Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

With reference to item 7, Councillor Frondigoun declared that he worked for a company that held a license as a non-domestic electricity supplier. He said that as the information being discussed was not commercially sensitive and so his job role would have no bearing on what would be discussed.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

Any other announcements

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair announced that the meeting was being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and could be viewed on the website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts were archived and could be made available upon request. Those who had asked to address the meeting were deemed to be consenting to having their contributions recorded and broadcast and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.

Requests to speak at the Committee on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no deputations.

There was no such business.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meetings held on 12 September 2023.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meetings held on 12 September 2023 be agreed.

Report of the Executive Director Supporting Communities.

This report provides Members with an overview of the “energy costs” principal risk to enhance the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee’s understanding of how this risk is being managed. The purpose of the risk deep-dive is to enable the Committee to fulfil its duties regarding monitoring the Council’s effective operation of risk management as set out in its Terms of Reference.

At their request, the report is also being shared with the Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee on 14 November.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director Supporting Communities. The report was introduced by the Head of Sustainability, Air Quality and Energy and the Director of Energy and Carbon, LASER.

Members asked about estate regeneration projects and whether there was scope to install solar panels on roofs. The Head of Sustainability, Air Quality and Energy said that Camden had a requirement for all new builds to be zero carbon with requirements for renewable energy. He explained that installing solar panels on existing housing roofs was financially challenging because the power generated could only be used to offset demands on the communal supplies rather than individual dwellings, with the majority of the power exported to the national grid at low rates.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living.

This report presents the treasury activity during 2022/23 and the first half of 2023/24, compliance with guidance and treasury indicators and an update on the economic background shaping the treasury strategy.

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living, the report was introduced by the Head of Treasury and Financial Services.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Chief Experience and Information Officer and the Executive Director Corporate Services.

This report outlines the current performance and work to date and ongoing to improve the camden.gov.uk website.

Consideration was given to the report of the Chief Experience and Information Officer and the Executive Director Corporate Services. After an introduction by the Chief Experience and Information Officer and the Head of Digital Product, the Committee discussed the report.

Members commented that would like to see democracy featured prominently on the updated website, this not only helps created a transparency of governance but also reassured residents that there were people who could be contacted if they had issues. The Head of Digital Product said that the team was looking to address the best way of making the democracy pages clear to people, there would be a footer on each page to allow navigation and search engine indexing was being investigated.

Members asked if resources were being given to search engine optimisation. The Head of Digital Product responded that the current focus was the design of the web pages, by looking at design areas such as headings search engine optimisation would improve.

In response to a member question around content and ensuring it remains updated, the Head of Digital Product explained the content model, that it would be handled by a centralised content team that would result in high quality content with less duplication.

The Committee were interested in how the digital team would work with the communications team, sign posting and performance tracking. The Head of Digital Product said that website traffic is tracked from different campaigns and channels but that there was room for improvement. The digital team regularly tested with residents from different groups and areas to ensure that the website and organisation of content was easily navigable.

The Chief Experience and Information Officer responded to member questions about the organisational learning around the principles of engaging and communicating with residents to create a website that they can use. He said that a piece of work was being carried out to work out how to take the best practice and share with the wider organisation.

The Head of Digital Product said that the new website would be launched in December at the earliest but commented that the launch date may be moved to the new year if necessary.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Director of People and Inclusion.

This report has been compiled in response to the Committee's request for an update on the Council's workforce. It offers an annual review of the Council's workforce composition and outlines the activities carried out during 2022/23. The report encompasses critical aspects such as workforce diversity and inclusivity, talent acquisition, pay, compensation and recognition, future of work and flexibility, employee well-being, and assistance provided to staff in navigating the challenges posed by the rising cost of living.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of People and Inclusion, who introduced the report.

In their discussion of the report the Committee made the following comments:

·       Members were pleased that Camden were remaining part of the Stonewall Workforce Equality Index.

·       The Committee were interested in the impact of cost of living on the workforce and any potential correlations with staff having to move further afield due to the rental market. The Director of People and Inclusion said that Camden were just starting to gather data around this, she said that whilst the workforce were still relatively local to work, they were not necessarily living within Camden. The Director agreed to build data into a follow up report that mapped where staff lived against grade and tenure.

Action by: the Director of People and Inclusion

·       In response to a member comment prising Camden’s work giving internships to care leavers, The director of People and Inclusion said that the care experienced people within teams was a huge asset.

·       Members asked about hybrid and flexible working options and whether there was a correlation with living distance from work and the options utilised. The Director of People and Inclusion discussed the benefits of having remote working options within the current environment of cost of living increases. Hybrid working could allow staff to save money on commuting, for which prices were increasing, and allow flexibility for childcare. She said that the switch to hybrid working had been managed in a way that kept citizens and a connection to the Camden community as a priority. The Director said that Camden had continued to make the workplace a place where people want to come, the success of this could be seen in the numbers of staff choosing to work from the office being at a higher level than the minimum required.

·       Responding to a question from the Committee, the Director of people and Inclusion answered that agency staff could be a sensible and appropriate resourcing model in certain situations and that it mainly became an issue if people were kept on temporary contracts for extended periods of time. Camden’s use of agency workers usually benchmarked well against other authorities.

·       The Director of People and Inclusion said that the employee assistance programme was open to councillors and households as well as employees. She said that Camden recognised an even higher level of provision was needed around trauma support, this became more clear with the emergence of the recent incidents in Israel and Palestine. The Director of People and Inclusion agreed to circulate information of the employee assistance programme to members of the Committee.

·       Action by: the Director of People and Inclusion

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director Corporate Service.

This paper provides an outline of the 2023/24 work programme and provides an update on actions requested at previous meetings of the Committee in the Action Tracker.

RESOLVED –

THAT the work programme be noted.

There was no such business.