Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber

Contact: Earl Piggott-smith  Email: earl.piggott-smith@wolverhampton.gov.uk /01902 551251

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Introductions

[The Chair to welcome everyone to the meeting]. 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In the absence of the Chair Cllr Zee Russell, Cllr Udey Singh (Vice Chair) chaired the meeting.  The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised it was being live streamed to the press and public. A recording of the meeting would be available for viewing on the Council’s website.

 

2.

Meeting procedures to be followed

[The Chair will explain how the meeting will proceed, how questions are to be asked and any matters of meeting etiquette.]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair explained the protocol to be followed during the meeting for asking questions and reminded everyone that microphones should be muted and cameras off, unless have been invited to speak by the Chair.

 

3.

Apologies

[To receive any apologies for absence]. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from the following:

 

Cllr Zee Russell

 

4.

Declarations of interest

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest recorded.

5.

Minutes of meeting 29 September 2021 pdf icon PDF 511 KB

[To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2021 as a correct record]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The panel approved the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2021 as being a correct record.

 

6.

Minutes of the meeting 2 November 2021 pdf icon PDF 462 KB

[To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2021]. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The panel approved the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2021 as being a correct record.

 

7.

Minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2021 pdf icon PDF 455 KB

[To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2021]. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The panel approved the minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2021 as being a correct record.

 

8.

Specific Reserves Working Group Report 6 December 2021 pdf icon PDF 298 KB

[Alison Shannon (Chief Accountant) to present the report].

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Alison Shannon, Chief Accountant, to present the report of the Specific Reserves Working Group. The Chief Accountant advised the panel that the remit of the group is to review the appropriateness of reserves held by the Council and to make recommendations to Cabinet transfer the funds to the General Reserve fund.

 

The Chief Accountant advised the panel that the working group recommended that Cabinet consider transferring the following reserves into the Council’s Corporate Reserve.

 

·       School Arts Service Reserve

·       Building Resilience Reserve

·       Art Gallery Touring Exhibitions Reserve

 

The panel were invited to consider and approve recommendations of the working group.

 

The panel expressed concern about the recommendation to transfer the funds for Art Gallery Touring Exhibitions Reserve and the School Arts Service Reserve in view of previous efforts to promote arts and culture in the city.

The panel highlighted the recent experience of local art and culture groups who have struggled to find sources of finance and would potentially benefit from the fund, depending on the criteria. The panel suggested that the lead for arts and culture in the Council should be asked to consider the possibility of the reserves be used to support local groups rather than being transferred into the Council’s General Reserve Fund. The Chief Accountant agreed to discuss the recommendation with the relevant Head of Service.

 

The panel agreed to the note the report.

 

Resolved:

 

1.    The panel approved the revised recommendation as to future use of reserves being transferred to the Council’s General Reserve Fund.

 

2.    The panel approved the minutes for the Specific Reserves Working Group meeting on 6 December 2021.

 

 

 

9.

Digital Wolves Strategy - pre-decision scrutiny pdf icon PDF 633 KB

[Charlotte Johns (Director of Strategy) to present the report]. 

 

[This item is being considered as pre-decision scrutiny and will therefore not be available for Call-in once a decision has been made by the Executive]. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair advised the panel that the Digital Wolves Strategy was being presented panel for pre-decision scrutiny and therefore would not be available for Call-in once a decision has been made by the Executive. The Chair invited Charlotte Johns, Director of Strategy to present the report.

 

The Director of Strategy advised the panel that it would be a joint presentation with Heather Clark, Head of External Funding and Digital Projects.

 

The Director of Strategy advised the panel the draft Digital Wolverhampton Strategy was being presented for pre-decision scrutiny before it is sent to Cabinet on 23 March 2022 for approval. 

 

The Director of Strategy introduced a presentation which outlined the background to the development of the strategy, and the three overarching aims of the strategy to maximise the benefits of digital to residents and businesses, and an overview of the five key themes to deliver them. The Director of Strategy advised the panel that there is a public consultation ongoing and the feedback on the Draft Digital Wolverhampton Strategy would be included in the report presented to Cabinet. 

