Corporate report

Updated Action Plan for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Published 1 September 2026

Applies to Wales

1. Updated Action Plan for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Audit Date: 11th–15th April 2016

Re-audit Date: 9th–11th February 2026

To Address (Recommendation Including Standard Paragraph)	Status	Progress to Date	Outstanding
3.24 (i) Ensure future Service Plans for food hygiene and food standards are developed in accordance with the Service Planning Guidance in the Framework Agreement. In particular, an estimate of the resources required to deliver the services against those available should be provided. Also, ensure variances relating to new, medium and lower risk food standards establishment interventions are identified in the service plan and the improvements include actions to address the variance in achieving the target for new food hygiene businesses. [The Standard – 3.1]	Good Progress.	Intervention programmes now include estimates of the number of new businesses. Performance review includes assessment of delivery for medium and low risk food standards premises. Commitment to address outstanding hygiene unrated premises provided.	Ensure the commitment to deliver the food standards intervention programme is in accordance with the FLCoP. Ensure information on the work demand and resources required to deliver each area of official control is included to support the statement that there are sufficient resources available. Ensure all variances are identified from the performance review and a clear commitment made to address each one as an area for improvement.
4.6 (i) Ensure that the authorisation procedure is updated with current information and references and is reviewed at regular intervals in accordance with document control procedures. [The Standard – 4.1 & 4.2]	Completed.	Authorisation procedure updated.	Completed.
5.8 (i) Review and amend its authorisations to ensure officers are appropriately authorised under all relevant legislation; and amend its procedure for the authorisation of officers to include details of the process for assessing officer competency, and ensure these assessments are documented. [The Standard – 5.1]	Completed.	Authorisation includes the process of assessment and officers appropriately authorised under relevant legislation.	Completed.
7.25 (i) Ensure that food hygiene interventions/inspections are carried out at the minimum frequency specified by the Food Law Code of Practice. [The Standard – 7.1]	Completed.	Food hygiene interventions programme substantially re-aligned with FLCoP.	Completed.
7.25 (ii) Ensure that, where applicable, approval of premises, intervention risk rating and AES are undertaken consistently in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice, centrally issued guidance, and local procedures. [The Standard – 7.2]	Good Progress.	Ratings correct and consistent with inspection findings. AES no longer part of intervention options.	Ensure approval process is in accordance with requirements.
7.25 (iii) Fully assess the compliance of establishments in its area to the legally prescribed standards; particularly, in relation to checks on the provenance of imported food and checks on health / ID marks. [The Standard – 7.3]	Limited Progress.	Critical control points retained on approved premises files.	Ensure assessments of both incoming ID marks and imported food are consistently documented on food hygiene interventions. Ensure assessments of both incoming ID marks and use of outgoing ID marks are consistently made on approved premises interventions.
7.25 (iv) Ensure that the documented procedures for interventions are reviewed to include reference to the local arrangements for red flagging. Amend the approved premises procedure to include reference to the correct timescales for reports. Review and amend the AES procedure to include specific details on checks undertaken by appropriately qualified officers. [The Standard 7.4]	Completed.	Intervention and approved premises intervention procedures amended. AES no longer part of intervention options.	Completed.
7.44 (i) Ensure that food standards interventions/inspections are carried out at the minimum frequency specified by the Food Law Code of Practice. [The Standard – 7.1]	Good Progress.	Good progress made on re-alignment with FLCoP. Small backlog of 14 medium rated and 23 unrated interventions.	Ensure all businesses receive an appropriate intervention at the correct frequency.
7.44 (ii) Carry out food standards interventions/inspections in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice and centrally issued guidance. [The Standard – 7.2]	Limited Progress.	Recording announcement information was consistently documented. AES no longer part of intervention options.	Ensure that ratings correctly and consistently represent inspection findings. Ensure that timely revisits are undertaken.
7.44 (iii) Assess the compliance of establishments in its area to the legally prescribed standards and take appropriate action in accordance with its Enforcement Policy. [The Standard – 7.3]	Limited Progress.	Assessments of composition were documented.	Ensure assessments of Labelling and Traceability are consistently undertaken. Ensure that taking / escalating appropriate enforcement is undertaken in accordance with the Policy.
