Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Leader of the Council, Councillor Hamida Ali

Officer: Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell

Key decision: no

The Leader of the Council informed Members that the report gave Cabinet a broad update on a number of areas relating to the council’s improvement journey, including the Improvement Plan and the government’s Rapid Review of the council which had been undertaken in November 2020 and published in February 2021. The Leader noted that it was encouraging that the Rapid Review report had recognised the efforts of both Members and officers to address the real challenges faced by the council. Additionally, the report to Cabinet covered the appointment of the Improvement and Assurance Panel which was welcomed by the council as their support and advice over the following three years would be an important aspect to the improvement journey.

Members were informed that the report provided details on the consultation which had been undertaken on the proposed Terms of Reference for an external Improvement Board which had shown there was support for transparency but concerns were raised in terms of ensuring the diverse community could be involved in the work. In response to the consultation outcomes the report outlined the proposal to pause the development of an Improvement Board until July 2021 and develop a Community Panel which would provide greater transparency on the work being undertaken and would enable the council to bring together a diverse range of community partners.

The Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell, advised Members that Cabinet would receive update reports each month to ensure Cabinet were being fully informed of progress. It was suggested that at some meetings those updates would be longer than others. Members were advised that the Improvement and Assurance Panel were at the ‘getting to know’ phase with colleagues across the council and that work had been very positive to-date.

The Cabinet Member for Culture & Regeneration welcomed the creation of a Community Panel as part of the renewal process for the borough as it was recognised that it was important to hear the voices of Croydon residents during the challenging period, but questions were asked as to how the council would ensure that the Panel was representative of the broad diversity of the borough. In response, the Leader noted that concerns had been raised in the consultation that there would only be a single representative from each part of the community but it was recognised that the borough was diverse and the council wanted to hear from all groups. As such, it was noted that work was required to engage and facilitate that communication which would be reported to the Cabinet meeting on 22 March 2021.

It was queried by the Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery & Skills how the Community Panel would differ from the Improvement & Assurance Panel as it was recognised that it was important that the business, community and voluntary sectors were involved in the improvement journey. It was stated by the Leader that when the Improvement Panel was being considered there would be expertise in relation to social care and commercial matters and other issues which had been highlighted as particular concerns. This support on key areas of budget concern was now being provided via the Improvement & Assurance Panel. As such, it gave the council the opportunity to engage more directly with the communities of Croydon via a Community Panel which would include the business community.

The Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety & Resilience welcomed the move to introduce a Community Panel as there was a lot of interest within the community to engage in a constructive manner with the council during its improvement journey. The Cabinet Member thanked partners from across the borough for their support and constructive engagement during difficult conversations.

It was stated by the Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal that he had the benefit of sitting on a number of boards in the borough and had the opportunity to listen to communities. Avenues were open to hear from those groups, however it was noted that it was really important that the council reached out to those voices which had important perspectives which needed to be heard and did not have the opportunities which established groups had. As such, the Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal suggested it was the responsibility of all councillors to find advocates within their communities who could be part of the process.

The Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance further noted that his first interaction with the council had been as member of a community group and he stated that the Community Panel was a fantastic way of engaging the community, and communicating and receiving feedback on the work of the council. It was noted, however, that a key factor of which would define how successful the Panel was on ensuring complex information was accessible.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources noted that the original Improvement Board was planned to meet in public, however queried how the Improvement & Assurance Panel would meet as expectations had been that there would be complete openness and transparency of meetings. In response, the Leader stated that the Minister for Housing, Communities & Local Government (MCHLG) had appointed the Improvement & Assurance Panel and had stated that their meetings would be conducted in private directly with the council. The Leader reported that the Chair of the Panel, Tony McArdle, had described the work of the Panel as driving progress within the council whereas the council’s Community Panel would be focussed on engagement and it was hoped the Community Panel would be able to provide transparency on the council’s journey.

Questions were asked by the Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources in relation to the departure of members of the Executive Leadership Team and how the council would maintain corporate memory when it was so important at a time of extensive change. The Leader noted that despite the departures it was business as usual for the council, and arrangements would be put in place to ensure all council functions and services were continuing, including the appointment of an Interim Section 151 Officer.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services requested confirmation as to whether the council’s accounts for 2019/20 had been signed off by the external auditors, Grant Thornton, and if they had not been signed off queried what the financial implications would be for the council, including its Improvement Plan.

The Leader confirmed that the 2019/20 accounts had not been signed off by Grant Thornton and ongoing discussions were taking place with the external auditor to facilitate their capacity to complete that work. A number of questions had been raised with the council and officers were seeking to provide the additional information requested. It was noted by the Leader that the council had been late in publishing the 2019/20 accounts and so the process had started later than normal. In terms of the financial implications, it was stated by the Leader that the 2021/22 Budget report due to be considered by Cabinet on 1 March 2021 would provide more detail and would take into consideration the potential implications of the auditor’s view on the 2019/20 accounts.

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To

1.     Note the updates provided in the report in relation to the Croydon Renewal Improvement Plan;

2.     Note the report of the MHCLG Rapid Review team, and the Council’s response to the recommendations and milestones;

3.     Undertake further stakeholder engagement to develop a Community Panel, with the purpose of supporting openness and transparency of the Council’s delivery against the Croydon Renewal Improvement Plan, with proposed membership and terms of reference reported back to Cabinet in March 2021 for approval; and

4.     In recognition of the MHCLG appointed Improvement & Assurance Panel, implementation of the Croydon External Improvement Board be paused and reviewed in July 2021.