The leadership and performance of the Council has been praised following its statutory Panel Performance Assessment (PPA), during which the Local Authority has been independently assessed across its key functions. These include leadership, planning, investment, partnerships, scrutiny and procurement.
The panel's report will be considered at Full Council on Wednesday, January 28, following an extensive peer assessment undertaken between October 7-10, 2025, and the final report can be viewed as an Appendix to Wednesday’s agenda.
County Borough Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “This assessment provides independent reassurance to residents that the Council’s services and resources which they rely upon everyday are being well-planned and effectively led. This independent process confirms that the strong leadership provided by elected members and Council officers ensures this is ‘a good, well run and ambitious Council, focused on improving the lives of its citizens’.
“These ambitions are those which we seek to deliver on-behalf of residents, and these priorities are only made a reality thanks to the hard work and dedication of our frontline staff. As a Council, we welcome the endorsement that our proactive approach to managing our finances, and our strong track record of delivery across the breadth of Council services, is the right approach. This was a valuable opportunity to receive independent validation of how we approach challenges and deliver services.”
In summarising the panel’s findings, the report says:
“Overall, the panel concluded that Rhondda Cynon Taf is a good, well run and ambitious Council, focused on improving the lives of its citizens.
“The Council demonstrated that it has a strong track record of delivery underpinned by an ethos of continuous improvement. The Council is working to better understand the impact and outcomes of its work, moving from a service-focused approach to one which is person-centred, and which will help to deliver its ambition to strengthen communities’ resilience.
“The panel further concluded that the Council is exercising the functions against the performance duties within the Local Government and Elections Act 2021.”
The PPA found that the Council has a mature political and officer leadership, while there is a ‘Team RCT’ approach embedded within its culture – with a strong sense of place and feeling of belonging. The panel also concluded that the Council’s planning and performance framework enables it to have a clear understanding of its opportunities and challenges, while the organisation has invested time to develop trusting relationships with partners and stakeholders.
In relation to tackling the financial challenges faced by councils across Wales, the panel praised the early-identification of budget pressures that enables solutions to be brought forward and meaningful consultation to take place. It also praised the Council’s ability to respond to new investment opportunities, enabling a large capital programme for significant investment in infrastructure.
The final report noted the Council’s well-supported scrutiny and assurance functions – finding that scrutiny is taken seriously and there is an appropriate balance between pre and post scrutiny of decisions. Finally, the PPA noted how the Council had invested in its procurement function, embedding key considerations such as social value, community impact and Net Zero.
The PPA also suggested areas for improvement – around the resources required in implementing changes, demonstrating impacts and outcomes for communities, and building community resilience. As required, the Council has provided a response to the overall report, in which it notes that it intends follow these three areas for improvement. The Council’s specific responses to each of the areas are available as an Appendix to Wednesday’s agenda.
In November 2025, the Council’s Governance and Audit Committee received the final report and scrutinised the Council’s draft response. Members of the Committee were satisfied with this and did not recommend any changes.
Posted on 28/01/2026