7.44 (iv) Amend its interventions procedures to provide guidance on the process of inspection and details on which establishments are eligible for inclusion in an alternative enforcement strategy. [The Standard 7.4]	Limited Progress.	AES no longer part of intervention options.	Ensure the interventions procedures provide guidance on the process of inspection including details of timelines and contents of reports.
7.44 (v) Ensure that observations made and/or data obtained in the course of a food standards intervention/inspection are recorded in a timely manner to prevent the loss of relevant information. [The Standard – 7.5]	Limited Progress.	Food standards inspections consistently captured the size and scale of activities. AES no longer part of intervention options.	Ensure assessments of Labelling and Traceability are consistently fully documented.
8.8 (i) Amend the relevant procedure to include target response times for food hygiene complaints or service requests. [The Standard – 8.1]	Completed.	Target times were documented and available on the database.	Completed.
8.8 (ii) Ensure that food hygiene complaints or service requests are actioned within the timescales set out in local procedures. [The Standard 8.2]	Completed.	Target times were consistently met.	Completed.
11.4 (i) Fully implement its documented procedures for ensuring its database is accurate, reliable and up to date including ensuring information on enforcement actions is correct at all times. [The Standard – 11.2]	Completed.	The database was up to date with food businesses. Duplicate enforcement action codes removed.	Completed.
12.11 (i) Amend its sampling policy for the microbiological examination and chemical analysis of food, in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice and centrally issued guidance and implement the changes. [The Standard – 12.4]	Completed.	The food hygiene sampling policy and procedures have been amended to include out of hours sampling, sampling in different states and imported foods. The food standards sampling policy and procedures have been amended to include sampling in different states and imported foods.	Completed.
12.11 (ii) Amend its documented procedure for microbiological sampling of foods to include information relating to the specific equipment required to sample and the authority’s storage and transport arrangements, in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice and centrally issued guidance and implement. [The Standard – 12.5]	Completed.	The food hygiene sampling documented procedure now includes details on the equipment required, transport and storage of samples, the sampling documentation required and the notification of sample results.	Completed.
12.11 (iii) Amend and implement its documented procedure for the chemical analysis sampling of foods to include information relating to procurement and purchase of samples, which accords with the Food Law Code of Practice and centrally issued guidance. [The Standard – 12.5]	No Progress.	No amendments to the documented food standards sampling procedure had been made.	Amend the documented sampling procedure for food standards to include procurement / purchase of samples, the sampling documentation required and the notifications to be made following sample results. Guidance on the follow up of unsatisfactory samples should also be detailed.
12.11 (iv) Take appropriate action in accordance with its Enforcement Policy where sample results are not considered to be satisfactory. [The Standard – 12.7]	Limited Progress.	Notification of owner / importer / manufacturer was taking place in relation to unsatisfactory results.	Ensure that food hygiene sample results that are not considered satisfactory are consistently followed up. Ensure unsatisfactory food standard sample results are consistently followed up.
15.19 (i) Review, amend and implement its documented enforcement procedures for hygiene improvement notices, remedial action notices and detention notices to include local process information. Document its procedures for undertaking enforcement in relation to the inland control of imported food, simple cautions and prosecutions with respect to Food Hygiene and its detention and seizure procedure with respect to Food Standards. Furthermore, the procedure in relation to Hygiene Improvement Notices should be amended to ensure that appropriate appeal and court details are included on document templates. [The Standard – 15.2]	Good Progress.	Procedures for enforcement of Hygiene Improvement Notices now included the local process, appeal and court details on forms. Procedures for enforcement of Remedial Action Notices and Detention notices amended as required. Imported food enforcement procedure fully documented. Procedure for undertaking Simple Cautions and prosecutions for food hygiene partially documented.	Amend the food hygiene prosecution procedure to include identification of the officer in charge of investigations and the full procedure for issuing Simple Cautions. Ensure that enforcement procedures for food standards are produced for all of the available enforcement actions/notices, including FIRINS, detention, seizure & voluntary surrender of food.
