Agenda item

To consider the report(s) recently published by Audit Wales - Review of the effectiveness of scrutiny – Cyngor Gwynedd

DECISION

To accept the report

Note: Need to consider the procedure for the work of the Governance and Audit Committee to inform the Scrutiny system.

Update on the reports recently published by Audit Wales 'Review of Scrutiny Effectiveness - Cyngor Gwynedd'.

Alan Hughes and Yvonne Thomas (Audit Wales), Dewi Wyn Jones (Council Business Support Service Manager) and Vera Jones (Democracy and Language Manager) were welcomed to the meeting.

It was highlighted that the report was encouraging. The findings were discussed, and reference was made to the six recommendations proposed by Audit Wales. In response from the Council, while accepting that the service was going in the right direction, there was scope for improvement and to hone the existing arrangements.

Thanks were expressed for the report.

During the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by members:

·         That members of the Governance and Audit Committee were previously invited to attend Scrutiny workshops – there was a need to organise how the Governance and Audit Committee could input into the Scrutiny regime.

·         That the report was optimistic. Scrutiny Committees 'offered opinions,' with no effect to be seen on decisions. That there was a sense that the aim was to present information - members questioned where their power to influence decisions lay.

·         Was there any value in conducting an exercise of not holding committees for a year as a means of seeing whether there was a difference?

·         There was a need to secure an action plan to give assurance that scrutiny gives power and places pressure on decision-making

·         That the Governance and Audit Committee had re-established the improvement working group to deal with areas of concern - would there be a right to scrutinise this?

·         That better collaboration was needed between the Cabinet and Scrutiny Committees

·         That better collaboration was needed between the Scrutiny Committees and Audit Wales - in the past meetings were held jointly

In response to the comments, the Audit Wales Officer noted that the scrutiny process ideally offered quality outputs and clear recommendations, but Cyngor Gwynedd's scrutiny records were not in the form of recommendations, i.e. the output was not visible. It was accepted that there were some frustrations, but it was hoped to deliver quality outputs and establish a valuable scrutiny process that would dovetail into the Council's programme of work. This was a good opportunity to hone arrangements and highlight scrutiny.

The Democracy and Language Services Manager reiterated that there was frustration with the Council's regime and the scrutiny relationship with the Cabinet, and while accepting that relevant Cabinet Members were invited to the scrutiny meetings, the relationship needed to be strengthened and the recommendations sharpened. It was clarified that there were three Scrutiny Committees (Education and Economy, Communities and Care) with 18 elected members (+ co-opted members on the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee)
 

The Head of Finance added that the role of the Governance and Audit Committee was to scrutinise the Council's risks and governance arrangements and that the Committee's power was not subordinate to the Scrutiny Committees which scrutinised the Council's specific areas and policies. He noted that Cyngor Gwynedd was following the requirements of the Scrutiny Regulations Act.
 

RESOLVED to accept the report

Note: Need to consider the procedure for the work of the Governance and Audit Committee to inform the Scrutiny system.