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CRAFFU : ADFYWIO AC AMDDIFFYN Y CYHOEDD

4.00 pm DYDD MAWRTH, 13EG EBRILL, 2021 CYFARFOD X XXXX - TIMAU MICROSOFT

By Cynhelir Cyfarfod Cyn y Cyfarfod cyn y cyfarfod hwn ac anfonir gwahoddiad ar wahân gan Swyddogion Cymorth Craffu at Aelodau'r Pwyllgor yn unig

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Gellir dod o hyd i unrhyw ddogfennau cyfeirio, y cyfeirir atynt ond nad ydynt yn cael eu cyhoeddi fel rhan o’r agenda hwn ar wefan neu mewnrwyd y Cyngor, o xxx Papurau Cefndir

AGENDA

1. Ymddiheuriadau am absenoldeb

2. Datgan buddiant (yn cynnwys datganiadau chwipio)

Atgoffir Aelodau o'u cyfrifoldeb personol i ddatgan

unrhyw fuddiant personol a niweidiol mewn perthynas â materion sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn yr agenda hon yn unol â darpariaethau Deddf Llywodraeth Leol a Cyllid 1992 sy'n ymwneud â Treth Cyngor, Deddf Llywodraeth Leol 2000, Cyfansoddiad y Cyngor a Chod Ymddygiad Aelodau.

Nodyn:

(a) Mae Aelodau yn cael eu hatgoffa bod rhaid iddynt nodi rhif eitem a’r mater xxx drafodaeth, a bod rhaid iddynt nodi natur y buddiant personol; a

(b) Lle mae aelod yn ymneilltuo o gyfarfod o ganlyniad i ddatgelu buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu rhaid hysbysu'r Cadeirydd pan fyddant yn gadael.

3. Cyflwyniad ar Drais Rhywiol

Derbyn Cyflwyniad gan New Pathways

4. Ardal Dreftadaeth Cyfarthfa 2021

Ystyried adroddiad y Dirprwy Brif Weithredwr Dros Dro

5 - 14

5. Hunanwerthusiad Corfforaethol Bywyd Gwaith 2021

Ystyried adroddiad y Dirprwy Brif Weithredwr Dros Dro

15 - 34

6. Adroddiad Diweddaru Coronafeirws

I ystyried yr adroddiad amgaeëdig 35 - 48

7. Rhaglen Waith 2020-2021

I ystyried yr adroddiad amgaeëdig 49 - 60

8. Cyfeiriadau Craffu, Adborth a Gweithredu Dilynol

9. Myfyrio ar y Cyfarfod a'i Gwerthuso Derbyn diweddariad oddi wrth y Cadeirydd

10. Unrhyw fater arall y mae'r Cadeirydd yn ei ystyried yn bwysig

CYFANSODDIAD: Cynghorwyr: X Xxxxxx (Cadeirydd)

X Xxxxx (Is-gadeirydd)

Cynghorwyr: X Xxxxxxx, X Xxxxx, J Xxxxxx x X Xxxxxx

Aelodau cyfetholedig: X Xxxxxxx, X Xxxxxxx x X Xxxxx ynghyd â swyddogion priodol

Os byddai’n well gennych xxxx o’r agenda hwn mewn Iaith arall, cysylltwch a xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx neu ffoniwch 01685 725284

Xxxxxx y dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol

Agenda

Eitem 4

Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8AN

Main Tel: 00000 000000 xxx.xxxxxxx.xxx.xx

SCRUTINY COMMITTEE REPORT

Date Written	17th March 2021
Report Author	Xxx Xxxxxx / Xxxxx Xxxx
Service Area	Community Regeneration
Committee Date	13th April 2021

To: Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen

Cyfarthfa Heritage Area

1.0 SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

1.1 A significant amount of investment and development has gone into Cyfarthfa Heritage Area over the past 10 years.

1.2 In order to progress the strands of the Crucible Report, the next stage was to procure a first class multi-disciplinary team to develop a ‘Strategic Framework’ for the ‘Big Idea’ for Cyfarthfa Heritage Area.

1.3 World-renowned Architects, Xxx Xxxxxxx Architects were awarded the contract.

1.4 The Cyfarthfa Plan was adopted by Full Council on the 4th November 2020 and the Plan was formally launched on the 12th January 2021, followed by coverage in both local and national press.

1.5 In September 2020, a report was taken to Council recommending the new SPV would be named ‘The Cyfarthfa Foundation’, that the Memorandum and Articles of Association be approved, that a bank account is opened with £5k deposited from the Council and the first directors be appointed. This was unanimously approved.

1.6 On 29th August 2019, MTCBC secured £700k from the VRP Programme for the re- development of the Canolfan and external play provision facilities.

1.7 In February 2021, MTCBC secured an additional £297,547.33 and received an extension until June 2021 to finalise all spend. The additional cost was secured for professional fees and external works including the re-surfacing of the play area and splash pad.

1.8 In March 2021, The Cyfarthfa Foundation secured £1.2m from Welsh Government for development funding towards the implementation of The Cyfarthfa Plan. The funding will allow The Cyfarthfa Foundation to appoint staff and undertake necessary survey work to develop key projects for delivery.

2.0 RECOMMENDATION(S)

2.1 That Scrutiny note the comments of the report.

2.2 That Scrutiny discuss and comment on the information identified within the report.

2.3 That Scrutiny identifies any further information they would like to receive as part of the forward reporting for Cyfarthfa Heritage Area.

3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

3.1 A significant amount of investment and development has gone into Cyfarthfa Heritage Area over the past 10 years. There has been investment primarily in the Park through the Heads of the Valleys Programme and a £3.3m Parks for People (P4P) Programme was delivered between 2011 and 2016.

3.2 On 21st October 2017 at Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil, the Design Commission for Wales and the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University convened a multi- disciplinary team to scope the possibilities within the town and surrounding landscape in a bold visioning exercise that sought ways of making of Merthyr’s heritage assets something greater than the sum of its parts, underlining its true international significance.

3.3 This one-day charrette was supported by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC), Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust (MTLT) and Merthyr Heritage Trust and made possible with funding from MTCBC and support from Design Circle RSAW South. The event brought together over 60 creative minds – architects, landscape architects, planners, heritage specialists and artists – to examine and appraise the potential around Cyfarthfa, the wider town and landscape so as to shape a vision for the future.

3.4 The charrette – an intense day of ideas generation – considered how Cyfarthfa Castle, its extended landscape and built heritage might become an international quality visitor destination and experience, better promoting its already palpable sense of place. It considered new ways in which these central assets could be connected to other assets throughout the town and beyond to catalyse regeneration and tourism, maximise impact and return real public benefit.

3.5 The findings of the report highlighted four strategically integrated strands:

a) A cathedral for our industrial heritage

b) Weaving a connected landscape

c) Beyond Cyfarthfa – Beyond Merthyr

d) A year-round framework for events

3.6 The charrette report recommended the pursuit of these strands and outlined the necessary resources, timescales and mechanisms required for them to realise their full potential.

3.7 It was highlighted that the delivery of the vision outlined within the charrette report will require human and financial resources beyond those of the local authority itself. The full implementation of all elements envisaged will need to be fully costed but may be in the order of £50m, possibly spread over a decade. The realisation of the full vision will require an innovative approach to procurement and delivery and the enthusiastic commitment of MTCBC, MTLT and the Welsh Government (WG), as well as other community organisations, stakeholders and funders.

3.8 The charrette day demonstrated beyond doubt that Merthyr has resources of powerful loyalty to the place and pride in its history. The presiding impulse from all participants was to raise the town’s projection to the world today to a position truly commensurate with its international importance in our industrial, social and political history.

3.9 On 6th June 2018, the Regeneration Team along with advisors and the Chief Executive of the Design Commission for Wales (DCFW) presented a report to Full Council on the charrette findings and the following recommendations were approved:

- To establish a small working group to progress the ‘Crucible’ concept and projects.

- To establish a task and finish group to undertake discussions as part of an internal design charrette.

- To establish an interim working group to explore the establishment of an appropriate development vehicle to take the programme forward.

- To identify a potential location for a new development vehicle to be based

- To undertake community consultation and identify engagement with key stakeholders.

- To review existing HLF applications for Cyfarthfa.

- To explore the establishment of links with major London based Charities and Trusts

3.10 Discussions were held with Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) following the meeting in order to share the ambition for the Cyfarthfa Heritage Area and to discuss the progress of the Cyfarthfa Castle application. The deadline for submission was extended until March 2019.

3.11 During this period of consideration of future plans and designs for the Castle Xxxxxxx, the multi-disciplinary design team appointed for the re-development of the Castle were temporarily put on hold until a progression route was confirmed and agreed.

3.12 The Parks for People 2 (P4P2) application was due to be submitted on the 3rd September 2018. It was identified that the elements included within the Stage 2 application would not affect the overall vision of the Charrette Report in creating a transformational change. It was envisaged that the elements to be delivered would contribute towards the continued improvement of the Park and would support MTLT in becoming more sustainable and creating better improved income generating facilities.

4.0 WHERE WE WERE

Crucible Report

4.1 In order to progress the strands of the Crucible Report, the next stage was to procure a first class multi-disciplinary team to develop a ‘Strategic Framework’ for

the ‘Big Idea’ for Cyfarthfa Heritage Area. The framework would drive future design and development work for the development of the heritage assets and wider Heritage Area. This framework would also lead to multiple sub-projects based on the themes contained in the brief and the charrette report.

4.2 A brief was developed and put out to tender. A total of 20 tenders were received. This was reduced to 15 following the selection stage evaluation. The remaining 15 tenderers’ quality bids were evaluated by the evaluation team, 8 tenderers did not pass the quality threshold that was stipulated in the ITT. 7 tenderers progressed to interview stage. The interviews were held on the 18th and 20th June and world - renowned Architects, Xxx Xxxxxxx Architects were awarded the contract.

4.3 The Teams approach was to work with the people of Merthyr Tydfil to deliver a comprehensive study which would excite, motivate and help deliver the transformation of the Cyfarthfa Heritage Area over the next 20 years.

Castle

4.4 Based on the content of the charrette report in relation to the Castle that a distinctive building is needed, it was recognised by the DCFW and the Council that it would be beneficial for a review of the Castle designs to be undertaken in order to ensure that the vision for the building complemented the wider vision of the charrette report in creating transformational change in one of Merthyr’s key heritage assets and its only Grade 1 Listed building.

4.5 This resulted in the decision to suspend the HLF application to ensure that the best and most appropriate design is created for any future developments in line with the Big Idea. A discussion was held with HLF to discuss the rationale behind the decision, and this was well received given the wider opportunity that the charrette presented. HLF recognised that an application for the former school side based on the proposals outlined in the Stage 1 HLF application, could be at the detriment to the wider development. An application submission at this point of masterplanning, would result in not only a fragmented development, but would also restrict future opportunities particularly for the Museum.

4.6 To support the commissioning of the wider masterplan for the Cyfarthfa Heritage Area and the suspension of the HLF application, this also resulted in the termination of the contract that MTCBC had with Xxxxxxx (the appointed disciplinary Team for the re-development of the Castle), due to the potential significant change in overall scope that was outside of the basis of their appointment.

