THE CABINET of Bridgend County Borough Council will meet next week to consider the progress of a plan for how it intends to introduce changes that will support improvements to public services and how the organisation operates.
The report is part of the authority’s response to a ‘hugely encouraging’ Panel Performance Assessment which was recently carried out in line with new local government measures under the Local Government Act 2021.
Panel Performance Assessments are designed to take an in-depth look at how councils are performing across the services they provide, their use of resources, their systems and standards of governance, and to make recommendations that help authorities deliver further improvements.
The Cabinet will consider the council’s progress across the eight key recommendations of the assessment, summarised as follows, before agreeing a formal response:
- Establish a long-term vision for what Bridgend County Borough will look like in 2040.
The council has made significant progress in establishing a new vision and transformation strategy. Robust self-evaluations and staff appraisals are feeding into directorate business plans, enabling strategies have been agreed to support change, and strategic capacity has been strengthened with new appointments to the senior management structure. - Improve development and leadership opportunities for officers and members.
A two-year leadership development programme and enhanced member training is under development. This will be supported by a newly appointed head of service who will have responsibility for service transformation. - Develop stronger capabilities for risk and innovation, and reduce corporate bureaucracy.
A workforce strategy and improvement programme is under development alongside plans for strengthening decision making and re-engineering business processes to boost efficiency, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and deliver savings. A corporate transformation team is being established which will be led by a new head of service. - Review corporate and strategic capacity, support the new change programme and bring key corporate enablers together to unlock potential.
A new council structure was agreed on 19 November 2025 and work will continue throughout 2026 to ensure that this is fully implemented. - Review how digital and data resources can support the council’s transformation plans.
A capacity and skills review is underway to enable change and modernisation across the council while a working group is considering how emerging new technology such as AI can be applied to improve services and efficiency. - Consider a whole-council approach to promoting the work of the authority and Bridgend County Borough.
Work is underway to determine how the council celebrates success internally. A new structure and fresh approach to how the authority communicates with residents has been implemented and will be supported by the appointment of a new head of service. - Build upon good relations with partners in the public, private, community and voluntary sectors to help deliver the council’s vision and priorities.
This is ongoing across all areas and is a critical element in the development of a new transformation strategy.
- Support a culture of mutual respect by improving council responsiveness to elected members, stakeholders and citizens.
Improvements have been made regarding clear standards and timelines, and further work is taking place as part of an ongoing review. A member and officer reference group has been established to monitor progress and work with services on implementing further improvements.
Council Leader John Spanswick said: “I am looking forward to considering the report at Cabinet as the Panel Performance Assessment for Bridgend County Borough Council was highly encouraging.
“It described the authority as being ‘a good council with untapped potential’ and praised both political and managerial leadership, calling it ‘ambitious for Bridgend County Borough’.
“It also found that the workforce remains ‘enthusiastic and committed’, and that staff ‘care deeply about the council and the communities it serves’.
“With ‘high levels of self-awareness’ in place, the assessors found that the council is ‘ready for change’ and ‘positive about the future’, and highlighted various examples of good practice including how local schools are performing, a turnaround in children’s services, the financial sustainability of the council, how it has achieved the highest recycling rates in Wales and much more.
“The inspection process has proven to be extremely valuable in that it recognises where a local authority is doing well, but also helps to identify areas where procedures can be strengthened and improved, and provides recommendations on what could be done to address them and deliver even better results.
“The report to Cabinet will enable us to consider what progress has been made so far across the eight recommendations for improvement, and what our formal response to the assessment will be.”
The Cabinet will consider the report on the Panel Performance Assessment at a meeting of Cabinet on June 23, 2026 and you can view the online agenda at the council website.
