Access to consultants will be kept to cabinet and group leaders

Under the questions at anytime protocol, it was revealed that consultants called “external advisors” by PCC, will be funded from council services own budgets.

They would work with the new internal Improvement Boards being set up by PCC to continue improving services.

Concerns have been raised over how the work of these board’s will be scrutinised.

In further set of questions on the new Improvement Boards arrangements, Cllr Roger Williams (Felinfach – Liberal Democrat), asked: “Will the minority parties or individual councillors have access to the external advisers to the new Improvement Boards?

“And if not, will resources be made available to minority parties or individual Councillors to commission external advice?”

Council Leader, Cllr Rosemarie Harris, said: “The external advisors will predominantly work with the service Improvement Boards to help drive forward change and when required will attend the Corporate Improvement Board.

“There will be the opportunity for external advisors to be invited by appointment to the Group Leaders meetings chaired by the Leader of the Council.

“It is envisaged this would be periodic rather than monthly.”

In July, PCC, were told by the Welsh Government that the work of the independent Improvement and Assurance Board would be wound down finishing later this autumn.

Taking it’s place will be a system of five internal improvement boards.

Sitting at the top, will be a Corporate Assurance Board which meets monthly, is expected to be chaired by Cllr Harris and would take an overall look at improvement.

Four other improvement boards will be set up at service level, for education, social services, housing and highways, transport and regeneration.

These boards will be chaired by the respective portfolio holders.

This approach is meant to provide flexibility and other services with problems could also find themselves with their own improvement board.

The Improvement and Assurance Board was established in March 2018 to: “assist the leader in driving forward the required change and improvement in the local authority.”

It followed the highly critical report by the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) into PCC’s Children’s Services which was published in October 2017.

Following the critical Estyn inspection in September 2019, the Education Service was added to the board’s remit.

The board is chaired independently by the former chief executive of Swansea Council, Jack Straw.

He is expected to give a final report this autumn as part of the handing over process.