Topics

How the council is run

The constitution, councillors' conduct, audit, performance and complaints.

This month

Councils across Wales have spent October and early November on annual self-assessments, performance reports, complaints reports and changes to their constitutions. Audit Wales reports on housing adaptations and on Flintshire's scrutiny have also featured.[1][2][3][5][10][16]

What's happening

Several councils dealt with their 2025/26 self-assessment reports. Blaenau Gwent accepted its report, Pembrokeshire's Cabinet endorsed its report before it goes to Council, and Ceredigion's scrutiny members recommended that Cabinet approve its report.[1][9][7]
Constitutional changes were on the agenda in several places. Vale of Glamorgan Council approved amendments to its Constitution and noted two uses of the Urgent Decision Procedure, while Flintshire and Cardiff considered revised call-in procedures and a Councillor Call for Action update.[10][12][3][5]
Complaints reports were considered. Carmarthenshire's scrutiny committee unanimously recommended that Cabinet endorse the Council Complaints Annual Report 2025/26, and Ceredigion's Cabinet noted its annual report on compliments, complaints and Freedom of Information.[4][8]
Blaenau Gwent's scrutiny committee agreed that the activity in the management response and action plan satisfactorily responds to the Audit Wales housing adaptations report. Caerphilly's scrutiny also considered the same Audit Wales report.[6][2]

Pressing issues

Audit Wales has found weaknesses in governance at some councils. Its Flintshire review says the scrutiny function is not well planned and is often ineffective, and its Powys summary points to a lack of clarity among officers and members about the purpose and value of a corporate programme.[16][17]
Some council records are incomplete or inconsistent. The Vale of Glamorgan minute for the Scrutiny Committees' Annual Report gives the year as 2024/25, but the report is titled 2025/26.[11]

The policy context

The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a system of self-assessments and panel performance assessments for principal councils. It also renamed Audit Committees as Governance and Audit Committees.[15][20]
The Welsh Government and local government renewed their Strategic Partnership Agreement in September 2026. A renewed Part 2 is to be co-developed in autumn 2026.[13][14]
Welsh Government has consulted on standards of conduct statutory guidance, which includes a new duty for standards committees to make an annual report. The Ombudsman considers complaints about breaches of the Code of Conduct by elected members.[19][18]

Written in November 2026 from council records since 20 September 2026, open consultations and official sources. Written automatically, then checked: every point names its sources and every figure appears in them. Follow the links to check anything before relying on it.

Sources

1. Blaenau Gwent meeting, 28 October 2026 Annual self-assessment and well-being report 2025/2026
2. Caerphilly meeting, 27 October 2026 Audit Wales Report On Housing Adaptations.
3. Flintshire meeting, 26 October 2026 Proposed Revised Call-In Procedures - Council's Constitution
4. Carmarthenshire meeting, 23 October 2026 Council Complaints Annual Report 2025-26
5. Cardiff meeting, 22 October 2026 Constitution Update - Councillor Call for Action
6. Blaenau Gwent meeting, 22 October 2026 Audit Wales review of housing adaptations
7. Ceredigion meeting, 19 October 2026 Draft Self-Assessment Report 2025/26
8. Ceredigion meeting, 6 October 2026 Annual report on compliments, complaints and Freedom of Information 2025-26
9. Pembrokeshire meeting, 5 October 2026 Annual self-assessment report 2025-26
10. Vale of Glamorgan meeting, 5 October 2026 Amendments to the Council's Constitution
11. Vale of Glamorgan meeting, 5 October 2026 Scrutiny Committees' Annual Report
12. Vale of Glamorgan meeting, 5 October 2026 Use of the Urgent Decision Procedure: two Cabinet decisions
13. Welsh Government and local government renew Strategic Partnership Agreement to strengthen trusted working relationship
14. Renewed Strategic Partnership Agreement with local government [HTML]
15. Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021
16. Flintshire County Council
17. Powys County Council
18. New Public Services Ombudsman for Wales appointed
19. Consultation on the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021: standards of conduct statutory guidance [HTML]
20. Written Statement: Implementation of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (11 March 2021)

What councils do

How the council itself is run: its constitution, staff, buildings, IT, complaints, and how councillors behave.

Who decides

The full Council agrees the constitution. A standards committee deals with councillors' conduct; the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales investigates complaints.

Having a say

Complain to the council first; if you're not satisfied, you can go to the Ombudsman. Council meetings are public, and many are broadcast.

In numbers

Welsh councils plan to spend £67 per person on this in 2026-27.
It ranges from -£4 in Monmouthshire to £167 in Blaenau Gwent.
Council tax collected: 95% across Wales (2025-26).
Council tax unpaid at the end of the year: £119 million across Wales (2025-26).
Council tax still owed from earlier years: £199.3 million across Wales (2025-26).
Council tax written off: £9 million across Wales (2025-26).

How each council is doing

By council, last 12 months

How many agenda items on this topic each council dealt with, and how many had a decision recorded.

Council	Items	With a decision
Vale of Glamorgan	235	89
Ceredigion	138	92
Swansea	119	46
Carmarthenshire	119	91
Neath Port Talbot	112	56
Gwynedd	107	68
Flintshire	94	55
Denbighshire	93	75
Blaenau Gwent	81	71
Cardiff	81	70
Wrexham	81	72
Caerphilly	79	0
Pembrokeshire	77	73
Conwy	68	61
Rhondda Cynon Taf	66	58
Powys	59	21
Merthyr Tydfil	55	11
Monmouthshire	48	24
Newport	45	27
Bridgend	36	0
Torfaen	30	5

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Latest business

Neath Port Talbot, Education Scrutiny Committee, 5 November 2026

Performance Monitoring

Swansea, Council, 5 November 2026

Amendments to Council Constitution - Scheme of Delegation & Terms of Reference relating to Licensing Function

Wrexham, Customers, Performance, Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee, 5 November 2026

Council Plan Annual Performance Report 2025/26

Denbighshire, Welsh Language Steering Committee, 5 November 2026

Public Complaints and Investigations by the Commissioner

Gwynedd, Care Scrutiny Committee, 5 November 2026

Performance Report from the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing

Gwynedd, Care Scrutiny Committee, 5 November 2026

Performance Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families

Flintshire, Constitution and Democratic Services Committee, 5 November 2026

Review and Update of Council’s Constitution: Member Questions

Flintshire, Constitution and Democratic Services Committee, 5 November 2026