Cyfarthfa Park

4.7 Based on the content of the charrette report relating to the Park, it was agreed with HLF that the P4P2 application would be submitted in August 2019 to ensure key

linkages with the Crucible Report and ensuring all projects were complementary to future aspirations and would not be abortive in future years.

4.8 The P4P2 application had a focus on capital schemes including access improvements in and around the Park, extension to the play provision and the upgrading of key heritage assets. Volunteering also formed a crucial part of the application to ensure that Cyfarthfa Park is better managed, understood, shared and looked after resulting in volunteers having the opportunity to develop skills in heritage, conservation, horticulture, project management and volunteer co- ordination.

4.9 In November 2019, HLF confirmed that the application had been unsuccessful. This was due to further development being required in terms of the ‘social’ element of the application in understanding the park users and opportunities and also, in light of the Crucible Report to understand what further opportunities would arise from the final report to enhance the Park and help identify any additional capital schemes for delivery in future years.

Valleys Regional Park

410 In November 2018, WG announced that six Valleys parks and heritage sites were the first to be named as Discovery Gateways, set to share in £7m of investment as part of work to create a Valleys Regional Park (VRP) and make the most of the area’s rich natural and cultural heritage.

4.11 WG announced that the VRP is at the heart of their ambition to help Valleys communities maximise heritage to deliver real social, economic and environmental benefits stating “Our Valleys contain some fantastic natural landscapes and cultural treasures. This Valleys Regional Park will kick-start work to raise their profile internationally, while better connecting them to our towns and villages and encouraging more active lifestyles.”

4.12 In November 2018, MTCBC submitted an expression of interest to WG for funding. The overall proposal was to deliver a capital programme which would enhance the key heritage features within the park and wider heritage area including better interpretation, improved access and navigation and create links to the industrial heritage hinterland. The programme of activities would enable MTCBC and MTLT to engage with more, and a wider range of people, to take an active part in making decisions about our heritage as well as further develop their understanding of the area.

4.13 The expression of interest was approved by WG and in March 2019, a full application request was issued for completion and submission in May 2019. On 10th May 2019, a full application was submitted to WG outlining the request for funding.

4.14 The application requested funding for the re-development of the Canolfan inclusive of works to adjacent area (play provision facilities). Due to the usage of the park and the aspiration to increase visitor numbers, the need to develop a better catering offer was recognised by MTCBC and MTLT. The aim of the project was to see the interior of the building remodelled as a café with full kitchen, food preparation, storage, counter and seating areas that serve all audiences across the site at Cyfarthfa.

4.15 It was envisaged that the existing security office would remain and continue to be used as a base for site security, and the general management of the playground area, imperative to the operation of the Canolfan and the income generated on site. Developments at the playground were also identified as a key requirement which included the opportunity to create a new toilet and changing provision adjacent to the splash pad. This was identified as a priority not only for the peak season in the summer but to accommodate families and visitors that attend the high-profile events held in the Park all year round.

4.16 The proposal through the VRP application was to not only deliver capital developments but deliver an activities and events programme building on the foundation economy that already exists within the Park. This would enhance the activities led by the park user groups such as the anglers, model railway, tearooms, greenhouses and bowls club and can help to attract new opportunities into the park for example through sports development and the Merthyr Tydfil and District Naturalists. The focus would be on communication, health and well-being, training and skills development and the overall development of the social enterprise and private enterprise sector within the Heritage Area.

Cyfarthfa Furnaces

4.17 Following the surveys undertaken on the Cyfarthfa Furnaces in 2016 / 17 a laser survey was commissioned for the scheduled ancient monument which would provide a report and a scale photo showing the structure stone for stone. This is of particular importance should there be any localised collapses.

4.18 It was proposed that once the laser survey was completed, a full detailed structural survey would be commissioned including costs for the preservation of the structure, enabling the Council to develop and submit applications to identified funders in future years.

Leisure Trust

4.19 On 7th November 2018, Council unanimously voted to undertake a due diligence / legal process to review taking back management of all heritage assets that Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust have the responsibility for managing currently, including Cyfarthfa Park and Castle, with the aim of completing the transfer (subject to due diligence) by the end of 2019.

5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW

5.1 The Masterplan commission was for a 12-month period with the final Masterplan completed and issued to MTCBC in September 2020.

5.2 The final plan was a result of extensive consultation and involvement with the public and key stakeholders in Merthyr Tydfil. This led to the creation of three strategic themes – History and Heritage, Natural Environment and Contemporary Creativity – that have been translated into more than 70 projects.

5.3 The Cyfarthfa Plan has been split into four phases across two decades:

- The first ten years – 2020-2031 will include: Phase 1: the Castle Projects

Phase 2: the Iron Way Projects

- The next ten years – 2031-2040 will include: Phase 3: the Creative Arts Projects

Phase 4: Tertiary Education Projects

- The 100ha park weaves throughout all phases of the Plan.

5.4 The Cyfarthfa Plan was adopted by Full Council on the 4th November 2020 and the Plan was formally launched on the 12th January 2021, followed by coverage in both local and national press.

Special Purpose Vehicle

5.5 In 2019, a decision was made corporately not to bring the assets back into Council ownership. Subsequent reports would be presented to Council regarding MTLT and the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

5.6 In September 2020, a report was taken to Council recommending the new SPV would be named ‘The Cyfarthfa Foundation’, that the Memorandum and Articles of Association be approved, that a bank account is opened with £5k deposited from the Council and the first directors be appointed. This was unanimously approved.

5.7 The report identified that the creation of an autonomous charity / company is the only practical way in which to assemble the necessary funding – from governmental, national lottery, business, and charitable sources. Demonstrating the independence and autonomy of the SPV will be critical to achieving this investment. It also identified that The Foundation will establish an organisation whose sole focus will be the development of Cyfarthfa and to consider other heritage assets in the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (but particularly within the footprint of the Crucible project) to maximise the benefits for the borough – economic, education and social – and the nation.

5.8 The report also highlighted that this project cannot be delivered by MTLT due its specialist nature. The Trust has many differing responsibilities centred on the community. This project requires a sole focus and the retention of high-level expertise, some of its specialist, at board and staff level, drawn from Wales, the UK and beyond.

5.9 A Cyfarthfa Working Group has been established between MTCBC, The Cyfarthfa Foundation and MTLT to discuss progress on development and delivery of The Cyfarthfa Plan. The Working Group meets on a six-weekly basis.

5.10 In June 2020, MTCBC secured £80k towards the delivery of an Archive Project. The Purpose of the Funding was to create the necessary foundation of knowledge on which to base the development of a visitor attraction of international quality at Cyfarthfa.

5.11 The Cyfarthfa Working Group, in conjunction with MTLT, would carry out a study of all relevant archives to assess what contribution information and materials held in them could make to the proposed visitor attraction. Sources included Glamorgan Archives, local libraries, Cyfarthfa Museum, National Museum Wales and National Library of Wales.

5.12 In August 2020, Xxxxx Xxxxxx Ltd. was appointed to undertake the review of the archives. Progress has been made to date, but the contract has been extended into 21 / 22 as restrictions in place due to Covid-19 has resulted in Xxxxx Xxxxxx Ltd being unable to attend site to review the archives and the work has been done remotely. This has been agreed with WG.

5.13 In March 2021, The Cyfarthfa Foundation secured £1.2m from Welsh Government for development funding towards the implementation of The Cyfarthfa Plan. The funding will allow The Cyfarthfa Foundation to appoint staff and undertake necessary survey work to develop key projects for delivery. MTCBC will be the Grant Recipient Body for the funding and an Agreement will be issued to The Cyfarthfa Foundation in April 2021. MTCBC will have overall responsibility for reporting into Welsh Government and for monitoring spend by the Foundation.

Castle

5.14 Over the past six months MTLT has reported a number of issues identified within the Castle into MTCBC. Regeneration, Property Services and Engineering have attended numerous site visits and implemented a number of short-term mitigations to safeguard the Castle during the winter period. Works included minor roof repairs, cutting back of vegetation and clearance of drains and downpipes to prevent any further water ingress.

5.15 Following the site visits further issues have been identified including wet / dry rot and additional areas of water ingress. In order to understand the extent of the issues and the further works required within the building, MTCBC aim to commission a Condition Survey in April 2021 to ascertain the maintenance plan and future capital work requirements needed to preserve, protect and re-develop the building.

5.16 Three companies have been engaged with and taken to site to review and discuss the Grade I Listed Building with Property Services and Engineering. A brief will be developed in April 2021 and all three companies will have the opportunity to submit a quotation to bid for the survey work.

5.17 Any survey work undertaken in the past will be made available to the appointed consultants to help inform the Condition Survey including the Concrete Testing Report, which was recently undertaken.

5.18 MTCBC are also in discussions with MTLT regarding the re-location of the Museum and Art collection in order to protect and safeguard the collection over the short to medium term – until the building has been re-developed as proposed within The Cyfarthfa Plan. An options appraisal has been undertaken by the Trust and costs, timescales and evidence of need are currently being discussed.

Park / VRP Application

5.19 On 29th August 2019, MTCBC secured £700k from the VRP Programme for the re- development of the Canolfan and external play provision facilities. This was due to be spent by March 31st 2021.

5.20 In October 2020, Xxxxxx was appointed as the contractor to undertake the works. A 26 week programme was proposed with the contract due to end on the 9th May 2021.

5.21 In February 2021, MTCBC secured an additional £297,547.33 and received an extension until June 2021 to finalise all spend. The additional cost was secured for professional fees and external works including the re-surfacing of the play area and splash pad.

Furnaces

5.22 Xxxx XxxXxxxxx have been appointed by Engineers to prepare tender documentation for each of the following two options:

- Repair works to stabilise the furnace structure

- Full restoration of furnace structure in line with aspirations to convert the area into a tourist destination and in line with the aims of overall Cyfarthfa project and The Cyfarthfa Foundation.

5.23 As part of the commission, Xxxx XxxXxxxxx will also engage with CADW, provide a structural assessment, non-intrusive investigations and an initial heritage desk study.

5.24 Once this commission has been finalised, MTCBC will go out to tender for costs on both options identified above. The Cyfarthfa Foundation has commenced the fundraising strategy for the Cyfarthfa Furnaces.

6.0 WHERE WE WANT TO BE

6.1 To develop and deliver key projects identified within The Cyfarthfa Plan in conjunction with The Cyfarthfa Foundation.

6.2 To receive a detailed Condition Survey to inform the next steps in relation to capital works within Cyfarthfa Castle.

6.3 To successfully deliver the VRP Project by June 2021.

6.4 For MTCBC to understand the cost and capital work requirements to ensure the preservation of the Cyfarthfa Furnaces, again to ensure it is conserved and protected long term.

6.5 To secure funding for the preservation of the Cyfarthfa Furnaces.

6.6 To support The Cyfarthfa Foundation in appointing both Board Members and officers to deliver the outcomes identified within The Cyfarthfa Plan.

7.0 WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

7.1 Identify the assets that The Cyfarthfa Foundation will manage and develop a programme outlining key milestones to meet this objective.

