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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 approve the minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting held on 27th April 2026 as an accurate record.
RESOLVED: 1. To note the finalised Audit Wales Report issued to the Council and to seek clarity and further information, as required, from Audit Wales on the content of the report; 2. To note the Council’s response to the recommendations reported by Audit Wales and seek clarity and further information, as required, from the Council; 3. To consider whether there are any matters of a governance, internal control or risk management nature that require further action or attention by the Governance and Audit Committee; and 4. To consider whether there are any matters of a performance nature that require referral to the Council’s Scrutiny Committees.
RESOLVED: 1. To critically review the Annual Governance Statement, suggest any material amendments and recommend its certification by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive for inclusion within the Council's 2025/26 certified draft Statement of Accounts; and 2. In the event that reports from relevant External Inspectors be provided to the Council before the Statement of Accounts are approved, authorise the Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director – Corporate Resources to include reference within the Annual Governance Statement.
RESOLVED: 1. To review the Annual Report and self-assessment and determine whether the Annual Report forms a balanced summary of the work undertaken by the Governance and Audit Committee during 2025/26; 2. To endorse the recommendations to further support the Governance and Audit Committee in the effective discharge of its Terms of Reference and their incorporation into an action plan to enable ongoing monitoring; and 3. To approve the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2025/26 and its presentation to full Council.
RESOLVED: 1. To consider the report and determine whether there are other areas / themes to incorporate within the workplan to support the effective discharge of the Governance and Audit Committee’s responsibilities; and 2. To approve the workplan for delivery during the 2026/27 Municipal Year.
RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of the exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of the Schedule 12A of the Act.
The Director of Legal and Democratic Services welcomed attendees to the Governance and Audit Committee meeting and noted that no apologies for absence had been received. The Director took the opportunity to welcome the new Committee Member, Councillor R Yeo, and thanked former Member, Councillor S Rees, for the valuable contribution made to the work of the Committee.
In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, there were no declarations made pertaining to the agenda.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting held on 27th April 2026 as an accurate record.
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting held on 27th April 2026 as an accurate record.
The Director of Financial Services and Transformation provided the Committee with an update in respect of the Whistle Blowing Annual Report 2025/26 and whether routine drug and alcohol testing is in place. The Director fed back that local arrangements are in place to look for visible indicators and, where the case, appropriate action is taken.
The Director of Legal and Democratic Services sought nominations for the position of Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee, and it was RESOLVED: 1. To appoint Mr Chris Jones as Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee for the 2026-2027 Municipal Year.
The Chair sought nominations for the position of Vice-Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee, and it was RESOLVED: 1. To appoint County Borough Councillor M Maohoub as Vice-Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee for the 2026-2027 Municipal Year.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 1. To note the finalised Audit Wales Report issued to the Council and to seek clarity and further information, as required, from Audit Wales on the content of the report; 2. To note the Council’s response to the recommendations reported by Audit Wales and seek clarity and further information, as required, from the Council; 3. To consider whether there are any matters of a governance, internal control or risk management nature that require further action or attention by the Governance and Audit Committee; and 4. To consider whether there are any matters of a performance nature that require referral to the Council’s Scrutiny Committees.
