The Governance and Audit Committee of Newport City Council is scheduled to meet on 25 September 2025 to discuss a range of topics, including the Food Standards Agency recommendations, the Audit Wales Temporary Accommodation Report, the Corporate Risk Register, the Annual Corporate Plan Self-Assessment Report, the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report and the Work Programme.

Food Standards Agency Recommendations

The committee will be presented with a report regarding the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommendations and the management response. The report pack states that in January 2025, the FSA gave the Public Protection Service a 'moderate' rating, and that the agency identified some outstanding improvement actions from previous audits. The report pack says that the committee will consider whether the service area is making sufficient progress on the improvement areas identified by the agency. The report pack includes an updated action plan from an audit that took place between 13 and 17 January 2014, with follow-up visits in July 2017, August 2019 and January 2025. According to the report pack, the 2025 audit closed four actions, leaving seven open:

• 3.23 (i) Service Planning [Environmental Health]
• 7.19 (i) Premises interventions are carried out at the minimum specified timescale [Environmental Health]
• 15.23 (ii) ensure that food hygiene law enforcement is carried out in accordance with the Food Law Code. [Environmental Health]
• 3.23 (i) Service Planning [Trading Standards]
• 7.33 (i) Premises interventions are carried out at the minimum specified frequency [Trading Standards]
• 16.15 (i) Maintenance of up to date and accurate records, ensuring intervention reports comply with the Code of Practice [Trading Standards]
• 19.17 (i) Internal Monitoring [Trading Standards]

The report pack states that the FSA have indicated that Newport City Council is making good progress in its compliance with the Food Law Code of Practice. However, the report pack also says that the FSA has made suggestions for continuous improvement. The report pack says that a theme in all audits and re-audits was a recognition that the officers and management were working professionally and logically, and the core matter is that there is a recognised gap in Newport City Council's available resources to fully meet the standards set out in the 2010 Framework Agreement and Food Law Code of Practice.

Audit Wales Temporary Accommodation Report

The committee will be presented with a report to summarise the recommendations of the recent Audit Wales report, Temporary Accommodation, Long-term Crisis?, and to outline Newport's management actions. The report pack states that Newport City Council welcomes the Audit Wales report. The report pack also states that while the council has already implemented or was already working towards many of the recommendations, they have identified several management actions that they will be taking, including changes to viability assessments for temporary accommodation and further measures to prepare for the impact of the Homelessness and Allocations Bill. The report pack says that in 2023-24, Newport had the highest number of people threatened with homelessness within 56 days per 10,000 residents in Wales. The report pack also says that so far in 2025-26, approaches for homelessness assistance have increased by approximately 20%. The report pack lists the main findings of the Audit Wales report:

• Councils are spending considerable amounts of money on temporary accommodation, which in many cases does not meet people's needs.
• Councils do not understand whether they are getting value for money from their temporary accommodation.
• Councils have made limited progress in improving the prevention of homelessness to achieve better outcomes and reduce costs.
• Councils find it difficult to predict demand for temporary accommodation in the medium to long term.
• Councils do not have clear plans in place to ensure their workforce is equipped to prevent demand for temporary accommodation.
• Councils find it difficult to work well with partner organisations to prevent homelessness.

Corporate Risk Register

The committee will be presented with the council's Corporate Risk Register for the end of Quarter 1 (1 April to 30 June). The report pack states that the Corporate Risk Register monitors those risks that may prevent the council from achieving its strategic priorities or delivering services to its communities and service users in Newport. The report pack also states that at the end of Quarter 1, there were 13 risks recorded in the Corporate Risk Register that are considered to have a significant impact on the achievement of the council's objectives and the performance of its legal obligations. The report pack says that in comparison to Quarter 4 2024/25, two risks (New Social Care System and Stability of Social Services Providers) were de-escalated from the Corporate Risk Register to service area risk registers. The report pack includes a Quarter 1 Corporate Risk Heat Map and Risk Profile, a Quarter 1 Newport City Council's Service Area Risk Summary, and Newport City Council's Quarter 1 Corporate Risk Register. The report pack also includes a glossary of risk management terminology and risk score assessment.

Annual Corporate Plan Self-Assessment Report

The committee will be presented with the Annual Corporate Plan Self-Assessment Report 2024/25. The report pack states that the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 and the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 requires the council to self-assess the progress in delivering the Corporate Plan and the extent to which it has met the performance requirements. The report pack also states that the Governance and Audit Committee role is to ensure the draft Self-Assessment report has been completed in accordance with the Act. The report pack includes the draft Annual Corporate Plan Self-Assessment Report 24/25. The report pack says that the 2024/25 annual report confirmed five out of the five actions for improvement were completed, and that the ongoing actions have been carried forward into the new action plan to be implemented in 2025/26.

Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report

The committee will be presented with the Draft Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2024/25. The report pack states that the report demonstrates how the committee has met its Terms of Reference under the Council's Constitution as set out by the Local Government Measure 2011 and the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, by concentrating on its core responsibilities during the year. The report pack also states that the Governance and Audit Committee is to present its Annual Report 2024/25 to full Council. The report pack includes the draft Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2024-25.

Work Programme

The committee will be presented with a report detailing the committee's work programme. The report pack states that the purpose of a forward work programme is to help ensure committee members achieve organisation and focus on the undertaking of enquiries through the Governance and Audit Committee function. The report pack includes the forward work programme for the committee, and lists the items scheduled to be presented at the committee's meetings until June 2026.