Monmouthshire children's services 'weak', report finds

In its annual report into the authority the Wales Audit Office said adult services were improvements, but there were concerns around those for children, particularly in relation to safeguarding.

Meanwhile education services for children and young people remain in special measures, with an inspection by Estyn – the Welsh equivalent of Ofsted – due to be carried out in the near future. The services were placed in special measures in 2012 when they were found to be “unsatisfactory”.

But the 76-page report – which is available at www.audit.wales – was more positive in a number of areas, including the council’s waste and recycling figures, its work to promote the use of the Welsh language and its overall commitment to improvement.

The council’s leader Cllr Peter Fox said he was pleased by the auditor’s recognition of the organisation’s drive to improve.

“We value the confirmation from our regulators that the council is heading in the right direction,” he said.

“We recognise a number of the areas for improvement that are highlighted in this report and will work hard to address these despite reducing budgets, increasing demand and the rural nature of the county.

“Our regulators state that their view about our prospect for improvement is heavily influenced by the authority placed in special measures by Estyn.

“Given the improvements that we have seen in this area I very much hope that we will soon have the evidence to demonstrate our certainty of improvement.”

Wales’ auditor general Huw Vaughan Thomas described the council’s commitment to further improvement as “encouraging and positive”.

“This provides it with a good foundation to enable it to address the areas for improvement we set out in our report to deliver better outcomes to the citizens of Monmouthshire,” he said.

Other areas the council has been told to improve include its work to regenerate town centres and create employment opportunities and its overall workforce planning.