 

The Director of Strategy commented on the link between the digital strategy and the Relighting Our City priorities and the delivery of effective and efficient public services.  The new strategy aims to maximise the benefits of digital more broadly to residents and businesses in the city. The Director of Strategy briefed the panel on the key themes of Wolverhampton’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy which was adopted in January 2020 and commented on the progress to date.

 

The Director of Strategy invited the Head of External Funding and Digital Projects to continue with the presentation. The Head of External Funding and Digital Projects outlined the approach to the development of the strategy and the vision. 

 

The Head of External Funding and Digital Projects outlined the aims of the strategy and gave specific details of progress against each of the listed priorities.

 

The Director of Strategy offered reassurance that the draft has been developed through ongoing engagement and will be supported by detailed action plans to ensure the delivery of the strategy.

 

The Director of Strategy briefed the panel on some of the issues highlighted in responses to the consultation, for example, 5G and health implications and possible security risks. The Director of Strategy commented on the misinformation during the early months of the pandemic and the wholly unsubstantiated link between 5G masts and the spread of Covid 19 which led to telecommunications workers being wrongly targeted. The Director of Strategy reassured the panel of the robust evidence from scientists and public health experts, and the WHO that there is no risk to the public health from the use of 5G technology.

The Director of Strategy commented on concerns in the media, nationally and internationally, about potential security risks, particularly from Chinese owned companies and their involvement in digital infrastructure development. The Director of Strategy reassured the panel that cyber security and other risks continue to be managed to meet the highest levels of security  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Treasury Management Strategy pdf icon PDF 134 KB

[Alison Shannon (Chief Accountant) to present the report].

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Alison Shannon, Chief Accountant, to present the report.

The Chief Accountant explained that the presentation would cover the Treasury Management Strategy Report and changes to the Treasury Management Code of Practice and Prudential Code, which was published by CIPFA in December 2021.The Council is required to have regard to the codes.

The Chief Accountant gave an overview of the legal requirements, a definition from CIPFA of the term ‘Treasury Management’ and the process for approving the strategy. The performance of the strategy is reported to Cabinet, Full Council and Our Council Scrutiny Panel. The Chief Accountant advised the panel that at the end of the presentation panel members would be invited to give feedback on the strategy and the changes to code.

The Chief Accountant reassured the panel that there were no significant implications for the Council because of the planned changes to the Treasury Management Code of Practice and Prudential Codes (Code).

The Chief Accountant gave details of the six elements covered by the strategy report.

The Chief Accountant advised the panel that the work has been to assess the implications of the changes to the Code along with consideration of the timing of their introduction. The Code was last updated in 2017 and the changes have been introduced to strengthen the requirements for the skills and training for employees and Councillors and for investments not specifically for treasury management purposes.

The Chief Accountant briefed the panel about some of the key changes to the Code, for example, the need to report and clearly distinguish investments for Treasury Management, Services and Commercial. The Chief Accountant explained that treasury management investments are ultimately how the Council invest cash until it is required, service investments are assets primarily used and held for the provision of delivering a public service such as housing, and commercial investments are held primarily for a financial return.

The Chief Accountant advised the panel that the Council is still awaiting detailed guidance from CIPFA about some of the changes to the Code which are not expected until the end of January 2021. The Chief Accountant advised that a further report will be presented to Cabinet and to the panel in due course on these changes.

The Chief Accountant advised that Codes state what local authorities can borrow and invest for. In terms of borrowing, local authorities must not borrow to invest primarily for financial return. The Codes state that it is not prudent for local authorities to make any investment or spending decisions that will increase the capital financing requirement, which may lead to new borrowing. The Chief Accountant listed the purposes that local authorities can borrow and invest.

 

The Chief Accountant explained the lending terms for the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) and added that local authorities are required to submit a high-level description of their capital spending and financing plans, including the expected use.

The Chief Accountant added that in terms of treasury management, the Council only has short term cash investments  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Our Assets Programme - Update ( report to follow) pdf icon PDF 3 MB

[Julia Nock (Deputy Director of Assets) to present the report].

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Julia Nock, Deputy Director Assets, to present the report.

The Deputy Director Assets advised the panel the presentation would give an update on the Relighting Our Council Assets workstream that was presented to the panel in 2021. The presentation would also give an update on asset review and the criteria used to undertake the review, the future of the retained estate and the workplace strategy and community benefits.

