Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Darren Price (Leader, Carmarthenshire County Council), Wendy Walters, Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire County Council, Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Cllr David Simpson, Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council.

In view of the fact that the Chair and deputies had tendered apologies, Councillor Robert Smith was voted in to chair today’s meeting.

There were no declarations of personal interests made at the meeting.

Resolved that the minutes of the Partneriaeth Joint Committee held on the 23 June 2023 be signed as a correct record.

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

The Joint Committee received a report to amend the choice of voting member on Partneriaeth’s Joint Committee.  This would provide flexibility for the three local authorities and give them the option of nominating their Cabinet member with the education portfolio as their voting member instead of their Leader.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the revised wording to the Terms of Reference (as appended to report) be approved.

The Joint Committee received a letter from the Chair of Scrutiny Councillor Group, reflecting on the views following the last meeting of the Partneriaeth Scrutiny Councillor Group, held on the 19^th June 2023.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the letter be received.

The Joint Committee received an update on the financial position of Partneriaeth as of August 2023.

It was noted that the report provided specific detailed information in relation to:

·       Service Level Agreements

·       LA contributions

·       Budget Monitoring – August 2023

·       Grant Income for 2023-24

·       Risks and Opportunities

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:-

7.1  the financial report as at August 2023 be noted

7.2  the projected outturn for 2023-24 be noted

The Joint Committee were provided with the annual assurance opinion on the effectiveness of Partneriaeth’s Governance, Internal Control, Risk Management and Financial Management Arrangements for 2022-23.

The Head of Internal Audit informed the committee that Partneriaeth has a moderate framework.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the :-

8.1 report be noted;

8.2 Annual Assurance Opinion for 2022-23 be noted

The Joint Committee considered the findings from the annual review of governance arrangements for Partneriaeth for 2022-23.

The Internal Audit review gave a moderate assurance rating on the adequacy and effectiveness of the governance, internal control, risk management and financial management arrangements in place.  Areas requiring further improvement have been included within the priorities for improvement of the Annual Governance Statement 2022-23 Action Plan.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Partneriaeth Annual Governance Statement 2022-23 be received.

The Joint Committee received Partneriaeth’s Internal Audit Work Programme 2023-24 for approval.

The Work Programme has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards.  It has been developed in consultation with the Lead Chief Executive, the Lead Director of Education, the S151 Officer, the Monitoring Officer and the Lead Officer for Partneriaeth.

The Joint Committee were informed that Internal Audit fieldwork would begin in February 2024 and on conclusion, a report would be issued to officers for consideration.  Once feedback has been provided to Internal Audit, the report will be presented to the Joint Committee during the Summer term.

In response to a query regarding the broadness of the scope, the Joint Committee were advised that a sample approach across organisations, would be the preferred option, as this provided coverage to deliver.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the 2023-24 Internal Audit Work Programme be approved.

The Joint Committee received a report providing information of provision and performance of the financial year 2023-24 business plan.

The business plan is monitored quarterly and it was noted that nearly all actions were on track for full delivery by March 2024.

The Joint Committee were informed of areas of support for schools Partneriaeth offers, in line with business plan expectations.  Areas for development and resources are regularly discussed as part of the Director Strategy Group.

The Joint Committee thought that this was an interesting and key piece of work moving forward.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the :-

11.1 update be noted

11.2 the report be received

The Joint Committee received a report with a response to the Partneriaeth stakeholder perception survey (Net Promoter Survey) from summer term 2023.

The Joint Committee expressed disappointment at the low take up of the survey from Headteachers.  In response, the committee were advised this was due to a number of reasons, including the Action Short of Strike. This impacted negatively on the completion rate and it was decided to extend the survey to discreet groups.

The Joint Committee were informed that a Net Promoter Survey would be conducted annually at the end of the business planning cycle during March.  The survey results will be shared with all staff in Partneriaeth and an action plan co-constructed and those who indicated that they were happy to provide further feedback would be contacted within a working month of survey completion.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the :-

12.1 update be noted

12.2 the report be accepted

12.3 the annual survey at end of business plan cycle be agreed

The Joint Committee received the overall risk profile of the region. It was indicated that the following risks were of medium probability and High impact:

·        Timeliness of Welsh Government Funding

·         Lack of Clarity regarding functions of Partneriaeth

There has been a reduction in Risk 2 due to the inspections across the local authorities.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:-

13.1.      The risk profile be noted;

13.2.      The risk report be accepted

There were no items of urgent business.