The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 sets out a duty on Councils to conduct a Panel Performance Assessment once within an electoral cycle.  The duty came into force in May 2022.

The Panel Performance Assessment looked specifically at the extent to which the Council:

• Exercises its functions effectively,
• Is using its resources economically, efficiently, and effectively, and;
• Has robust governance arrangements in place for securing the above.

The WLGA were commissioned to coordinate and facilitate the Panel Performance Assessment (PPA) on behalf of all Councils.  The Panel Performance Assessment for Flintshire was undertaken between 25^th and 28^th November 2025. During the week, the panel spent approximately 240 hours meeting individuals and focus groups including Members, Chief Officers, key Service Managers and internal and external stakeholders.

Feedback from the Panel was positive, they confirmed that the Council is currently meeting its statutory performance requirements and that it is:

• Exercising its functions effectively.
• Using its resources economically, efficiently and effectively, and has
• Effective governance in place for securing the above.

The panel reported that:

• This positive assessment is qualified by the fact that despite benefiting from a dedicated workforce and strong external partnerships, across the public, private and voluntary sectors, the Council faces significant risks regarding its medium-term financial sustainability.
• The prevailing corporate narrative is one of external dependency, attributed almost exclusively to the Local Government Settlement. While severe funding pressures are acknowledged across the sector, the Council’s reliance on this narrative is obscuring the need for urgent internal strategic transformation.
• Although the Council is currently meeting its performance requirements, it faces critical risks regarding financial resilience, a transformation programme that requires urgent traction and impetus and a strained political culture that is disproportionally absorbing significant Member and Officer capacity particularly in terms of the scrutiny arrangements.

Within the PPA report, the panel also sets out recommendations to support Flintshire in addressing these findings.  An action Plan has been developed and agreed to address these recommendations and performance against these actions will be reported on a regular basis.