Reports from our Independent Regulators
To ensure that residents get the best possible services and value for money from the Council, there are independent regulatory bodies that audit, inspect, review and report on the Council and its services. These bodies are independent of the Council and are sometimes referred to as the ‘Regulators’.
The Regulators also provide assurance to Councillors and residents that the Council is improving and promoting further improvement including through an annual Audit Programme. They hold the Council to account when things are not going well or as planned. Regulators also provide the Welsh Government with the information it needs to help develop better strategies and services.
The main regulatory bodies for our services are:
Comprises two legal entities the Auditor General for Wales and the Wales Audit Office.
- The Auditor General audits and reports on Welsh public bodies.
- The Wales Audit Office provides staff and other resources for the Auditor General’s work, and monitors and advises the Auditor General.
Audit Wales indicates three aims:
- To Assure the people of Wales that public money is being managed well.
- To Explain how public money is being used and how it meets people’s needs.
- To Inspire and empower the Welsh public sector to improve.
Audit Wales has recently strengthened its approach to reviewing the extent to which Public Bodies are implementing the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. As a matter of course, all reviews carried out by Audit Wales considers the extent to which the Sustainable Development Principle is being applied.
This is the independent Regulator for social care and childcare in Wales. From child minders and nurseries to homes for older people, the Care Inspectorate Wales is responsible for registering, inspecting and taking action to improve the quality and safety of services for the well-being of the people of Wales. The most recent CIW Local Authority annual performance review letter for this Council was published in June 2021 and considered by Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and children & Young people Scrutiny Committee in July 2021.
Inspects quality and standards in education and training providers in Wales, including all nursery, primary and secondary schools, colleges, local authority education services for children and young people, teacher education and training, special schools and pupil referral units.
Estyn also inspects the Central South Consortium, (CSC) and schools in the area. Individual inspection reports issued by Estyn can be viewed at www.estyn.gov.uk.
We also receive formal feedback from the Welsh Language Commissioner and the Equalities and Human Rights Commissioner in respect of the way we manage the various Welsh Language and Equalities legislative requirements. The feedback from the Commissioners is based on annual reports based on corporate and service application of the policies and standards and in the case of Welsh language, an Assessment of our compliance with some statutory duties.
The Welsh Language Commissioner's main statutory aim is to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language. The Commissioner's vision is for a Wales where people can use Welsh in their everyday lives. The Commissioner publishes an annual report which considers the feedback of all Welsh Councils, the 2021/22 report can be found here.
You can find more information about the Welsh Language our reports in our Welsh Services webpages.
The arrangements with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission differs from other Regulators. As well as being a Regulator, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also has a mandate to challenge discrimination, and to protect and promote human rights and it duties are set out in the Equality Act 2006. The Commission undertakes inquiries and gathers large scale evidence into inequalities in sectors and practises across the UK and sets this out in an annual report. The 2021/22 annual report includes its work in Wales. Whilst there is no Wales Commissioner for HRC, there is a Wales Commission.
When the Regulators have completed a review, an audit or inspection, the findings are set out in a report, which is made available to the public on the relevant Regulator’s website so that everyone can see their findings. This transparency helps people to understand more about the Council and its services and also leads to better decisions and better outcomes for residents and it forms part of the Council’s Annual Self Assessment.
When an audit or inspection report is available, it is carefully considered by officers. Findings and recommendations from both national and local reports are used to challenge and strengthen our arrangements or inform improvements to Council services. The Regulators reports and our considerations and responses are reported Scrutiny Committee and made available to the Governance and Audit Committee. You can see the reports issued by Regulators since January 2016 below.
For further information please contact the Performance Management Team at improvement@rctcbc.gov.uk
Page revised March 2023