Agenda item

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

The report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation incorporating the Annual Performance Report for the Council for 2020/21 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor Dafydd Rhys Thomas, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business reported that the Annual Performance Report provides an evaluation of how well the Council delivered against its three key well-being objectives during 2020/21 as reflected in the performance indicators data and analysis contained therein in what was a very challenging year dominated by the global pandemic. Although the Council’s main aim had been to keep its workforce and the people of Anglesey safe and well during this difficult time and to ensure that statutory services were maintained and the specific actions taken to this end are elaborated upon in the report, the Council also succeeded in making progress in a number of areas across services taking planned initiatives and projects forward as described in the narrative sections of the report. That the Council has achieved as much as it did is due to the tireless efforts and hard work of its staff, partners and those contracted to undertake work for it, and whilst it is encouraging to note the progress of the vaccine booster programme it is expected that the Council will still face further challenges as it enters the traditionally difficult winter period.

The Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation confirmed that the Council is statutorily required to publish an Annual Performance Report by the end of October each year with 2020/21 being the final year in which this requirement applies with new performance reporting arrangements being introduced under the provisions of the Local Government and Elections Wales Act 2021. Whilst it had been a challenging task to try to capture the breadth of activity that has taken in place in an extraordinary year it is hoped the annual report provides a fair reflection of performance over the period.

Councillor Aled Morris Jones, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee reported from the Committee’s 18 October, 2021 meeting to which the Annual Performance Report for 2020/21 was presented and where the contribution of staff both towards the pandemic effort and towards ensuring the continuation of essential services at a very difficult time was acknowledged with gratitude. In considering the report the Committee had expressed some concern regarding the increased Covid rate on Anglesey and more widely in Wales; the Committee had specifically wanted to know how the ongoing pandemic had affected the business sector and had requested information regarding the number of businesses on Anglesey that had come to an end as a result. The Committee had recommended the report for the Executive’s approval and subsequent publication by the 31 October deadline.

Councillor R. Meirion Jones, Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Youth and Culture drew attention to an amendment to the final paragraph of the Education and Skills section of the Annual Performance Report at page 14 where it refers to all school buildings as having been closed for the first part of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic which is not what happened in practice; the sentence as amended which will be reflected in the version to be put to Full Council on 26 October, 2021 will read to the effect of -  during the first part of the year schools were operating under emergency conditions because of the Coronavirus pandemic. They provided care centres for vulnerable children and the children of key workers, and prepared online lessons and activities for all students to undertake at home.

With reference to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee’s request for data on business closures the Chief Executive clarified that an e-mail had been circulated to the Committee’s members to explain that the most recent data which is provided by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) was released in November, 2020 and relates to changes that took place in 2019.  Information with regard to the pandemic period has not yet been collated and released and whilst the ONS has not indicated when the data for 2020 will be made available, once the figures are issued they will be shared with elected members.

It was resolved to recommend to the Isle of Anglesey County Council that the 2020/21 Performance Report is an accurate reflection of the Authority’s work over the period and that it should be published by the statutory 31 October deadline.