Decision details

Modern Slavery Motion

Decision Maker: Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Housing

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:

Guildford Borough Council intends to implement the modern slavery motion.

The points below encompass how this will take place in practise:

 

      i.        Train its corporate procurement team to understand modern slavery through the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) online course on Ethical Procurement and Supply.

 

     ii.        Require its contractors to comply fully with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, wherever it applies, with contract termination as a potential sanction for non-compliance.

 

    iii.        Challenge any abnormally low-cost tenders to ensure they do not rely upon the potential contractor practising modern slavery.

 

   iv.        Highlight to its suppliers that contracted workers are free to join a trade union and are not to be treated unfairly for belonging to one.

 

     v.        Publicise its whistle-blowing system for staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

 

   vi.        Require its tendered contractors to adopt a whistle-blowing policy which enables their staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

 

  vii.        Review its contractual spending regularly to identify any potential issues with modern slavery.

 

 viii.        Highlight for its suppliers any risks identified concerning modern slavery and refer them to the relevant agencies to be addressed.

 

   ix.        Refer for investigation via the National Crime Agency’s national referral mechanism any of its contractors identified as a cause for concern regarding modern slavery.

 

     x.        Report publicly on the implementation of this policy annually.

 

Reasons for the decision:

To embed measures to respond to the rise in modern slavery in its safeguarding policy and procedures.

This motion is an essential first step to tackling exploitation in Guildford.

Alternative options considered:

None.

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None.

Publication date: 12/02/2020

Date of decision: 07/02/2020