City Governance Committee - 23/06/2025

At a MEETING of the CITY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 23rd June, 2025.

 

Present:-

 

Lord Provost Bill CAMPBELL

Depute Lord Provost Kevin CORDELL

 

BAILIES

 

Will DAWSON	Willie SAWERS	Fraser MACPHERSON
Christina ROBERTS	Kevin KEENAN	Derek SCOTT
	Helen WRIGHT

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Heather ANDERSON	Steven ROME	Dorothy McHUGH
Jimmy BLACK	Lynne SHORT	George McIRVINE
Nadia EL-NAKLA	Roisin SMITH	Wendy SCULLIN
Stewart HUNTER	Siobhan TOLLAND	Daniel COLEMAN
Ken LYNN	Georgia CRUICKSHANK	Michael CRICHTON
Lee MILLS	Jax FINNEGAN	Craig DUNCAN

 

Councillor Mark FLYNN, Convener, in the Chair.

 

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 9th June, 2025 was held as read.

 

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

 

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

II MINUTE OF MEETING OF PERSONNEL APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE

 

The minute of meeting of the Personnel Appeals Sub-Committee held on 19th May, 2025 was submitted and noted for information and record purposes, a copy of which is attached to this minute as an Appendix.

 

III ENERGY PRICING

 

This item had been placed on the agenda at the request of Councillor Anderson who asked that the Committee ask that the Leader of the Council write to the UK Government to seek action on energy pricing. Thereafter, the Committee resolved as follows:-

 

Dundee City Council has submitted both a Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy and a Local Area Energy Plan to the Scottish Government and has advanced plans for the delivery of district heating systems using renewable, decarbonised energy, to meet the energy demands of the citys domestic and commercial properties. Investment in these plans are predicated on a business case which currently has to overcome the disincentive of the current electricity price.

Given the urgency of the investment decisions which require to be taken, we ask the Council Leader to write to the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, urging the publication of the now overdue Review of Electricity Market Arrangements and asking what steps he will take to address the disadvantageous pricing of renewable energy and what specific steps he will be taking to ensure the citizens of Scotland directly benefit from the energy contribution they make towards the National Grid and that any decision on whether to adopt zonal pricing or reformed national pricing include a nation specific impact assessment.

 

IV COUNCIL PLAN 2022/2027 PROGRESS REPORT FOR 2024/2025

 

There was submitted Report No 189-2025 by the Chief Executive, providing the third annual progress report on the Council Plan 2022/2027.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to note the progress made in 2024/2025;

 

(ii) to remit the report to the Scrutiny Committee for further consideration; and

 

(iii) to remit the Council Leadership Team to monitor progress and implement improvements as necessary to deliver the outcomes agreed.

 

V FAIRNESS AND LOCAL CHILD POVERTY ACTION PLAN ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2024/2025

 

There was submitted Report No 191-2025 by the Chief Executive, presenting the combined Fairness and Local Child Poverty Action Plan Report showing progress during 2024/2025. It also highlighted key actions to be taken in 2025/2026.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to the Dundee Fairness and Local Child Poverty Action Plan Annual Report for 2024/2025, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report; and

 

(ii) to the actions as set out for the next phase of the Action Plan for 2025/2026 onwards.

 

VI HEALTH AND CARE (STAFFING) SCOTLAND ACT 2019 STATUTORY ANNUAL REPORT

 

There was submitted Joint Report No 207-2025 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service and the Chief Officer, Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, seeking approval of the Councils first statutory annual report in relation to the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to note the requirement on Dundee City Council to produce and publish an annual report under Section 3 (6) of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 by the 30th June, 2025;

 

(ii) to approve the proposal that the Dundee Integration Joint Board and Dundee City Council produce and publish a joint annual report covering all aspects of social care and social work services (including early years services and housing support services);

 

(iii) to approve the content of the draft annual report, as detailed in Appendix I to the report as this related to the functions of Dundee City Council and to note the content within the report that related to the functions of Dundee Integration Joint Board would be considered at their meeting on 18th June, 2025; and

 

(iv) to note the planned approach to publication of the report following its approval by both the Integration Joint Board and Dundee City Council.

 

VII IMPROVING SERVICES THROUGH LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS AND SERVICE USERS

 

There was submitted Report No 184-2025 by the Chief Executive, highlighting improvements which had been made to Council services as a result of listening to the views of customers and service users over the past year.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to note the content of the report;

 

(ii) to agree that highlights from the report, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, were published on the we listened, we acted page of the Councils website; and

 

(ii) to encourage services to maintain their efforts to listen to and respond to feedback, as demonstrated in Appendix 2 to the report, and to identify any further customers who should be consulted with a view to ensuring that services continue to be improved in response to the views of users.

