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The Scrutiny Committee: Thriving Merthyr Tydfil met on 22 September 2026 to consider four items: proposed changes to the Allocations Policy for Community Housing, the 2025/26 planning performance report, kerbside recycling participation, and the committee's forward work programme. The minute records that members supported the housing policy and the planning report, and were happy with the recycling report. The housing policy will go to Full Council, where all councillors vote, for approval after this scrutiny.
The committee considered the Forward Work Programme for 2026/27, an annual update on empty homes, and a report on the Cyfarthfa Foundation's work at Cyfarthfa Castle and Park. The committee welcomed the empty homes report and thanked officers for the Cyfarthfa report, but the minutes record no formal decisions.
The committee considered two draft policies before they go to Full Council: the Destination Management Plan 2026-30 and the revised Affordable Housing Development Policy. It said the tourism plan was high quality but asked for clearer delivery timescales, and it supported the housing policy subject to minor amendments and a wider councillor workshop. It also agreed that the Cyfarthfa Foundation should be included in the 2026/27 work programme.
At this meeting, the Scrutiny Committee considered three items: a report on how Halo Leisure runs the council's leisure services and buildings, a new Receiving and Awarding Grants Policy, and the committee's forward work programme. Members welcomed the grants policy, which the report says will go to Full Council for formal approval. The minute records no formal decisions on the other two items.
At its meeting on 27 January 2026, the Thriving Merthyr Tydfil scrutiny committee considered the draft budget for 2026/27, progress towards the Welsh Government's 70% recycling target, and its forward work programme. The minutes record no formal decisions on the budget or waste items: members discussed the reports and thanked officers. The 2026/27 budget gap is now put at £0.509 million, and the final Welsh Government budget was due for a vote that evening.
The committee considered the Community Safety Annual Report, which covers anti-social behaviour, CCTV and enforcement work, and the committee's forward work programme. The minutes record no formal decisions on either item. Members agreed the team's work is good but warned that losing replacement funding would have a severe impact.
Scrutiny Members considered reports on the draft Waste Management Strategy 2025-2030, empty buildings in the town centre, and the Empty Property Strategy. Members were happy with the waste strategy, which goes to Full Council (all councillors) for a decision. On the empty buildings, they agreed the council must keep working with owners to make the buildings safe, secure and tidy.
Scrutiny members considered three items at this meeting: biodiversity and greenspace management, a draft Events Policy for events on Council land, and the committee's forward work programme. The minutes record agreed points on the Events Policy and a workshop to be held on the work programme, but no formal vote is recorded.
The Thriving Merthyr Tydfil Scrutiny Committee, a group of councillors who check the council's work, met on 24 June 2025 to agree its forward work programme and to consider a draft fly-tipping policy. Members agreed the work programme, which will be reviewed at every meeting. On fly-tipping, members agreed four points to clarify the policy before it goes to Council for formal approval.