To receive questions, if any, from the public.
Minutes:
The following question was received from Mr. Phillip Edwards and was responded to by Councillor Stephen Thomas, Leader of the Council:
Question:
“At a Special Meeting of the Council on 7th February, 2022 the Council looked at the findings of the Welsh Audit Office report into its relationship with Silent Valley Waste Services Limited.
After discussion, Councillor Stephen Thomas made a proposal which was seconded by myself (as Leader of the Minority Independent Group) and unanimously accepted by full Council that an internal investigation should take place to ensure that the significant concerns highlighted by an Audit Wales report into the relationship between Blaenau Gwent Council and a waste services provider “will never ever happen again.”
Has this investigation taken place and who was on the investigating panel?”
Response:
“The investigation has been carried out in two phases:
Firstly, following the Council meeting and with the agreement of the then political group Leaders, the former Managing Director sought independent legal and employment law advice to carry out "A preliminary investigation to determine whether, in respect of the current Council employees named in the Audit Wales Public Interest Report (published 27th January 2022), it is appropriate to take action under any of the Council's employment policies and procedures."
Considering the legal advice, the then Managing Director progressed the matter with the Monitoring Officer and Organisational Development Department (Human Resources).
An agreed mutual outcome was then shared with Audit Wales, who proffered no objection to the course of action utilised.
Secondly, the other Auditor General's recommendation was to review the Council's governance and oversight arrangements with other companies in which we have an ownership interest.
As a consequence of this recommendation, a review has been completed of the governance and oversight arrangements of Aneurin Leisure Trust, the Gwent Educational Achievement Service, Gwent Archives, and the final one on the Gwent Crematorium should be completed by the end of March 2023. When completed, a report will be coming through the democratic processes in the next couple of months to provide detailed assurances to Members and the public on the existing governance and oversight of these organisations.
Supplementary Question:
“Arising from
the Silent Valley Report presented on the
7th February, 2022 and issue
was raised in relation to an officers flexible retirement which was
agreed at a previous Council meeting in 2018. I believe this is
critical information to the report and Members should have been
informed. The former Managing Director never revealed if this
information had been discussed with the Leadership and Executive
Members before the Council meeting. Therefore I ask if the Council could write to the
former Managing Director to confirm if this information was shared
with the Leadership and Executive at that time.
Response:
“The Leader of the Council advised that he was not in the Leadership or on the Executive at this time and would not be aware of any discussions undertaken”.
The Head of Legal and Corporate Compliance added that this request would need to be considered and therefore a response would be provided in due course.