Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Bethan Adams 01286 679020
No. | Item |
---|---|
APOLOGIES To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Councillors John Brynmor Hughes, Charles Wyn Jones and W. Gareth Roberts (Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being). |
|
DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: Councillor Berwyn
Parry Jones declared a personal interest in item 13 on the agenda -
Non-Domestic Rates - Discretionary Relief, as he was a member of the Board of
Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd. The member was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item. |
|
URGENT ITEMS To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman so they may be considered. |
|
The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee, held on 28 September 2017, be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee, held on 28 September 2017, as a true record. |
|
DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY SAFEGUARDS (DoLS) ARRANGEMENTS PDF 103 KB To submit the report of the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being. Minutes: It was noted in accordance with the Committee's decision at its meeting
on 28 September 2017, the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being was present to
discuss DoLS arrangements. The Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department noted that the
Senior Enablement Manager had intended to attend the meeting but she was giving
a presentation to Vaughan Gething AM, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social
Services, on the integration work with health at Ysbyty Alltwen. The Head of
Adults, Health and Well-being noted that he was giving the Committee assurance
that the Department was taking this matter seriously and was committing the
staffing resources that could be contributed towards the work. He explained
that responding to the workload arising from DoLS assessments was challenging
and that the Government may have sensed that the arrangements were more onerous
than what was originally intended. He noted that moving to work within five
Well-being Areas had impacted the delivery of the assessments. It was confirmed
that arrangements were in place to release officers who held the Best
Interest Assessors (BIA) accreditation for a day each month to carry out
one assessment. It was noted that the waiting list for an assessment was
gradually reducing, but that officers had to respond to emergency cases and
there were many occasions where there was a need to revisit after carrying out
a basic assessment. Attention was drawn to the fact that the possible impact of prioritising
this work over other elements of the Department's daily work needed to be
considered. It was emphasised that staffing arrangements and capacity in the
Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Team were in place and that he was confident
that the work’s momentum would increase to seek to reduce the waiting list. During the ensuing
discussion, the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department responded to
the members' enquiries as follows: ·
Information could be shared on the performance of
completing DoLS assessments at the end of Quarter 3 with members of the
Committee; ·
Although 29 of the Department's staff had qualified
as BIA officers, there was long-term sickness absence, part-time work
agreements, maternity leave and appointments to other posts which meant that
there were approximately 20 officers who were available to complete
assessments; ·
There was a full complement of staff at the
Safeguarding Unit and it would be possible to assess whether the current
assessments had been successful within approximately six months; ·
The situation in terms of a waiting list for DoLS
assessments was commonplace amongst councils across Wales. Some councils had
committed new resources in order to significantly bring down their waiting
lists. · Focusing resources on reducing the waiting list could impact somewhat on the timetable of integrating services with health. There was a long waiting list for services in South Meirionnydd and it was difficult to recruit qualified care staff. Changing the timetable could have an impact therefore there was a need to a strike a balance. It was accepted that the number on the waiting list for DoLS assessments ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
|
REPORT OF THE CONTROLS IMPROVEMENT WORKING GROUP PDF 171 KB To submit the report of the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee outlining the feedback from the meeting of the Working Group on 23 October 2017. Minutes: Submitted – the
report of the Vice-Chair of the Committee on a meeting of the above-mentioned
working group held on 23 October 2017 to consider the 'Plas
Maesincla' audit that had received a category B
rating along with audits that received a category C rating, namely- a) Tan y Marian b) Plas Ogwen. Officers had been
invited to attend the meeting to discuss the matters that had arisen from the
audits and the work undertaken since the audit reports had been published in
order to reinforce the internal controls in question. It was reported
that in accordance with the Committee's decision at a meeting on 28 September,
the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being and the Head of the
Adults, Health and Well-being Department had attended the Working Group meeting
to consider the themes that were often highlighted in Residential Homes'
audits. A member referred to paragraph 2.7.9 of
the report - "The Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department
expressed that 7 of 11 Gwynedd Council homes had received observations or
recommendations by CSSIW in terms of staffing levels. 2 of the 7 are a lack of
compliance. It is expected that 10 of 11 will receive observations on their
staffing levels - the only exception is Plas Maesincla." It was asked what would be done to respond
to this. In response, the
Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department noted that more reports had
