The Governance and Audit Committee of Cardiff Council was scheduled to discuss a range of financial, performance, and governance matters. Key topics included an update on the directorate control environment for People and Communities, a financial update with a focus on resilience issues, and mid-year reports on council complaints and self-assessment. The committee was also set to review the progress of recommendations from external review bodies, updates on the annual governance statement, and the progress of the internal audit and investigation teams. Finally, draft strategies and plans for internal audit for the upcoming year were to be considered.

Directorate Control Environment Update: People and Communities

Sarah McGill, Corporate Director for People & Communities, was scheduled to provide an update on the directorate's control environment. The report pack indicated that this update was To Follow, meaning no specific details were available in the provided documents regarding what was intended for discussion.

Financial Update and Resilience Issues

The committee was scheduled to receive a financial update, including information on resilience issues. This report, detailed in pages 17-28 of the public reports pack, was expected to cover the financial position and any challenges related to the Council's financial resilience. The agenda indicated that this item was scheduled to commence at 1:40 pm.

Council Complaints: Mid-Year Report

This report, detailed across pages 29-58 of the public reports pack, was intended to provide the Governance and Audit Committee with an overview of the authority's ability to handle complaints effectively. It was expected to highlight current activity, areas requiring improvement, and actions being taken to enhance consistency and effectiveness across the organisation. The report noted that the Council's corporate complaints system, Halo, is fully embedded, and the focus has shifted to performance monitoring and learning from complaints. An internal audit of the complaints handling process had rated the framework as Effective with opportunity for improvement. The report also included commentary from the Chief Digital Officer, Isabelle Bignall, reflecting on recent Ombudsman investigations, particularly concerning Responsive Repairs and Assisted Lifts, and any lessons learned or corporate enhancements that could be applied.

Mid-Year Self-Assessment Report Update

Detailed across pages 59-120 of the public reports pack, this update was intended to provide an assessment of the Council's performance against its seven Well-being Objectives, as outlined in the Corporate Plan 2025-28. The report was expected to summarise areas of progress and improvement, and highlight four areas of strategic performance challenge: delivering the change programme, ensuring continued service and financial resilience, improving performance in key services, and workforce development. The report had been considered by the Council's Scrutiny Performance Panel, which made six recommendations that were accepted by the Cabinet.

Recommendation Tracker: Reports of External Review Bodies

This report, detailed on pages 121-144 of the public reports pack, was scheduled to provide an overview of the management and delivery of recommendations received from external regulators such as Audit Wales, Estyn, Care Inspectorate Wales, and His Majesty's Inspectorate for Probation. The report indicated that as of January 2026, there were 22 open recommendations, with all recommendations received up to and including the 2021/22 financial year having been closed. The report also highlighted recommendations stemming from Public Interest Reports issued by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, specifically concerning the Responsive Repairs Unit and Assisted Lifts.

Mid-year Annual Governance Statement Update

This agenda item was scheduled to include an update on the Annual Governance Statement, specifically focusing on Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Addendum and Senior Management Assurance Statements. The report pack indicated this was To Follow, meaning specific details were not available in the provided documents.

Internal Audit and Investigation Team: Progress Update

This report, detailed on pages 145-180 of the public reports pack, was presented by Audit Manager Chris Pyke. It covered the period from 1 October to 31 December 2025 and provided an update on the work and performance of both the Internal Audit and Investigation Teams. The Internal Audit section reported good delivery of the 2025/26 Audit Plan, despite being lower than targeted at quarter three. Four draft reports had been issued with an assurance opinion of insufficient with major improvement needed, including an unsatisfactory report on the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) – Y Deryn Family of Schools. The Investigation Team reported an increase in identified cases for investigation and ongoing investigations compared to the previous year, although the financial value attributed to concluded cases was lower.

Draft Internal Audit Strategy, Charter, Methodologies & Summary Audit Plan 2026/27

Detailed across pages 181-238 of the public reports pack, this item concerned the proposed strategic documents for the Internal Audit function for the upcoming financial year. The committee was asked to consider and provide comments on the draft Internal Audit Strategy, the draft Internal Audit Charter (including draft Terms of Reference for the Governance and Audit Committee), the Internal Audit Methodologies, and the direction of the draft Summary Audit Plan for 2026/27. The draft Audit Plan for 2026/27 was based on an increased number of operational auditors and reflected a risk-based methodology.

Outstanding Actions

This item, detailed on pages 239-240 of the public reports pack, was scheduled to review any outstanding actions from previous meetings.

Correspondence

The committee was scheduled to review correspondence received, detailed on pages 241-246 of the public reports pack. This included a letter from Gavin McArthur, Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee, to Councillor Bablin Molik regarding the Ombudsman's Public Interest Report on the Responsive Repairs Service, and a summary of correspondence received from various Scrutiny Committees.

Work Programme Update

This item, detailed on pages 247-248 of the public reports pack, was to provide an update on the committee's work programme for the remainder of the year.

Urgent Items

The agenda noted that any urgent items would be considered if they arose.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting was scheduled for 24 March 2026.