Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair welcomed all those present to this virtual meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee after which formal introductions were made.

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

Councillors Richard Griffiths, Aled Morris Jones, Richard Owain Jones, Dylan Rees, Nicola Roberts, Alun Roberts and Robin Williams (not a member of the Committee) declared a personal but not prejudicial interest with regard to Item 3 on the agenda on the basis of voluntary work which they had variously undertaken during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

To present the minutes of the previous meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on 9 March, 2020.

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on 9 March, 2020 were presented and were confirmed as a correct record.

·        To present the report of the Chief Executive.

·        To present a verbal report by Councillor Dafydd Roberts, Chair of the Finance Scrutiny Panel

The report of the Chief Executive outlining the Council’s response to date to the Covid-19 pandemic in accordance with its responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 in relation to emergency preparation and response co-ordination at local level was presented for the Committee’s consideration.

The Chief Executive introduced the report by emphasising that the response to the pandemic is still ongoing and that the situation can change very quickly and with it the Council’s response to the situation. It is still an uncertain and challenging time for all concerned. Although the Council has been primarily focused on responding to the Covid-19 emergency it has in recent weeks taken a tandem approach in order to plan for recovery and the gradual re-opening of services being mindful of the fact that the situation remains fragile and some distance away from the new normal. The Chief Executive referred to the excellent collaboration seen in Anglesey between all services’ staff, elected members and the Council’s partners within the community and also more broadly at regional and national levels, and she stressed the importance of the continuation of team work if the Covid 19 virus is to be managed and overcome. She further advised that for the purpose of scrutiny, today’s report focused on the following key areas:

-           the effectiveness of the governance structures and  arrangements and internal processes for managing the emergency;

-           the success of the arrangements for safeguarding vulnerable individuals (children, young people and adults);

-           the impact of the pandemic on the Council’s financial position and the mitigation measures put in place for the short and medium term;

-           identifying lessons to be used to inform the Council’s response to the recovery period for the new normal;

-           to assist in the preparation work for any subsequent surge.

The Deputy Chief Executive in guiding the Committee through the report in greater detail referred to the following aspects and confirmed that the Council’s priorities and decision-making has throughout been driven by considerations of safety – both that of staff and the community; of business continuity - in particular front line services; and of new work - much of which was unanticipated but which required the Council to respond and adapt with immediate effect.

•           Governance Arrangements – emergency planning governance arrangements were put in place nationally, regionally and locally to lead the response to the pandemic. At local level the Council established an Emergency Management Response Team (EMRT) to lead the Local Authority’s response to Covid 19 comprising of the Leader, Deputy Leader, Senior Leadership Team and Heads of Service. The EMRT initially met on a daily basis to co-ordinate the Council’s response to the pandemic, and the preparation of daily Situation Reports summarising key issues and risks to inform and escalate matters requiring attention built in assurance to the response. The EMRT’s work streams were centred on community, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), surge planning and excess deaths. The structures and processes established at the outset of the emergency have provided  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To present the report of the Scrutiny Manager.

The Committee’s forward work programme was presented for consideration.

It was resolved –

•           To agree the current version of the forward work programme for 2020/21 subject to the inclusion of the well-being of Council employees and communities, and monitoring of Trace, Track and Protect as priority areas to be revisited in future.

•           To note the progress thus far in implementing the forward work programme.

ACTION: Scrutiny Manager to update the forward work programme accordingly.