Agenda item

Corporate Improvement Plan

Minutes:

The Council was reminded that, on 3 January 2024, SOLACE had been commissioned by the former Chief Executive and other statutory officers to undertake an Independent Governance Review of the Council. The scope of the review had been intentionally wide to encompass the entirety of the Council’s business, structure, processes, systems and culture.

Alongside this piece of work, SOLACE had also been commissioned to look specifically at Guildford’s housing landlord function.

Councillors noted that the main finding of the SOLACE reports was that the Council was at serious risk of failing in its statutory duty to deliver Best Value. The recommendations of both reports were designed to assist the Council to avoid such a failure, and to address the issues identified.

The reports had recognised the efforts that were already underway to improve the Council’s operation, and had recommended that the Council develop a comprehensive Improvement Plan encompassing all of the recommendations within the reports.

The SOLACE reviews had recommended that the progress of the Improvement Plan should be reported to the Council at six monthly intervals for three years. The Corporate Governance and Standards Committee had considered the SOLACE reports at its special meeting held on 15 May 2024. A copy of the relevant minute of that meeting, including the many comments made by councillors was appended to the report submitted to the Council. Officers had provided updates to the Improvement Plan and Housing Improvement sub-plan since the report to the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee in May, which were also appended to the report.

The Chief Executive had committed to provide more regular updates on our improvement plan and our progress, and had sent monthly updates to all Councillors in that regard.

Upon the motion of the Leader of the Council, Councillor Julia McShane, seconded by the Lead Councillor for Community and Organisational Development, Councillor Carla Morson, the Council

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the findings of the two SOLACE reports, attached as Appendices 1 and 2 to the report submitted to the Council be noted and endorsed.

(2) That the Improvement Plan, including the Housing sub-plan, attached at Appendices 3 and 4 to the report submitted to the Council be endorsed and adopted. 

(3) That the Council notes that the Improvement Plan (Appendix 3), along with the Housing sub-plan (Appendix 4), has addressed each and every recommendation and finding from the two SOLACE reports and, in some areas, has gone further.

(4) That the Council agrees that the intention of the delivery of the Plan is to enable Councillors to have confidence that we are delivering best value for Guildford’s residents and businesses.

(5) That the Council notes that the Chief Executive and Corporate Management Board will be accountable for the delivery of the plan.

(6) That updates be received by full Council on the delivery of the Improvement Plan, and progress on addressing the recommendations, every six months for three years.

(7) That, in line with the recommendations from SOLACE, an Independent Assurance Panel be appointed to provide an independent “critical friend” challenge to the Council.

(8) That the Chief Executive be authorised to appoint that panel, noting that it will include two lead members of the SOLACE review team (Andrew Flockhart and Chris Buss) and that having carried out the review, these experts have a detailed understanding of the issues facing the Council, and are well-placed to advise the Council on whether the actions being taken address the concerns identified. 

(9) That the Council notes that the panel itself will also provide an independent view to the Council, on a six-monthly basis, about the progress of improvements, and that these reports will be made public.

Reasons:

·      To ensure the Council is aware of, and has had the opportunity to endorse, the findings and recommendations of both SOLACE reviews. 

·      To advise the Council of the steps that have already been taken by the Chief Executive, Corporate Management Board and other colleagues to respond to those findings and recommendations. 

·      To ensure the Council is aware of, and has had the opportunity to endorse or otherwise, the arrangements that will be put in place to ensure regular, open and transparent reports on progress, as well as open, transparent and independent oversight. 

 

Supporting documents: