City Governance Committee - 04/09/2023

At a MEETING of the CITY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE held remotely on 4th September, 2023.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor John ALEXANDER, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 21st August, 2023 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Shears declared an interest in this item of business at Article Vll of this minute by virtue of his employment with BT and took no part in the proceedings and withdrew from the meeting during its consideration.

ll MINUTES

(a) PERSONNEL APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE - 31ST MAY, 2023 & 5TH JUNE, 2023

The minutes of meetings of the Personnel Appeals Sub-Committee of 31st May and 5th June, 2023, copies of which are appended hereto (Appendices I and II), were submitted and noted for information and record purposes.

III CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2023/2027

There was submitted Report No 185-2023 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service, providing a summary of the new Children and Families Service Improvement Plan 2023/2027 as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report. This plan built on previous achievements across the service and described how all Early Learning and Childcare settings, Schools and Childrens and Justice Social Work teams would contribute towards the priorities in the Council Plan 2022/2027 and the City Plan 2022/2032. In the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Independent Care Review and Excellence and Equity, it focused on addressing inequalities in health, wellbeing and attainment.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to the priorities and related actions outlined in the Improvement Plan; and

(ii) to instruct the Executive Director of Children and Families Service to provide a further update on progress in six months.

IV BUDGET STRATEGY 2024/2025

There was submitted Report No 230-2023 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, presenting medium-term financial projections and to recommend a strategy to address the projected budget shortfall for 2024/2025.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the financial projections set out in the report;

(ii) to agree the budget strategy set out in Section 5 of the report;

(iii) to note the outline timetable set out in Section 6 of the report; and

(iv) to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and the First Minister enclosing a copy of this report, expressing the need for a financial settlement for the Scottish Government and Local Government that would off-set the need for considerable savings that this report predicts would be required for Dundee City Council to set a balanced budget going forward.

V COSLA AND SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT COUNCIL TAX CONSULTATION

There was submitted Report No 232-2023 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, advising of a joint COSLA and Scottish Government proposal to change the current system of Council Tax multipliers. It also set out a proposed response to be submitted on behalf of Dundee City Council.

Councillor Alexander, seconded by Bailie Sawers, moved the following:-

(i) to note that Scottish Government and COSLA have issued a joint consultation paper on proposals to change the current system of Council Tax multipliers; and

(ii) to consider and agree the draft response to the consultation to be submitted by the deadline 20th September, 2023 as detailed in Appendix I of the report.

As an amendment, Councillor Duncan, seconded by Councillor Crichton, moved to accept the motion as submitted, but with the removal of recommendation 2.1(ii) and replace with:-

2.1(ii) agree not to submit the draft response to the consultation at Appendix I;

2.1(iii) agree instead to instruct the Chief Executive to write to Tom Arthur MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance, and Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA Resources Spokesperson, indicating Dundee City Councils opposition to the proposed changes to Council Tax multipliers, the submission to them to highlight that:-

- the present Scottish Government was first elected to government in 2007 on a pledge of scrapping the unfair Council Tax but, 16 years on, it has failed to deliver on this promise.

- the proposal on Council Tax multiplier increases at bands E-H from Scottish Government, rather than scrapping Council Tax, would further embed Council Tax through an increase for 10,587 Dundee households and over 700,000 households across Scotland. In Dundee, this increase would see Council Tax bills rise for affected households by between 146.48 and 819.39 each year, something that Dundee City Council elected members consider unacceptable particularly during the current cost of living crisis.

- that Dundee City Council therefore calls on Scottish Government to withdraw these proposals and instead respect the important role of local Councils in delivering key services by ruling out any further cuts to local Council grant funding and begin a process of reversing the cuts it has imposed on Dundee City Council and other local authorities over recent years.

On a division, there voted for the motion - the Convener, Lord Provost Campbell, Depute Lord Provost Cordell, Bailies Dawson, Roberts and Sawers, and Councillors Anderson, El-Nakla, Flynn, Hunter, Lynn, Rome, Short, Smith and Tolland (15); and for the amendment - Bailies Keenan, Wright, Macpherson and Scott and Councillors Cruickshank, Finnegan, Malone, McHugh, McIrvine, Scullin, Shears, Coleman, Crichton and Duncan (14) - whereupon the motion was declared carried.

As a further amendment, Bailie Scott moved that Dundee City Councils response to the consultation should be that it does not agree with the proposal to change the Council Tax multipliers and also calls on the Scottish Government to provide the Council with a fairer funding settlement.

There being no seconder, the amendment proposed by Bailie Scott fell and was not voted upon.

