Draft Annual Self-Assessment 2024 - 2025

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg

What is the Annual Self-Assessment?

The Council’s Annual Self-Assessment 2024/25 looks back at how we have performed over the past year in meeting our Annual Delivery Plan commitments for the period.

In reviewing our past performance each year, the Local Government & Elections (Wales) Act 2021 requires us to make three judgements on:

  • How well is the Council performing?
  • How well is the Council using its resources?
  • How effective is the Council’s governance?

We do this by reviewing a broad range of information to support our judgements. These are then subject to an internal challenge and moderation process, followed by a consultation with residents and partners to sense check judgements and areas of future focus.

This will help ensure future plans of the Council continue to respond to the things that matter most to Vale of Glamorgan residents.

We want to know if you agree with the gradings in the draft report and if you agree with the areas we have identified as needing more focus in the future.



What does the Annual Self Assessment say?

Over the past year, the Council made strong progress in key areas raised by residents.

We:

  • Helped reduce the use of emergency accommodation for homeless people (from 767 to 180) and ensured no families were placed in B&Bs.
  • Acquired a number of buildings to support the development of more affordable homes.
  • Improved support for learners with Additional Learning Needs and social, emotional and mental health needs.
  • Delivered over £14 million in community projects and attracted £55 million in funding for regeneration and business growth.
  • Supported schools to achieve top exam results in Wales and provided more opportunities for young people to achieve accredited qualifications.
  • Continued development of community-led care and support for dementia-friendly communities and worked in partnership to reduce the average time taken to reduce home care from 22 days to just 3 days.
  • Expanded and widened access to public arts and cultural activities, with generated income being invested in supporting future service development.

Residents also shaped our new Vale 2030 Plan through our biggest-ever consultation, with over 4,000 responses.

Governance:

The Council’s governance is rated GOOD.

An independent panel confirmed our decision-making, financial oversight, and risk management are sound. The Council’s 2024/25 Draft Annual Governance Statement rated our systems as “Reasonably Assured, meaning they work well and meet expectations. Internal audits found that 94% of processes are working well, and we're acting on feedback from both our internal and external regulators to improve further.

Performance:

The Council’s End of Year Performance Review against its ADP Commitments is GOOD.

The Council delivered 85.3% of its Annual Delivery Plan commitments and associated performance targets and where data is available, we compare well with other local authorities in a range of service indicators. Key highlights include:

Achievements:

Some of our achievements include:

  • We undertook a Panel Performance Assessment (an independent assessment of how the council is performing) which led to a set of useful recommendations and highly positive feedback about how the Council is run.
  • We created Vale 2030 our new corporate plan by talking to residents, using data, and working with partners. It sets clear goals and a new direction for the future.
  • We delivered £3.8 million in local improvements through Section 106 funds.
  • We worked with partners to minimise hospital stays, improve local care, and boost the local economy.
  • We handled 1 million online queries
  • Schools achieved top performance in Wales at both GCSE and A-Level and attendance improved

Progress with Performance targets

Some of of the progress we made with performance targets:

  • 82% of customer enquiries to C1V were resolved at first contact, improving on last year’s figure of 77%.
  • 2.3% of young people were not in education, employment, or training upon leaving Year 13, significantly improving on last year’s performance of 3.59% and better than the Welsh average of 3.2%.
  • Achieved a recycling rate of 71.73%, exceeding our target of 71% and the national target of 70%.
  • 84% of adults who completed a period of reablement did not need a package of care after 6 months, mirroring last year’s performance.
  • 100% of highways and relevant land inspected were of a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness, mirroring last year performance.
  • Pupil attendance in primary schools has improved to 92.9% compared to last year’s figure of 92.23%.

Use of Resources:

The Council’s use of resources is also judged to be GOOD, despite financial pressures.

Highlights include:

  • An independent panel of assessors found that the Council is using its resources effectively and efficiently within the context of high levels of service demand and financial pressures.
  • Improving staff well-being and inclusion – including being named a Top 100 Inclusive Employer for the first time.
  • Started a major transformation programme to help our budget go further and keep valued local services running in the long term.
  • Undertook the Council’s largest-ever perception survey, with over 4,000 responses which has informed council plans and strategic priorities throughout 2024/25, including Vale 2030.

Challenges and Future Focus:

Looking ahead, the Council is focused on:

  • Managing financial pressures while protecting services.
  • Supporting schools with attendance, inclusion, and improvement.
  • Expanding affordable housing and modernising care.
  • Developing better digital access and more inclusive engagement.
  • Tackling staffing challenges and promoting well-being in the workforce.
  • Improving local places through sustainable planning, greener transport, and stronger partnerships.