been received from the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). He
referred to one residential home that complied with the requirements in terms
of staffing levels because beds were kept empty. He explained that staff
maternity leave and the density of the needs of two individuals meant that the
beds needed to be kept empty in order to comply in terms of staffing levels. He
noted that one other residential home had made changes to deal with matters
arising from a CSSIW audit and this inevitably leads to an overspend. The Head of
Department elaborated that he had attended the Cabinet meeting on 21 November
2017 to discuss the Department's overspend. He noted that the staffing rota at
residential homes had not evolved to respond to the increasing number of
individuals coming to residential homes with profound needs. He explained that
internal audit work raised matters that needed to be addressed, which was a
good thing in order to be able to respond and ensure the quality of the
service. He noted that there was a need to change medication arrangements at
the residential homes and that a bid was currently going through the bidding
process in terms of increasing the rota. It was confirmed that more resources
would be placed in some residential homes in order to respond to specific
problems, and decisions would have to be made with Managers and Deputy Managers
prioritising work on the floor of the homes, rather than completing
administrative work but this could lead to criticism by external auditors. In response ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
|
INTERNAL AUDIT OUTPUT 16/9/17 - 17/11/17 PDF 235 KB To submit the report of the Audit Manager. Minutes: Submitted - the
report of the Audit Manager outlining the Internal Audit section’s work for the
period. It was noted that 15 reports on audits from
the action plan and one grant audit had been completed. Reference was made to the follow-up work. It was
noted on 17 November 2017 that acceptable action had been taken on
46.34% of the agreed steps, i.e. 95 out of 205. Thus far, updates had only been requested for 112 of the agreed actions, and
there had been acceptable action on 95 of them, namely 84.8%. Each individual report was considered and,
during the discussion, reference was made to the following matters – Health and Safety - Ysgol Dyffryn Ardudwy A member noted that the Headteacher possibly
did not understand the importance of health and safety matters and that he
needed support. A member referred
to the Health and Safety inspections of other primary schools, noting that they
highlighted a lack of knowledge by Headteachers
across the schools in terms of health and safety arrangements. A member enquired
about who was responsible for checking that Health and Safety arrangements were
in place. In response, the Audit Manager noted that the Council's Property Unit
had a role to play in terms of asbestos arrangements and that the schools'
governing bodies had a role to ensure that arrangements were in place. In response to a
member's observation about the fact that the Headteachers
of primary schools had not received IOSH Managing Safely training, the Audit
Manager noted that arrangements were in place for Headteachers
to attend the training. In response to a
member’s question, the Audit Manager noted that specific templates were
available for schools in terms of undertaking risk assessments, and support was
available from a Health and Safety Officer in the Education Department in
addition to an officer in the Corporate Support Department. RESOLVED: (i) to accept the report on
the work of Internal Audit for the period of 16 September 2017 to 17 November
2017 and to support the agreed actions that have already been submitted to the
managers of the relevant services; (ii)
that the Chair and Vice-chair of the committee,
Councillors Berwyn Parry Jones and Huw G. Wyn Jones along with Sharon Warnes to
serve on the Working Group to consider the audits that have received opinion
category 'C'; (iii) that it was the
responsibility of any member unable to attend the Working Group to arrange a
substitute. |
|
INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN 2017/18 PDF 581 KB To submit the report of the Audit Manager on the progress made on the 2017/18 Internal Audit Plan. Minutes: The report of the
Audit Manager was submitted, providing an update on
the current situation in terms of completing the 2017/18 internal audit plan. It was reported that the Internal Audit Unit, up to 17 November
2017, had completed 43.07% of the plan, and that 28 of the 65 audits in the
2017/18 plan had been released in a finalised version. The Audit Manager noted
that she was confident that the target for quarter 3 would be
reached. Attention was drawn to amendments made
to the Plan. RESOLVED to accept and note the contents of the report as an update of progress against the 2017/18 audit plan. |
|
REVENUE BUDGET 2017/18 - SECOND QUARTER REVIEW PDF 190 KB To submit the report of the Head of Finance. Additional documents:
Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Head of Finance Department noting, in
accordance with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011,
that the Audit and Governance Committee was expected to scrutinise some
financial matters including budget monitoring reports,
where appropriate. The Cabinet Member
for Finance set out the context and elaborated on the content of the report
submitted to the Cabinet on 21 November 2017. He noted that there was close
collaboration between the Finance Department and the Departments in order to
ensure robust management. He explained that the relevant Cabinet Members and
the Heads of Departments who were overspending were present at the Cabinet
meeting to discuss the situation. He provided details on the content of the
minutes of the Cabinet meeting which were shared with
the members at the meeting. During the ensuing
discussion, officers and the Cabinet Member responded to members' enquiries as
follows: ·
The member would have to contact the Head of
Highways and Municipal Department to receive confirmation of the percentage