7.2 Appoint consultants to develop a Condition Survey for the Castle.

7.3 Issue tender documentation for the preservation of the Cyfarthfa Furnaces.

7.6 Continue to manage the MTLT contract.

8.0 CONTRIBUTION TO WELLBEING OBJECTIVES

8.1 The work being undertaken to support further development of the Cyfarthfa Heritage Area has been identified as one of the key projects supporting the delivery of the Working Life theme contained within the Merthyr Tydfil Corporate Wellbeing Plan. This project offers clear evidence to support how the Council is aiming to protect / enhance one of Merthyr’s key heritage and cultural assets, whilst in the longer term, the development of a Heritage Area-wide volunteering programme contributing towards one of the 5 ways of working. The volunteering programme will aim to be fully inclusive targeting a number of groups and the local community.

XXXX XXXX

DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE

COUNCILLOR XXXXXXX XXXXXX PORTFOLIO MEMBER, REGENERATION

AND PUBLIC PROTECTIC

BACKGROUND PAPERS
Title of Document(s)	Document(s) Date	Document Location
List the Background documents which have been relied on in preparing the report. E.g. previous minutes of relevant committees
Does the report contain any issue that may impact the Council’s Constitution?

Eitem Agenda 5

Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8AN

Main Tel: 00000 000000 xxx.xxxxxxx.xxx.xx

SCRUTINY COMMITTEE REPORT

Date Written	18 March 2021
Report Author	Xxxx Xxxx / Xxxxx Xxxx / Xxxxx Xxx / Xxxx Xxxxx
Service Area	Community Regeneration, Public Protection and Housing
Committee Date	13 April 2021

To: Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen

Corporate Self-Evaluation – Working Life

1.0 SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

1.1 Self-evaluation is a rigorous process that enables Chief Officers, Heads of Service and officers to be critically reflective about outcomes, service provision and leadership and management.

1.2 Following a refocus exercise of documentation to ensure it continued to meet the organisation’s needs; the Council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) approved the re-introduction of the corporate self-evaluation process in June 2019.

1.3 This report focuses on the completion of the self-evaluation undertaken by the Interim Deputy Chief Executive/Chief Officer for Community Regeneration: its content directly relates to the work undertaken to support delivery within the Working Life theme of the Corporate Wellbeing Plan (Focus on the Future: wellbeing in our community).

1.5 This report and its appendices highlight the key findings of the self-evaluation activity; outline areas of good practice along with areas for development; and identifies the priorities for improvement which will be developed into a Business Improvement Plan.

2.0 RECOMMENDATION(S)

2.1 Scrutiny Committee Members review the summary report and key findings laid out in the report, debating its content.

2.2 Committee Members review the judgements reached, assessing these for validity with a view to agreeing these.

3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

3.1 Self-evaluation is a business process that is rigorous and enables organisations to be critically self-reflective about outcomes, service provision and leadership and management. Using lessons learned over previous years, the format of the self- evaluation has been developed. The key outcome of the process are to identify areas of good practice; along with priorities for improvement which teams could focus on moving forward.

3.2 In 2019, a refocus of the process was undertaken to ensure the self-evaluation documents continued to meet the organisation’s needs. Following consideration of the updated documents by the Council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT); the new format was approved for re-introduction in June 2019.

3.3 As part of the self-evaluation process, it was proposed that completed questions should be presented before the sector-specific scrutiny committee that scrutinises the outputs/outcomes for the relevant service area(s). This was seen as an opportunity for Committee Members and officers to review details of their services together; to outline positive practice and achievements whilst providing a platform to discussions around any challenges faced and areas for development identified.

3.4 A key aim of the refocused process was to support and enable discussions between scrutiny Committee Members and officers and secure feedback from the Committee that could then be considered/used as part of future planning on how identified priorities would be progressed.

4 WHERE WE WERE

4.1 Historically, the Council undertook self-evaluation activities annually on a service-by service basis. The process required Heads of Service to review project/programme activity and reflect on what had been achieved, as well as identifying what needed to be prioritised with a view to planning how this should be done.

4.2 Utilising the re-focused process, the Chief Officer and his wider teams considered all facets of their activity when completing the key questions. This resulted in the collation of these ‘service-specific’ responses into a single document to provide an assessment of progress across the whole directorate.

4.3 This approach enabled individual services to assess their areas of work; and also how they contributed to the ‘bigger picture’: the positive progress against the Working Life wellbeing objective.

4.4 At the end of the 2019/2020 self-evaluation process; the following judgements were made by services in relation to the 3 key questions:

Question	Service Areas Judgement	Regeneration & Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Review and Assessment
1. Outcomes	Adequate	The evaluation judgements provided by Officers within the self-evaluation report was accepted by Scrutiny Committee Members on 10/09/2019.
2. Provision and Service Delivery	Adequate	The evaluation judgements provided by Officers within the self-evaluation report was accepted by Scrutiny Committee Members on 14/01/2020
3. Leadership and Management	Adequate	The evaluation judgements provided by Officers within the self-evaluation report was accepted by Scrutiny Committee Members on 03/03/2020.

4.5 A number of lessons were learned through completion of self-evaluation in 2019-2020. Although navigating the process was time consuming and intensive; it was seen to be valuable and a number of positives were identified. These included:

• a further improvement of connectivity across teams supported improved delivery;

• over the previous 12-months, a deeper understanding of existing collaborative working not just within the Community Regeneration, Public Protection and Housing services; but much more widely across the Council and with other external key partners/stakeholders had been developed;

• the process enabled those completing it to more clearly identify how the services they delivered contributed to other corporate wellbeing objectives; and wider Council and regional priorities; and

• the identification of opportunities to work together to do different things which could improve the services offered and develop the methods by which the teams worked using lessons learned to improve outcomes and meet set targets.

4.6 There were also a number of areas for development and priorities for improvement which were identified which would need to be actioned. These included:

• Reviewing existing partnerships with a view to consolidating collaborative projects and ensure are right people were involved at the right time, and were active in making positive progress against targets and goals set;

• Prioritising how teams would work effectively with other Council services to maximise opportunities to make positive progress against joint targets and objectives with a view to improving outcomes for citizens;

• Exploring how social media could be more readily accessed to promote services, activities and opportunities; and share achievements and good practice in a timely manner;

• Focusing on succession planning to ensure effective sustainment of key projects and services could be achieved in the mid to longer-term; and

• Improve how the intelligence gathered from key stakeholders both formally (through consultation and engagement) and informally was used to develop or improve services; and to share these findings to maximise the benefits.

5 WHERE WE ARE NOW

5.1 2020-21 has provided some significant challenges in relation to all elements of the services’ workload. A number of impacting factors noted include:

• the need to rapidly adapt ways of working to align with lockdown regulations led to the requirement to suspend some services at the initial stages of the pandemic to comply with government’s ‘Stay Home; Stay Safe; Protect the NHS’ requirements;

• an increase in the amount of direct community support activities to meet critical needs and safeguard communities – this had a particular impact at the start of the pandemic placing unanticipated demands on services and team across the directorate and wider Council;

• the requirement to meet the needs of staff who needed to shield; self-isolate or work from home (particularly at the start of the pandemic where this initially had an impact on available resources);

• to accommodate the required shift to agile/flexible working; investment was required to ensure staff had the necessary equipment to work effectively and efficiently from home and ensure they were able to stay ‘connected’;

• as a result of the ongoing pandemic; Welsh Government were understandably unable to produce verified data in line with their standard timescales. This meant limited verified, comparative information was available. The primary focus has been on improving the Council’s response to a range of indicators contained within the Working Life Strategy on a Page (SOAP) - see Appendix 1.

Please Note: the data contained in the SOAP shows the status at the end of Quarter 3 (December 2020) – this is the latest internally verified data; and

• the obligation to respond to new and emerging legislation, and respond positively to regulatory/service change arising from the ongoing pandemic.

5.2 There was a necessity to amend the approach to the self-evaluation process delivery model. In 2019-2020; the process was delivered on a question-by-question basis over 6 months – for 2020-2021; service areas/teams were required to consider all three questions at the same time.

5.3 Despite the pressures noted as a result of the response to the ongoing pandemic; instances of good practice have been noted. These include:

• The responsiveness to the requirement to move to flexible/agile working models being capitalised upon; with the support of the Council’s senior management. Also, effective support was received from a number of corporate support services (e.g.) ICT department; Finance and Accounting, Procurement etc., and response activities were delivered positively at pace;

• Teams adapted the services they delivered to meet service user needs in safe and appropriate ways (e.g.) the Active Merthyr Team worked to provide support for a grant programme to assist businesses, social enterprises and sports clubs in

continuing to engage with its core members by helping them purchase equipment to run activities virtually. 16 organisations were supported – these in turn helped reach thousands of local residents in the process;

• The local economy has suffered impacts as a result of a series of lockdowns. This might have led to local businesses closing; significantly impacting on products/services available to residents to the County Borough. However, a joint working relationship developed by officers across the Economic Development and Revenues and Benefits services enabled the Council to better understand support needs, enabling local businesses to be with the targeted support they required to survive in a timely and proactive way;

• The wholesale change in how the services worked in responding to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic could have been overwhelming. However, each of the services led by the Chief Officer – Community Regeneration responded positively to the challenges faced and continued to deliver key services to citizens; and

• The rapid responsiveness of Protection and Safety Services at the start of the pandemic was remarkable. The sustained positive relationships which have been built to deliver high-level prevention messages; advice and guidance to communities are notable and has brought together services across the Council to work more effectively together.

5.4 The key findings of the 2020/2021 self-evaluation were identified, and are listed in

Appendix 2.

5.5 Some key challenges which require to be addressed were noted during the process; these include:

• European funding programmes are set to end in 2022; the need to ensure replacement funding is secured to sustain delivery of key services is critical (e.g.) the majority of Employability Services are EU-funded – these services are more critical than ever with so many across the County Borough being negatively impacted by the effects of the pandemic (e.g.) furlough; job losses etc.;

• New legislation introduced at the start of the pandemic relating to housing and homelessness will undoubtedly impact on the team’s ability to deliver additional statutory requirements and balance this with high levels of service demand; this will also increase the pressure on budgets in the medium to longer-term; and

• Public Protection services have had to react and incorporate new emergency powers and carry out enforcement work whilst ensuring staff are protected in what could be high risk environments. Together with Trading Standards and Licensing Officers, Environmental Health Officers have played a critical role in enforcing the new emergency legislation. In order to meet the demands of the pandemic many of the day to day services (e.g.) food inspections; have had to be scaled right back. If further ‘lockdowns’ are required, this will lead to resumption of some elements of ‘business as usual’ being impacted further.

5.6 A collated list of evidence is available for review (see Appendix 3). The summary judgements for the Working Life theme for 2020-2021 are:

Question	Service Areas Judgement
Outcomes	Adequate
Provision and Service Delivery	Good
Leadership and Management	Good

6 WHERE WE WANT TO BE

6.1 Through completion of this process; the Chief Officer: Community Regeneration and his teams have identified a number of areas for development.

6.2 Areas for development enable teams to record all areas where they have a drive to improve, this information acting as a prompt whenever teams develop, revisit, review and/or refocus services.

