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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
This was received from Councillor J. Protheroe (Chair).
RECOMMENDED – T H A T the minutes of the meeting held on 19th November, 2025 be approved as a correct record.
Councillor G.D.D. Carroll declared a personal interest in Agenda Item No. 4 – Quarter 2 Revenue Monitoring 2025/26 (REF) – with regard to school finances, as they were a Local Authority School Governor.
The reference from Cabinet of 20th November, 2025 as contained within the agenda was presented by the Head of Finance / Section 151 Officer. Following presentation of the report, the officer provided the following advice, in response to questions and comments from the Committee: • The current situation regarding school finances was very challenging and it will take several years to fully resolve, particularly given the ten schools with disproportionately large deficits. The immediate priority was to prevent deficits increasing further. • Regarding Social Care, there was volatility surrounding the cost of children’s placements, where a small number of complex cases could have a significant financial impact. • Pressures in street lighting related to energy costs and this remained under continual review. • Governance arrangements on the use of reserves had been increased, with all requests for the use of reserves being approved by SLT. • Over 90% of schools’ spending was around staffing costs, however, reasons behind overspends within schools were varied, and schools which were comparable in terms of factors such as demographics, did not necessarily have similar financial issues. • Requests for additional information regarding the proposals for transformation within school transport services would be forwarded to the relevant officers. • The ‘Amazon translation services’ that the Council proposed to adopt did refer to the same brand as the online retail business Amazon. • Further information could be provided to Committee regarding the RAG rating of impact on residents and how categories were allocated. With no further queries or comments, Committee subsequently: RECOMMENDED – T H A T the Cabinet reference and the report, including the financial measures taken and proposed, be noted. Reason for recommendation Having regard to the contents of both the reference and the report, and to discussions at the meeting.
The reference from Cabinet of 20th November, 2025 as contained within the agenda was presented by the Head of Finance / Section 151 Officer. Following presentation of the report, the Officer provided the following advice in response to comments and questions from the Committee: • There was limited flexibility in the funding allocated to the Capital scheme, with the majority of the funds being allocated only to specific capital projects. • Further information regarding slippage in the Housing Development Scheme could be provided to Committee. • Planning requirements for electric vehicle installations had delayed progress to the Fleet Parking electric vehicle infrastructure project. • Some of the delays associated with the Levelling Up scheme centred around both UK-wide delays and also extensive survey work being conducted on the Mole site. • The Non-Treasury Investment Strategy had been removed from the Programme, as no business case had been identified to date. This could be re-instated in future if needed. • Town names could be added to the location of capital works in future reports, where appropriate. Councillor Franks moved a recommendation to Cabinet expressing dissatisfaction with slippage levels, and recommending that measures be put in place to avoid similar levels of slippage occurring in future years. This was debated but fell when put to a vote, the results of which were 5 votes for the recommendation, 6 votes against and 1 abstention. With no further questions or comments, Committee subsequently: RECOMMENDED – T H A T the Cabinet reference and the Capital Monitoring report be noted. Reason for recommendation Having regard to the contents of both the reference and the report, and to discussions at the meeting.
The reference from Cabinet of 4th December, 2025 as contained within the agenda was presented by the Head of Finance / Section 151 Officer. Following their presentation of the report, the Officer provided the following advice: • Regarding resurfacing of roads, Welsh Government support for financing costs enabled a longer‑term approach. Preventative resurfacing remained more cost‑effective than pothole repairs and was prioritised accordingly. • Footbridge Responsibilities – The officer clarified that responsibility for access around rail infrastructure lay partly with Network Rail. Officers would confirm the exact division of responsibilities and report back. • Welsh‑Medium Secondary Capacity – Officers confirmed that work was underway within Learning and Skills to assess projected demand for Welsh‑medium secondary places. Further detail would be provided to Scrutiny. • Cardiff Capital Region – The officer noted slippage within the CCR capital programme and confirmed that further detail on Vale of Glamorgan contributions and associated benefits was expected and would be shared with Members. • Holm View – The officer noted Committee’s request for further information regarding the business plan for this project. With no further comments or queries, Committee subsequently: RECOMMENDED – T H A T the Cabinet reference and the Draft Capital Investment Strategy 2026/27 and Initial Capital Programme Proposals 206/27 to 2030/31 report be noted. Reason for recommendation Having regard to the contents of both the reference and the report, and to discussions at the meeting.
(Urgent by reason for the matter needing to be considered by Full Council at its meeting on 9th March, 2026) The report was presented by the Operational Manager – Employee Services. Cabinet, on 8th January, 2026 had referred the item to Scrutiny Committee for consideration prior to final consideration and approval by Full Council. Should Resources Scrutiny Committee make no further comments then Cabinet would consider the Pay Policy as agreed and therefore referred to Full Council for consideration. The officer advised the following regarding the report and in response to questions from the Committee: • Spinal Column Point (SCP2) Removal – The Officer confirmed that SCP2 would be removed nationwide from April 2026. All affected staff would move up to SCP3. • Real Living Wage (RLW) Accreditation – The Officer explained the compliance process and confirmed the Council was now one of five accredited RLW Authorities in Wales. The new rate (£13.45) would be implemented from April 2026. • Gender Pay Gap – The Officer clarified that national flat‑rate pay awards had contributed significantly to reducing the gap, as lower‑graded staff received a proportionally higher uplift. • Senior Management Grades (OM1 versus OM2) – The Officer clarified that OM1 roles typically involved wider corporate responsibilities and larger teams, while OM2 roles were more specialist or project‑focused, with narrower managerial scope. With no further comments or queries, Committee subsequently: RECOMMENDED – T H A T as there were no formal comments or recommendations from Resources Scrutiny Committee, the Pay Policy be considered as referred for final consideration and approval by Full Council. Reason for recommendation Having regard to the contents of the item and discussions at the meeting, and to enable efficient reference of the matter to Full Council.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
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