Agenda and draft minutes

The Sub Committee is asked to note that the Leader of the Council has appointed Councilor Curry as Chairperson.

The Sub Committee noted that the Leader of the Council had appointed Councillor Curry as Chairperson.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Gurung.

The record of the meeting held on 4 March 2025 was agreed by the Sub Committee and signed by the Chairperson as correct.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

Background:

The report provided details of proposed revised internal governance arrangements following a review of the effectiveness of the governance and to reflect changes that had occurred with the Joint Venture with the Norse Group (Medway Norse) which was wholly owned by Norfolk County Council.

The Chairperson welcomed the work being carried out to ensure more effective governance and drew attention to paragraph 4.12 of the report.

The Partnership Director, Medway Norse Ltd expressed concern with bi-monthly meetings, preferring the Client Liaison Board to meet quarterly in parallel with the Medway Norse Board and Cabinet Sub Committee meetings, as it would create operational challenges as well as report duplication. It was noted that the Cabinet Sub Committee meetings for the forthcoming year had already been set up to align with the Medway Norse Board meeting dates for reporting purposes. The Chairperson explained that the request for bi-monthly meetings was to ensure more effective monitoring and dialogue.  It was suggested that the Client Liaison Board could meet at least quarterly, with an ambition to meet bimonthly. It was further suggested that it could meet as quarterly, with two additional Client Liaison Board meetings scheduled at specific times of the year to address particular service delivery issues. As a compromise it was suggested holding the Client Liaison Board and Medway Norse Board meetings on the same day where possible to improve efficiency and communication.

The Partnership Director, Medway Norse Ltd emphasised that Medway Norse Ltd as a company was more than frontline services.

It was suggested that Norse Commercial Services (NCS) representatives should attend the Cabinet Sub Committee as a shareholder board meeting to ensure full shareholder representation. It was noted that if this involved a change to the Sub Committee’s terms of reference this would be a reserved matter for Cabinet.

There was lengthy discussion on the fundamental purpose and role of the proposed Client Liaison Board, it was apparent that the proposals did not go far enough to clarify the distinct nature of the various roles of the Boards and Sub Committee, and this was therefore still causing some confusion. It was clear that more work needed to be carried out on ensuring that an effective, transparent and readily understandable governance structure was in place.

The Chairperson asked for feedback on the internal governance diagram (Appendix 1 to the report). There was satisfaction with the general structure, but it was noted that minor adjustments would be required to reflect any agreed changes.

Reasons:

The importance of transparency, collaboration, and shared understanding is required to ensure effective governance arrangements.

Background:

The report provided an update on progress, performance, risk, budget and contract status relating to the operation of the joint venture with the Norse Group, between March 2025 and May 2025.  The Sub Committee considered the Medway Norse Performance Update, the Medway Norse Financial Report and the Medway Norse Risk Register.

The Partnership Director, Medway Norse Ltd, advised that this information was all readily available but it would be helpful to understand whether these were the Key Performance Indicators the Sub Committee expected to see. It was noted that this could be refined once the governance arrangements were clarified.

The Sub Committee took the opportunity to ask questions of clarification on the reports provided.

The risk register was discussed, with the distinction between shareholder-level risks and operational risks discussed. It was agreed that risk reporting could be more tailored to the relevant meeting’s focus.

The opportunity was taken to raise an issue about waste collection in communal housing areas, it was agreed that a waste improvement plan would be key in addressing such issues and it was agreed that Councillor Paterson and Councillor Curry could speak outside of the meeting.  A suggestion was also made around parking and café revenue at Riverside and exploring possible incentives such as linking parking charges with café usage.

Reasons:

The Sub Committee is requested to consider the recommendations above and note, no action required unless they wish to provide direction on any aspects.