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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Shareholder Committee |
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Date |
6 September 2021 |
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Present |
Councillors Widdowson (Chair) and D'Agorne |
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1. Declarations of Interest
Members were asked to declare, at this point in the meeting, any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests or any prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests that they might have in respect of the business on the agenda. None were declared.
2. Minutes
Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2021 be approved, and signed by the Chair as a correct record.
3. Exclusion of Press and Public
Resolved: That the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting during any discussion arising on the following documents, on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons (including the authority holding that information), which 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:
i) Annex 2 to Agenda Item 5 (Yorwaste Ltd. Finance Update);
ii) Annexes A and B to Agenda Item 6 (YPO and YPO Procurement Holdings Ltd Finance Update);
iii) Annex A to Agenda Item 7 (City of York Trading Ltd. Update);
iv) Appendices 1 and 2 to Agenda Item 8 (Veritau Limited Business Update);
v) Annex 5 to Agenda Item 9 (Make It York Update).
4. Public Participation
It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
Written representations were received from Lars Kramm in relation to matters within the committee’s remit, seeking commitments from all the council’s companies in respect of actions on the climate emergency.
5. Yorwaste Ltd Finance Update
Members considered a report which presented update reports from Yorwaste on the company’s financial performance for the year ending 31 March 2021 and its trading position for the first quarter of 2021/22. These comprised the performance and finance update at Annex 1 and the confidential performance and finance update at exempt Annex 2.
Yorwaste’s Commercial Operations Director and Head of Finance were in attendance and replied to Members’ questions, confirming that:
· Action in response to the current HGV driver shortage included engaging with the workforce to encourage retention and looking at targeted advertising.
· All of the city’s segregated recycling was being dealt with in Europe and 80% of it within the UK.
· Consideration was being given to investing in a small solar panel installation at Harewood Whin, working with council officers to maximise the benefit.
The Chair requested that the next update include information on Yorwaste’s approach to apprenticeships and the recruitment of female employees.
Resolved: That the reports from Yorwaste at Annexes 1 and 2 to the cover report be noted.
Reason: So that the council is kept updated on the financial performance of Yorwaste Ltd.
6. YPO and YPO Procurement Holdings Ltd Finance Update
Members considered a report which presented updates from YPO and YPO Procurement Holdings Ltd. on their financial performance in 2021.
In the absence of the Managing Director of YPO, who was unable to attend, the report was presented by the council’s Chief Finance Officer.
The Chair requested that the next update include an outline of the position on supplies to schools going forward and how this could be supported.
Resolved: That the reports from YPO and YPO Procurement Holdings Ltd. at Annexes A and B to the cover report be noted.
Reason: So that the council is updated on the financial performance of both YPO and YPO Procurement Holdings Ltd.
7. City of York Trading Ltd Update
Members considered a report which presented a Performance Update from City of York Trading Ltd. providing a detailed analysis of performance to date in 2021/22 and updated figures for the 2020/21 outturn. The update was contained in exempt Annex A.
The report explained that the company’s accounts for 2021/22 were currently being audited. Its performance to date was positive, with both turnover and profit above budget.
The MD of City of York Trading was in attendance to present the report and respond to questions. She confirmed that the company continued to provide covid-related support to the council and to respond to a range of pressures arising from the pandemic. Questions on the exempt Annex were put and responded to in private session.
Resolved: That the report, and the Performance Update from City of York Trading Ltd. at Annex A, be noted.
Reason: So that the council is updated on the performance of City of York Trading Ltd.
8. Veritau Limited Business Update
Members considered a report from Veritau Limited which provided an update on its finance and performance during 2020/21 and 2021/22 to date. The Veritau Group’s 2021 annual report and its 2021/22 management accounts were attached as exempt Appendices 1 and 2 respectively.
During 2020/21, despite the challenges of Covid-19, Veritau had achieved the majority of its business objectives, and client satisfaction rates remained high. The Group had reported a pre-tax loss of £17.7k for this year, which was largely attributable to one-off adjustments. For 2021/22, the Group was on track to achieve its target profit and there were currently no significant variances against the approved budget. Changes to the directors of Veritau Limited were reported: Debbie Mitchell had replaced Ian Floyd as a director and Cllr Waller had replaced Cllr Ayre.
The Chief Executive and the Deputy Chief Executive of Veritau were in attendance and responded to Members’ questions, confirming that the net effect of local government re-organisation on the Group would be neutral, with no major risks overall.
Resolved: That the Veritau Group’s annual report for 2020/21 and its performance to date in 2021/22 be noted.
Reason: So that the council is updated on Veritau’s performance.
9. Make It York Finance Update
Members considered a report which outlined the financial performance of Make It York (MIY) in 2020/21 and provided an update on MIY’s trading position for the first quarter of 2021/22. Details were contained in Annexes 2-4 to the report, and in the Financial Report at exempt Annex 5.
The Service Level Agreement (SLA), negotiated when the council entered into a new three-year contract with MIY following Executive approval in May 2021, was attached at Annex 1. Due to the extension of the contract process and the subsequent departure of the Managing Director, it would not be possible for MIY to produce a business plan and bring it to the committee until a new MD took up post. However, MIY had continued to deliver strongly against the SLA. In December 2020, Executive had approved measures to secure the company’s future and since then MIY had worked closely with officers to monitor its financial position. The current position was set out in Annexes 3 and 5.
MIY’s Head of Marketing and Communications and Interim Finance Adviser were in attendance at the meeting to present the report. In response to Members’ questions, they confirmed that:
· Interviews for a new MD were taking place this week.
· After being ‘decimated’ by the effects of the pandemic, MIY was now starting to plan ahead and look for opportunities.
· MIY’s planning over the next 6-12 months would be based on a report they had commissioned on tourism, with more events targeted at residents and families.
· With regard to tendering processes, MIY were working on a new scheme of delegation, to be brought to the committee in March 2022. Initial information on this could be provided to the Chair.
Resolved: That the reports from Make It York at Annexes 2-5 to the cover report be noted.
Reason: So that the council is updated on the financial position of Make It York.
10. Work Plan
Resolved: That the work plan be noted.
Reason: To ensure the Committee receives regular reports in accordance with the functions of an effective Shareholder committee.
Cllr P Widdowson, Chair
[The meeting started at 4.40 pm and finished at 5.30 pm].