 

VIII LOCAL CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

There was submitted Report No 168-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, presenting the Council's Local Code of Corporate Governance.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to approve the annual compliance review and updated Local Code of Corporate Governance as detailed in Appendix I to the report;

 

(ii) to note the progress against the 2024/2025 improvement action plan as detailed in Appendix II to the report;

 

(iii) to approve the areas for improvements listed in Appendix III to the report for 2025/2026; and

 

(iv) to note the compliance against the seven core principles of good governance from the CIPFA/SOLACE Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework (2016).

 

IX COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN 2025/2030

 

There was submitted Report No 141-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, presenting the Community Wealth Building (CWB) Strategy and Action Plan 2025/2030 that provided an overview of the Councils proposed approach to Community Wealth Building including an updated action plan setting out priorities for the next five years.

 

The Committee agreed to approve the Community Wealth Building (CWB) Strategy and Action Plan 2025/2030 and that further progress updates would be provided to the Committee in due course.

 

X TENDER FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES

 

There was submitted Report No 186-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, providing a summary of a sourcing strategy and seeking approval to undertake a compliant procurement process leading to the direct award of a contract for the provision of Strategic Management Support Services.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to approve the summary of the sourcing strategy outlined in section 5 to the report; and

 

(ii) to the direct award via GCloud14 Framework, Lot 3 for the provision of Strategic Management Support Services, to Gartner Advisory Services (best practice research using the online cloud platform).

 

XI SOURCING STRATEGY AND PROPOSED TENDER AWARD FOR TREASURY SERVICES

 

There was submitted Report No 190-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, providing an update on the development of a sourcing strategy for the tender process for Treasury Advisory Services and seeking approval to commence a compliant tender process, leading to the award of a contract.

 

The Committee agreed to approve the commencement of a direct award to MUFG Corporate Markets Treasury Ltd (formerly Link Treasury Services Ltd) in respect of the provision of Treasury Services, based on the sourcing strategy summarised in the report.

 

XII DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL FRAMEWORK FOR DOMESTIC CARPETS AND FLOOR COVERINGS

 

There was submitted Report No 195-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, providing an update on the development of a sourcing strategy for the tender process for Dundee City Councils Framework for Domestic Carpets and Floor Coverings, seeking approval to commence a compliant open tendering process, leading to award of Framework Contracts and seeking approval to extend the current multi-supplier framework contract for carpets and vinyl flooring supplying the Councils Scottish Welfare Fund until 30th September 2025.

 

The Committee agreed: -

 

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

 

(ii) to approve the extension of the current contract for the Councils Supply of Carpets and Vinyl Flooring to the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) until 30th September 2025; and

 

(iii) to note the outcome of the tender process together with how this would be funded would be brought back to Committee for consideration in due course.

 

XIII ESTABLISHMENT OF RECESS SUB-COMMITTEE

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN22-2025 reporting that the Council's Recess would commence on Saturday, 28th June, 2025 and end on Saturday, 9th August, 2025.

 

To facilitate the smooth, continuous conduct of the Council's business, it was proposed that a Recess Sub-Committee of the Council be set up to deal with matters of an urgent nature which the Chief Executive or Head of Democratic and Legal Services believed could not wait for the next ordinary meeting of the Committee concerned during that period and that its operating arrangements be as follows:-

 

(i) Membership - 5 members of the Administration, 3 members of the Labour Group and 1 member of the Liberal Democrat Group.

 

(ii) Chair - Leader of the Administration or nominee.

 

(iii) Substitutes - in terms of Standing Order No 45(3) it shall be competent for substitutions to be intimated and effected for individual meetings.

 

(iv) Quorum - 3 members.

 

(v) Dates - to be arranged when required.

 

(vi) Remit - to deal with any urgent business arising during the recess period.

 

(vii) Power - full delegated powers to deal with business laid before it.

 

The Committee agreed to the terms of the note and also noted, notwithstanding the above, it may be necessary in view of its quasi-judicial nature to arrange meetings of the Personnel Appeals Sub-Committee.

 

 

 

 

Mark FLYNN, Convener.

APPENDIX

 

At a MEETING of the PERSONNEL APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 19th May, 2025.

 

Present:-

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Stewart HUNTER

Roisin SMITH

Pete SHEARS

 

Councillor Stewart HUNTER, 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 City Development had been submitted.

 

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

 

 

 

 

Stewart HUNTER, Convener.