Members Code of Conduct – Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)      Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)      Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)      Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(4)      Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 November 2023 be signed as a correct record.

(Kanwal Amrez – 07929 070288)

That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2023 be signed as a correct record.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Kav Amrez – 07929 070288)

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

The Director of Legal and Governance will submit Document “AC” which provides information relating to:

·         The number of authorised and approved covert surveillance operations (Nil return) undertaken by the Council’s criminal investigation teams during 2022.

·         The use of the Council’s CCTV equipment by the Police/ Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for covert surveillance.

·         IPCO inspection

·         Policy review

Recommended –

That the contents of the report Document “AC” be noted.

                                                                                    (Jason Field - 07890 416571)

The Interim Director of Legal and Governance submitted Document “AC” which provided information relating to:

·    The number of authorised and approved covert surveillance operations (Nil return) undertaken by the Council’s criminal investigation teams during 2022. 

·    The use of the Council’s CCTV equipment by the Police/ Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for covert surveillance. 

·    IPCO inspection

·    Policy review

The presenting officer provided a brief overview of the report and highlighted some points. It was reported that all departments returned a nil return for 2023, this indicated that the enforcement teams’ criminal investigators were able to obtain evidence without the need for covert surveillance, no covert cameras had been used since 2020.

The report was the annual update to members, it was reported that training was provided remotely to relevant officers via the Council’s legal services framework arrangements on 21^st November 2023 and all officers were reminded that any covert surveillance must be authorised and approved by the Director of Legal and Governance and the Magistrates court respectively and advice should be obtained from Legal Services when any such action is contemplated.

Following the Officer’s presentation, members briefly discussed the report and were then given the opportunity to comment and ask questions. The details of these and the responses given are as below.

Members of the Committee were keen to understand if CCTV was value for money. In response to this, the presenting officer reported that overall, CCTV was value for money.

A member requested further information on tables presented in the report. In response, the presenting officer advised that he did not have the narrative behind the tables but would provide this information in the next report.

Resolved –

That the contents of the report Document “AC” be noted.

The External Auditor will present Document “AD” which sets out the progress for the ongoing external audit of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council for financial year 2022-23.

Recommended –

That the report (Document “AD”) be noted.

(Alastair Newall – 07881283644)

The External Auditor presented Document “AD” which set out the progress for the ongoing external audit of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council for financial year 2022-23.

The presenting officer provided a brief overview of the report, it was reported that the Council had reversed its decision to backdate its change to its Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy 2021/22 and earlier years.

It was further reported that the External Auditors intended to issue the audit certificate for the 2020/21 audit following confirmation that the MRP changes would not impact on 2020/21.

For the 2021/22 audit, it was reported that the External Auditors were awaiting receipt of updated 2021/22 financial statements, removing the backdated MRP changes and on receipt of the updated accounts the External Auditors would carry out its finalisation procedures and would issue the audit report on the financial statements.

For 2022/23 audit, it was reported that the audit work was progressing well and subject to satisfactory resolution of audit queries, the External Auditors intended to present the Audit Completion Report to the next meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee. 

Resolved –

That the report (Document “AD”) be noted.

The Strategic Director Corporate Resources will present Document “AE” which reviews progress on the significant governance concerns reported in the Council’s Annual Governance Statement 2022-23, and asks that members consider potential areas for inclusion in the next management assurance questionnaire that will help inform the 2023-24 Annual Governance Statement.

Recommended –

That members of the Governance and Audit Committee:

(1)  Review the information contained in this report and the progress made in addressing the significant governance challenges.

(2)  Endorse the further actions planned.

(3)  Alert Officers and Members to any emerging governance concerns requiring review during the 2023-24 process.

(4)  Raise for consideration any areas of corporate policy that they would like specifically including in the next management assurance questionnaire (MAQ), if any, that will form part of the 2023/24 annual governance review.

(Mark St Romaine - 07890 418375 & Richard Hoyle - 07582 102719)

The Strategic Director Corporate Resources presented Document “AE” which reviewed progress on the significant governance concerns reported in the Council’s Annual Governance Statement 2022-23 and asked that members consider potential areas for inclusion in the next management assurance questionnaire that would help inform the 2023-24 Annual Governance Statement.

The Head of Internal Audit, Insurance and Risk provided a brief overview of the report, the Statement reported that the Governance and Audit Committee would be kept informed of progress in addressing weaknesses and areas of concern which were, Safeguarding Vulnerable People and Organisational Capacity and its Impact on Statutory Compliance.

It was reported that there were further governance challenges identified for 2023/24, which were as follows:

·       Bradford Childrens and Families Trust

·       Bradford UK City of Culture 2025      

·       Delays in External Audit

There was a discussion in relation to the report specifically around sections 2.4, 2.3 and 3.3 of the report.

Members commented that the Committee would like to view the Risk Register on a regular basis.

Resolved -

That members of the Governance and Audit Committee:

(1) Review the information contained in this report and the progress made in addressing the significant governance challenges.

(2) Endorse the further actions planned.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director Corporate Resources

The report of the Strategic Director Corporate Resources Document “AF” will be submitted, which will provide details of the findings and management actions from the internal audit of Built Environment, requested by the committee at their meeting on 23 November 2023.

Recommended –

That the report (Document “AF”) be noted.

