In November, a group of external experts evaluated key areas of the organisation’s performance as the Vale followed Denbighshire and Ceredigion to become the third Local Authority in Wales to undergo the process.
The Panel is made up of independent people from across the UK, including a peer from the wider public, private, or voluntary sectors, a senior Local Government Officer and an Elected Member from outside the Council.
After visiting the Vale and holding interviews with Cabinet Members, Councillors, a range of staff and partners, the Panel reported its findings, which strongly endorse how the Authority is operating.
These conclusions will be presented to the Council’s Cabinet on Thursday.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “This was an opportunity to benefit from the insights of experienced people from outside the organisation and one we were determined to maximise.
“We were able to sense check work already underway and get a fresh perspective on our ambitious plans for the future, including the Draft Corporate Plan 2025-30 and Reshaping Programme.
“These set out what the organisation will look like over the next five years and beyond and explain how we will continue delivering for our residents.
“It was really encouraging to get such positive feedback, which has provided renewed confidence in both our vision for the future and how we intend to realise it.
“Given the financial obstacles the Council is facing, there are challenging times ahead, but we view the contents of this report as confirmation that we are very much on the right track.”
In its overall conclusion, the Panel’s report reads: “The Panel assessed the Vale of Glamorgan to be a good Council within the current context of high service demand, operational pressures, and resources.
It is a values-based organisation with a good internal culture and solid external relationships.
There is a clear commitment to delivering on the Corporate Plan, with a particular focus on prioritising the needs of vulnerable people.
Staff are enormously proud to work for the Council, and there is a strong sense of ambition for the future.”
It continued: “Our (the Panel’s) approach to the assessment was ambitious because the Council itself is ambitious for its communities.
In terms of its PPA scope and by linking it with its transformation programme, the Council had demonstrably embraced the assessment process.
We considered this to be an exciting and pivotal moment for the Authority, and the Council possesses strong foundations to drive future growth and development”.
Under the section titled Strengths and Areas of Innovation, the Panel reported (it had) “identified a range of strengths and areas of innovation relating to the Council…. with a culture demonstrating “a strong appetite for innovation and a willingness to do things differently”.
The Panel also noted that the “strong working relationships between the Leader, Chief Executive, senior staff and Members demonstrated a cohesive and supportive working environment”.
The Panel highlighted the strength of the Council’s “positive relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders” and made reference to the Let’s Talk About Life in the Vale survey results which indicated people’s satisfaction with the Vale of Glamorgan as a place to live and work.
The report also contained four recommendations, which the Council will carefully consider as it looks to make further improvements.
One was to develop a narrative to effectively communicate the Authority’s positive vision for the future.
Another was to further amplify details of its changing approach both within the organisation and across the County.
The Panel also suggested the Council built on existing strong partnerships and looked to further develop its democratic arrangements with a particular emphasis on the effectiveness of scrutiny meetings.