Agenda and minutes

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

No apologies for absence were received.

No declarations were received.

No questions or deputations were received.

To consider for approval the draft Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 22^nd May 2023.

The Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board:

RESOLVED:

To agree the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board Minutes arising from the public meeting held on 25^th May 2023 as a true record.

The Scrutiny Board received a presentation to the report from the Health, Safety and Risk Manager. Matters addressed in the presentation included:

• The definition of risk management
• The Councils risk management policy in place
• The risk management cycle and online management recording of risk on the Risk Register
• Reporting and governance arrangements supporting risk management
• Ratings of the risks currently detailed in the Risk Register

Having received the presentation to the report, Members of the Scrutiny Board asked a number of related questions to the report, which in summary included the following matters:

Councillor Meeson noted that the detail for the Risk Register report before the Scrutiny Board had already passed through Cabinet and questioned what was expected further of the Scrutiny Board in reviewing it.  The Acting Chief Executive clarified that two years ago the Resources and Delivering Valur Scrutiny Board had agreed to consider the Risk Register report annually to review corporate risks and for the report to potentially inform the Scrutiny Board’s annual Work Programme going forward.

Councillor Clements noted that some of the risk detailed in the report was reviewed and updated every three months, whilst other areas had not appeared to have been updated since 2016 and queried why this was the case.  Members were advised that the Risk Management Framework had a RAG rating following the application of mitigations against the risks identified.  Red rated risks were reviewed monthly, amber risks quarterly or every 6 months depending on the activity concerned and green risks were monitored at least annually.

As far as the two risks identified by Councillor Clements as having not been updated since 2016, the Acting Chief Executive explained that the risk status and last monitoring timescale of 2016 indicated that the impact of the risk had not changed since the action undertaken to mitigate the risk had last been completed. However, the area of risk was consistently reviewed according to the Risk Register scheduled monitoring programme. 

Councillor Moses referenced the Risk Title ‘A serious information breach requiring notification and a fine from the Information Commissioners Office’ and the corresponding Mitigating Action ‘Mandatory training for all staff on information security, with all staff being up to date with their training’ and questioned whether any other forms of mandatory staff training was delivered.  The Acting Chief Executive clarified that mandatory training was a requirement of all new Council employees and that training was further refreshed and advertised for all staff through the Councils ‘Core Brief’ as necessary.

In relation to mitigating action ‘Details of poor training take up is sent to each member of CLT’, Councillor Meeson questioned how frequently was training information and related staff training statistics presented to CLT. Members were advised that all staff training information was supplied via the Oracle system, with staff training targets identified and included in the Risk Register. In terms of specific information security incidents, Members were informed that the relevant Director would decide the level at which the incident would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

For Members of the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board to review the Work Programme 2023/24, with a view to proposing further reports, amending or re-prioritising the Work Programme as considered necessary.

Members were invited to review and comment on the current Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board Work Programme 2023/24.

Councillor Meeson raised the securing of Best Value through Council contracts / shared services and whether the Council supplied, received or was in conjunction with other local authorities for services, for example the shared service Memorandum of Understanding in place with Coventry Council.

Procurement arrangements / services with other local authorities and using their expertise.

West Midlands Employers (WME): Was the Councils paid membership of the WME providing Value for Money and did the Council know what services it was receiving through its membership. 

Contractors and Contractual Arrangements: Specifically achieving Best Value through contracts and use of resources (including staffing in the areas of recruitment and retention).

Councillor Clements raised the areas of Council procurement and insurance arrangements.

Having considered the report, the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board:

RESOLVED:

(i)  That the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board Work Programme 2023/24 be updated and included on the agenda for the next formal meeting of the Scrutiny Board.

The meeting is not open to the public during discussion of the following item because the report contains exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

The meeting was not open to the public and press during discussion of the following item because the report contained exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.