Agenda item

To select appropriate items from the Cabinet Board agenda for Pre-Decision Scrutiny (Cabinet Board reports included for Scrutiny Members)

The committee chose to scrutinise the following cabinet board items:

 

Neath Port Talbot Council and Tai Tarian Consultative Draft Shared Lettings Policy 2021

 

Members were informed of the Neath Port Talbot Council & Tai Tarian Consultative Draft Shared Lettings Policy 2021. Along with the request for a 90-day public consultation exercise, as detailed within the circulated report.

 

Members were pleased to have sight of the policy. However, it was felt that a separate Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee would be required. Enabling the Committee to properly consider the in depth report and feed in to the consultation.

 

Following Scrutiny, Members were supportive of the recommendations to go to Cabinet, with the arrangement of an additional Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to allow Scrutiny Members to feed in to the consultation process.

 

NPT Youth Justice And Early Intervention Resource Centre

 

Members were updated on the new Youth Justice and Early Intervention Centre which is also a Children Services’ resource, formally the Abbeyview Day Centre for people with complex needs, as detailed within the circulated report.

 

Officers commended the report and welcomed the positive report.

 

Following scrutiny, the report was noted.

 

 

Wales Audit Office Review of Corporate Arrangements for

Safeguarding - Neath Port Talbot, dated March 2020

 

Members were presented with the Wales Audit Office (WAO) findings following their review of ‘Corporate Arrangements for Safeguarding across Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC)’, as detailed within the circulated report.

 

Discussions took place around the reporting arrangements of the Wales Audit Office Review of Corporate Arrangements. The Committee felt it important for the report to be taken to Audit Committee and Education, Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee. Officers confirmed that the findings could be shared at other committees if the Committee felt it necessary.

 

Clarity was sought around the year that was referred to in the following paragraph, ‘The Audit Committee received the revised risk registers at their meeting on 19 September 2018. The Audit Committee are not regularly reviewing the Council’s risk register and have not received a further report on corporate risk management in the last year.’ Officers confirmed that ‘last year’ mentioned in the paragraph was referring to 2019.

 

Members asked how well the single point of entry was working in assisting safeguarding. Officers confirmed that a Safeguarding inspection had recently been undertaken which contained positive feedback in relation to the single point of entry.

 

Members queried the possibility of having a single policy for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks across the whole Authority. Officers highlighted that a Council wide policy was not currently available due to the different regulations that need to be considered. 

 

Following scrutiny, the report was noted.

 

 

Residential and Non-Residential Care Charging Policy

 

Members were updated on the Residential and Non Residential Care Charging Policy in accordance with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 i.e. SSWB Act 2014, as detailed within the circulated report.

 

Clarity was sought around the value of Funeral Bonds.

 

Following scrutiny, the committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by cabinet board.