The Corporate Performance & Resources Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 9 July 2024, reviewing the council's performance, sickness absence, and transformation programme. Key decisions included endorsing the committee's annual report and the Commercialisation Strategy, and receiving the Sickness Absence Monitoring Report.

Explanation for Non-Submission of Scrutiny Report

The committee noted the explanation for the non-submission of the Treasury Management and Prudential Indicator Report 2023-2024, with a revised submission date set for 6 November 2024. This was due to the timing of the authority's accounts closure for the financial year.

Corporate Performance & Resources Scrutiny Committee - Annual Report 2023/24

The committee considered and unanimously endorsed its Annual Report for the 2023/24 municipal year. This report detailed the committee's work, including its role in monitoring sickness absence, performance management, and budgets. The report highlighted the committee's engagement with cabinet members and officers, and its first Task and Finish group in some time, which focused on corporate contact centres.

2023/24 Quarter 4 / End of Year - Performance Report

The committee received the Quarter 4 / End of Year 2023/24 Performance Report, which detailed the progress of actions and measures linked to the Authority’s Corporate Strategy and Well-Being Objectives. Discussions focused on areas where performance was off-target, particularly within Core Business Enablers. Reasons cited included recruitment freezes and efficiency savings. The committee sought reassurance that administrative and frontline services were receiving adequate support. Specific concerns were raised regarding the percentage of council tax collected, with clarification provided on HMRC data sharing and efforts to support households. The report also addressed the low completion rate of e-learning training on Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV), and the off-target performance of the Recruitment Strategy. Members suggested reviewing and developing measures to better reflect current working practices and proposed incentives to encourage higher response rates for the Annual Engagement Survey. The Assistant Chief Executive (People Management & Performance) agreed to circulate feedback from the survey to committee members.

Sickness Absence Monitoring Report - End of Year 2023/24

The committee reviewed the Sickness Absence Monitoring Report for the period ending 31 March 2024. While the overall authority figure of 11.06 FTE days lost per employee was above the target of 10.68, it represented a decrease from the previous year. Discussions highlighted that no department met its Q4 target. The report noted that mental health and fatigue remained the leading causes of absence, consistent with national trends in the public sector. The committee proposed a development session to gain further insight into the Occupational Health Service. It was also agreed that data on stress/mental health-related sickness absences, broken down by role level, would be investigated for future inclusion.

Transformation Programme - Progress Report

The committee considered a progress report on the Authority’s Transformation Programme, which is aligned with the new Corporate Strategy and focuses on eight thematic priorities: Efficiencies and Value for Money, Income and Commercialisation, Service Design & Improvement, Workforce, Workplace, Customers and Digital, Decarbonisation, and Schools. Updates were provided on various projects, including a pilot to reduce agency spend in Residential Care services, the formalisation of governance arrangements for the Commercialisation Strategy, and improvements to the Member Enquiries System. Concerns were raised about the usability of the Hwb system. Progress on the Schools workstream, focusing on budget challenges and cost efficiencies, was also discussed, alongside the increasing number of children with Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and the associated funding. The committee was assured that mechanisms for staff to provide ideas and suggestions were being considered.

Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSB) Minutes - March 2024

The committee received and endorsed the minutes of the Carmarthenshire Public Services Board (PSB) meeting held on 19 March 2024. As the designated scrutiny committee for the PSB, the Corporate Performance & Resources Scrutiny Committee reviewed the minutes as required by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The minutes from the PSB meeting covered discussions on the Climate Change Risk Assessment, updates from various Task and Finish Groups focusing on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, workforce planning, and making every contact count.

Forthcoming Items

The committee was advised of forthcoming items for its next meeting on 6 November 2024. This included standard agenda items such as PSB minutes, the Council's Annual Report, Revenue Budget Outturn, and performance management reports. The committee also reviewed its Forward Work Programme for 2024/25, which was unanimously endorsed.

Commercialisation Strategy

The committee unanimously resolved to recommend to Cabinet that the Commercialisation Strategy be endorsed. The strategy aims to provide a more strategic approach to income generation activities across the council, helping to mitigate budget challenges and reinforce new ways of working. Discussions covered how the council could capitalise on private sector practices, the importance of effective governance, and the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the strategy. The potential for Leisure Services to host events like Caravan Shows was also suggested.

Corporate Performance & Resources Scrutiny Committee Forward Plan for 2024/25

The committee unanimously endorsed its Forward Work Programme for 2024/2025, prepared in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. This programme outlines the issues and reports to be considered throughout the municipal year.