received when selling recycling material. It was explained that the prices
received for recycling material had dropped in recent years and this was not
unique to this Council; ·
The reasons for the overspend were noted in the
report and it did not mean a lack of service provisions; ·
The figures in terms of how many had taken
advantage of the opportunity to have up to four garden waste bins were not known to them, the member should contact the Head
of Highways and Municipal Department to receive confirmation. It was explained
that the fee charged for collecting garden waste meant that the residents'
choice to receive it would be cost neutral for the Council, and it would mean a
saving whether residents would take advantage of the provision or not.
Following the decision of the Full Council, as a result of the Gwynedd
Challenge consultation, to reduce the frequency of grass cutting, the Highways
and Municipal Department were overspending because the Department was cutting
grass more often than what had been decided; ·
In terms of predicting transportation costs in the
Education Department due to children moving into the area, the difficulties which meant that it was hard to predict were
noted. The pattern of the number of pupils from secondary to primary could be predicted in terms of transportation, but there was
an exception in terms of pupils with additional learning needs when the local
school did not have the necessary provision and support. It would mean that
pupils would travel further, with a number travelling from South Meirionnydd to
Ysgol Hafod Lon. It was
noted that the Education Department and the Environment Department were to
consider the matter with a view of discovering alternative solutions; · There had been a reduction in the grant the Council received to provide free breakfast at schools, and as a result, the Council charged a fee of £4 per week for the care element in the mornings in order to be able to continue with the ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
|
CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2017/18 - SECOND QUARTER REVIEW PDF 189 KB To submit the report of the Head of Finance. Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Head of Finance Department noting that in
accordance with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011,
that the Audit and Governance Committee was expected to scrutinise some
financial matters including budget monitoring reports,
where appropriate. The Cabinet Member
for Finance set out the context and elaborated on the content of the report
submitted to the Cabinet on 21 November 2017. It was noted
that there had been an increase of £0.217m in the funding sources since the
last review. It was explained there were firm plans in
place to invest approximately £33.4m in 2017/18 with £5.4m of it funded through
grants, which reflected the departments' hard work in attracting grants.
Attention was drawn to an increase in other borrowing,
and that it did not cause additional liabilities to the Council's revenue
budgets, this was a technical change in the Government's funding arrangements. RESOLVED to note the situation and the relevant risks in the context of the Council’s capital programme. |
|
RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS PDF 20 KB To submit the report of the Head of Corporate Support. Additional documents: Minutes: The Senior Revenue
and Risk Manager set the context, noting that the Committee was responsible for
considering external audit reports (national, and local to Gwynedd), the
recommendations included in them, and the implications of these to governance,
managing risk or management. The members were reminded
that the Committee's role was to satisfy itself that arrangements and processes
were in place in order to ensure that the improvement proposals were being
implemented. It was added that the report included
information in narrative form under the headings in line with the Chief
Executive’s request. The Council's
Business Support Manager referred to Appendix 1 of the report
which included a chronological list of the inspections undertaken by
external auditors between 2012/13 and 2016/17 along with their improvement
proposals, and the progress made by the Council against these proposals. It was explained that the relevant Department's observations
was noted under the 'Progress against improvement proposals' heading, with the
independent opinion of officers from the Council's Business Support Unit noted
under the 'Conclusion' heading. It was explained that
the improvement proposals noted as "completed" were removed from the
list and it was intended to report on the progress to the Committee within six
months. The Head of
Finance Department referred to improvement proposal 2 under the 'Financial
resilience of local authorities in Wales 2015-16' report - "Local
Authorities should develop corporate income generating and fee charging
policies" that had been noted as "in progress". He noted that
work associated with the improvement proposal would permanently be in progress
and that he, the Chief Executive and the Cabinet look at strategic headings. The Council's
Business Support Manager noted that he accepted the observation that many
improvement proposals could be permanently in progress and that similar ones had been removed. A member noted
that the improvement proposal had been "completed" because a policy
was in place and it should not be re-submitted before the Committee. RESOLVED to accept the report, subject to noting that improvement proposal 2 under the 'Financial resilience of local authorities in Wales 2015-16' report has been "completed". |
|
REVIEW OF THE CONSTITUTION PDF 253 KB To submit the report of the Monitoring Officer. Additional documents: Minutes: The background and context of the report were presented by the
Monitoring Officer, noting that since adopting the Constitution in its current
form in July 2014, adaptations had been made quite regularly, mainly due to
legislative changes or developments such as the recent scrutiny review.
