Auditors have praised Powys Council for its quick move to online meetings in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Audit Wales has been observing the council’s work since May to see how it has adapted its decision-making arrangements.

It said PCC compares favourably to other public bodies in Wales and concludes in a note to the council that “Democratic structures have been re-introduced relatively quickly” and “formal scrutiny of decisions and services has been re-instated early at the council”.

It also noted the quick move to using Microsoft Teams to allow councillors, officers and members of the public to join or view public meetings.

Powys, in comparison with some other councils acted quickly to reintroduce a number of meetings.

On the issue of formal scrutiny, AW said: “By mid-July half of councils in Wales will have held virtual meetings of scrutiny committees. Powys Council have put in place arrangements for formal scrutiny sessions including finance; health and care; learning and skills; and economy, residents, communities and governance. Furthermore, the Council are at a point where they have had several meetings of these committees since May 2020.”

The note has been welcomed by portfolio holder for corporate governance and engagement, Cllr Graham Breeze.

He said: “I’m really pleased that we are ahead of many other councils in Wales, in terms of our use of digital technology, and that we are living up to our aim to be an open and enterprising council that is willing to look at new ways of working and delivering services.”