The Powys County Council's Joint Scrutiny Committee and Finance Panel met to discuss the Corporate Strategic and Equalities Plan Q1 Performance and the Strategic Risk Register Q1 Report. Councillor Jake Berriman, Leader and Cabinet Member for People, Performance, and Partnerships, and Catherine James, Head of Business Intelligence and Governance, presented the Corporate Strategic and Equalities Plan Scorecard, while Councillor David Thomas, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Transformation, presented the Strategic Risk Register Report. The committee reviewed progress on key objectives and risks, and made recommendations to the cabinet.

Corporate Strategic and Equalities Plan (CSEP) Q1 Performance

The committee reviewed the Corporate Strategic and Equalities Plan (CSEP) Scorecard for Quarter 1 of 2025-2026. The CSEP outlines the council's well-being objectives and strategic equality goals. The scorecard tracks performance against key measures, and is available on the Council's website.

The council's three well-being objectives are:

• Improving people's awareness of services and how to access them
• Supporting good quality, sustainable employment
• Tackling poverty and inequality

The Scrutiny Report - Q1 2025-2026 Performance highlighted key areas for the committee to focus on, including seeking assurance and clarification on the council's performance, examining decisions and policies, and ensuring activities are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.

The Q1 CSEP Measures Tables provided a detailed breakdown of performance against each measure. Of the 21 measures relating to an efficient, effective and well-supported workforce, one had no data provided. Of the 77 measures across all three objectives, 21 were off track, 26 were not due to report this quarter, and one had no data provided.

The Q1 CSEP OFF TRACK Measures included commentary on measures that were not on track, such as the number of times people viewed the council's social media content, the percentage of customers satisfied with the service received when contacting the Corporate Contact Centre via telephone, and the percentage of skilled calls answered within the service timetable.

Strategic Risk Register Report

The committee scrutinised the Strategic Risk Register Report for Quarter 1 of 2025-2026. The report outlined the key risks to the council's activities and objectives.

As of the end of Quarter 1, there were 12 non-confidential risks on the register. The Appendix A Strategic Risk Register Report provided details of each risk, including mitigating actions and progress reviews. The Appendix B Heatmap visually presented the risk assessment results, highlighting eight residual risks in the top right quadrant.

Three risks had changes to their probability or impact rating during the quarter:

• EDU0056: The risk that the council does not reduce the number of schools in a formal Estyn category increased in impact rating, due to additional schools going into Estyn statutory category and a local authority inspection resulting in a judgement of significant concern.
• FIN0001: The risk that the council is unable to deliver a financially sustainable budget decreased in both impact and probability, because the council has been successful in achieving a balanced budget and underspends at year end, and is able to evidence continued resilience through its actions.
• ASC0064: The risk that the Welsh Community Care Information System (WCCIS) is not fit for purpose decreased in probability, because services are reporting a period of stability.

The committee also received an update on the Audit Wales review of the council's risk management arrangements, which was expected to be published at the end of September.

Cabinet Responses to Scrutiny Recommendations

The committee noted the cabinet responses to scrutiny recommendations from the meeting held on 11 June 2025, which related to the Corporate and Strategic Equalities Plan. The Joint Scrutiny Committee and Finance Panel Recs to Cabinet document detailed the scrutiny observations and recommendations, as well as the cabinet's responses.

Some of the key recommendations and responses included:

• Recommendation: Add benchmarking data where possible to provide context for performance targets.
  • Response: Services will include benchmarking information where possible, but this will not be included in the CSEP itself.
• Recommendation: Acknowledge the role of the Anti-Poverty Champion in the plan.
  • Response: This has been updated in the CSEP going to cabinet on 24 June.
• Recommendation: Consider cross-border education data, particularly regarding learners accessing education outside Powys.
  • Response: This data set does not exist as benchmarking information.
• Recommendation: Add a measure for the uptake of Universal Free School Meals.
  • Response: These continue to be reported as operational measures by the service.
• Recommendation: Clarify the term people used in performance measures.
  • Response: This is measure specific and it is clear in the measures.
• Recommendation: Ensure Cabinet members attend future scrutiny sessions to provide political accountability.
  • Response: This has been noted, and cabinet members will attend future sessions where specifically invited to attend and they have an item under consideration.
• Recommendation: Include a diagram illustrating the golden thread from the CSEP to individual Services Integrated Business Plans (IBP's) individual objectives.
  • Response: This has been updated in the CSEP going to cabinet on 24 June.

Exempt Item

The committee also considered an exempt item related to the Strategic Risk Register Report in respect of ICT. This portion of the meeting was held in confidential session due to the sensitive nature of the information.