Audit Wales presented the report, including the purpose and themes identified during the review, and fed back that the audit involved interviews with relevant senior officers and the responsible Cabinet Member and a detailed review of a range of documents. Audit Wales advised that the Council’s Management Response Form had been reviewed and was satisfied that the Council had properly considered the audit findings and recommendations, and the Director of Human Resources added that the Council had worked closely with Audit Wales during the review. The Chair thanked Audit Wales and the Director for their updates and sought questions and comments from the Committee. One Member asked whether the Council has formal arrangements in place in respect of exit interviews and indicated that a lot can be learned from the reasons employees leave the organisation. The Director of Human Resources confirmed that exit interviews are offered to staff across the Council and noted that these are not compulsory and not all staff choose to partake in an exit interview. The Director added that when exit interviews are undertaken, feedback is captured as part of the process to inform on-going arrangements. The Vice-Chair noted that new starter surveys were used in Children’s Services but not for other services and sought clarity on whether there was a specific reason for this. The Director informed the Committee that the starter survey had been introduced as part of a project to support workforce development within Children's Services. The Director stated that its introduction had been successful, in terms of capturing feedback and experiences, to inform the effectiveness of the Service’s recruitment processes. The Director went on to advise that the intention was to utilise the feedback received from the Children’s Services project as part of a wider review of the Council’s recruitment arrangements. Referring to the report and to the Director’s previous answers to questions, one Member noted the management response to Recommendation 1 in terms of a wider recruitment and employment review and sought clarity on its intended outcomes. The Director advised that, alongside the Audit Wales review of recruitment and retention challenges, the Council separately commissioned a review of its recruitment and selection processes and specifically requested the focus to be on diversity and inclusion. It was explained that the intention was to utilise the feedback from both reviews to inform the Council’s wider review into its recruitment and retention processes. The Director added that the intended outcome of this would be to further support inclusive and accessible recruitment arrangements within the Council. The Chair questioned how the Council were dealing with harder to fill posts and the Director advised that the Council had achieved positive results through its Graduate and Apprenticeship Programmes, which had helped with attracting candidates and allowing them to occupy roles that were hard to fill. The Director went on to feedback that the online recruitment system was not accessible for all individuals and, as such, Council officers had worked with other service areas on bespoke programmes to attract workers by using different recruitment models, for example, interviews undertaken at job fairs. The Director also noted that there had been a reduction in turnover rates compared to the previous financial year, this supported by improvements in staff retention overall. The Vice-Chair highlighted the reference in the Audit Wales report on the arrangements to assess value for money and sought clarity on the current position within the Council. The Director spoke of the challenges experienced by local authorities across Wales in identifying an appropriate process to consistently evaluate value for money and it was explained that the Council’s Human Resources Team are currently working with different service areas to address some of the recruitment and retention issues experienced, which in turn will result in time savings for officers. One Member emphasised the importance of the Welsh Language and the ambitious Welsh Government targets for local authorities to deliver. The Member sought clarity on what work was being undertaken to encourage Welsh speakers to apply to work for the Council. In response, the Director spoke of the Council’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Welsh Language speakers and advised that the response had been positive. The Director spoke highly of the work of the Welsh Language Service and of the Welsh Language Cabinet Sub-Committee to support increasing the use of the Welsh Language across the Council and would circulate relevant information on this area. The Governance and Audit Committee RESOLVED: 1. To note the finalised Audit Wales Report issued to the Council and to seek clarity and further information, as required, from Audit Wales on the content of the report; 2. To note the Council’s response to the recommendations reported by Audit Wales and seek clarity and further information, as required, from the Council; 3. To consider whether there are any matters of a governance, internal control or risk management nature that require further action or attention by the Governance and Audit Committee; and 4. To consider whether there are any matters of a performance nature that require referral to the Council’s Scrutiny Committees.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 1. To critically review the Annual Governance Statement, suggest any material amendments and recommend its certification by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive for inclusion within the Council's 2025/26 certified draft Statement of Accounts; and 2. In the event that reports from relevant External Inspectors be provided to the Council before the Statement of Accounts are approved, authorise the Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director – Corporate Resources to include reference within the Annual Governance Statement.
The Director of Financial Services and Transformation provided the Governance and Audit Committee with the Council’s draft 2025/26 Annual Governance Statement. One Member sought clarity around how the information contained within the Annual Governance Statement aligned to the Council’s self-assessment arrangements. The Director confirmed that the governance arrangements set out within the Annual Governance Statement along with the conclusions were consistent with the findings of the Council’s Panel Performance Assessment. The Director also fed back that both the Annual Self-Assessment and the Annual Governance Statement evidenced robust financial and service management arrangements and workforce planning processes. The Vice-Chair noted that the Annual Governance Statement sets out that a new addendum was issued to public sector organisations in respect of undertaking reviews of governance from 2025/26 onwards and sought further information on the main additional requirements that have been included and how the Council’s Annual Governance Statement complies with these requirements. The Director advised that compliance with the addendum was for Annual Governance Statements from 2025/26 and noted that as the addendum had been issued in May 2025, the Council built the requirements into its review of governance arrangements from financial year 2024/25 onwards i.e. a year in advance of the required date. The Director went on to feedback that the addendum requires Annual Governance Statements to include an executive summary and an assessment of the effectiveness of the Council's governance arrangements, these being set out at Sections 5 and 6 of the Council’s Annual Governance Statement. The Chair thanked the officer for the updates and the Governance and Audit Committee RESOLVED: 1. To critically review the Annual Governance Statement, suggest any material amendments and recommend its certification by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive for inclusion within the Council's 2025/26 certified draft Statement of Accounts; and 2. In the event that reports from relevant External Inspectors be provided to the Council before the Statement of Accounts are approved, authorise the Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director – Corporate Resources to include reference within the Annual Governance Statement.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 1. To review the Annual Report and self-assessment and determine whether the Annual Report forms a balanced summary of the work undertaken by the Governance and Audit Committee during 2025/26; 2. To endorse the recommendations to further support the Governance and Audit Committee in the effective discharge of its Terms of Reference and their incorporation into an action plan to enable ongoing monitoring; and 3. To approve the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2025/26 and its presentation to full Council.