The Deputy Director Assets advised the panel about the way the Council uses its buildings and land has changed over the last few years and will continue to do so. The Deputy Director Assets advised the panel that the Council owns 1900 land and building assets, and details of the assets are available to view on the Council website. The list is updated regularly to take account of any new disposals, purchases or new builds of assets.

Deputy Director Assets briefed the panel about the criteria used for asset reviews and explained that at the end of the review the following four options would be considered when deciding the future of an individual asset, retention (including investment), community asset transfer, disposal, and commercialisation.

The Deputy Director Assets gave examples of outcomes and successes of the recent asset reviews that have been delivered to date.

The Deputy Director Assets advised the panel that the disposal programme had achieved £4.2 million in 2020-2021 and £2.4million in 2021-2022. The estimated capital receipts for 2022-2023 is £1.4 million.

The Deputy Director Assets briefed the panel on the work being done to continue finding further opportunities for efficiency, rationalisation and repurposing of the wider estate to achieve the desired outcomes as detailed in the strategy. A dashboard is being developed to capture the accrued financial benefits and will include the contribution to the housing and job creation agendas.  The Deputy Director Assets advised that a review is planned of the Council’s commercial portfolio to consider options to either invest or disinvest to ensure that income is maximised. The Deputy Director commented on her future priorities to achieve consistent management of the retained estate. The Strategic Asset Plan 2018-2023 will be reviewed and refreshed to include an updated Action Plan for 2022-2023. The Deputy Director Assets agreed to bring the update to a future meeting.

The Deputy Director Assets briefed the panel on the future of the retained estate to ensure the portfolio remain sustainable and flexible and meets the current and future needs of the City. The Deputy Director Assets highlighted the need to generate capital receipts to support the Council's medium term financial strategy.

The Deputy Director Assets briefed the panel on the community benefits of the strategy and highlighted progress in three specific areas. A new Community Asset Transfer Strategy was developed and adopted in 2020.

 

The Deputy Director Assets commented that community asset transfers support community empowerment by ensuring that land, buildings, or services are retained or transformed can continue to benefit the public and help communities and local leaders to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Equalities Update - Our Journey So Far - briefing paper pdf icon PDF 445 KB

[Jin Takhar (Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) and Solomon Scott (EDI Advisor – Race) will present the report]. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Jin Takhar, Head of EDI, and Solomon Scott, Race Equality Adviser, to present their report.

The Head of EDI advised the panel that the briefing paper details the activity by the Council to deliver against the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and the supporting directorate action plans.

The Head of EDI outlined the four key objectives that underpin the strategy which are set out in more detail in the covering report to the presentation.  The Head of EDI advised the panel that the presentation would focus on three areas of the strategy, to demonstrate strong visible leadership in EDI and embed organisational culture and partnerships, to be an inclusive employer and build an inclusive organisation and to build an inclusive workplace culture. The EDI advised the panel that further reports on the fourth objective, to provide inclusive, responsive, and accessible services to a future meeting.

The Head of EDI invited the Race Equality Adviser to give the detailed presentation to the panel. The Race Equality Adviser briefed the panel in detail on key achievements of the previous 18 months, against each of the three objectives.

The Race Equality Adviser commented on the progress against objective four to provide an inclusive and responsive and accessible service. The Race Equality Adviser advised the panel of work being done to embed equality in the respective Directorate Equality Plans. The progress against the plans will monitored and supported by members of the EDI team. The performance of each of the equality action plans will be monitored against a suite of key performance indicators, which will cover areas such as employment, organisational development, and service delivery in the next few months.

The Race Equality Adviser advised the panel that progress of the Council’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy will be reported regularly to SEB and to this panel.

The panel thanked the presenters for the briefing paper.

The panel queried if the no offence modules delivered as part of the diversity training was being provided in house or by external trainers. The Race Equality Adviser replied that the no offence training was arranged in collaboration with employees from Wolverhampton Homes and Equality Forums who came together to share their concerns and their lived experiences of working for these organisations. The information from the sessions has then been used to develop the training material.

The Race Equality Adviser advised that scenarios from other lived experiences is also being developed.

The panel thanked the presenters and noted the progress made.

Resolved:

The panel agreed to note the report.