Here's a summary of the upcoming Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council meeting. The council will be considering a violence and aggression policy, future options for leisure services, and a panel performance assessment. The meeting will also cover apologies, declarations of interest, approval of previous minutes, urgent business, and communications from the Mayor.

Future of Leisure Services

The council will be considering a report outlining options for the future management of leisure services and assets in Merthyr Tydfil. The report follows a formal request from the Full Council to explore options for the future management of the local authority's leisure services and assets. This aligns with a policy commitment from the Cabinet to bring leisure services and assets back under direct council management if it is deemed and demonstrated to be financially viable.

The report presents two options:

• Option 1: Insourcing of Leisure Provision: This involves the local authority directly managing staff, delivery, and facility maintenance. Benefits could include greater control, financial transparency, and better VAT efficiencies. However, the report also notes potential drawbacks such as a lack of internal leisure industry expertise, a significant draw on support services, and high one-off financial transition costs, estimated between £500,000 and £800,000. The council would also assume full operational, reputational, and financial risk. The report notes that bringing the leisure provision back in-house would see it being subject to business rates[^2] (NNDR), with the annual cost being in the region of £112,000. [^2]: National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR), often referred to as business rates, are a form of property tax paid by the occupiers of non-domestic properties.

• Option 2: Outsourcing of Leisure Provision: This involves engaging a specialist leisure provider with dedicated industry expertise. Benefits could include cost efficiency, enhanced customer experience, and digital innovation. The report cites the council's performance improvement since outsourcing to a leisure industry specialist, including participation figures exceeding 20,000 per month and membership growth. The major disbenefits to outsourcing the MTCBC leisure provision would include outsourcing can often result in an amount of irrecoverable VAT which can potentially be addressed through the correct charitable or agency model of outsourcing being adopted. Last 12 months this was approximately £108,000.

The report highlights the importance of leisure services in promoting public health, reducing inequalities, and contributing to well-being, referencing the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The report concludes that councillors should choose option 2, which will give officers the autonomy to conduct a full procurement exercise to outsource the council's leisure services and assets. If councillors accept officer's recommendation then through our dialogue with sector professionals, the full long-term procurement process to bring in an external provider will take approximately 15-18 months.

The current interim contract is with Halo Leisure.

Violence and Aggression Policy

The council will be considering a report from Sarah King, Director of Governance and Resources, regarding a new Violence and Aggression at Work Policy. The policy aims to address the issue of staff facing aggressive, hostile, or even violent individuals while performing their duties. While reported cases of physical assaults against council staff are rare, incidents of verbal abuse, threats, and intimidating behaviour are more frequent, though under-reported.

The policy was drafted following discussions with frontline staff and managers, particularly those in areas such as Housing where aggressive and abusive behaviour has become almost commonplace. There has also been consultation with the Senior Leadership Team and Trade Unions.

The policy outlines unacceptable behaviour, including verbal abuse, unreasonable remarks, intimidation, harassment, threatening behaviour, physical actions, and online abuse. It also details management and employee duties in preventing and managing violence and aggression. Managers are required to risk assess their work activities and put in place suitable control measures to protect staff. Employees are required to be aware of the policy, offer good customer service, recognise the potential for work-related violence, and report all instances of violence, threats, or abuse.

The policy includes guidance on assessing risks, implementing control measures, and dealing with violent incidents. It also references the council's Employee Protection Register and Lifeline lone worker system. The policy includes template letters to be sent to offenders in cases of violence or abuse.

The report notes that the following teams will have their own arrangements for managing violent and aggressive behaviours:

• Social Services: Children Services, including looked after children for whom the Council is the corporate parent, and Adult Services, including residential care settings.
• Education: Greenfield Special School, and Schools with Language Resource Bases (LRBs).

The Sustainable Merthyr Tydfil Scrutiny Committee suggested revisions to the policy, including:

• Adding a paragraph referring to front-line staff at sites such as HWRCs[^3] and local parks.
• Producing a quick reference/support guide to supplement the policy.
• Amending the wording of paragraph/section 6.0 of the policy so either the word 'legal' is removed from 'legal duty' or replaced as 'general duty'. [^3]: HWRCs are Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Panel Performance Assessment

The council will be considering a report from Sarah King, Director of Governance and Resources, regarding a Panel Performance Assessment (PPA). The Performance Duties established under Local Government & Elections (Wales) Act 2021 require Welsh councils to arrange for a PPA to be undertaken. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council's PPA is currently scheduled for week beginning 2nd June 2026.

The assessment considers the extent to which the council is meeting its performance requirements, specifically:

• Is the council exercising its functions effectively?
• Is the council using its resources economically, efficiently, and effectively?
• Has the council got effective governance in place for securing the above?

The council will work with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) in identifying members of the panel, which must include:

• An independent chair.
• A peer from the wider public, private, or voluntary sectors.
• A serving local government senior officer from outside the council.
• A senior elected member from outside the council.

The council is also required to set out the scope for the PPA, taking account of any challenges highlighted in its corporate self-assessment report and findings from recent audit, inspection, or regulator reports.

The report recommends delegating authority to Councillor Brent Carter, Council Leader, and Ellis Cooper, Chief Executive, for setting the scope, timescales, confirming the appointment of the panel, and progressing the panel performance assessment.