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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Shareholder Committee |
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Date |
17 December 2019 |
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Present
Apologies |
Councillors D'Agorne and Smalley (Substitute for Cllr Ayre)
Cllr Ayre |
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11. Declarations of Interest
At this point, Members were asked to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, prejudicial interest or any disclosable pecuniary interests which they may have in respect of business on the agenda. None were declared.
12. Minutes
Resolved: That the minutes of the last meeting held on 19 November 2019 were approved and signed by the Chair as an accurate record.
13. Exclusion of Press and Public
Members considered the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting for discussion and decision for the exempt agenda Item 8 on the grounds that it contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
Resolved:
i. That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Annexes 1,2, and 4 to agenda item 8 (City of York Trading Business Update), on the grounds that these annexes contained information related to the financial or business affairs of particular persons (including the authority holding that information). This information is classed as exempt under Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.
ii. That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Annex 3 to agenda item 8 (City of York Trading Business Update), on the grounds that this annex contained information relating to an individual. This information is classed as exempt under Paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.
14. Public Participation
It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
Gwen Swinburn raised several questions regarding the governance processes of the Shareholders Committee and the democratic oversight of the companies the Council was a shareholder of. They also requested that the Committee consider bringing some services back ‘in house’ where they questioned the performance of these companies that were delivering services.
15. Make It York: Appointment of Head of Commercial and Revenue Generation
Members considered a report that proposed the levels for both the salary and bonuses for the new post of Head of Commercial and Revenue Generation within Make It York (MIY). Members were informed of the objective behind the creation of the post and the problems with recruitment to the post at its current approved level for salaries amounting to £50,000. It was noted that should the Committee agree to MIY offering a salary of £60k and a self-funding bonus scheme up to a value of £20k, it is then anticipated that it will be possible for MIY to conduct a successful recruitment process.
The managing Director of MIY outlined that the role would still have the same six month probation period and be assessed using internal checks and targets. He noted that the meeting of targets would determine the amount of bonus the post holder would earn.
Resolved:
i. The Committee agreed to Make It York offering a salary of £60k and a self-funding bonus scheme up to a value of £20k in respect of the appointment to the post of Head of Commercial and Revenue Generation on this occasion, as opposed to being a level increase with wider application for other future Make It York appointments.
Reason: To facilitate successful recruitment to the post whilst
complying with the Council’s constitution and the Make It York’s Articles of Association.
16. Make It York - Managing Director's Report
Members considered a report that included the financial performance of MIY 2019/20 year to date and early views on the key areas of focus for a revised SLA and MIY business Plan. The Managing Director of MIY outlined some of the work undertaken by MIY throughout the year, as well as, noting the positive impact the new structure was having at MIY and the potential for MIY once all the new posts were filled with people in post.
Members noted their approval for the setup of a working group with market traders to tackle challenges around the Christmas Market. They enquired about planning for next year’s Christmas Market, Members agreed with the Managing Director of MIY about the potential to have Christmas Market activities spread out across the city centre, to avoid the ‘crush’ that could be experienced on Parliament Street. Members also enquired about having zero single use plastics being in contracts for next year’s Christmas Market.
The Committee highlighted that the Narrative Project should clearly display what benefits are available to being a resident in the city.
Resolved:
i. That the information provided be noted.
Reason: To ensure that the Committee are content with the finical performance figures for Make it York and the early views outlined on the key areas of focus for a revised SLA and MIY Business Plan.
17. Veritau Ltd - Creation of a subsidiary company
Members considered a report that sort approval for the expansion of Veritau through the creation of a subsidiary company. The proposed new company, Veritau Tees Valley Limited (VTV) would be jointly owned by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council and Veritau Limited. Similarly, Members were informed of the outline agreement reached with Scarborough Borough Council (SBC) for internal audit and fraud services to be transferred to Veritau. This would be achieved by the council being re-admitted to Veritau North Yorkshire Limited.
Members enquired about the £40k investment that would be made from Veritau’s reserves, the Director and Head of Internal Audit Veritau Limited informed Members that the company had a reserve of approximately 500k and the investment was considered as being a safe investment to make. He also noted that North Yorkshire County Council had already given their approval to the proposal.
Resolved:
i. That the Committee approved the creation of a new subsidiary company, Veritau Tees Valley Limited, to enable the expansion of the Veritau group.
Reason: To facilitate the expansion of the Veritau group whilst complying with the council’s constitution.
18. City of York Trading Ltd Business Update
Members received a business update form the Operations Director and Interim Managing Director of City of York Trading Ltd, including accounts for 2018/19, and performance information for 2019/20 to date.
Resolved:
i. That the Committee noted the information provided and approved the City of York Trading Ltd’s business plan.
Reason: To confirm that the Committee were content with the for City of York Trading Ltd performance information for 2019/20 and accounts for 2018/19.
19. Yorwaste and SJB Recycling Trading Update
Members received a report that provided them with a business update for Yorwaste and SJB Recycling Trading. The Managing Director Yorwaste Limited & SJB Recycling Limited introduced the report and responded to several questions regarding Yorwaste and SJB Recycling Trading performance.
The Managing Director Yorwaste Limited & SJB Recycling Limited noted the challenge the company would face in the region in relation to composting, with more competitors and as evidenced by losing out on the York Bid. He noted that this greater competition would likely lead to lower costs and/or a higher quality offer from companies. Members also discussed the Governments Waste Strategy, but it was noted that not enough information was currently available on plans around food waste collection.
Resolved:
i. That the information provided be noted.
Reason: To ensure that the Committee were content with the for City of York Trading Ltd, including accounts for 2018/19, and performance information for 2019/20.
20. Shareholder Committee Forward Plan to December 2021
Members considered the future plan of reports expected to be
presented to the Committee during the forthcoming year to December 2020.
Members noted the comments made during public participation (item 35 above) and asked officers to consideration whether anything raised should inform what was currently on the forward plan.
Resolved:
i. The Committee’s forward plan for the period up to December 2020 be noted.
Reason: To ensure the Committee receives regular reports in accordance with the functions of an effective Shareholder committee.
Cllr D’Agorne, Chair
[The meeting started at 4.35pm and finished at 5.42pm].