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Since 2011, audit and regulation inspection programmes in Wales have raised concerns at how Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is run and have emphasised until these were addressed, it would be unlikely the Council would sustain significant improvement.  The most recent improvement assessment work carried out by the Wales Audit Office has shown that since May 2012, the Council has been working to make progress to address the significant challenges it faces.


On 2 October, the Auditor General for Wales issued his Improvement Assessment Letter to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and concluded leadership and decision\-making within the Authority needed additional support and the Council’s proposals to address its predicted financial pressures and varied service performance were not sufficiently developed.  In light of these conclusions, the Auditor General made two statutory recommendations to the Council for them to address their financial planning, decision\-making and scrutiny arrangements.  


The letter also recommended I use my Ministerial powers (under Section 28 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009\) to provide short\-term support to the Council to help it to remedy its problems, as soon as possible.  In my Written Statement of 2 October, I announced my intention to use these powers to provide the Council with a formal package of support to  build on the improvement work already being undertaken by the Council and will help to instil and embed progress made to date.  


My officials have been working with the Wales Audit Office and the Council to determine the terms of reference and timescales for delivery of the support.  I am pleased with the cooperation and engagement demonstrated by the Council so far in working with us to determine the details of the package of support.  I am confident this will ensure the Council has the best possible opportunity to manage its own recovery and put itself in a more sustainable position for the future.


The Auditor General for Wales suggested the support should be in the form of suitably skilled and experienced external support to enable the Council to take prompt and significant action in the areas identified.  The Council has also provided its views on what would be helpful in addressing the concerns  identified by the Wales Audit Office.  I am pleased to announce, in conjunction with the Welsh Local Government Association, we have secured the expertise of a team of external advisers to work alongside the Council.  The team will provide support, challenge and advice to the senior management team and will be specifically focusing on the areas of short\- term budget management and longer term financial planning; programme management and delivery.  I have also asked my officials to work with the Council to put in place a programme to address the concerns raised by the Auditor General for Wales on the existing scrutiny arrangements.    


The advisers are as follows:\-


 


* Sir Peter Rogers, former Chief Executive of Westminster City Council
* John Shultz, former Chief Executive of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
* John Maitland\-Evans, former Chief Executive of Vale of Glamorgan County Council
* Derek Davies, former Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council


 


A further adviser, Mr Carl Walters, has also been appointed as part of the support team to provide expertise and skills on programme management and delivery and on managing and implementing major change. Mr Walters has been provided as part of our on\-going partnership with South Wales Police.  Some of the advisers have already worked with the Council on specific matters, so we are retaining the knowledge and insight they have acquired from such work and balancing it with independent and objective challenge from others who have no prior involvement with the Council.  The Council has been informed and is content with our proposed approach.  The Advisers are purely advisory and have no authority to take decisions or to approve, amend or veto decisions of the Council, its members and officers.  They do not represent their current or past employers, or other organisations with which they are or have been associated, in any way.  


It has been necessary to issue this Statement during recess as the advisers will begin their work on 4 November and the expectation is the support period will come to a close by the end of January 2014\.  At this time, it is hoped the package of support will have placed the Council in a strong position to address its short\-term financial challenges for 2013\-14 and will have supported it to have taken key decisions on setting a balanced budget for 2014\-15\. The Council will also have been supported to develop a single Transformational Change Plan setting out its priorities for delivery in the medium term (up to three years).    


I am also ensuring the package of support I am providing is fully aligned with the existing intervention provided by the Minister of Education and Skills regarding the Education Services in Blaenau Gwent.







Translation:


 
Ers 2011, mae rhaglenni archwilio, rheoleiddio ac arolygu yng Nghymru wedi mynegi pryderon ynghylch y ffordd y caiff Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Blaenau Gwent ei redeg ac wedi pwysleisio, nes iddo fynd i’r afael â’r rhain, na fyddai’r Cyngor yn cynnal gwelliant sylweddol. Mae’r gwaith asesu gwella diweddaraf gan Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru yn dangos bod y Cyngor wedi bod yn gweithio ers mis Mai 2012 i fynd i’r afael â’r heriau sylweddol y mae’n eu hwynebu.

Ar 2 Hydref, anfonodd Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru ei Lythyr Asesiad Gwella at Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Blaenau Gwent a daeth i’r casgliad bod angen cymorth ychwanegol ar gyfer arweinyddiaeth a gwneud penderfyniadau yn yr Awdurdod, ac nad oedd y Cyngor wedi datblygu cynigion digonol i fynd i’r afael â’r pwysau ariannol y rhagwelir y bydd yn eu hwynebu a pherfformiad anghyson gan wasanaethau. Yng ngoleuni’r casgliadau hyn, gwnaeth yr Archwilydd Cyffredinol ddau argymhelliad statudol i’r Cyngor fynd i’r afael â’i drefniadau cynllunio ariannol, gwneud penderfyniadau a chraffu.

