Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair welcomed members and officers to the meeting, in particular those members who were attending their first meeting as Deputy Chairs: Councillors Bev Craig, Morris Bright, Abi Brown, David Fothergill and Caroline Jackson.

The chair also paid thanks to former members of the executive advisory Board who had resigned at the end of their term at General Assembly, Cllrs Robert Alden, Anntoinette Bramble, Hannah Dalton, Tudor Evans, John Fuller, Teresa O’Neill and especially former Chairman Cllr James Jamieson.

Apologies for absence were received from councillors Sam Chapman Allen, Graeme Miller, Izzi Seccombe, Linda Taylor and Mayr Marvin Rees.

There were no declarations of interest.

Decision

The Executive Advisory Board agreed the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 8 June 2023.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive, introduced the report before bringing in Sally Burlington, Director of Policy (People), who gave an update on asylum and resettlement issues.  Louise Smith, Senior Adviser, also gave an update on Corporate Parenting.

During discussion, Members raised the following points:

·       Children with lived experience of Care should be consulted in the LGA’s work in this area.

·       Concern was raised about continuing cost pressures for councils and local government as a sector.

·       Concern was raised at the looming deadline to move asylum seekers out of hotel accommodation and the risk of homelessness the posed.

·       A single point of contact in Government was needed to liaise on all asylum and resettlement matters.

Decision

The Executive Advisory Board agreed to note the report.

Action

Officers to develop a Local Government white paper and bring draft to the Executive Advisory Board meeting due to be held on Thursday 7 September 2023.

Following the Chairs’ reports, the Chair thanked staff for their work on the Boards as well as all members who had contributed to the work of the LGA.

The Chair also highlighted the cross-board working at the LGA, and the Executive Advisory Board’s role in bringing this work together noting that one, cross-party voice is most compelling.

Decision

The Executive Advisory Board agreed to note the Annual Reports for the 2022/23 meeting cycle.

Heather Wills, Principal Adviser, introduced the report which included a high-level summary of service areas most affected by workforce capacity issues and a plan to address recruitment and retention challenges. Highlighting the need to prioritise, Heather commented that the biggest concerns were planning and children’s social work. Whilst the Resources Board had supported the prioritisation outlined in the report and emphasised the importance of preventative work, Heather sought further considerations from the Executive Advisory Board.

In the discussion that followed member raised the following points

·       retention was a major factor; more could be learned from those leaving the profession.

·       worth investigating why those in further education do not chose to pursue a career in local government?

·       Has remote working affected career satisfaction in the sector. Is professional development taking place remotely? 

·       Negative media coverage and public perception of public sector workers could be a contributing factor.

·       Officer development programmes such as the Local Government Challenge had produced excellent alumni who could be called upon to showcase.

Decision

The Executive Advisory Board agreed to note the report.