6.3 In relation to Key Question 1 (Outcomes); the areas for development noted included:

1a. Review and refocus data quality and capture methods to consolidate current positions and increase opportunities for service development and improvement;

1b. Develop and deliver on actions and tasks set down in the Council’s Recovery; Transformation and Improvement Plan;

1c. Sustain and further develop collaborative work with other departments across the Council to broaden the contributions made to objectives and outcomes set down in the Council’s Corporate Plan;

1d. Focus on future funding where current funding streams are approaching their end stages – this is particularly critical in relation to the teams works as a high percentage of services delivered are externally funded (e.g. Employability, EU-funded projects/programmes etc.);

1e. Maximise the intelligence gathered through connecting with communities and key stakeholders both formally (via consultation) and informally (via local events; client meetings etc.); and ensure feedback captured is considered/ included in future service planning;

1f. Effectively communicate key messages through developed use of social media platforms; sharing information on services/activities delivered, placing a greater focus on sharing details of opportunities and key successes achieved;

1g. Continue to work with corporate support services to review existing governance arrangements to ensure current systems are responsive to changing needs and fit for the future;

1h. Capitalise on funding secured to maximise positive outcomes for communities (e.g.) roll-out of the Kickstart programme; continued development of the Taff Trail exploring options to maximised usability for evenings and weekends;

1i. Continue to support the Council’s commitment to digital transformation to deliver services safely and accessibly to our communities;

1j. Continue to work on a regional basis to ensure the Council remains a key stakeholder in both small and large-scale activities; working with Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to maximise opportunities to deliver affordable, accessible transport infrastructure that enables communities to access work and learning opportunities; and

1k. Continue to deliver the large infrastructure development programmes which support the sustainment and development of economic opportunities and experiences.

6.4 In relation to Key Question 2 (Provision and Service Delivery), the areas for development noted included:

2a. Continue to look at improving succession planning arrangements to ensure the longer-term sustainability of services;

2b. Provide greater provision in terms of business support to support effective recovery from the impact of the ongoing pandemic is measured, meaningful and deliverable;

2c. Review how new legislation impacting on housing and homelessness will impact on the team’s ability to deliver additional statutory requirements and balance this with high (and increasing) levels of service user demands;

2d. Continue to lead on the exploration and possible development of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system; supporting a central repository for customer data which will enable services to understand customer/service user needs more holistically;

2e. Continue to identify and manage/mitigate issues identified within the Town Centre to ensure a safe, attractive space and improve public perception;

2f. Deliver the Cyfarthfa Plan in conjunction with the Cyfarthfa Foundation and Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust;

2g. Explore opportunities to support communities and businesses to develop their digital skills so they might access services safely and when they need to;

2h. Encourage the sharing of key information across teams to support an improved understanding of service delivery; identifying opportunities for integration and collaboration of services and gaining clarity on the impact being made collectively;

2i. Review and improve engagement with those who are hard to reach and/or socio-economically disadvantaged; and

2j. Contribute to the development of a Corporate Communication Strategy.

6.5 In relation to Key Question 3 (Leadership and Management), the areas for development noted included:

3a. Ensure economic recovery is placed at the heart of all services; so that support to communities remains meaningful and valid;

3b. Continue to gauge the impact of the accelerated pace of change brought about by the ongoing pandemic on the longer-term ability to meet identified needs;

3c. Heads of Service and Senior Managers continue to ensure personal objectives of staff clearly link to corporate and service outcomes;

3d. Continue to develop a clear understanding of the needs and requirements contained within the Council’s Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan; and respond positively to this;

3e. Ensure Elected Members remain up-to-date with any service changes and have current information to share with community members when fulfilling their roles;

3f. Ensure rigorous review of future funding opportunities remains a central focus to ensure sustainability of those key services which will be impacted;

3g. Capitalise on training and development opportunities to support effective, efficient service delivery for services users; customers and key stakeholders;

3h. Work with leaders; managers and officers across other Council departments to share lessons learned in relation to the services journeys towards integrating professional disciplines which has benefits the directorate so much;

3i. Retain focus on the use of the Focus on my Performance tool to continue using the opportunities to provide one-to-one feedback to staff; and maintain awareness of service and corporate objectives;

3j. Further review resource implication on managers which have arisen as a result of the Chief Officer also becoming the Council’s interim Deputy Chief Executive; and

3k. Ensure wider service needs are continuously considered to ensure sufficient resources (finance, equipment and staffing) are available to deliver on current and future priorities.

6.6 By discussing and exploring these, the key priorities for improvement were identified. These have been split into 2 elements:

Common high-level priorities for improvement include:

• Continue to deliver appropriate service responses to our communities as we together recover from the effects of the ongoing pandemic;

• Actively and positively engage in improvement activities to not only meet service and corporate goals but to improve performance against these wherever practicably possible;

• Focus on exploring all future funding opportunities to ensure critical services that are currently externally-funded can be sustained in the longer-term;

• Begin delivery of the larger-scale programmes which have received approval from Full Council during 2020-2021 (e.g.) the Town Centre Master Plan; Placemaking Plan and the Cyfarthfa Plan;

• Continually review capacity to ensure community and service needs can be met and sufficient resources are in place to ensure effective progress against objectives is achieved;

• Further develop and maintain effective communication pathways to provide regular updates to citizens; Elected Members; key stakeholders and colleagues across the Council;

• Commit to the Council’s vision of digital transformation; exploring opportunities to provide advice, support and guidance using technology;

• Seek to be innovative in our approach to the provision of effective and efficient service delivery; maximising budgets and working smarter, not harder; and

• Ensure a focused approach to service design supporting recovery; ensuring collaboration is at the centre of this.

6.7 Other priorities for improvement to be worked towards include:

• Continue engagement with corporate supports services to maximise available capacity through partnership;

• Maximise opportunities to communicate via social media with a view to improving timeliness of posts; and supporting more effective corporate communications officers;

• Identify areas where support may be required at a much earlier stage; to minimise interruptions to services;

• Ensure ongoing review of partnerships and Service Level Agreements ensuring these remain valuable and meaningful;

• Revisit arrangements for succession planning to support sustainability of services;

• Identify and capitalise on CPD opportunities to ensure officer skill sets meet existing and emerging needs;

• Ensure key findings from consultation and engagement activities are shared more widely so that more people benefit from the intelligence gathered; and

• Sustain work to tackle poverty and socio-economic disadvantage; ensuring these remain at the heart of our service delivery models.

7 WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

7.1 Discuss the findings of the self-evaluation with Scrutiny Committee Members and secure comments and feedback which services will consider as part of future planning.

7.2 Focus on the key priorities for improvement and develop effective response activities that will support services to make positive progress towards achieving these.

7.3 Continue to develop knowledge and understanding of the Council’s Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan, with the ongoing support of the Council’s internal Economic Recovery Board.

7.4 Continue to develop the inter-departmental connectivity which is proving so beneficial in accelerating the pace of service delivery.

7.5 Ensure local businesses remain fully aware and are supported to receive as much financial and practical support so they remain viable; meeting the continued needs of local people and maximising input into the local economy.

7.6 Continue to positively progress all tasks and actions within the Working Life themes of both the Council’s Corporate Wellbeing Plan; and the Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan.

7.7 Consider how all future strategic service decisions pay due regard to the Council’s requirement to meet the needs of the Socio-Economic Duty.

7.8 Develop Merthyr’s extended landscape and built heritage into an international quality visitor destination and experience;

7.9 To have developed a well-connected Economic Growth partnership where information and outcomes are jointly owned and shared. By achieving this goal, we aim to maximise the positive connections to produce positive results;

7.10 To develop the Town Centre as a Strategic Hub as part of the Cardiff City Region Metro focusing on transport infrastructure, physical regeneration and place-making

8.0 CONTRIBUTION TO WELLBEING OBJECTIVES

8.1 The corporate self-evaluation process is based around the services/activities delivered and should reflect the contribution made in relation to the four wellbeing objectives set down by the Council in focus in the Corporate Wellbeing Plan.

8.2 This report specifically links to the Working Life objective within the Council’s Corporate Wellbeing Plan: People feel supported to develop the skills required to meet the needs of businesses; with a developing, safe infrastructure making Merthyr Tydfil an attractive destination.

8.3 Through completion of other self-evaluation responses; we will also be able to demonstrate our team’s contribution to support progress against the following objectives:

• Children and young people get the best start to life and are equipped with the skills they need to be successful learners and confident individuals;

• Communities protect, enhance and promote our environment and countryside; and

• People are empowered to live independently within their communities, where they are safe and enjoy good physical and mental health

8.4 Through completion of the self-evaluation exercise; The Chief Officer, Heads of Service and officers have identified that meaningful contributions are made to the seven national wellbeing goals; supporting the Councils to maximise its’ response to the Council’s response to the requirements of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

XXXX XXXX

INTERIM DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE / CHIEF OFFICER: COMMUNITY REGENERATION

COUNCILLOR XXXXXXX XXXXXX CABINET MEMBER: REGENERATION &

PUBLIC PROTECTION

BACKGROUND PAPERS
Title of Document(s)	Document(s) Date	Document Location
Working Life: Corporate Self Evaluation	18 March 2021
Does the report contain any issue that may impact the Council’s Constitution?			NO

Appendix 2

Corporate Wellbeing Objective (Theme) WORKING LIFE

Key Question 1: Outcomes

1a. All services led by the Chief Officer: Community Regeneration contribute to the Working Life objective; with many services also supporting multiple corporate wellbeing objectives through direct delivery or by working collaboratively. An example of the developing working relationships with colleagues in Revenues and Benefits around the provision of funding support grants – this related not just to Coronavirus, but also to the flooding experienced by communities within the County Borough between March-April 2020. This joint working relationship has strengthened the Council’s understanding of the needs of businesses and communities and supported the delivery of extremely effective and efficient support around the accessing of grant aid funding, ensuring businesses survivability;

1b. The change in how services work together remained extremely beneficial, with discussions around service planning; problem solving and collaborative projects involving officers from across a larger number of service areas;

Tudalen 27

1c. All services provided evidence of how they monitor performance. Performance against identified KPIs has been sustained, despite disruption caused by the pandemic. However, as a result of having to do different things to ensure communities remained safe and supported; some of the service delivery models were interrupted in response to the need to follow government guidelines in relation to lockdown etc. Performance has suffered some negative impacts for this financial year as a result of this. There is evidence of an increasing focus on the use of data and information from multiple sources to inform planning; development and improvement activities in which teams are involved.

1d. There had been a further service reconfiguration over the last 12 months. This has been undertaken to support better effective integration of professional disciplines across the service areas; maximising the skills, knowledge and experience available across the directorate to deliver services and meet both new and emerging demands. Some additional changes will result from the capacity exercise recently undertaken by senior officers within the Council; however, these will not be realised until 2021/2022;

1e. Capacity issues have been noted across some service areas. A number of services highlighted the fact additional workload arose as a result of supporting Coronavirus community response activities. There is a variety of forms in which this support has been offered by these services (e.g.) advice, guidance and practical support to local people and businesses around social distancing; supporting local businesses to access sustainability grants and officers taking co-ordination roles for large-scale activities such as the mass-testing exercise. These issues have been (and will continue to be) closely monitored but should be considered when reviewing progress against targets etc.