15.19 (ii) Ensure that food hygiene enforcement including Remedial Action Notices, Hygiene Improvement Notices and voluntary surrenders are carried out in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice, centrally issued and official guidance and local procedures. [The Standard – 15.2 & 15.3]	Good Progress.	All Hygiene Improvement Notices were accurate, had retained true copies, contained appeal information and court details. Timely compliance checks had been undertaken. RANs were served without delay.	Ensure RANs include full appeal information and timely compliance checks are made on each notice. Ensure the time, place and method of destruction is recorded for each voluntary surrender and that such records are retained.
15.19 (iii) Ensure all decisions on enforcement action are documented and are made following consideration of the authority’s enforcement policy. Document the reasons for any departure from the criteria set out in the Enforcement Policy. [The Standard – 15.4]	Completed.	No 0 rated premises were available to audit so remains untested. Assurance was provided that action would be consistently applied.	Closed.
16.11 (i) Maintain up to date accurate records of all food establishments in its area in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice and centrally issued guidance. These records shall include reports of all interventions/inspections (including copies of food inspection reports), the determination of compliance with legal requirements made by the authorised officer, details of action taken where non-compliance was identified and details of any enforcement action taken. [The Standard – 16.1]	Good Progress.	Registration forms were available on all food hygiene files. Approved premises files contained most of the information required.	Ensure approved premises files include workflow, water & drainage plans, product & supplier lists and up-to-date product labels.
16.11 (ii) Ensure that businesses, including their head offices, are provided with reports following an intervention and that food standards inspection report forms provided following interventions/inspections contain all of the information required by Annex 6 of the Food Law Code of Practice. [The Standard – 16.1]	Completed.	Full details required by the Code of Practice were included in the reports.	Completed.
16.11 (iii) Ensure that records are kept for at least 6 years. [The Standard – 16.2]	Completed.	Records were maintained on the database.	Completed.
19.10 (i) For the food standards service, expand its procedures to verify its conformance with the Standard, relevant legislation, the relevant Codes of Practice, centrally issued guidance and the authority’s documented policies and procedures. [The Standard – 19.2]	Limited Progress.	Documented food standards internal monitoring procedures included scope for sampling file checks. AES no longer part of intervention options.	Ensure full records of food standards internal monitoring are maintained; including sample follow ups, incidents and service request investigations.

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2. FHRS Audit 2017/18 Action Plan for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council

Recommendation	Status	Outstanding (Original)	Progress to Date	Outstanding (Current)
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit actions relating to service planning	Completed.	To include and commit to a programme of interventions in accordance with requirements.	Service Plan amended.	Completed.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit actions relating to authorised officers	Completed.	Ensure authorised officers have undertaken consistency training.	Officers have received recent rating consistency training.	Completed.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit actions relating to food hygiene interventions programme	Good Progress.	To ensure all due interventions programme data is reliable.	Scoring issues addressed in relation to significant risk and due dates consistently accurate.	Ensure track record accurately reflected when assessing confidence in management in premises with recent history of major contraventions.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit actions relating to procedures	Completed.	To ensure procedures, including aide memoires and letter templates ensure compliance with Scheme requirements.	Intervention procedures, aide memoires and report letter templates amended. Enforcement procedure refers to action in LA premises.	Completed.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit actions relating to enforcement actions	Completed.	To ensure enforcement action in response to breach of FHRS legislation is in line with guidance.	FHRS fixed penalty notices issued in line with guidance.	Completed.

3. Summary

Category	Count
Total Recommendations	31
Completed	16
Good Progress	7
Limited Progress	7
No Action	1
Total Outstanding	15