Agenda item

To consider report of the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services.

Consideration was given to report of the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services.

Prior to consideration of the report a Member sought clarification as to why the report had been removed from exempt information status, in light of the previous reports being considered under exempt information.

The Data Protection & Governance Officer explained that there was no removal of exemption for this particular report, as exemption was not applied in the first instance.  He said the report outlined the building decommissioning process moving forward, rather than specific issues of the BRC which was the case with previous reports.

In response the Member asked whether a further report could be expected in relation to the BRC, as a number of issues had been raised by Members at the special meeting of the Audit Committee in March 2020.

Another Member agreed, and said she understood that the Managing Director would be submitting a further response on the concerns raised by Members. 

A brief discussion ensued when a Member pointed out that at the meeting held in March 2020 a wide discussion took place regarding the decommissioning of the BRC, Members felt that the issues were so significant that they requested a further report on the issues raised.  However, he appreciated that the Managing Director had been dealing with other priorities in response to the Covid pandemic.

In response the Managing Director explained that an independent investigation was undertaken by the Internal Audit Team of the decommissioning of the BRC, which was the subject of the original report considered by the Committee.  This report outlined the follow-up action taken in response to the original report, i.e. ‘The Managing Director has tasked the Corporate Director Regeneration and Community Services to undertake a full review of the arrangements for the management of disposals’.

The Managing Director recalled that at the meeting in March 2020 Members sought assurance that lessons have been learned, and that management processes were in place to ensure that there would be no repeat of the issues identified at the BRC.  This report detailed the arrangements in place, and needed to be considered by the Audit Committee as it was the outcome of the original investigation, and was requested by the Committee.  However, she understood that Members felt there were other questions to be answered, and the Managing Director undertook to discuss the issues the Audit & Risk Manager to ensure that all points raised by Members have been covered.

The Member felt that this report lacked further reassurance for Members, in light of the fact that the previous events took place without Members’ knowledge.  Members wanted sufficient proof that those lessons have been learned.  He welcomed the Managing Director having further discussions with the Audit & Risk Manager and suggested that further discussions be held with political group leaders as a further level of reassurance for Members.

The Managing Director said she was happy to have further discussions with political group leaders if further reassurance was needed. 

In response the Member said he was pleased that the Managing Director would be taking that action, and he accepted the report with the condition that further discussions would take place.

The Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services presented the report which updated Members on the implementation of the actions identified in the previous report around the decommissioning of the BRC.  He said the decommissioning process had been reviewed and the lessons learned highlighted the need for a systematic approach to the decommissioning of non-operational buildings. An approach has been developed and was now embedded into working practice, whereby the Corporate Landlord would implement the actions in conjunction with the service area vacating a premises.

In addition, a protocol (attached at Appendix 2) was developed using the lessons learned from previous reports for the disposal of schools, which included the actions set out previously. The recent disposal of Queen Street and Bryngwyn Schools used the revised practice, and following completion the Officer Group met to review how the process had worked to ensure any further lessons are learned and embedded into the disposal process. The use of the developed process for disposals demonstrated that the Council had learned from previous experiences and the weaknesses identified in the BRC Decommissioning report, and was now using an effective process.

A Member referred to the table on the appendix to the report and asked whether the asbestos register should be included

In response the Corporate Director explained that this would be picked up by the Corporate Landlord separately following completion of the decommissioning process.  The actions outlined in the report was focussed on ensuring that any building or space was correctly emptied of any materials or activity prior to it being transferred to the Corporate Landlord.  The asbestos register would apply if the building was to be demolished.

In response to a question raised by a Member, the Corporate Director confirmed that the Corporate Landlord would not accept transfer of a building until completion of the checklist, and service areas now understood their requirements prior to vacating a building.

A Member proposed that Option 1 be supported, with the addendum that the Managing Director hold further discussions with the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services and relevant Officers; and report back to political group leaders as a further level of assurance for Members.

The proposal was seconded.

A Member proposed that Option 1 be supported, with the addendum that the Managing Director hold further discussions with the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services and relevant Officers; and report back to political group leaders as a further level of assurance for Members.

The proposal was seconded.

RESOLVED, subject to the foregoing, that the report be accepted and the Audit Committee:

Take assurance that improvements in the decommissioning processes have been made and compliance was being monitored (Option 1); and

The Managing Director hold further discussions with the Audit & Risk Manager; and report back to political group leaders as a further level of assurance for Members.