The Internal Audit Manager presented the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2025/26 together with a self-assessment against the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) publication ‘Audit Committees - Practical Guidance for Local Authorities & Police 2022 Edition’. The purpose of the annual report was to provide assurance that the Governance and Audit Committee fulfils its purpose and to demonstrate its impact during the previous Municipal Year. The Officer informed the Committee that the report had been based on information reported to the Committee throughout 2025/26 along with a ‘self-assessment’ process undertaken using the checklist set out within the CIPFA Guidance. The outcome of the review process had: · Provided assurance that the targeted programme of work delivered by the Governance and Audit Committee has enabled the Committee to deliver its Terms of Reference and ensure compliance with the CIPFA Guidance; · Demonstrated that the Committee’s work has contributed to the robustness of the Council’s governance, internal control and risk management arrangements; and · Identified a small number of recommendations that will further support the Committee in the effective discharge of its Terms of Reference. One Member noted that, during the 2025-26 Municipal Year, the Committee received and considered the findings from the Panel Performance Assessment and sought clarification on what arrangements had been put in place for the Committee to receive an update of the progress Council services were making to deliver the recommendations. In response, the Service Director confirmed that progress would be monitored in accordance with the Council’s performance management arrangements. The Chair sought clarity around the focus of learning and development for the Committee during the year ahead. The Internal Audit Manager informed the Committee that its focus would be on core functions and responsibilities of the Committee, including, statement of accounts, treasury management, complaints and risk management, these being incorporated into the Committee’s draft 2026/27 work plan that is a separate report on the agenda and subject to the Committee’s approval. The Officer added that the approach to training would be flexible and that any additional training requirements identified, as appropriate, would be facilitated. The Service Director of Audit, Performance and Transformation went on to propose to Members the benefits of receiving an overview of the Council’s performance management framework at a future meeting. The Chair sought Members’ views on this and it was agreed that improving the Committee’s understanding of the Council's performance management arrangements would assist the Committee to effectively discharges its terms of reference. The Governance and Audit Committee RESOLVED: 1. To review the Annual Report and self-assessment and determine whether the Annual Report forms a balanced summary of the work undertaken by the Governance and Audit Committee during 2025/26; 2. To endorse the recommendations to further support the Governance and Audit Committee in the effective discharge of its Terms of Reference and their incorporation into an action plan to enable ongoing monitoring; and 3. To approve the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2025/26 and its presentation to full Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 1. To consider the report and determine whether there are other areas / themes to incorporate within the workplan to support the effective discharge of the Governance and Audit Committee’s responsibilities; and 2. To approve the workplan for delivery during the 2026/27 Municipal Year.
The Internal Audit Manager set out the draft workplan for 2026/27 to support the Committee to effectively discharge its Terms of Reference. Committee Members were informed that the plan is kept under review and should any further areas be identified throughout the year, such as matters recommended by Scrutiny Committees, they would be added to the work plan, as appropriate. The Vice-Chair thanked the officer for the report and spoke positively of the Committee’s ‘deep dives’ into specific risks within the Strategic Risk Register during the previous year. The Vice-Chair asked if this approach would continue and the approach to the selection of risks. The Service Director of Audit, Performance and Transformation informed the Committee that two updates had been included within the draft workplan for Members to receive risk updates from risk owners. The Service Director suggested that the Chair and Vice-Chair meet with officers outside of the meeting to identify the risks to report to the Committee during the Municipal Year. The Chair, Vice-Chair and Members agreed with this approach to the identification of strategic risks that would be subject to more detail review. The Governance and Audit Committee RESOLVED: 1. To consider the report and determine whether there are other areas / themes to incorporate within the workplan to support the effective discharge of the Governance and Audit Committee’s responsibilities; and 2. To approve the workplan for delivery during the 2026/27 Municipal Year.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of the exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of the Schedule 12A of the Act.
It was RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of the exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of the Schedule 12A of the Act.
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