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The Committee reviewed the Play Sufficiency Action Plan, which sets out how the Council will make sure children have enough places to play, and noted reports on carers, Independent Reviewing Service performance, the Mid Wales Joint Committee and in-year finances. Its main decision was to agree a preferred approach to supporting Town and Community Councils with play spaces, and to recommend that Cabinet consider more grant funding. It also added items to its forward work programme.
The Committee considered foster care allowances and Council Tax relief, the Statutory Director's annual report, the 2025/26 year-end finances, feed law duties and a Food Standards Agency audit of allergen controls. It agreed in principle to support a proposal to Cabinet to raise foster carer allowances and introduce Council Tax relief. It noted the other reports, asking for a Members' panel on farming red tape and an update on the audit action plan.
The Committee considered Audit Wales's report on delayed discharges from hospital in West Wales and noted the progress made since it was published. It also noted the quarter 3 report on children looked after, and agreed that a review of meeting rooms for families should be included in a future report. The Committee also agreed its forward work programme, with an extra meeting to be arranged.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The Committee considered reports on children looked after, the council's in-year budget, a draft policy on positive behaviour support, disability day services and temporary accommodation. The Committee noted the other reports and agreed three additions to its forward work programme.
The Committee considered the draft 2026/27 budget and the Cabinet's proposal for a budget requirement of £221.493m, with a Council Tax rise of 4.7% for the County Council part of the bill. The minute records no vote on the other budget recommendations, only that the Committee had considered them.
At its meeting on 9 December 2025, the Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered three items: options for the future delivery of domiciliary care, the council's quarter 2 financial position, and the cost of running council leisure and wellbeing services. On each item, the committee agreed to note the report. It also asked for a follow-on report on domiciliary care.
The Committee looked at social care, early intervention and council finance. Councillors Amanda Edwards and Ceris Jones declared a personal interest in item 5.
The committee heard from housing associations about anti-social behaviour and received updates on the Regional Integration Fund, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, reviews of looked-after children, and the Wellbeing Centre service. Members agreed to note most of these reports, asked for a costs report on the Wellbeing Centres to be added to the work programme, and deferred two financial and planning items to 24 October 2025.
The committee considered reports on the homelessness service, residential care homes, the council's finances, and the Statutory Director's annual report. It also looked at the quarterly report on children in care, air quality, and the new ban on single-use vapes. The committee noted the other reports, recommended that Cabinet note the homelessness report, and sent the Statutory Director's report to Cabinet for full endorsement.
The committee considered five reports: Specialised Disability Services, the Play Sufficiency Assessment 2025, the Housing Support Grant mid-point review, the Local Housing Strategy action plan and the quarter 2 Independent Reviewing Officer report. It agreed to endorse the Play Sufficiency Assessment and recommend that Cabinet adopt the play action plan, subject to a review of the community grant scheme. It noted the other four reports.
The Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the draft 2025/26 budget for the services within its remit. The Committee agreed to recommend to Cabinet the option that raises Council Tax by 9.9%.
The committee noted reports on the Regional Integration Fund and on in-year council finances. It recommended that Cabinet approve a new Common Allocations Policy for social housing. It also agreed to support the council signing the Age Friendly Employer Pledge.
The Committee heard about the Age Friendly Ceredigion work, reviewed the Direct Payments Policy, noted a report on children looked after, and backed moving the Corporate Parenting Charter towards full adoption. It agreed to recommend that Cabinet endorse the Direct Payments Policy.
The Committee considered where to build the county's second Wellbeing Centre, in Cardigan, after a site visit. It agreed to recommend to Cabinet that the Cardigan Memorial Pool and Fairfield Car Park site be the preferred site for a new building, subject to reducing the building's footprint so that fewer car parking spaces are lost.
The committee discussed a new Wellbeing Centre for Cardigan, the annual report of the carers team, the council's in-year budget, and reports on looked-after children and mental health services. Members deferred a decision on the preferred site for the Wellbeing Centre, so they could make a site visit and hold a special meeting on 27 September before Cabinet meets on 1 October. The committee also agreed to accept the carers report and to note the budget report, the looked-after children report and the forward work programme.
On 2 September 2024 the committee considered six reports on social care and children's services. It agreed to ask Welsh Government for a national pay grade for social care, and noted the inspection report on Hafan y Waun care home. It did not agree to recommend moving residents from Cartref Tregerddan to Hafan y Waun, and it agreed to hear further updates in early 2025.
The committee considered five items at its meeting on 15 July 2024, including air quality, age-friendly communities, two council policies and its forward work plan. It agreed to note the air quality report and to ask for diffusion tubes to be placed in Penparcau, Aberystwyth, and it endorsed the age-friendly self-assessment for the World Health Organisation (WHO) network. It also agreed to recommend that Cabinet approve a Special Guardianship Order financial policy and a Supported Lodgings policy and scheme.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The committee considered seven items, mostly on housing and on services for carers and looked-after children. It accepted the Carers and Community Support Team annual report, approved the Local Housing Market Assessment for adoption, and approved the Rapid Rehousing Plan. It agreed to recommend to Cabinet that the council keep its current additional licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and it asked for a report on in-house children's residential care.
The committee considered the draft 2024/25 budget for the services it oversees, including savings, cost pressures, fees and charges and Council Tax premiums. It agreed to recommend that Cabinet explore using school car parks for users of the Wellbeing Centres, especially in Lampeter, and to put next year's budget on its July agenda.
The committee considered reports on food and feed inspections, a new ban on certain single-use plastic products, and a proposed ban on giving live animals as prizes on Council land. It also reviewed respite and day services, the action plan after a Care Inspectorate Wales inspection, and several performance reports. The committee agreed to recommend the Food and Feed Service Plan to Cabinet, and to recommend a ban on giving live animals as prizes on Council land.
The committee considered three items: a quarterly report on the Independent Reviewing Service for looked-after children, a new Housing Strategy for 2023 to 2028, and the outcome of the Ceredigion Dementia Implementation Plan. It noted the children's report and agreed to recommend the Housing Strategy and the Dementia Implementation Plan to Cabinet, the plan subject to three conditions.
On 3 July 2023 the Healthier Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered social care recruitment, direct payments, the Housing Register and its forward work plan. On recruitment, it agreed to recommend that Cabinet support talks with Welsh Government on a fully funded national pay scale for social care staff, and that the council work more closely with Bangor University on training bilingual social workers. The Committee noted the direct payments and Housing Register reports, and agreed further items for its work programme.
The committee considered four reports: the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspection report and action plan, national adoption and fostering arrangements, domiciliary care, and the Maternity and Early Years Strategy for West Wales. It agreed the action plan, agreed to seek the council's agreement to sign the national Joint Committee Agreement, noted the domiciliary care report and endorsed the strategy.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.