1f. Supporting safer communities has been critical over the 2020-2021 period; and the degree of reactive (responsive) service planning

which needed to be undertaken, particularly around safety and the protection of citizens in relation to Coronavirus has been significant. The services contributing to this self-evaluation. The focus on meeting statutory, regulatory or legislative requirements was retained, with significant new requirements being introduced and delivered upon as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

1g. Clear evidence of how the services responding were using the five ways of working to undertake planning, delivery and evaluation of the activities they have undertaken was made available. More detail on how this has been evidenced can be found in Question 2.3 (below)

1h. Clear evidence of project work undertaken by the services responding shows a huge scope and scale of activity being undertaken by delivery teams. These services meet a diverse cross-section of needs and provides evidence of consultation which helps ensure the right priorities are set for delivery.

1i. Teams have been involved in discussions around development of MTCBC’s Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan; and officers understand how their services will contribute to the achievement of the developing actions within the Plan either now, or at a later stage of delivery.

1j. Teams have been required to move to working agilely/flexibly as a result of the pandemic; the majority of services have found this not to have disrupted how they delivered their core services and products and, in some cases, has led to officers being ‘more available’ – the shift to online meetings meaning their travel time has been reduced.

1k. There is evidence of consistent working arrangements with the Portfolio Member for Community Regeneration; Public Protection and Housing and these were found to be really positive. Additionally, work with Councillors was also a feature in the teams’ self- evaluation responses.

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1l. Despite the changes that have had to be made over the past 12 months; it was noted that a number of key plans have secured Council approval during this period (e.g.) the Placemaking Plan; the Cyfarthfa Plan etc.; all of which will deliver improved access to local attractions; activities etc. whilst continuing to offer opportunities to sustain existing businesses; support for new and developing businesses; and provide local people with jobs.

1m. A significant funding amount has been secured during 2020-2021. This has not just been in relation to Coronavirus (although a large amount of funding has been secured in this area; but also funding to further develop opportunities for local people to begin to address the challenges they have faced as a result of changing circumstances which they face. Some examples of this include:

• Data shows that young people aged 16-24 have suffered the greatest negative impact by business closures – particularly within the service industry where a large proportion of young people find work. Kickstart funding secured by the Employability Team will enable the Council to provide 96 people within the 16-24 age bracket, offering them 6-month work placements within the Council; where they will have opportunities to gain practical skills, knowledge and experience of the world of work.

• Mental and emotional health and wellbeing have been seen to be significantly impacted as a result of restrictions of movement which citizens have been required to adhere to under lockdown. Teams have secured £200,000 from the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Fund to continue the development of the Active Travel network within the Borough, and the delivery of new path adjacent to Afon Taf school.

The overall assessment of for the Working Life theme in relation to Outcomes is: Adequate

Corporate Wellbeing Objective (Theme) WORKING LIFE

Key Question 2: Provision & Service Delivery

2a. Services reviewed how they have worked with the Council’s corporate support services over the last 12 months and the following findings were noted:

Corporate Communications

Legal

Human Resources

Finance and Accountancy

Procurement

Performance & Scrutiny

Business Change

Democratic Services

ICT

Business Support

Contact Centre

Revenues & Benefits

2019-20

Good

Good/ Mixed

Mixed

Good

Good/ Mixed

Good

Limited Contact

Limited Contact

Limited Contact

Limited Contact

Limited Contact

Not recorded

2020-21

Good

Good

Mixed

Good

Good

Good

Limited Contact1

Limited Contact1

Good

Limited Contact1

Limited Contact1

Good

Positive Change Noted

✓

✓

✓

No judgement recorded

Sustained

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

NEW

Notes:

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1 Where limited contact is noted; the contact that has taken place has been judged as GOOD

2b. Strong evidence of contributions made to corporate priorities was noted across all service areas. Contribution to the Best Start to Life; Environmental Wellbeing; and Living Well objectives were noted, with projects and activities being delivered to support progress being made against outcomes for these service areas. Importantly, when working collaboratively with others; the improved connectivity between services under this directorate now means multiple services work together to meet support requests; providing targeted support that aims to accelerate the pace of change and/or improvement.

2c. Examples of the corporate plans and strategies which services have contributed to included Focus on the Future: wellbeing in our community (including tackling poverty); the Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan; the Economic Growth Strategy; Destination Management Plan; Town Centre Action Plan; Cyfarthfa Plan; Active Merthyr Plan/Physical Activity strategy; and the Air Quality Action Plan; with more currently developing (e.g.) the work plans related to the Business and Education Together Partnership.

2d. Examples of meaningful contributions made by teams to wider or regional strategies include the Our Cwm Taf strategy (Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB’s Wellbeing Plan; the Cwm Taf Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan; the Cwm Taf Community Safety Strategy; and the Cwm Taf Ageing Well Plan. These collaborations offer opportunities not only enhance the progress being made against outcomes; but also offer avenues to learn lessons regarding project/programme delivery from outside of the organisation.

2e. We would note that contact with Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSB has not been regular over the last 12 months; and connections previously developed with them appear have to diminished, despite the Chief Officer being the project lead for the PSB’s ‘Strong Economy’ work- stream. This is an issue which we will need to explore further to ensure we are able to maintain an equal partnership and realise benefits from the investment of time and funds in this area.

2f. Teams are actively working within regional collaboration arrangements to deliver better outcomes for communities. Examples of this include the Aspire apprenticeship programme; Communities for Work and Communities for Work Plus; South East Wales Competitiveness Network; Work with Public Health Wales (including Test, Trace and Protect)etc.

2.f During the ongoing pandemic; we have not only sustained working arrangements with private sector businesses both large and small; but have developed this. For example, key infrastructure projects have enabled us to work with Xxxx XxXxxxxx; The Urbanists. Teams have actively worked with British Gas to ensure accessibility to the NEST scheme; and with Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx to meet the requirements of their Social Value Plan – this has led to employment opportunities for local people during the development of the Central Bus Interchange in the Town Centre.

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2g. Partnership arrangements with third sector organisations continue across all services within the directorate. Examples are many and include work with the Citizens Advice Bureau around supporting people adversely affected by Coronavirus; work with Adref/Salvation Army around Housing and Homelessness; with Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust; supporting them with their ongoing works and management of the existing contract between them and the Council.

2h. As stated in Key Question 1; all service areas in this directorate use the 5 ways of working in delivering their daily duties. Assessment of how they feel they are doing this was queried; and the following responses received (this is broken down into a service by service basis):

	Judgement for all services
Long term	1.5 – Good
Prevention	1.5 - Good
Involvement	1.5 - Good
Collaboration	1.5 - Good
Integration	1.5 - Good

Key

SCORE	JUDGEMENT
2	EXCELLENT
1.5	GOOD
1	ADEQUATE and needs improvement
0-0.5	UNSATISFACTORY and needs urgent improvement

The overall assessment of for the Working Life theme in relation to Provision and Service Delivery is: Good

Corporate Wellbeing Objective (Theme) WORKING LIFE

Key Question 3: Leadership & Management

3a. Many services noted that it could be difficult to predict where the service would be in five years. Reasons identified for this included the significant changes within the Council over the last 12 months; as the organisation as a whole is continues its transformational journey to establish, if and how, it can remain sustainable for the future. The current pandemic has made the situation even more unpredictable.

Despite this, there was a general feeling that communication across the organisation has improved over the last 12 months.

3b. Clarity around future funding for services and programmes is still unclear; with a large proportion of services in this directorate being externally funded (including Welsh Government and EU funding); the challenge of identifying where we will be will remain until further information around arrangements is clear.

3c. Officers feedback on leadership and management within the directorate was secured. Feedback showed staff felt they had regular contact with their service managers; who gave clear instruction and direction regarding work tasks, which is appreciated. Staff also recognised the involvement they have with the Portfolio Member; and acknowledged the recognition he gives to the roles they undertake and they part they play in making the lives of service users better. Team meetings take place regularly (albeit virtually) and staff engagement and involvement levels are positive.

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3d. It was acknowledged personal objectives are clearly linked to both service and corporate objectives and priorities. The framework provided by the Focus on my Performance process also re-enforces the requirement for regular discussion and contact with managers; it provides a platform to look at training needs and workflow management; as well as to consider areas where performance levels of individuals is lower than expected and identify why this is the case with a view to identifying ways to support improvement. There is still an over-reliance on key officers in a number of services across the teams; and SPODs are common. There is a risk that some areas rely on goodwill of staff to get by. Discussions around workforce and succession planning continue to take place to manage this.

3e. Frequent contact with Elected Members was noted; the majority of these interactions were very positive. Where Elected Members understand the scope of the services provided by departments, they can have a positive influence on how services work by providing both support and constructive challenge. However, there are occasions where a lack of understanding has added to the workload; this can be impactful at a time when resources are scarce and risks need proper consideration before decisions are made.

3f. Managers frequently work with teams to review key plans and strategies to ensure sufficient resources are in place to deliver. Team members have been involved in the development of the Council’s Recovery, Transformation and Improvement Plan. The Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing (CRPPH) Board was felt to have supported positive change to be achieved, and helped develop wider connections across the Council.

3g. A big change over the last 12 months has been the move to agile/flexible working. Staff felt the support they had received from management, particularly at the early stages of the change had been good; though some issues had been noted, the majority of these had been managed effectively. Encouragement and motivated was still regularly received by team members; and this help reduce any feelings of isolation individuals might have felt. The additional support around health and wellbeing circulated corporately was also accessed by some staff.

3h. Over the past 12 months; the Chief Officer has encouraged managers to attend scrutiny committee meetings to develop a deeper understanding of this function’s role and purpose. This attendance has enabled staff to see first-hand that scrutiny can be a platform for meaningful discussion to take place; it has also supported a better understanding of Committee Members expectations when writing reports. Both the Chief Officer and the Portfolio Member have spoken at scrutiny meetings to praise the officers in their substantive efforts to meet their targets and goals; particularly in relation to the challenges faced over the past 12 months.

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3i. As a result of the ongoing pandemic; a number of changes in legislation have been introduced and this has added significantly to workloads in some areas. There is a risk this will impact on resilience if these pressures are sustained and there are occasions where staff wellbeing has undoubtedly been impacted. For example, the current legislative burden on the Council is that all the people that that were supported into temporary accommodation during the pandemic, the Council now has a statutory obligation to re-house. This brings substantial pressures onto the Council. This situation has been managed over the past 12 months; but it also means the Council will have to think of very innovative ways to accommodate this client group as this will not just be in relation to accommodation, but also the support provision which is going to have to be put in place to sustain the tenancy.

3j. Looking at financial governance arrangements across the services; there is evidence of regular financial review. There is a focused approach to funding management; and evidence of success relating to the securing of funding to sustain and develop services. It has been found that collaborative work with stakeholders has supported effective use of budgets. A high proportion of services delivered are grant funded; and the positive relationships in place with finance and accountancy has enabled leaders and managers to be confident around financial management.

3k. It has been noted that limited revenue funding can mean challenges when delivering resource-intensive activities; and on occasions this has led to significant pressures being placed on resources to meet deadlines. Cross Council working arrangements have helped when this has occurred, but due to the leanness of the organisation, cannot be sustained over the longer-term.

3l. Regular communication with stakeholders takes place to help sustain a clear understanding of community needs. Regular involvement in team; project; partnership and regional meetings/activities has added to the knowledge of officers. Cross-departmental working has been positive in delivering corporate services and priorities – this has been particularly true in the arrangements to provide support and response activities linked to Coronavirus.

