Agenda item

7.1

7.2

7.3

7.4

7.5

7.6

7.7

7.8

The Assistant Director (Governance) gave a programme update by presentation. The presentation covered:

·       The progress made since 29^th July 2021.

·       What the next steps were to ensure progress continues whilst carrying out work on the Programmes, Governance and Support Models and Engagement.

·       A summary of some potential risks and how to mitigate them.

·       What approach will be taken to improve public engagement.

Members of the Committee raised questions and the main points to note were –

Councillor Mark Jones asked what the timeline is for finalising the Communication resource recruited and communications strategy as this programme was still in draft. The Assistant Director (Governance) responded, explaining that the meeting of the next committee will focus on this strategy in more detail, as part of a wider piece of work.

Councillor Mohammed Mahroof asked what staff resource the Council have to ensure this model was in place for May 2022. The Director of Legal and Governance, Gillian Duckworth, explained that an Assistant Director (Governance) has been employed by the Council to specifically lead on this transition. There was also a Programme Team working alongside the Assistant Director (Governance).

Councillor Dawn Dale asked if the staff resource for this transition had been taken from other departments within the Council. The Director of Legal and Governance informed the committee that staff resources have been taken from other departments of the Council.

Councillor Kaltum Rivers asked whether different minority groups would be included in the stakeholder engagement.  Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards added that the racial equality commission aspect also mustn’t be lost. Laurie Brennan responded by informing the Committee that Sheffield could use a wide range of communication platforms to engage the best they can, one being the Sheffield Equality Partnership, which connects to many minority groups.

Councillor Mark Jones asked if it would be possible to request that recommendations be changed if the Committee feels that aspects of the transitioning were not meeting a sufficient standard. The Director of Legal and Governance explained that one purpose of this Committee was to shape how the new Committee System will look from May 2022.  The Governance Committee can decide whether to make alterations where it sees fit. It was mentioned that this system is unlikely to be final even at May 2022 and further change is to be expected after May 2022. Further change would in fact be advisable if the Council is to continuously improve on public engagement.

RESOLVED: that the Committee notes the update.