Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted and were noted as documented above.

To receive any declaration of interest from a Member or Officer in respect of any item of business.

No declaration of interest was received.

No urgent matters at the time of dispatch of this agenda.

None to report.

To submit for confirmation, the draft minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 22 May 2025.

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive held on 22 May 2025 were presented for confirmation.

It was resolved that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive held on 22 May 2025 be confirmed as correct.

To submit the report of the Head of Democracy.

The report of the Head of Democracy incorporating the Executive’s Forward Work Programme for the period from July, 2025 to February 2026 was presented for confirmation.

The Head of Democracy updated the Executive on the changes to the Forward Work Programme as follows –

• Quarter 4 2025/26 Capital Budget and HRA Budget monitoring reports have been re-scheduled from June to the July 2025 meeting.
• Treasury Management Annual Review report 2024/25 and end of March 2025 report on the Draft Accounts and Reserves have also been added to the July meeting. A new item for the July meeting not listed on the published Work Programme is the Panel Performance Assessment report.
• The report on the outcome of the consultation on the proposal to relocate Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi learners to a new school building for 11-18 year old learners along with the Modernising Learning Communities documents will be brought forward from the November to the October 2025 meeting.
• For the February 2026 meeting, additions include the budget monitoring reports and the Alcohol and Regulated Entertainment Policy Statement.

It was resolved to confirm the Executive’s updated Forward Work Programme for the period July 2025 to February 2026 with the changes outlined at the meeting.

To submit the report of the Head of Profession, HR and Transformation.

The report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation incorporating the Corporate Scorecard for Quarter 4 2024/25 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business and Customer Experience presented the final corporate scorecard report for 2024/25, noting that that the report had been scrutinised in detail by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee at its meeting the previous week.

He referred to areas which are being actively monitored by the Leadership Team to support future improvement, as outlined in section 2 of the report. These include the number of children undertaking swimming lessons throughout the year (Môn Actif); delivery of disabled facilities grants, re-letting of lettable housing units, uptake of annual mooring contracts, domestic waste recycling rates and the timeliness of responses to FOI requests. He reported a notable improvement in the fourth quarter in relation to the latter, with only 14 out of 260 FOI requests not responded to within the required timeframe.

Councillor Carwyn Jones also highlighted strong performance in several areas, including   support for businesses developing the Welsh Language via the ARFOR programme, an increase of 50,000 in Môn Actif Leisure Centre visits involving physical activity, a reduction in the number of Year 11 pupils leaving school not in employment, education or training (NEET), high tenant satisfaction with responsive repairs, timely determination of planning applications and positive road condition ratings across  categories A,B and C.

He concluded by stating that performance throughout the year had been consistently steady and he emphasised the value of the scorecard in tracking performance.

Councillor Jeff Evans, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee was welcomed to his first meeting of the Executive and was invited to provide feedback from the committee’s 17 June meeting. While the committee noted that 82.5% of the monitored KPIs had met their targets in the fourth quarter, it requested assurance on the underperforming indicators and the Council’s capacity for continuous improvement. The issues raised in discussion had included the re-let times for housing units,  Year 11 school leavers not in education, employment or training, carbon  emissions, pupil exclusions and adult protection enquiry timelines. Having reviewed the corporate scorecard for Quarter 4 and following a full discussion, the committee had resolved to note the report including the areas which the Leadership Team is exploring to secure improvements  and  recommend the scorecard and mitigating measures to the Executive. In addition it was agreed that the draft end-of-period analysis of the “Towards Net Zero Plan 2022-2025” be presented to Scrutiny in the autumn and that the Head of Housing Services and Portfolio Member for Finance and Housing be requested to approach other local authorities, for example, Harlow, Rotherham and North Ayrshire on best practices for reducing  the time taken to re-let lettable units.

The Chair thanked Councillor Jeff Evans for reporting back from the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and for the constructive discussion at the 17 June meeting. Executive members addressed underperforming indicators within their respective portfolios.

Councillor Robin Williams, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Member for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To submit the report of the Head of Profession, HR and Transformation.

