Loading
The committee agreed its work programme, with one deferral, and kept the membership of the Groves Task and Finish Group unchanged for now. It also thanked officers for the Council Plan annual performance report, recommended five changes, and congratulated ICT staff on the first-year update of the ICT and Digital Strategy.
There were no apologies for absence.
AGREED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2025 be signed as a correct record,
Decision as recorded
AGREED - That, subject to the above change, the Work Programme at Appendix 1 be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance and Customer submitted a report COGC/65/25 which allowed Members to consider work programme of the Customers, Performance, Resources & Governance Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix 1. During the discussion it was agreed that the ‘Council Plan Performance’ report be deferred from December to the meeting on 22nd January 2026. AGREED - That, subject to the above change, the Work Programme at Appendix 1 be agreed.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
The council hasn't recorded attendance for this meeting.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: - That the current Membership be retained for continuity and potential changes be revisited after the Autumn meeting.
The Chief Officer Governance and Customer submitted a report COGC/71/25 which allowed Members to review the Membership of the Groves Task and Finish Group. AGREED: - That the current Membership be retained for continuity and potential changes be revisited after the Autumn meeting.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That the Committee: (i) Thank the Lead Members and Officers for the report. (ii) Recommend to the Lead Member for Finance & Asset Management:- · That future reports are submitted to the scrutiny committee prior to consideration and approval by the Executive Board. · That future Council Plan performance reports clearly highlight ‘Green’ RAYG ratings where performance has slightly missed the target, and signpost to the explanation. · That consideration is given to including the numbers of successful prosecutions in respect of enforcement actions as one of the performance measures for ‘Delivering Efficient Streetscene Services and Decarbonising the Environment’, as previously recommended at the meeting of Customers, Performance, Resources & Governance Scrutiny Committee held in January 2025. · That the behavioural change campaigns regarding dog fouling be strengthened and involve Community Councils. · That the possibility of capturing feedback from communities regarding ‘feeling safe’ be explored, for inclusion in future reporting on the Council priority ‘Ensuring Wrexham is a fair and safe place’.
The Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management and Lead Member for Partnership and Community Safety submitted a joint report CE/12/25 which provided Members with a summary update on progress against the Council Plan as at year end 2024/25. The report also gave a summary of how well the Council had performed against our Well-being Objectives – our Council Priorities - at year-end 2024/25. The Lead Members introduced their joint report and responded to questions thereafter with input from the relevant officers. During the debate a number of issues were highlighted, including:- · Clarification on the variances applied in ‘Green’ RAYG ratings. · Concern regarding the perceived lack of pre-decision scrutiny. · Confirmation that the process for determining outcome measures would be reviewed. · Concern around lack of enforcement regarding littering, dog fouling and indiscriminate parking. Concerns were raised about dog fouling, enforcement challenges, and the number of fines issued. Members acknowledged the difficulty in catching offenders, especially in secluded areas, and noted that while most dog owners were responsible, a minority ignored the rules. · Wrexham had previously been recognised for strong enforcement but now faced resource constraints. Officers advised that the Environment Department would be promoting a phased campaign which would target dog fouling, littering, and fly-tipping. · Some Members suggested that there had been an increase in incidents of anti-social behaviour and recorded hate crimes and questioned the statement “Wrexham is a safe place”. Officers advised that the assessment was based on internal indicators such as safeguarding and community safety rather than public opinion. · It was noted that community safety involved a multi agency approach and any future surveys should reflect these contributions. · Maintaining public engagement—particularly on social media—was challenging, and communication with community councils needed strengthening. AGREED – That the Committee: (i) Thank the Lead Members and Officers for the report. (ii) Recommend to the Lead Member for Finance & Asset Management:- · That future reports are submitted to the scrutiny committee prior to consideration and approval by the Executive Board. · That future Council Plan performance reports clearly highlight ‘Green’ RAYG ratings where performance has slightly missed the target, and signpost to the explanation. · That consideration is given to including the numbers of successful prosecutions in respect of enforcement actions as one of the performance measures for ‘Delivering Efficient Streetscene Services and Decarbonising the Environment’, as previously recommended at the meeting of Customers, Performance, Resources & Governance Scrutiny Committee held in January 2025. · That the behavioural change campaigns regarding dog fouling be strengthened and involve Community Councils. · That the possibility of capturing feedback from communities regarding ‘feeling safe’ be explored, for inclusion in future reporting on the Council priority ‘Ensuring Wrexham is a fair and safe place’.
Decision as recorded
AGREED - (i) That staff in the ICT and Digital Departments be congratulated on achieving well above the targets in key performance outcome measures in the Council Plan relating to digital and customer self-serve. (ii) To recommend to the Lead Member for Corporate Services that the next progress report include the following:- o Customer feedback on the digital support provided at Contact Wrexham. o Indication of timescales for the list of ICT and Digital Projects appended to the report. o Strategic overview of the SMART Cities initiatives.
The Lead Member for Corporate Services submitted a report COGC/72/25 which provided Members with an update on progress in the first year of the ICT & Digital Strategy 2024-27. The Lead Member introduced her report and responded to questions accordingly thereafter with input from the ICT Service Manager and Chief Officer Governance and Customer. During the discussion, a number of issues were noted, including: · Clarification on how the use of AI was developing within the workplace. · Officers explained that whilst funding existed for the digital team and hardware, individual projects were approved through business cases. · Limited resources restricted the scale of development, and members warned this could weaken the ICT and Digital Strategy’s impact. · The committee praised the council’s digital inclusion work, including referral-based access to smartphones and online services. · Members recommended wider promotion with clear messaging on eligibility. · Confirmation that the council took a cautious approach in terms of data protection and risk management, opting out of a national AI pilot to ensure secure handling of sensitive data. · The Contact Centre played a key role in promoting digital inclusion by through the mentoring of those residents unfamiliar with technology. · The inclusion of timelines within future reports to assist in the tracking of progress was suggested. · It was suggested that timelines be included in future reports to track progress. Officers noted that most projects, including the Windows 11 transition, were expected to finish within the year. · The Council was among the first in Wales to adopt Cymru SOC, a Welsh Government-funded service providing 24/7 cyber protection. The system detected and responded to threats in real time, even outside office hours. · Plans were in place to integrate IT systems which would allow housing applicants to track progress and reduce the need for follow-up calls. AGREED - (i) That staff in the ICT and Digital Departments be congratulated on achieving well above the targets in key performance outcome measures in the Council Plan relating to digital and customer self-serve. (ii) To recommend to the Lead Member for Corporate Services that the next progress report include the following:- o Customer feedback on the digital support provided at Contact Wrexham. o Indication of timescales for the list of ICT and Digital Projects appended to the report. o Strategic overview of the SMART Cities initiatives.