The overall assessment of for the Working Life theme in relation to Leadership and Management is: Good

Appendix 3

Examples of Evidence Presented to Support the Self-Evaluation Process

Evidence Source	Question 1: Outcomes	Question 2: Provision & Service Delivery	Question 3: Leadership and Management
Data and statistical information (include Corporate SOAPs)	✓	✓	✓
Community and Stakeholder feedback	✓	✓	✓
Evidence showing evaluation of activity	✓	✓
Planning documentation	✓	✓	✓
Statement of Wellbeing/Focus on the Future: wellbeing in our community	✓	✓	✓
Recovery, Transformation & Improvement Plan		✓	✓
Annual Performance Report	✓	✓	✓
Sector Specific Plans and Strategies	✓	✓	✓
Regional Plans and Strategies	✓	✓	✓
Funding applications	✓	✓	✓
Reports to funders	✓	✓	✓
3-weekly Public Protection report to Welsh Government	✓
Grant offer letters	✓	✓	✓
Media and publicity materials	✓	✓	✓
Documentations from meetings (minutes/agendas etc.)	✓	✓	✓
Service Level Agreements	✓	✓
Consultation documents and findings	✓	✓	✓
Online learning/service materials	✓	✓
Evidence of provision of funding support	✓
Case studies	✓	✓	✓
Prosecuting files	✓	✓	✓
Lalpac licensing records	✓
Scrutiny reports	✓	✓	✓
Community Regeneration, Public Protection and Housing documentation (including TOR)		✓	✓
Self-evaluation documentation (2019/2020)	✓	✓	✓
Tenancy agreements		✓
CRM scoping paper		✓
Reports to other corporate committees (Cabinet, Full Council, Audit Committee etc.)	✓	✓	✓
Legal charges and agreements		✓
Contract with Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust		✓
Expression of Interest documents		✓
Education Business Improvement Plan	✓	✓
PSB Strong Economy Employability Pledge		✓	✓

Evidence Source	Question 1: Outcomes	Question 2: Provision & Service Delivery	Question 3: Leadership and Management
Corporate subjective wellbeing tool and data	✓	✓
Job Descriptions		✓	✓
Budget reports	✓	✓	✓
Tasking records		✓	✓
Tender documentation (Merthyr Tydfil Central Bus Interchange)		✓
Sports Wales Annual Report		✓
Local Commissioning Plan		✓	✓
Vacant buildings brought back into use		✓
Relationship agreements		✓
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Social Value Plan		✓
ASB cases		✓
Record of referrals to other agencies/organisations		✓
Closure Orders 9following successful court appearances)		✓
Corporate capacity exercise		✓	✓
Staff Culture Survey		✓	✓
Highlight reports	✓	✓	✓
Delivery of major regeneration programmes		✓	✓
Focus on my Performance paperwork	✓	✓	✓
Analysis of homelessness presentations			✓
Staff structure			✓
Training certificates			✓
Occupational health referrals			✓
Staffing returns			✓
Electronic calendar entries			✓
Huddle board			✓
Engagement Plan			✓
DRAFT Pathways to Work policy			✓
Intelligence database			✓
Terms of Reference for partnership/working groups			✓

Eitem Agenda 6

Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8AN

Main Tel: 00000 000000 xxx.xxxxxxx.xxx.xx

SCRUTINY REPORT

Date Written	29th March 2021
Report Author	Scrutiny Section
Committee Division	Scrutiny
Exempt/Non Exempt	Non Exempt
Committee Date	13th April 2021

To: Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen

Update Report: Council’s Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

1.0 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1.1 Members of the Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee have requested a regular update report be introduced on the Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1 Members review the content of the report, debating its content.

3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

3.1 At the Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny meeting held on 13th October 2020; Committee Members requested an update report be provided on the Council’s response to Coronavirus at each meeting.

3.2 The Committee Chair confirmed that this information could be presented in template format; and that it should contain data and information updates relating to the services’ key response activities.

4.0 WHERE WE WERE

4.1 An initial report offering data/information on the Council’s response to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic on 22nd September 2020. The Committee reviewed the

content of the report; and explored the activities impact on both the services delivery the support services, and communities across the County Borough.

4.2 On review of this report; Committee Members discussed the need to maintain an overview of this topic, and to scrutinise the impact of the response activities which the Community Regeneration, Public Protection and Housing services were delivering.

5.0 WHERE WE ARE NOW

5.1 At the subsequent Committee meeting held on 20th October 2020; it was confirmed the Committee sought to receive an update on activities at all subsequent meetings. This agenda item has now been added to the Committee’s Forward Work Programme as a standard agenda item.

5.2 Receiving regular update reports enables Committee Members to maintain an overview of both the progress made and the challenges faced by officers; whilst also enabling the voice/concerns of the public to be raised.

5.3 Following the meeting, it was agreed this report could be presented in template format which the Committee would review with officers, taking up a critical friend role.

5.4 At a subsequent meeting held on 19th January 2021, Committee Members reviewed the current format of the report template and requested the template be updated to reflect additional information which they felt would be valuable to understand. The additional information requested included:

• Outcome data arising from the Coronavirus mass testing exercise which the Council played a key role in delivering;

• Data recorded in relation to the current confirmed cases of Coronavirus across the County Borough; along with data in relation to this issue across the wider Cwm Taf Morgannwg area;

• A more detailed breakdown of response activities in relation to the Protection and Safety Service teams across the Council; and

• A more detailed breakdown of the funding support secured by local businesses with Council support, by grant type and area.

5.5 Using the feedback received; the template format has been refocused to include all available information in line with the Committee’s requests. The template will continue to be regularly reviewed and, where necessary, refined to meet new and emerging needs.

6.0 WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

6.1 Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Members will receive an updated report at each meeting until officers are advised this is no longer a requirement. They will provide ‘critical friend’ challenge, and aim to work with officers to identify and drive any further improvements required.

Performance and Scrutiny Department MTCBC

BACKGROUND PAPERS
Title of Document(s)	Document(s) Date	Document Location
Does the report contain any issue that may impact the Council’s Constitution?			No

Xxxxxx y dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

PUBLIC PROTECTION & SAFETY SERVICES

Performance Measures	Sept-2020	Dec-2020	Jan-2021	Mar-2021	Comments
Council advice and support around business closures	1,053	2,836	3,918	4,390
Number of fixed penalty notices(FPNs) issued by the Council in relation to business closures/ social distancing	0	37	37	37
NEW: Percentage of FPNs issued to commercial properties	0	37	37	37
NEW: Percentage of FPNs issued to domestic properties	0	0	0	0
Number of joint visits made by Environmental Health; Trading Standards and Licensing officers	225	373	608	874	Data not collected to record number of repeat visits.
Number of Business Improvement Notices Issued:		7	11	12
Hospitality		3	3	3
Food retail		2	5	6
Non-food retail		1	1	1
Indoor sports & leisure activities/facilities		0	0	0
Outdoor sports & leisure activities/facilities		0	0	0
Personal contact services		0	0	0
Offices		0	0	0
Warehouses		0	0	0
Other (see comments)		1	2	2	Shopping arcade; car wash

Tudalen 39

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Number of Business Closure Notices Issued:		3	3	4
Hospitality		3	3	3
Food retail		0	0	1
Non-food retail		0	0	0
Indoor sports & leisure activities/facilities		0	0	0
Outdoor sports & leisure activities/facilities		0	0	0
Personal contact services		0	0	0
Offices		0	0	0
Warehouses		0	0	0
Other (see comments)		0	0	0
Number of Price Gouging/Profiteering Incidents Reported		4	4	4
Number of COVID-19-related Scams Reported		1	1	1
Online		1	1	1
Phone		0	0	0
Text		0	0	0
Doorstep		0	0	0
E-mail		0	0	0
Number of COVID-19 related breach of contract, refusal to refund and return deposit incidents about cancellation of holidays, events and provision of services reported		0	9	9

Tudalen 40

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY REGENERATION & REVENUES & BENEFITS

Tudalen 41

Funding to Businesses Breakdown (at 23 February 2021)

Parish	ERF 1 - Covid 19 Business Support Grant			ERF 3 - NDR Lockdown Grant			NDR 4 - Restrictions Grant & Extension			Retail Relief (Business Rates Holiday 2020-2021)
	Number	Value £		Number	Value £		Number	Value £		Number	Value £
Pant	137	1,878,500.00		100	293,000.00		127	448,000.00		90	907,039.37
Dowlais	90	1,080,000.00		70	187,000.00		74	238,000.00		26	180,205.20
Penydarren	37	425,000.00		25	76,000.00		37	126,000.00		7	39,619.97
Gurnos	15	180,000.00		13	32,000.00		8	28,000.00		7	21,050.52
Park	93	1,105,000.00		65	186,000.00		93	316,000.00		60	2,782,084.70
Cyfarthfa	51	705,000.00		37	117,000.00		32	120,000.00		29	670,737.91
Town	348	4,385,000.00		265	881,000.00		396	1,329,000.00		180	1,669,801.06
Pentrebach	129	1,475,000.00		101	254,000.00		90	308,000.00		45	820,869.95
Merthyr Vale	22	235,000.00		16	46,000.00		20	60,000.00		7	38,864.67
Treharris	64	698,000.00		52	152,000.00		62	190,000.00		18	66,085.73
Trelewis / Bedlinog	28	280,000.00		17	46,000.00		20	64,000.00		4	7,028.81
Vaynor	61	685,000.00		47	130000		46	156,000.00		16	86,338.91
	1,075	13,131,500.00		808	2,400,000.00		1,005	3,383,000.00		489	7,289,726.80

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Tudalen 42

Other Funding Secured (at 29 March 2021)

Performance Measures	Sept-2020	Nov-2020	Jan-2021	Mar-2021	Comments
Transforming Towns Thematic Covid-19 response grant (£365,000) – spend to date	£365,000 (offer letter pending)	£50,051 (Balance: £314,949)	£36,789.61 (Balance: £278,159.39)	£365,000	All funding committed
Local Sustainable Transportable Measures Covid-19 Fund (£414,000) –spend to date	£21,747	£42,675 (Balance: £371,325)	£73,212 (Balance: £340,788)	£414,000	Full expenditure achieved
Total number of support funding secured by businesses in Merthyr Tydfil with Council support (total value)		1,524 (£20,240,825)	2,299 (£22,499,315)	TBC	Report produced before year end data secured

HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

Performance Measures	Sept-2020	Nov-2020	Jan-2021	Mar-2021	Comments
Number of households in temporary accommodation which can be broken down into categories below:	85	109	126	139
Bed & Breakfast	27	65	62	83
HMOs	4	9	9	9
Private Sector Leases	9	4	4	2	Scheme ending
Other supported temporary accommodation	45	31	31	45	This category includes hostels, temp supported accommodation & MVH temporary accommodation

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Project	Sept-2020	Nov-2020	Jan-2021	Mar-2021	Comments
Merthyr Valley Homes	£839,616	£867,616	£867,616	£322,431	▪ MMC x 7 units: 2 units at Xxxxxxx Road, 5 units at Honeysuckle Close ▪ Funding & Planning consent for Xxxxxxx Road approved - £294,431 awarded. ▪ Revenue grant approved for £28,000 for furnishings, fees. ▪ Originally funding granted for 13 units, but due to planning issues, unit numbers have been reduced. Therefore, total amount of grant funding is subject to change once planning decision for Honeysuckle Close concluded.
PRS Project	£60,000	£40,000	£40,000	£40,000	▪ Plans for Private Landlord project (conversion of 2 bed house into 2 x 1 bed flats). ▪ Objections to planning application received from residents. ▪ Planning application approved Feb 2021. Project to commence June 2021 with estimated completion date of September 2021.
Regional Outreach Project (RCT-led)	£37,100				• Multi-disciplinary team: support workers along with mental health and substance misuse specialists to support those individuals in crisis who are residing at homeless hostels or accessing Housing First projects. Part funded by UHB.