                                                            (Mike Watkins / Matt Seed – 07855177184)

The report of the Strategic Director Corporate Resources Document “AF” was submitted, which provided details of the findings and management actions from the internal audit of Built Environment.

The presenting officer reported that five areas of concern were highlighted following on from the Internal Audit Report which was completed in May 2023.

It was reported that there was no statutory requirement to undertake an inspection / re-inspection, however as a service KPI’s were being implemented against a robust schedule. The Fire Safety Arrangements & Concordat had been reviewed and were signed off in accordance with review dates.

It was further reported that the review of the current CAFM (computer aided facilities management) system had been undertaken formulating a specification that has been out to tender and a new contract awarded to replace the existing system. Over the coming months the new system would be tested, information migrated, onboarding, training and a “go live” date to be agreed (possibly April 2024). Reporting would be more readily available from October 2024.

The presenting officer reported that additionally they had recently agreed to review the arrangements for internal maintenance budgets/internal recharging to ensure they had the optimum arrangements in place for the continued maintenance of Council assets. However, a VFM (value for money) sampling of various work packages / projects was currently in development and would be reported on in due course.

A brief discussion ensued following the report and members requested that abbreviations should be explained in full in reports presented to the Committee.

Resolved –

That the report (Document “AF”) be noted.

The Executive Director Finance Resources for Bradford Children and Families Trust will submit Document “AG” which will set out an overview of the governance arrangements for Bradford Children & Families Trust, outlining the Board and Executive Leadership Team, reporting arrangements to the Council and DfE as well as the risk, audit and assurance arrangements.  The report also provides an overview of the Trust’s Business Plan, strategic planning framework and Values. 

Recommended -

That the governance arrangements as detailed in Document “AG” for the Trust be noted and consideration be given to timescales for future updates when further risk management and audit activity will have been progressed.

                                                                                    (Mark Gwynne - 07740 109532)

The Executive Director Finance Resources for Bradford Children and Families Trust submitted Document “AG” which set out an overview of the governance arrangements for Bradford Children & Families Trust, outlining the Board and Executive Leadership Team, reporting arrangements to the Council and DfE as well as the risk, audit, and assurance arrangements. The report also provided an overview of the Trust’s Business Plan, strategic planning framework and Values. 

The presenting officer provided an overview of the report and some of the key points were highlighted. It was reported that Bradford Children & Families Trust was established as an independent company limited by guarantee on the 1^st April 2023.  The Trust was wholly owned by the Council, with its’ own Board, Executive Leadership Team and governance /decision making structures, so was designed to be operationally independent of the Council.

A Breakdown of the Trust’s Governance structure was provided including Trust Board Committee structure and Executive Team structure.

The presenting officer reported that the Trust has reporting arrangements to the Council as well as responsibilities to the Department for Education, both directly and through the Improvement Board. Reporting to the Council was through the two formal arrangements established in the Service Delivery Contract.  The Operational Joint Working Group (OJWG) met on a monthly basis and oversees day to day delivery of the contract reported on 18 Key Performance Indicators providing a summary of the Trust’s performance (these were agreed between the Council and the Trust ahead of go-live and were reviewed on an annual basis).  Alongside this, there were 12 Service Level Agreements through which the Council provided a range of support services to the Trust.  Delivery of these was monitored through 21 Key Performance Indicators and some supporting Management Information (these were also reviewed on an annual basis, with changes from the first review being effective from 1^st April 2025).

It was further reported that the Strategic Joint Working Group meets on a quarterly basis and is chaired by the Council’s Lead Member and this group took a more strategic overview, received updates and escalations from the OJWG and was responsible for agreeing change requests, and agreeing the Trust’s Business Plan.  Both these groups were also designed to hold the Council to account for delivery of support services in accordance with the 12 Service Level Agreements which have been established for provision of these services.  There were also a number of Joint Working Protocols being finalised which established less formal arrangements for collaborative working in the provision of other services. This collaborative working across both organisations and all services was the basis for enabling a successful Trust and improved outcomes for children and young people. The Trust also provided reports to the Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of progress of improvement and contributes to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee when requested in respect of budget reports.

The presenting officer reported that the audit provision was independent of the Council, provided through Grant Thornton as the Trust’s external auditors,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115.

The role of the Pension Board, as defined by sections 5(1) and (2) of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 is to assist the Council as Scheme Manager in ensuring the effective and efficient governance and administration of the LGPS.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (the Council), as Scheme Manager, as defined under section 4 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013, has delegated legal and strategic responsibility for West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) to the Governance and Audit Committee.

The Director of West Yorkshire Pension Fund will submit Document “AH” which reports on the minutes of the WYPF Pension Board meeting held on 13 December 2023.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund Pension Board meeting held on 13 September 2023 be considered and noted.

                                                                                    (Yunus Gajra – 07582105760)

The role of the Pension Board, as defined by sections 5(1) and (2) of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 is to assist the Council as Scheme Manager in ensuring the effective and efficient governance and administration of the LGPS.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (the Council), as Scheme Manager, as defined under section 4 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013, has delegated legal and strategic responsibility for West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) to the Governance and Audit Committee.

The Director of West Yorkshire Pension Fund submitted Document “AH” which reported on the minutes of the WYPF Pension Board meeting held on 13 December 2023.

Resolved –

That the minutes of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund Pension Board meeting held on 13 September 2023 be considered and noted.