The Corporate Performance & Resources Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday, 17 April 2024, to review the council's financial performance, departmental progress, and the minutes of the Public Services Board. Key discussions included a significant projected overspend on the revenue budget, performance against corporate objectives, and updates on ongoing scrutiny actions.

Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report 2023/24

The committee received an update on the council's financial position as of 31 December 2023. The report indicated a projected overspend of £10,183k at the departmental level, with a forecast overspend of £4,782k on the authority's net revenue budget. This overspend is attributed to increased expenditure in adult social care due to demand, challenges in delivering savings targets, and significant overspends in Children's Services driven by increased demand and complexity. Schools are also forecast to spend £8.6m more than their delegated budgets.

During the discussion, Councillor Alex Evans declared a prejudicial interest as a family member works in the Democratic Services section.

Concerns were raised about the impact of the recruitment freeze on the workforce, potentially leading to increased staff sickness and long-term cost implications. Officers acknowledged these challenges but assured the committee that a pragmatic approach was being taken, with business-critical vacancies still being filled. Managers were asked to provide feedback on departmental pressures.

The committee also discussed the capital programme, noting a variance of -£68,261k against the 2023/24 approved budget. The Head of Financial Services explained that slippage between financial years is inevitable due to the need for prudent financial planning and ensuring funding is in place for capital expenditure. Inflationary measures had been accounted for in the budget.

Regarding the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) programme, the Head of Regeneration, Policy and Digital confirmed that funding had been allocated to individual projects with a delivery deadline of 31 December 2023, and robust monitoring was in place.

The committee queried the possibility of receiving more up-to-date financial reports. The Leader acknowledged the historical nature of the reports but suggested that the committee could analyse trends in over- or under-expenditure to identify areas for further consideration. The Head of Financial Services clarified that the budget report timescales were aligned with the democratic process.

Decision: The committee unanimously resolved to receive the report.

2023/24 Quarter 3 - Performance Report (01/04/23-31/12/23)

The committee reviewed the progress of actions and measures linked to the Authority's Corporate Strategy and Well-being Objectives as of the end of Quarter 3.

A discussion took place regarding the financial sustainability of schools, with the Head of Financial Services confirming that while some additional grant funding was received at the end of the financial year, it was not on the same scale as previous years and therefore could not be relied upon for school budgets. The figure for this additional grant funding would be circulated to the committee.

The low response rate to the Annual Employee Engagement Survey was highlighted. An overview of communication and promotion methods to be used before the next survey was provided, along with assurances that responses would be timely and the survey was anonymous. The Assistant Chief Executive agreed to provide the response rate for various surveys mentioned in the report and a copy of the Annual Employee Engagement Survey questions. The Media and Marketing Manager agreed to explore the feasibility of amalgamating regulatory and divisional surveys to increase response rates.

Regarding capital receipts, the committee was assured that despite being below target for the quarter, sales transactions had increased, and the overall target was expected to be met.

The under-performance of non-housing repairs works was clarified by the Head of Regeneration, Policy and Digital, who stated that a dedicated resource was now responsible for pursuing overdue works, and performance was expected to improve. The committee agreed to ascertain whether any penalties had been exercised against contractors for not meeting their obligations, with this information to be circulated.

Decisions:

• The report was received.
• The figure for additional grant funding received for schools for 2023/24 would be circulated.
• The response rate for surveys and a copy of the Annual Employee Engagement Survey questions would be circulated.
• Officers would explore the feasibility of amalgamating regulatory and divisional surveys.
• Queries would be made regarding penalties for contractors not meeting obligations for non-housing responsive repair works, and the information would be circulated.

Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSB) Minutes - January 2024

The committee reviewed the minutes of the Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSB) meeting held on 23 January 2024. As per the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, a designated scrutiny committee is required to scrutinise the PSB's work.

The Leader, Councillor Darren Price, shared insights from an all-Wales learning event on PSB governance and engagement. The committee agreed that the Chair and Vice-Chair would meet with the Leader to explore more meaningful reporting of PSB activities and enhance consultation and engagement mechanisms. Further discussions would then involve other member-led groups within the council.

An update on the task and finish group for the Tackling Poverty well-being objective was noted, with a further update to be provided in due course. The potential contribution of the Authority's Tackling Poverty Panel was also discussed.

Decisions:

• The minutes of the Public Service Board meeting held on 23 January 2024 were received.
• The Chair and Vice-Chair would meet with the Leader to explore opportunities for improved PSB reporting and engagement.
• A further update on the Tackling Poverty task and finish group would be provided.

Scrutiny Actions Update

The committee received a report detailing the progress made on actions, requests, or referrals from previous meetings during the 2023/24 municipal year.

Decision: The report detailing progress on actions, requests, or referrals from previous scrutiny meetings was noted.

Forthcoming Items

The committee noted that the agenda for the next meeting on 29 May 2024 would be kept under review due to a limited number of business items.

Decision: The list of forthcoming items for the next scheduled meeting was received.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2024 were unanimously resolved to be signed as a correct record.

Decision: The minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2024 were signed as a correct record.