, the PSB is well placed having a leadership role although recognising it’s a system wide approach. The Chair confirmed that the report is strong in terms of the ‘why’ with a robust evidence base around the PSB prioritising this work with the PSB being well placed having a leadership role in respect of that work. The Chair recognised how vulnerable the community and voluntary groups are at the moment whilst acknowledging how the communities would be worse off without them. The Chair advised that the report points to the ‘what it is’ in terms of a system wide approach, with public sector organisations working alongside the community and voluntary sector to have more influence over tackling the health inequalities. The Chair acknowledged the ‘how’ was a little less clear at the moment hence the recommendations around establishing a working group to take the work forward with next steps including setting the Terms of Reference, scoping the work and agreeing timelines. The Chair hoped to see this piece of work being progressed alongside the other PSB priorities such as the Climate Change, Healthy Travel and Food Resilience. In response to a query regarding the Marmot Health Equity initiative, the Chair explained the intention for Merthyr and RCT to each submit an expression of interest and should either be successful it would be pursued as a CTM approach which was supported in the wider funding discussions. The Chair added that the principal benefits include access to a Board with expertise, access to the Institute for Health, consultancy expert advice and a small amount of funding available to progress the work whilst applying the eight Marmot principles to redesign services to improve health equity. The Chair outlined the key focus of the Pride of Place initiative, which is economic investment and growth but he alluded to the importance of education and employment being fundamental determinants of health which contribute to the wider health and wellbeing agenda. He was sure financial contribution from the initiative would make a significant impact over the period of the programme. The Chair of the PSB JOSC thanked the Chair of the PSB for his detailed update to the Committee and he looked forward to receiving further progress updates in due course. It was RESOLVED to: 1. Acknowledge the update from the Chair of the PSB of the work undertaken by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB in October 2025 and January 2026 particularly in respect of Improving Community Well-being and Resilience.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: • Note the supportive resource delivered by the Manager of Co-Production Network for Wales; and • Request that the PSB JOSC establish pre meetings to assist Members with their lines of enquiries.
Members received the Programme Manager, Co-production Network for Wales who was in attendance to support the Committee in strengthening its scrutiny of the PSB around embedding the Five Ways of Working. Members were asked to indicate, by voting, which Way of Working they felt most confident scrutinising, collaboration (3 votes), integration (1 vote) which suggested a level of confidence in working across partners which can be used when shaping scrutiny questions with potential gaps in the other three ways of working (involvement, long-term thinking, prevention). Whilst discussing practical suggestions for strengthening scrutiny, a number of key themes emerged with a strong emphasis on pre-meeting preparation as a practical mechanism for improving scrutiny quality and consistency. Members prioritised establishing pre-meetings but acknowledged that having clear objectives, a plan and a training programme would also be beneficial. Members felt that having pre meetings would provide a clear steer that respects time constraints that will assist to set out the focus of scrutiny for the upcoming agenda The Service Director, Democratic Services, Welsh Language & Communications confirmed that this mechanism is familiar to RCT Scrutiny members which would bring together Members from all three local authorities. The Programme Manager, Co-production Network for Wales, confirmed that following the meeting she would collate a summary of the responses and discussion for the next steps. It was RESOLVED to: • Note the supportive resource delivered by the Manager of Co-Production Network for Wales; and • Request that the PSB JOSC establish pre meetings to assist Members with their lines of enquiries.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: 1. Approve the draft Work Programme for the 2025/26 Municipal Year and beyond to include items as discussed; 2. Agree the calendar of meetings proposed for 2026; and 3. Arrange an ‘in person’ training session to further support the PSB JOSC ahead of the April meeting.
The Service Director Democratic Services, Welsh Language & Communities alluded to the rationale in delaying the formulation of the work programme to allow the recently appointed Chair of the PSB, Mr Paul Mee to undertake a refresh of the PSB priorities. Ø The Service Director outlined that the work programme for the Municipal Year having been formulated based on legacy items, the priorities and future focus determined by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB (shared through updates to the PSB JOSC and Chair engagement) and through the work programme of the RPB which focusses on strategic planning, effective governance, and active stakeholder engagement to meet community needs, particularly for children and vulnerable populations. Members were invited to propose and provide feedback on potential agenda items, with a focus on maintaining a realistic and achievable programme that delivers clear outcomes. Following the presentation, Members took the opportunity to discuss the work programme particularly through the use and availability of KPI’s in advance of the JOSC meetings which would support measuring performance. The Service Director referred to the work that the Chair of the PSB has recently undertaken in terms of delivering the PSB Well-being Objectives, the intention is that the priorities will be in place with the availability of that information being key to scrutiny undertaking the work. The Service Director added that the PSB is the strategic body responsible for the delivery of the Well-being Plan which form the basis of the overall aim of the JOSC, which is to scrutinise the overall effectiveness of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Services Board and to hold the PSB to account. In addition the Service Director alluded to the work of the RPB which will be there will be significant data sets around the work of the RPB. An additional work programme item was suggested as the ‘Equality of Services across the Region’, to ensure equality and quality is spread across Cwm Taf Morgannwg and to ensure that all initiatives undertaken include the collaboration of all three local authorities and services are delivered jointly. The Chair of the JOSC referred to the excellent piece of work which was presented in October 2025 regarding the Regional Partnership Agreement Integrated Community Care System (ICCS) which had been included on the forward work programme for November 2026. Member welcomed the use of the RCT model for pre meetings whereby Scrutiny Officers supply lines of enquiry in advance of the meeting, to encompass the Five Ways of Working. It was RESOLVED to: 1. Approve the draft Work Programme for the 2025/26 Municipal Year and beyond to include items as discussed; 2. Agree the calendar of meetings proposed for 2026; and 3. Arrange an ‘in person’ training session to further support the PSB JOSC ahead of the April meeting.
The Chair of the PSB JOSC thanked the Chair of the PSB for his update on the PSB priorities and particularly information on the workstream ‘Improving Community Well-being & Resilience’; to Rachel Wolfendale for the timely reminder on how the 5 ways of working can be used in the joint scrutiny as the JOSC works towards its shared goals. The Chair welcomed the positive discussion around the now agreed forward work programme and pre planned meeting dates which he was sure would provide clear priorities, focus and transparency.
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