Roedd y llythyr hefyd yn argymell fy mod yn defnyddio fy mhwerau Gweinidogol (o dan Adran 28 Mesur Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) 2009\) i roi cymorth tymor byr i’r Cyngor i’w helpu i unioni ei broblemau, a hynny cyn gynted â phosibl. Yn fy Natganiad Ysgrifenedig dyddiedig 2 Hydref, cyhoeddais fy mod yn bwriadu defnyddio’r pwerau hyn i gynnig pecyn cymorth ffurfiol i adeiladu ar y gwaith gwella y mae’r Cyngor yn ei wneud eisoes a bydd yn helpu i ymgorffori’r cynnydd sydd wedi bod hyd yn hyn.

Mae fy swyddogion wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru a’r Cyngor i benderfynu ar y cylch gorchwyl a’r amserlen ar gyfer darparu’r cymorth. Rwy’n falch bod y Cyngor hyd yn hyn wedi cydweithredu ac ymgysylltu â ni o ran penderfynu ar fanylion y pecyn cymorth. Hyderaf y bydd hyn yn rhoi’r cyfle gorau posibl i’r Cyngor adfer yn ei ffordd ei hun a’i roi ei hun mewn sefyllfa fwy cynaliadwy at y dyfodol.

Awgrymodd Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru y dylai’r cymorth fod ar ffurf cymorth allanol â sgiliau a phrofiad addas i alluogi’r Cyngor i gymryd camau brys ac arwyddocaol yn y meysydd a nodwyd. Mae’r Cyngor hefyd wedi rhoi ei farn ar yr hyn a fyddai’n ddefnyddiol o ran mynd i’r afael â’r pryderon a nodwyd gan Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru.

Rwy’n falch o gyhoeddi ein bod, ar y cyd â Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, wedi llwyddo i benodi tîm o ymgynghorwyr allanol arbenigol i weithio ochr yn ochr â’r Cyngor. Bydd y tîm yn cefnogi, yn herio ac yn cynghori’r uwch\-dîm rheoli ac yn canolbwyntio’n arbennig ar reoli’r gyllideb yn y tymor byr a chynllunio ariannol yn y tymor hir, ac ar reoli a chyflawni rhaglenni. Rwyf hefyd wedi gofyn i’m swyddogion weithio gyda’r Cyngor i roi rhaglen ar waith i fynd i’r afael â’r pryderon a gododd Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru ynghylch y trefniadau craffu presennol.    

Dyma’r ymgynghorwyr:

* Syr Peter Rogers, cyn Brif Weithredwr Cyngor Dinas Westminster
* John Shultz, cyn Brif Weithredwr Cyngor Bwrdeistref Metropolitan Stockport
* John Maitland\-Evans, cyn Brif Weithredwr Cyngor Sir Bro Morgannwg
* Derek Davies, cyn Gyfarwyddwr Cyllid a Gwasanaethau Corfforaethol Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Castell\-nedd Port Talbot

Mae ymgynghorydd arall, Mr Carl Walters, hefyd wedi cael ei benodi fel rhan o’r tîm cymorth i ddarparu arbenigedd a sgiliau ar reoli a darparu rhaglenni ac ar reoli a gweithredu gwaith newid mawr. Mr Walters wedi cael ei darparu fel rhan o’n partneriaeth parhaus gyda Heddlu De Cymru. Mae rhai o’r ymgynghorwyr wedi gweithio gyda’r Cyngor ar faterion penodol eisoes, felly rydyn ni’n cadw eu gwybodaeth a’u dealltwriaeth o’r gwaith hwn ac yn ei gydbwyso gyda her annibynnol a gwrthrychol gan eraill nad ydynt wedi ymwneud â’r Cyngor o’r blaen. Mae’r Cyngor wedi cael ei hysbysu ac yn fodlon gyda’r ffordd rydyn ni’n bwriadu mynd ati. Rhoi cyngor yw unig ddiben yr ymgynghorwyr ac nid oes ganddynt awdurdod i wneud penderfyniadau na chymeradwyo, addasu neu rwystro penderfyniadau gan y Cyngor, ei aelodau a’i swyddogion. Nid ydynt yn cynrychioli’u cyflogwyr cyfredol na’u cyn gyflogwyr, nac unrhyw sefydliadau y maent yn gysylltiedig â nhw, neu wedi bod yn gysylltiedig â nhw, mewn unrhyw ffordd.

Mae wedi bod yn angenrheidiol i gyhoeddi’r datganiad hwn yn ystod y toriad gan y bydd  ymgynghorwyr yn cychwyn ar eu gwaith ar 4 Tachwedd a disgwylir i’r cyfnod o gymorth ddod i ben erbyn diwedd mis Ionawr 2014\. Ar hyn o bryd, y gobaith yw y bydd y pecyn cymorth yn galluogi’r Cyngor i fynd i’r afael â’i heriau ariannol tymor byr ar gyfer 2013\-14 a gwneud penderfyniadau ynghylch pennu cyllideb gytbwys ar gyfer 2014\-15, ynghyd â datblygu Cynllun Newid Gweddnewidiol sengl sy’n nodi’i flaenoriaethau ar gyfer cyflawni yn y tymor canolig (hyd at dair blynedd).    

Rwyf hefyd yn sicrhau bod y pecyn cymorth rwy’n ei ddarparu yn cyd\-fynd yn llwyr â chamau ymyrraeth presennol y Gweinidog Addysg a Sgiliau ynghylch y gwasanaethau addysg ym Mlaenau Gwent.