The report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation incorporating the Annual Delivery Document for 2025/26 was presented  for the Executive’s consideration and approval.

Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business and Customer Experience presented the document which outlined the planned actions in 2025/26 to drive progress toward achieving the strategic objectives in the Council Plan 2023-2028. These high level actions are designed to ensure the Council fulfils its commitments under each of the Council Plan’s strategic objectives by 2028. The actions are intended to be measurable and include clear targets and milestones wherever possible enabling effective monitoring throughout the year. Progress will be reviewed quarterly by the Improvement and Modernisation Programme Board and reflected in the Annual Performance and Wellbeing Report.

Councillor Jeff Evans, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee shared Scrutiny’s perspective following the discussion at its 17 June meeting. The committee had acknowledged the document’s ambition and had sought reassurance on its achievability, the robustness of the performance management framework supporting delivery, and how progress would be tracked and monitored. Members had requested updates on several areas, including the proposed data and information system for social services, proposed extra care housing development in Menai Bridge, flood management, and support for non-Welsh competitors at the Ynys Môn Urdd Eisteddfod 2026. After reviewing the document and receiving assurances on the issues raised, the Corporate Scrutiny Committee had resolved to recommend the document for the Executive’s approval.

The Chair thanked Scrutiny for the input and he emphasised that the Delivery Document sets out the Council’s aspirations for 2025/26 and contributes to the broader objectives of the Council Plan. It serves as a high level document, supported by detailed service-level strategies approved by the Executive.

It was resolved to adopt the Annual Delivery Document for the purpose of delivery in 2025/26.

To submit the report of the Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer.

The report of the Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer which set out the financial performance of the Council’s services at the end of Quarter 4, 31 March 2025 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor Robin Williams, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Member for Finance and Housing presented the report which projects an overall £3.873m underspend for 2024/25 including Corporate Finance and the Council Tax fund, equating to 2.15% of the Council’s net budget. He reported that the draft outturn position is a marked improvement on the Quarter 3 forecast with the analysis of variances in Table 5 of the report showing a positive movement of £3.11m. The main contributors to the improved position include a £936k underspend in Adult Services  due chiefly to additional grant income, staff vacancies, savings from a new utilities contract and increased income from fees and charges particularly in Highways, Planning and Adult Services.

Councillor Robin Williams noted that changes to eligibility rules for business rates on self-catering accommodation have resulted in many properties reverting to Council Tax thereby increasing the number of properties subject to the second home premium. In anticipation of a large number of potentially successful appeals against these decisions, as well as the  reassessment of properties that meet the new thresholds and return to the business rates register, £900k of surplus funds has been set aside in an earmarked reserve for possible refunds in 2025/26.

The draft outturn position and reported underspend and its impact on the Council’s general balances strengthen the Council’s financial position and will allow greater flexibility when planning the 2026/27 revenue budget. A further report will be presented to the Executive once  the draft Statement of the Accounts for 2024/25 has been completed.

The Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151Officer noted that recent investments in Council buildings aimed at reducing carbon emissions have led to a significant reduction in energy costs in Quarter 4.

Regarding the underspend on the Council’s overall budget for 2024/25, he explained that many of the contributing factors were one-off in nature, such as additional grants unlikely to recur, temporary staff vacancies and increased income driven by heightened demand which may fall back in 2026/27.  He emphasised that the Council’s underlying financial position and  the challenges it faces remain largely unchanged by the developments in 2024/25. The projected budget outturn for 2024/25 will bolster the Council’s general balances, offering  more options when planning the 2026/27 budget but it does not resolve the underlying pressures particularly in Adult and Children’s social care. Children’s Services are projected to report an overspend of £1.948m in 2024/25 despite substantial investment by the Council when setting the budget. Further funding for these services has been included  in the 2025/26 budget with the hope that it will help maintain expenditure within resources. The Council’s general balances have also benefited from additional Welsh Government funding for increased employer contributions for teachers’ pensions along with support for pay,   social services and homelessness pressures. Since provision for pension and staff costs had already  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.