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg

What is the Annual Self-Assessment?

The Council’s Annual Self-Assessment 2024/25 looks back at how we have performed over the past year in meeting our Annual Delivery Plan commitments for the period.

In reviewing our past performance each year, the Local Government & Elections (Wales) Act 2021 requires us to make three judgements on:

  • How well is the Council performing?
  • How well is the Council using its resources?
  • How effective is the Council’s governance?

We do this by reviewing a broad range of information to support our judgements. These are then subject to an internal challenge and moderation process, followed by a consultation with residents and partners to sense check judgements and areas of future focus.

This will help ensure future plans of the Council continue to respond to the things that matter most to Vale of Glamorgan residents.

We want to know if you agree with the gradings in the draft report and if you agree with the areas we have identified as needing more focus in the future.



What does the Annual Self Assessment say?

Over the past year, the Council made strong progress in key areas raised by residents.

We:

  • Helped reduce the use of emergency accommodation for homeless people (from 767 to 180) and ensured no families were placed in B&Bs.
  • Acquired a number of buildings to support the development of more affordable homes.
  • Improved support for learners with Additional Learning Needs and social, emotional and mental health needs.
  • Delivered over £14 million in community projects and attracted £55 million in funding for regeneration and business growth.
  • Supported schools to achieve top exam results in Wales and provided more opportunities for young people to achieve accredited qualifications.
  • Continued development of community-led care and support for dementia-friendly communities and worked in partnership to reduce the average time taken to reduce home care from 22 days to just 3 days.
  • Expanded and widened access to public arts and cultural activities, with generated income being invested in supporting future service development.

Residents also shaped our new Vale 2030 Plan through our biggest-ever consultation, with over 4,000 responses.

Governance:

The Council’s governance is rated GOOD.

An independent panel confirmed our decision-making, financial oversight, and risk management are sound. The Council’s 2024/25 Draft Annual Governance Statement rated our systems as “Reasonably Assured, meaning they work well and meet expectations. Internal audits found that 94% of processes are working well, and we're acting on feedback from both our internal and external regulators to improve further.

Performance:

The Council’s End of Year Performance Review against its ADP Commitments is GOOD.

The Council delivered 85.3% of its Annual Delivery Plan commitments and associated performance targets and where data is available, we compare well with other local authorities in a range of service indicators. Key highlights include:

Achievements:

Some of our achievements include:

  • We undertook a Panel Performance Assessment (an independent assessment of how the council is performing) which led to a set of useful recommendations and highly positive feedback about how the Council is run.
  • We created Vale 2030 our new corporate plan by talking to residents, using data, and working with partners. It sets clear goals and a new direction for the future.
  • We delivered £3.8 million in local improvements through Section 106 funds.
  • We worked with partners to minimise hospital stays, improve local care, and boost the local economy.
  • We handled 1 million online queries
  • Schools achieved top performance in Wales at both GCSE and A-Level and attendance improved

Progress with Performance targets

Some of of the progress we made with performance targets:

  • 82% of customer enquiries to C1V were resolved at first contact, improving on last year’s figure of 77%.
  • 2.3% of young people were not in education, employment, or training upon leaving Year 13, significantly improving on last year’s performance of 3.59% and better than the Welsh average of 3.2%.
  • Achieved a recycling rate of 71.73%, exceeding our target of 71% and the national target of 70%.
  • 84% of adults who completed a period of reablement did not need a package of care after 6 months, mirroring last year’s performance.
  • 100% of highways and relevant land inspected were of a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness, mirroring last year performance.
  • Pupil attendance in primary schools has improved to 92.9% compared to last year’s figure of 92.23%.

Use of Resources:

The Council’s use of resources is also judged to be GOOD, despite financial pressures.

Highlights include:

  • An independent panel of assessors found that the Council is using its resources effectively and efficiently within the context of high levels of service demand and financial pressures.
  • Improving staff well-being and inclusion – including being named a Top 100 Inclusive Employer for the first time.
  • Started a major transformation programme to help our budget go further and keep valued local services running in the long term.
  • Undertook the Council’s largest-ever perception survey, with over 4,000 responses which has informed council plans and strategic priorities throughout 2024/25, including Vale 2030.

Challenges and Future Focus:

Looking ahead, the Council is focused on:

  • Managing financial pressures while protecting services.
  • Supporting schools with attendance, inclusion, and improvement.
  • Expanding affordable housing and modernising care.
  • Developing better digital access and more inclusive engagement.
  • Tackling staffing challenges and promoting well-being in the workforce.
  • Improving local places through sustainable planning, greener transport, and stronger partnerships.