A board set up to monitor the standards of Powys Council's social services and education provision could be wound up after seeing improvements in standards.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 14, council leader Councillor Rosemarie Harris said the board believes the under fire services have now improved enough.

This came as the cabinet approved the Vision 2025 corporate improvement plan, annual performance report for 2019/20, which will go to a council meeting at the end of the month.

Cllr Harris (Llangynidr – Independent), said: “The Improvement and Assurance Board will be winding down shortly because the Welsh Government think it has done it’s job.

“We’ve improved enough and we will be taking our own work forward.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Any decision to withdraw statutory support will be subject to minsters being satisfied that alternative and robust internal corporate oversight, including external challenge for social services and education, is in place.

“In the meantime, this important work is ongoing and will continue to be kept under review.”

They added that statutory support is only supposed to be a short term measure.

The Improvement and Assurance Board was established in March 2018 to “assist the leader in driving forward the required change and improvement in the local authority”.

It followed a highly critical report by the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) into the council's children’s services which was published in October 2017.

Education services were added in September 2019, after a critical Estyn inspection.

The board is chaired independently by the former chief executive of Swansea Council, Jack Straw.

He advises the Welsh Government regularly on progress being made to improved services and if necessary make recommendation for further support or modify to the existing support package.

The board also monitors progress made in relation to the council’s corporate function, in particular transformation and improvement activity.