As a further amendment, Bailie Keenan, seconded by Councillor Cruickshank, moved that the Committee agrees to:-

(i) note the report and its recommendations but not submit the draft consultation response in Appendix 1;

(ii) instruct the Chief Executive to write to the First Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, and the Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance, Tom Arthur MSP, setting out the cuts which Dundee City Council was forced to make to services between 2008-2017 because of the financial settlements the Council received from the Scottish Government [from 2008 to present 156.8M in total] and setting out the further cuts which Dundee City Council was forced to make to services from 2017 (when the Band E to H multipliers were last increased by the Scottish Government) to date [81.8M in total] again because of the financial settlements the Council received from the Scottish Government;

(iii) call upon the Scottish Government to carry out a comprehensive review of the way Local Government in Scotland is financed, rather than tinkering at the edges; and

(iv) call upon the Scottish Government to carry out a full re-evaluation of the Council Tax bandings if they intend for Council Tax to remain.

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - REVENUE BUDGET

Budget Savings 2008 to 2024

On a division, there voted for the motion - the Convener, Lord Provost Campbell, Depute Lord Provost Cordell, Bailies Dawson, Roberts and Sawers, and Councillors Anderson, El-Nakla, Flynn, Hunter, Lynn, Rome, Short, Smith and Tolland (15); and for the amendment - Bailies Keenan, Wright, Macpherson and Scott and Councillors Cruickshank, Finnegan, Malone, McHugh, McIrvine, Scullin, Shears, Coleman, Crichton and Duncan (14) - whereupon the motion was declared carried.

VI PROVISION OF INSURANCE COVERS

There was submitted Report No 236-2023 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, providing an update on the development of a sourcing strategy for the tender process for the Provision of Insurance Covers and to seek approval to commence a compliant tender process, leading to award of a contract/contracts.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to approve the commencing of a procurement exercise in respect of the project described, based on the sourcing strategy, summarised in the report; and

(ii) to note that the outcome of the procurement exercise would be submitted to Committee for final approval, prior to award of a contract to the successful bidder(s), following a tender process carried out in compliance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations of 2015.

VII SCOTTISH WIDE AREA NETWORK REPLACEMENT

There was submitted Report No 235-2023 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services to consider the purchase of a new cloud IT Service Management system.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to the Council becoming a member of the new Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN); and

(ii) to remit the Head of Customer Services and IT to contract services with BT through the SWAN framework.

VIII DUNDEE INTEGRATION JOINT BOARD - PERFORMANCE AND STRATEGIC PLANNING DEVELOPMENTS

There was submitted Report No 242-2023 by the Chief Officer, Dundee Integration Joint Board, informing of the publication of the Dundee Integration Joint Boards statutory Annual Performance Report 2022/2023, and of the approval and publication of their Plan for Excellence in Health and Social Care in Dundee, Strategic Commissioning Framework 2023/2033.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the content of the report, including the achievements throughout 2022/2023 in the commissioning and delivery of integrated health and social care services as detailed in Section 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the report and the renewed ambition and priorities of the Integration Joint Board as detailed in Section 4.2.2 and Appendix 1 of the report; and

(ii) to endorse the Plan for Excellence in Health and Social Care in Dundee as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report and commit to continued collaborative working between the City Council, NHS Tayside and the Integration Joint Board to deliver the ambition, priorities and strategic shifts contained within the Plan for Excellence.

John ALEXANDER, Convener.

At a MEETING of the PERSONNEL APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 31st May, 2023.

APPENDIX I

Present:-

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Ken LYNN, Convener, in the Chair.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

The Sub-Committee resolved under Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the undernoted items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

II APPEAL AGAINST DISMISSAL

It was reported that an appeal against dismissal from an employee of Neighbourhood Services had been submitted.

The Sub-Committee heard the Appellant and the Appellants representative and, thereafter, the Council's representative and witness.

After questions had been put and answers given by both parties to each other and the witnesses and by members of the Sub-Committee, the parties withdrew.

Thereafter, following careful consideration of all the information, the Sub-Committee agreed that the grounds of the appeal had not been substantiated and the appeal be not upheld.

Councillor McHugh intimated her dissent from the foregoing decision.

Ken LYNN, Convener.

At a MEETING of the PERSONNEL APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 5th June, 2023.

APPENDIX II

Present:-

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Mark FLYNN, Convener, in the Chair.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

The Sub-Committee resolved under Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the undernoted items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

II APPEAL AGAINST GRIEVANCE OUTCOME

It was reported that an appeal against grievance outcome from an employee of the Children and Families Service had been submitted.

The Sub-Committee heard the Appellant and the Appellants representative and thereafter the Councils representative and witnesses.

After questions had been put and answers given by both parties to each other and the witnesses and by members of the Sub-Committee, the parties withdrew.

Thereafter, following careful consideration of all the information, the Sub-Committee agreed that the grounds of the appeal had not been substantiated and the appeal be not upheld.

Mark FLYNN, Convener.