Tudalen 43

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

COVID-19 SPECIFIC DATA

2500

Weekly Breakdown of Number of Coronavirus Cases recorded per 100,000 Population - Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board 31/08/2020-29/03/2021

2000

Tudalen 44

1500

1000

500

0

31 7 Sep 14

21 28

5 Oct 12 19

26 2 Nov 9 Nov 16 23

30 7 Dec 14

21 28

4 Jan 11 Jan18 Jan25 Jan 1 Feb 8 Feb 15

22 1 Mar 8 Mar 15 22

Aug

to 13 Sep toSep toSep to to 11 Oct to Oct to Oct to

to 8

to 15

Nov

Nov

Nov

to 13 Dec - Dec to Dec

to 10 to 17 to 24 to 31

to 7

to 14 Feb toFeb to to 7

to 14

Mar

Mar

to 6

Sep 20

27 4 Oct

Oct 18

25 1 Nov

Nov

Nov

to 22 to 29

to 6

Dec 20

27 2020

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Feb

Feb 21

28 Mar

Mar

to 21 to 28

Sep 2020

2020

Sep 2020

Sep 2020

2020

2020

Oct 2020

Oct 2020

2020

2020

2020

Nov 2020

Nov 2020

Dec 2020

2020

Dec 2020

Dec 2020

to 3 Jan 2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

Feb 2021

Feb 2021

2021

2021

Mar 2021

Mar 2021

Bridgend Merthyr Tydfil RCT Linear (Merthyr Tydfil)

COVID-19 VACCINATION DATA

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Total vaccinations given by organisations in Wales and recorded in WIS @ 17.03.2021

VACCINATION SITE	DOSE 1 (IMMUNISED)	DOSE 2 (IMMUNISED)
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx UHB	220,343	58,032
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx UHB	257,406	62,179
Cardiff and the Vale UHB	152,846	38,629
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB	151,315	35,206
Hywel Dda UHB	149,259	20,614
Powys Teaching HB	54,868	13,328
Swansea Bay HB	135,951	34,515
Public Health Wales	157	0
Velindre	6,520	2,465
Unknown1	164	1
Wales	1,128,823	264,969

Total Vaccinations Given by Organisations in Wales

1,600,000

1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0

Dose 1 (immunised)

Dose 2 (immunised)

1 ‘Unknown’ indicates where vaccination records contained incomplete vaccinator or clinic details. The total for Public Health Wales will underestimate the

number of Public Health Wales Staff vaccinated.

Tudalen 45

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Vaccination Uptake Data – Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (Data Source: Public Health Wales)

Table 1: 80+ years (includes those aged 80+ years who are also residents of care homes)

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	7,894	7,556	95.7%	339	4.3%
Merthyr Tydfil	2,794	2,561	91.7%	155	5.5%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	11,640	10,967	94.2%	606	5.2%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			94.4%		4.9%

Table 2: 75-79 years (includes those aged 75-79 years who are also residents of care homes)

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	6,148	5,900	96%	139	2.3%
Merthyr Tydfil	2,232	2,098	94%	117	5.2%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	9,536	9,123	95.7%	212	2.2%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			95.6%		2.6%

Table 3: 70-74 years (includes those aged 80+ years who are also residents of care homes)

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	8,217	7,861	95.7%	3,079	37.5%
Merthyr Tydfil	3,281	3,055	93.1%	1,079	32.9%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	13,420	12,784	95.3%	5,334	39.7%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			95.1%		38.1%

Table 4: 65-69 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	8,114	7,389	91.1%	299	3.7%
Merthyr Tydfil	3,235	2,915	90.1%	122	3.8%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	13,090	12,141	92.8%	545	4.2%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			91.8%		4%

Table 5: 60-64 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	9,299	3,731	40.1%	739	7.9%
Merthyr Tydfil	3,924	1,836	46.8%	348	8.9%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxx	14,835	6,222	41.9%	1,242	8.4%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			42%		8.3%

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE RESPONSE:Community Regeneration, Public Protection & Housing Services

Table 6: 55-59 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	10.943	3,787	34.6%	1,171	10.7%
Merthyr Tydfil	4,471	1,856	41.5%	574	12.8%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	17,493	6,465	37%	1,927	11%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			36.8%		11.2%

Table 7: 50-54 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	10,827	3,182	29.4%	1,219	11.3%
Merthyr Tydfil	4,454	1,577	35.4%	594	13.3%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxx	17,475	5,626	32.2%	1,943	11.1%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			31.7%		11.5%

Table 8: 16-69 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	3,650	3,324	91.1%	298	8.2%
Merthyr Tydfil	1,760	1,578	89.7%	149	8.5%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	6,930	6,277	90.6%	533	7.7%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			90.6%		7.9%

Table 8: High Risk Groups - 16-64 years

	Denominator (#)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)	Immunised (#)	Uptake (%)
Bridgend	16,667	7,303	43.8%	226	1.4%
Merthyr Tydfil	7,080	3,958	55.9%	142	2%
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Taf	27,069	13,400	49.5%	344	1.3%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB Average			48.5%		1.4%

Xxxxxx y dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol

Eitem Agenda 7

Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8AN

Main Tel: 00000 000000 xxx.xxxxxxx.xxx.xx

SCRUTINY REPORT

Date Written	30th March 2021
Report Author	Scrutiny Section
Committee Division	Scrutiny
Exempt/Non Exempt	Non Exempt
Committee Date	13th April 2021

To: Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen

Forward Work Programme 2020/21

1.0 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1.1 To provide the Scrutiny Committee with its draft work programme for consideration and to prepare in advance of the next scrutiny committee meeting.

1.2 To remind Scrutiny Committee members that they need to consider the requirements of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 in all aspects of scrutiny work.

2.0 RECOMMENDATION(S)

2.1 The Committee considers the attached Draft Forward Work Programme and approves, revises or amends it as deemed appropriate; and to consider the questions at 3.7 in planning for the next meeting.

3.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

3.1 The attached draft forward work programme identifies the topics and issues under consideration by the Scrutiny Committee and allows an opportunity for additional subjects to be identified and included on the programme.

3.2 Scrutiny committees are required to prepare and keep under review a programme for their future work. By reviewing and prioritising issues, members are able to ensure that the work programme delivers a member-led agenda.

3.3 The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires each Public Service Board (PSB) and Council to work with their communities to develop local objectives. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC) and the Cwm Taf PSB have acted on this.

3.4 MTCBC has four local Wellbeing Objectives, each having clear outcomes that will help the Council to respond to local community needs and contribute to the seven national wellbeing goals. The four Wellbeing Objectives are:-

BS Best Start to Life - Children and young people get the best start to life and are equipped with the skills they need to be successful learners and confident individuals.

The key outcomes for Best Start to Life are:

• Children live in a nurturing and stimulating home environment

• Children have access to high quality pre-school and school education

• Improve the educational outcomes for all children and young people

• Children and young people have good health and wellbeing

WL Working Life - People feel supported to develop the skills required to meet the needs of businesses, with a developing, safe infrastructure which makes Merthyr Tydfil as an attractive destination.

The key outcomes for Working Life are:

• Merthyr Tydfil realises its full economic potential, with a skilled workforce and better employment opportunities;

• People value and enjoy the built and natural environment, protecting and enhancing our cultural assets for current and future generations;

• We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.

EW Environmental Wellbeing - Communities protect, enhance and promote our environment and countryside.

The key outcomes for Environmental Wellbeing are:

• Environmental damage is minimised by preventing pollution

• To maximise the amount of materials and resources recycled in line with the waste hierarchy;

• Merthyr Tydfil has good quality, biodiverse and connected green infrastructure and open spaces; and

• The use of renewable and low carbon energy is increased.

LW Living Well - People are empowered to live independently within their communities, where they are safe and enjoy good physical and mental health.

The key outcomes for Living Well are:

• People live safe and independent lives within their communities

• Children and adults are safeguarded from harm and feel safe

• Children and young people live safely with their family or close to home and have transitioned well into adulthood.

3.5 The Scrutiny Committee is encouraged to identify issues that reflect these priorities that are within your remit and/or are a priority for local people and communities. If a matter is a recurring issue for the people you, as Councillors, represent, the likelihood is that it is something that the Committee should consider. The more relevant the issue is to local communities then the greater the likelihood of engaging those communities in the scrutiny process and of producing outcomes that will be visible to those communities you represent.

3.6 MTCBC has developed an ‘Our Shared Vision’ document. This makes the connections from the seven national Wellbeing Goals through to the local objectives and political priorities. This document is contained within one page and acts as an easy to understand guide. When considered with service area strategies and operational plans a thread is created that can be extended down to individual tasks. This helps staff members see how they are contributing to the Act and the ‘Wales We Want’, and will assist Scrutiny members better understand the connections with the Act.

3.7 The work programme is a dynamic document and is reviewed at every meeting of the Committee to ensure that its contents are still relevant and will add value to what the Council and partners are doing. At each meeting the committee will agree the agenda items for their next meeting and in preparation may in advance wish to ask itself the following questions.

Q) Why has the item been placed on a Scrutiny Work Programme?

a. Does this item/ topic contribute to the delivery of the Council’s wellbeing objectives?

b. Does this item/ topic contribute to the delivery of the Council’s corporate priorities/ objectives?

c. Is this item/ topic relating to service performance concerns?

d. Is this item/ topic of significant public interest?

e. Does the item/ topic have any budgetary implications?

f. Is this an item/ topic where Xxxxxxxx involvement will make a significant difference and achieve tangible outcomes?

g. Can effective Scrutiny of this issue be delivered from within available resources?

Q) What is the specific role of the Committee?

This will depend on the item – for example the role could be:

a. to determine if performance levels are acceptable in relation to a particular department;

b. to determine if a specific policy is fit for purpose;

c. to satisfy itself that the Authority is working well with its partners in tackling a major issue;

d. to gather the views of specific stakeholders as part of an on-going scrutiny investigation/ review;

e. to explore possible solutions to an issue.

Q) What outcome is the Committee seeking from the consideration of this item?

a. To comment on the proposed budget and make suggestions to cabinet regarding the proposed budget’s ability to deliver the priorities of the council

b. Identification of any causes for concern and note successes.

c. To receive an overview presentation.

d. To gain an understanding of and to comment on a policy/ strategy

e. To explore ideas around the setting of budgets while considering the pressures facing each service. This also helps provide an overview of the policy frame work.

f. For the scrutiny committee to gain an overview and refresh their knowledge of the wellbeing objectives/ other plan/ other strategy.

g. Improvement in service delivery

Q) What information does the Committee need to fulfil this role/ achieve this outcome?

