Denbighshire County Council recently completed the first Panel Performance Assessment to be carried out in Wales with the support of the Welsh Local Government Association.
All Welsh Local Authorities will need to complete this process to assess their performance in accordance with the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. Denbighshire is the first Council in Wales to undergo the assessment which was led by a panel consisting of an independent chair, two senior peers from other Welsh Local Authorities alongside two peers from the wider public, private, and voluntary sector.
The assessment was carried out in September 2024 and the positive report was issued before Christmas. The Council will now consider the report at committees in January and February before accepting it and progressing an action plan addressing the recommendations.
Denbighshire’s Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, Councillor Gwyneth Ellis said:
“In the first instance, I’d like to thank the assessment panel for their thoroughness throughout and for making the whole process very straightforward and useful for all involved. I’d also like to thank Officers in the Council and WLGA who have worked in partnership to arrange the performance assessment meetings with a wide range of participants.
“As a Council we welcomed the opportunity to participate and we have appreciated being given the chance to test ideas with impartial expert peers who can provide alternative perspectives.
“Having drawn up an action plan based on the recommendations, the Council will now work towards achieving these, however it’s important to note that some of these were already in progress and are developing quickly, for example prioritising transformation work.”
The report concluded that overall, given the current context of significant demand and financial pressures, Denbighshire is a well-run council with key areas of strengths and innovation.
Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, WLGA spokesperson for Data, Digital and Improvement said:
“We commend Denbighshire County Council for being the first to undertake a Panel Performance Assessment in Wales. It’s encouraging to see the Council’s proactive approach to sector led improvement and I hope the insights and recommendations of the panel prove useful to the council in their ongoing efforts to meet the unprecedented challenges facing local government.
“The WLGA and its Improvement Programme, is firmly committed to supporting Councils across Wales in their ongoing improvement efforts and in delivering the best outcomes for their residents”
As well as fulfilling a statutory requirement, an effective Panel Performance Assessment can inform a Council’s improvement, alongside its usual assurance methods, such as the self-assessment process, internal audit reviews, external audit, and regulatory reviews.
The full report will be published in due course.