However, when using the new Constitution, it was appropriate to reflect on the
document in its entirety and see whether changes were needed
to reflect the Authority's procedures and experience. It was explained that the report included recommendations for
amendments. Some of them were matters of bringing the house into order or
clarity with others suggesting alternative routes for decision-making
arrangements, etc. It was noted that the
recommendations had been discussed with a Sub-group of the Audit and Governance
Committee. He guided the members through Appendix 1 which
included the specific amendments recommended and he elaborated on the
content. In regards to the
recommendation to amend paragraph 15.3.5 of the Constitution to set up a
provision that would, on the one hand, create a system of supporting members'
ability to respond to the budget but, on the other, would mean that the Chief
Finance Officers specifically had the opportunity to respond and consult on
improvement. The Head of Finance Department noted that his door was open to
discuss any amendment and the provision in the Constitution would mean that a
meaningful discussion could be had at the Full Council
meeting when determining the budget. RESOLVED to recommend that the Full Council amends the Constitution in accordance with the report subject that the amendment to paragraph 9.12.3 comes into force after the Councils annual meeting in May 2018. |
|
NON-DOMESTIC RATES - DISCRETIONARY RELIEF PDF 278 KB To submit the report of the Senior Manager Revenues and Risk. Additional documents: Minutes: The Senior Revenue
and Risk Manager submitted the report, noting that it had
been decided at the Committee’s meeting on 28 September 2017 to set up a
working group to investigate the Council's Policy on allowing discretionary
relief. It was explained that the report notified the
Committee of the Working Group's discussion and outlined the Working Group's
recommendations in regards to forming a new policy framework for the Council. He drew attention
to the Working Group's conclusions, noting that the Working Group was eager for
the new framework to give an overriding consideration to
the financial position of charities, and was eager for the Finance Department
to look into the feasibility of placing a floor and ceiling on the support
provided through discretionary relief. In response to an
observation by a member regarding the amendment to relief category 11, the
Senior Risk and Revenue Manager noted that leisure hostels that were open to
everyone would receive mandatory relief with some "local use" used by
Gwynedd tax-payers being eligible for discretionary
relief. A member noted in
reference to relief category 9 that a number of
charity shops included a restaurant as part of grant applications in order to
make them sustainable and they were able to take advantage of this, whereas
local businesses could not. In response, the Senior Revenue and Risk Manager
noted that the Council was holding discussions with the District Valuer’s Office in terms of distributing buildings
according to use in order to make a separate valuation of all uses of the
building. The Head of Finance Department added that it was a matter beyond the
Council's control and it would take time to change this. In response to an
enquiry by a member regarding whether the National Pool should form guidelines
and how free the Council was to implement its own policies, the Senior Revenue
and Risk Manager noted that the Localism Act 2011 included a discretion for
local authorities to make their own decisions. He explained that Regulations
were in place which enabled the Council to hold back
the National Pool's contribution to the discretionary relief, rather than
transfer it. He noted that the External Auditor, as part of its annual work,
looked at the Council's return to the Pool, and assessed whether it complied
with the requirements. RESOLVED to submit the observations of the Working Group as recommendations for the Cabinet Member for Finance to consider when adopting a new Policy Framework. |