What is the Committee trying to do? You might be trying to do some or all of the following i.e. establish facts; gather opinions; or explore new ideas/ solutions.

Q) Who should be invited to the meeting to provide the information?

Depending on the information you need you might want to hear from a range of witnesses – e.g. Cabinet members, Senior Officers, Service users, and External partners – e.g. Police, Strategic Partners etc

Q) Does the Committee need to ask for written representations?

The Committee may wish to pose some questions to the Directorate/ Cabinet Member/ External Partner etc. prior to the meeting. This may help in instances when the Committee is looking for something specific to be addressed. This will assist whoever is attending to ensure that they have the information/ answer ready for the meeting.

Q) Which meeting format/ venue would be most appropriate for the item and for the witnesses that will be invited to attend?

Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 global pandemic, all scrutiny committees are to be held via Microsoft Teams at least for the time-being. This decision has been taken to ensure the safety of our members, officers and all others in attendance. Currently, there is no clear indication of when hybrid meetings will be appropriate; and this will be reviewed in line with any updates and advice from U.K. and Welsh Government.

Even under normal circumstances, meetings do not have to be held in a formal committee room environment. You may wish to hold occasional meetings in community location settings e.g. community centres, sports facilities etc. It depends on the subject. Some people find the formal setting intimidating. Site visits for example may be more appropriate to see first-hand what the committee is investigating/ obtaining information on e.g. waste sites, regeneration projects etc.

Q) Method of Scrutiny?

Once Members have identified the matters they wish to scrutinise, consideration should be given to scoping the subject in more detail including the timing and method of scrutiny to be used. Support in this process will be given by the Scrutiny and Support Manager and Officer. Members may wish to:

a. Consider an item at a single meeting;

b. Consider an item over a series of meetings;

c. Allocate the work to a small working group of Members (Task & Finish group) to investigate the issue over a period of 2-3 months (this may involve visits to see how services are working in practice);

d. Undertake an Inquiry Day (or days);

e. Undertake joint scrutiny with members of another Scrutiny Committee;

f. Invite expert witnesses to give their views;

g. Seeking the views of service users/ carers and/ or the general public (public calls for evidence)

Performance and Scrutiny Department MTCBC

BACKGROUND PAPERS
Title of Document(s)	Document(s) Date	Document Location
Statement of Wellbeing & Focus on the Future: Wellbeing in our Community	4th April 2018	MTCBC Website Full Council 4th April 2018
Does the report contain any issue that may impact the Council’s Constitution?			No

Xxxxxx y dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

Tudalen 55

(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

Date / Timing	Overarching Item	Cabinet Member & Officer(s)	Scrutiny Focus
29th September 2020	Draft Committee Work Programme 2020/21	• Committee Chair • Scrutiny Committee Members	The Committee to discuss the draft Work Programme and make any required adjustments to this in order to agree its content and sign off the Work Programme for 2019-2020.
	Coronavirus Update – Response and Transition to Recovery	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Scrutiny and Challenge: Local councils have faced unprecedented events during 2020 as a result of the pandemic and, more specifically, the impact of the prolonged period of lockdown. With a specific focus on the areas of Community/Economic Regeneration; Protection and Safety Services and Housing; the Committee seeks a report that will enable them to review how these specific service areas within the Council have responded to pre-existing and emerging needs resulting from the prolonged period of lockdown; and how it has worked differently to manage/mitigate identified risks/issues specifically linked to these. The report should reflect on what outcomes were achieved, whether opportunities were identified and acted upon and what lessons have been learned; showing how these will be used to take the next required steps supporting recovery in both the immediate and longer-term.
20th October 2020	Housing & Homelessness	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Scrutiny and Challenge: The Committee has requested a report be provided to review the Council’s provision of Housing and Homelessness services. The Committee request the report contains information on the following elements: • The most recent available data in relation to homelessness; • The recent changes to Welsh Government housing/homelessness legislation and the implications of these on the Council’s services; • Details on how services have had to adapt to meet requirements of the coronavirus and the impact of these changes; • Housing/homelessness in the Town Centre – an overview of the current status and the related issues which arise from this (this would lead on to the ASB/Substance Misuse and the Town Centre report which is also on your Work Programme). Additionally; the Committee seeks an update on the current status of the Council’s plans for the Winter Night Shelter showing how recent events have been impacted on the planning of this.

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

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(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

1st December 2020	Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)/Substance Misuse in the Town Centre*	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Scrutiny and Challenge: The Committee requests a report be produced advising Committee Members of the latest status in relation to the Council’s activities regarding anti-social behaviour and substance misuse in the Town Centre. The report will include: • The latest data into the number of instances of anti-social behaviour within the Town Centre; • A breakdown of the types of ASB incidents being reported; • The number of ASB letters being issued by the Council; • An overview of the instances where, following investigation of a complaint, substance misuse is found to be a key factor in relation to ASB incidents being reported; • An overview of the actions being taken to address these issues; including a breakdown of any projects or targeted activities to support improvements in this area. The Committee also wishes the report to reflect the impact the recent and current local lockdowns have had on the issues; and how the pandemic has affected how services are delivered.
	Update on Response to Coronavirus Pandemic	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: The Committee requests a short update be presented at each Committee meeting providing them with key information on the ongoing response activities in relation to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. By receiving regular updates; the Committee can maintain an overview of progress made and the challenges faced; whilst enabling the voice/concerns of the public to be raised. Committee Members will provide ‘critical friend’ challenge, and aim to work with officers to identify and drive any further improvements required.
	Draft Committee Work Programme 2020/21	• Committee Chair • Scrutiny Committee Members	To review the items due to be presented at the next Committee meeting, ensuring a clear brief of the Committee’s expectations are available to report authors who will be drafting the report.

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

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(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

19th January 2021	Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence*	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Protection & Safety Services • Representative from Safer Merthyr Tydfil	Scrutiny and Challenge: The Committee acknowledges the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been a difficult and worrying time for everyone; particularly so for adults and children living with abuse, and the professionals working hard to support them. The Committee requests a report be produced outlining the current status re: domestic abuse and sexual violence across the County Borough along with information on the status for the wider Cwm Taf Region. Current information should be presented and contextualised against the pre-Covid 19 status, enabling the Committee to establish the impact of the extraordinary circumstances. The Committee would also seek to identify the different ways of working which support provides have had to adopt in order to provide targeted to support to those at risk of harm; safeguarding them.
	Update on Response to Coronavirus Pandemic	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: The Committee requests a short update be presented at each Committee meeting providing them with key information on the ongoing response activities in relation to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. By receiving regular updates; the Committee can maintain an overview of progress made and the challenges faced; whilst enabling the voice/concerns of the public to be raised. Committee Members will provide ‘critical friend’ challenge, and aim to work with officers to identify and drive any further improvements required.
	Draft Committee Work Programme 2020/21	• Committee Chair • Scrutiny Committee Members	To review the items due to be presented at the next Committee meeting, ensuring a clear brief of the Committee’s expectations are available to report authors who will be drafting the report.

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

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(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

23rd February 2021	Subsidised Bus Services and the City Deal Metro programme	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: Following queries and comments received from community members across the County Borough; the Committee seeks to open a discussion with officers around the current arrangements in relation to the subsidised bus services covering the public transport network. The report should include detail on: • the process used to secure sufficient; affordable and quality bus services for communities to use and access; • an overview of the allocation of funding to this process to ensure best value and a description of how this has changed over time; • an assessment regarding whether best value is being achieved from contracts/agreements; and • how the proposed network development linked to the South Wales Metro aims to further improve the public transport network across the County Borough and beyond.
	Update on Response to Coronavirus Pandemic	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: The Committee requests a short update be presented at each Committee meeting providing them with key information on the ongoing response activities in relation to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. By receiving regular updates; the Committee can maintain an overview of progress made and the challenges faced; whilst enabling the voice/concerns of the public to be raised. Committee Members will provide ‘critical friend’ challenge, and aim to work with officers to identify and drive any further improvements required.
	Draft Committee Work Programme 2020/21	• Committee Chair • Scrutiny Committee Members	To review the items due to be presented at the next Committee meeting, ensuring a clear brief of the Committee’s expectations are available to report authors who will be drafting the report.

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

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(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

13th April 2021	Sexual Violence*	• Deputy CEO – New Pathways • Head of Sexual Assault Services – New Pathways • Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing	Discussions with External Partner(s): The Committee will receive a verbal update on the work of the New Pathways services. This update will offer information on both local and national data in relation to sexual violence; and more specifically focus on the impact this issue has across Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. The update will also offer detail on the support structure available for victims both at the time incidents occur and in the longer- term.
	Crucible Project & the developing Special Purpose Vehicle	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Strategic Regeneration Manager	Scrutiny & Challenge: Reports received by the Committee previously on this topic have offered Committee Members an insight on the early stages of planning; key project strands and demonstrated the connectivity within this large-scale heritage, culture and destination development project. The Committee seeks a report containing a full status update; along with key aspects of the project (scope; cost; timescales; key partners; benefits/dis-benefits etc.). The Committee would also seek to develop their understanding of the requirements of any developing Special Purpose Vehicle mechanism – a component which was previously outlined as a key consideration of this project.
	Update on Response to Coronavirus Pandemic	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: The Committee requests a short update be presented at each Committee meeting providing them with key information on the ongoing response activities in relation to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. By receiving regular updates; the Committee can maintain an overview of progress made and the challenges faced; whilst enabling the voice/concerns of the public to be raised. Committee Members will provide ‘critical friend’ challenge, and aim to work with officers to identify and drive any further improvements required.

Regeneration and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee Work Programme Descriptors 2020/2021

(The Work Programme is reviewed at each meeting and as such is subject to change)

Tudalen 60	Working Life –	• Cabinet Member – Regeneration & Public Protection • Chief Officer – Community Regeneration; Public Protection & Housing • Head of Housing & Economic Development • Environmental Health Manager • Head of Protection & Safety Services	Overview and Scrutiny: The corporate self-evaluation process is a key element of the
	Corporate Self		Council’s Governance Framework. The process requires all Chief Officers to annually review
	Evaluation Summary		the current position for all services in relation to Outcomes; Provision and Service Delivery
	Report		and Leadership and Management. Through completion of the process; they will identify
			areas where good practice has been noted; along with any areas of development and, more
			specifically, explicitly note their priorities for improvement.
			The Committee will review the summary findings report; and review the validity of the
			judgements made by the Chief Officer to secure assurance that these are robust and
			appropriately evidenced.
	Committee Work Programme 2020/21	• Committee Chair • Scrutiny Committee Members	The Committee’s Work Programme for the 2020-2021 municipal year has been completed.
			The Chair will reflect on the topics covered during the year; and lead a general discussions
			around the development of the 2021-22 Work Programme; discussing the approach for this
			with all Committee Members

Additional Topics for Review
To be discussed	Hoover Master Plan	Public awareness around the proposed development of the Hoover site is growing and people are keen to find out more about what is being discussed, what impact any development would have on the people living in the areas around the Hoover site as well as to find out what role the Council will play in this. This development is understood to align with the ongoing development of the Cardiff and the Regions City Deal Offer and the Committee would seek to explore key requirements etc.