Agenda and minutes

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

No declaration of interest was received.

To present the minutes of the previous meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on 19 November 2024.

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on 19 November, 2024 were presented and were confirmed as correct and progress against the actions agreed at the meeting was noted.

To present the report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation.

The report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation which provided an update on progress in implementing the improvement actions identified in the Self-Assessment Report for 2023/24 was presented for the committee’s consideration.

The report was presented by Councillor Gary Pritchard, Leader of the Council who confirmed that from the actions in the six areas identified as providing opportunities for improvement and monitoring from the 2023/24 Corporate Self-Assessment Report only two are behind schedule with all others either completed or on track to be completed. The March 2025 timescale for the publication of a new smallholding asset management strategy has slipped with it being recommended that a cross party task and finish group is established to progress the strategy while work on rationalising council assets is ongoing including the adoption of a new computer aided facilities management system, empty/surplus buildings processes in place and disposals accelerated as well as the development of a more complete asset data set to support decision-making.

In response to a question about the revised timescale for the production of a new smallholding asset management strategy the committee was advised that a revised draft strategy had been prepared to replace the strategy that was in place until 2021 but its approval through the democratic process was paused due to the local government election in 2022. Should the task and finish group when operational decide to support the existing draft strategy with minimal amendment then it is possible that the strategy can be finalised within a few months. More substantial changes or a change of direction/approach would have to be consulted upon necessitating further work and a longer timescale. The Chief Executive confirmed that the Political Group Leaders had been asked to submit nominations for membership of the Task and Finish Group.

Reference was made to area six on the update report which sets out specific actions to address identified workforce planning challenges and a request was made for an update and overview of the current situation within the Council generally with regard to staff recruitment and retention and whether the Council has plans either singly or in collaboration with partners and local educational establishments to ensure it can meet future staffing requirements.

The Chief Executive advised that the Council’s staffing situation is at present stable. The Council is able to attract and retain good staff and can provide its staff with experiences and career progression. There is some concern regarding single points of failure within the system where the absence or loss of an individual with specific expertise and knowledge in a particular area has wider implications for the Council as a whole in terms of maintaining the level of service. While Service Heads are aware of the importance of workforce planning within their services there is more the Council can do as an organisation to raise its profile as an employer and to emphasise what it can offer prospective employees in terms of work flexibility, training, and growth opportunities. Welsh Government’s new education strategic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To present the NWC-REPS annual report for 2023/24..

The annual report for 2023/24 of the North Wales Councils Regional Emergency Planning Service (NWC-REPS) was presented for the committee’s consideration.

The annual report was introduced by Councillor Gary Pritchard, Leader of the Council as providing an overview of the service’s activity during 2023/24. The Council has emergency planning and response duties under the relevant legislation and regulations and is a principal responder. The Council meets its obligations by collaborating with the North Wales local authorities through the North Wales Councils Regional Emergency Planning Service for which Flintshire County Council is the host authority. The report summarises both regional activity during the year with regard to incident management and emergency response as well as activity within the six North Wales local authorities individually. Councillor Garry Pritchard thanked all staff who had been involved in the work carried out during the year and praised the collaboration as a valued partnership.

The Regional Manager for the North Wales Councils Regional Emergency Planning Service was invited to comment and she highlighted the regional service as the only one of its kind in Wales saying that since its establishment the service had made significant savings for the six local authorities in North Wales, reduced duplication and ensured the availability of increased resources for the local authorities.

In scrutinising the annual report the following matters were discussed by the committee –

·         Noting recent issues in relation to bridge closures on Anglesey and noting also that the only contingency plan for both bridges closing simultaneously was dated 2011 the committee sought assurances regarding progress with updating the document and taking the matter forward.

The Emergency Planning Officer confirmed that since the last report to Scrutiny the Chief Executive had raised the issue with the Local Resilience Forum in a letter to the Chair of the Forum and a task and finish group was established to examine the issue. He confirmed that the 2011 document listed each agency’s responsibilities in the event of both bridges closing simultaneously and needed to be updated to reflect current arrangements and ensure all relevant agencies are included and had an input. The updated document was tested in an exercise held in November 2024 in the Business Centre in Llangefni and the issues and options with responding to both bridges closing were discussed including ensuring passage for emergency vehicles. North Wales Police have been investigating options for HGV stacking with Welsh Government also providing an input on this matter.

The Chief Executive said that a great deal of work had been achieved in a short timescale and while the emergency response would now be more robust than it would have been a year ago, further work needs to be done particularly with regard to the unresolved issue of HGV stacking. The only existing HGV stacking plan dates back to Brexit and its main elements would take two weeks to put in place which is not ideal in a crisis. While it is frustrating that a reasonable up to date plan has not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To present the report of the Scrutiny Manager.

The report of the Scrutiny Manager incorporating the Committee’s Forward Work Programme to April, 2025 was presented for consideration.

It was resolved –

• To agree the current version of the Forward Work Programme for 2024/25.
• To note the progress thus far in implementing the Forward Work Programme.