Venue: GwE Offices, Bryn Eirias, Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 8BF
Contact: Annes Sion 01286 679490
No. | Item |
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ELECT VICE-CHAIRMAN To elect a Vice-chairman for 2019/20 Minutes: It was decided to postpone the decision until the September
meeting. |
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Prior to
any apologies being received, Coun. Julie Fallon was welcomed to her first
meeting and Coun. Garffild Lewis was thanked for his contribution over the
period. Apologies
were received from Coun. Ian Roberts, Arwyn Williams (Anglesey County Council),
Claire Homard (Flintshire County Council), Dafydd L Edwards (Host Authority -
Gwynedd Council), Sion Huws (Host Authority - Gwynedd Council). |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declaration of personal
interest was received by any member present.
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. Minutes: There were no urgent matters. |
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 68 KB (copy enclosed) Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of
the meeting held on 22 May, 2019 as being correct. In regard to the 'GwE Accounts' item - one of GwE's Assistant Directors
will be leaving his post, however will not be replaced so as to meet the
necessary cuts for this year. It was added that a report will be presented soon
noting this in full. |
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT 2018/19 PDF 96 KB Dafydd L
Edwards to present the
Statement of Accounts, in the ‘statutory’ format, duly certified, but subject
to audit Additional documents: Minutes: DECISION The Statement of GwE Accounts (subject to audit) for 2018/19 were received and noted. DISCUSSION The report was presented, noting that Section
12 of the Public Audit Act
(Wales) 2004 notes that a Joint Committee consisting of more than one authority is a Local Government body, and that Section 13 of the same Act stipulates that a Joint Committee
must keep accounts that will
be subject to an audit by independent auditors. It was noted that the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations 2018 note, where overturn is greater than £2.5 million, that a statement of accounts must be prepared in accordance
with the CIPFA code for Joint Committees.
It was emphasised that a simple and concise "out-turn" report had been presented in May, which is more useful for internal
purposes, whilst the Statement of Accounts is more suitable for governance
purposes. It was added that the statement would be subject to an audit by Deloitte,
and it was outlined that an 'ISA 260' report would be produced and presented to the Joint Committee on 11 September 2019. Some aspects of the statement were highlighted, including the Pension fund. It was noted that the Balance Sheet contains
an assessment by the Fund’s Actuary, Hymans, of the Joint Committee’s share of the Pension Fund liability.
It was noted that liability has increased
in 2018/19. It was noted that there
is a major change in terms of Short-Term
Debtors for this year, mainly
due to money from a number of grants having arrived
during, rather than after,
the end of the financial year. Comments arising from the discussion ¾
It
was questioned why Property expenditure had increased so much this year, in comparison
to last year. It was noted that GwE had relocated to a slightly more expensive
building in Mold, however that more training could be
conducted at the new building, enabling GwE to attract income. It was noted
that the issue had already been highlighted when setting the budget for 2019-20
at the Join Committee in February 2019. ¾
It
was questioned why the number of staff paid in excess of £60,000 had increased,
in comparison to last year. It was noted that the threshold of £60,000 had
remained unchanged for years, despite salaries having increased with salary
inflation. ¾
It
was questioned why grants had reduced in comparison to last year. It was noted
that one-off grants had been received in 2017/18, and that there had been a cut
in the Education Improvement Grant in 2018/19. ¾
Grants were discussed
noting that a number of grants had now been set within the Regional Consortia
School Improvement Grant. ¾ Under the heading 'EIG - Match Funding', it was asked why there was zero contribution from Wrexham - it was noted that this is a technical issue, as it is an assessment by individual councils as to ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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2018-19 GOVERNANCE STATEMENT PDF 67 KB Arwyn
Thomas to present the Annual Governance Statement. Additional documents: Minutes: DECISION Accept and approve
the Annual Governance Statement. DISCUSSION The report was presented,
noting that this statement is presented on an
annual basis. It was noted that GwE is responsible for conducting an efficiency
review of its Governance framework, including the internal management system. It was asked who holds GwE to account and in terms of the Joint Committee's policies and decisions. Details were shared regarding
Governance, noting that this involved
scrutiny meetings with Local Authorities,
visits by Estyn and meetings
with the Welsh Government. GwE's Managing Director emphasised that external accountability
is demanding. Comments
arising from the discussion: -
It was asked how valuable the reviews are for GwE, and
their cost. It was asked whether there was a better system GwE could use to
avoid the cost. -
It
was noted that GwE is a relatively young body and is a partnership set-up,
therefore regular regulation ensures the success of partnership work. -
It was noted that external reports are important and
that the circle of local and regional authorities is tight. |
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Arwyn
Thomas to present the latest GwE Risk Register to the Joint Committee Additional documents:
Minutes: DECISION To accept the latest risk register. DISCUSSION The risk register was presented, noting that it is a regularly updated working document. It was noted that amendments have been made,
and it was suggested that some risks be removed
from the register. It was added that the register is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Joint Committee. |
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Alwyn Jones
presents a paper on the development
of a Peer Engagement Model for North Wales to the Joint Committee for
approval. Additional documents: Minutes: DECISION To approve
the development of a Peer Engagement Model in North Wales,
as outlined in Appendix 1. DISCUSSION
The report
was presented, noting that schools are
expected to be self-improving
and collaborating with other schools in
order to raise standards and narrow the attainment gap. It was noted that school categorisation
will continue for another year.
It was noted
that the report attempts to identify a potential pattern for developing a peer engagement model. It was added that the regional approach has already adopted
a cluster approach model.
It was noted that discussions had taken place on several
occasions within the Joint Committee as to the complexity of all these changes in schools.
However, the work is still ongoing. It was said
that the model prioritises schools and has been created alongside
schools. It was noted that the principles have been established
with Heads, and that almost 300 heads have shown
interest in assisting with the work. Comments arising from the discussion ¾
It was conveyed that
it is necessary to create this model. Allocating money to clusters will allow them
opportunity to decide how to determine their priorities. ¾
It was noted that
no Estyn inspections will be carried out in 2020/21. There will be a new inspection framework in 2021 based on peers
and collaboration. |
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G6 - UPDATE Presentation
by Llyr G Jones |