Agenda and draft minutes

1.1      Apologies for absence were received as set out above.

2.1      Consideration was given to the minutes of the previous meeting, and it was:

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the LHC Joint Committee meeting held on 25 March 2022 be agreed as a true record.

3.1       Consideration was given to a report by the LHC Interim Group Director, which provided Members with an overview of the organisation's performance for the period 1^st April 2022 – 30^th September 2022. It was confirmed that the Interim Group Director has been in post as of 18^th July 2022.

3.2       Staff Morale was confirmed to have dipped due to uncertainty over the transfer from LB Hillingdon, the recruitment freeze, and the hold on training. To address this, regular meetings with regional teams and internal departments were taking place to facilitate open discussion on the transfer from LB Hillingdon and future plans for LHC. Further feedback continued to be sought through a variety of surveys and meetings with employee representatives.

3.3       Recent feedback from the Board Level Representatives (LHC BoD BLERs) had been positive and senior managers reporting an uplift in morale. Further surveys were being undertaken to measure current morale.

3.4       A post Covid-19 return to work policy had been agreed following discussion with all office-based staff. The policy included a commitment to flexible working, which had also been received positively.

3.5       Business performance continued to recover well post Covid-19. Most recent accounts for the period ending August 2022 showed income actual was 23% above budget at £2,889,000, an increase of £536K. Total expenditure actual was at 90% of budget at 2,298,000, a saving of £245K. Projected rebates were down 38% for a saving of £204K. This resulted in a positive position as of 31^st August of £985K above budget.

3.6       Leads and opportunities remained strong, while client satisfaction was also positive.

3.7       Progress on the Transformation Change Programme had slowed due to the increased resource required for the Governance Project. However, significant progress had been made by the ‘Communities of Practice’ (CoP) teams mapping supplier, appointed companies and client journeys. Strategy Days in September and October were planned, with attendees including all Directors and Departmental Heads.

3.8       Regarding staffing, there had been four new appointments since April 2022, though the organisation had lost three key members due to a lack of career progression or improved financial packages elsewhere. In response to a query, it was explained that while the recruitment freeze remained in place for new posts, critical posts were being replaced.

            RESOLVED: That the information contained in the report be noted.

4.1       Consideration was given to the Register of Gifts and Hospitality and the Register of Interests, and it was:

RESOLVED: That the information contained in the report be noted.

5.1         Consideration was given to the Director of Operation’s report, with information highlighted as per the contents of the meeting papers.

RESOLVED: That the information contained in the report be noted.

This item is included in Part II as it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it (exempt information under paragraph 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government [ Access to Information] Act 1985 as amended

6.1      The progress of the new governance arrangements for LHC, following the decision by Members to disband the Joint Committee, was set out as per the meeting papers.

6.2      Members unanimously approved the recommendations as set out in the report, and it was:

RESOLVED: That:

1.    The Joint Committee Members support and agree LHC Board and GMTs recommended option of a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG);

2.    Joint Committee Members support and agree that the transition of LHC to a CLG, Charity will be implemented by LHC Officers and final decisions relating to governance design and transfer activities are delegated to the Holding Board of Directors, on this basis Joint Committee will not be asked to approve any further decisions;

3.    London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) assign a coordinator to the Governance Review Implementation Team, to ensure LBH aligns its resources and timelines to the transition plan;

4.    The Joint Committee approve the recommended option of a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) so that LHC Officers, overseen by Board of Directors, can set up and establish the new company by the deadline of 31st March 2023, as agreed by Joint Committee on 3rd Dec 2021.

This item is included in Part II as it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it (exempt information under paragraph 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government [ Access to Information] Act 1985 as amended

7.1       The question of theme surveys for future allocation of LHC funds was raised. It was agreed that this would be discussed outside of the meeting.   

RESOLVED: That the date and time of the next meeting, to be held in March 2023, would be circulated to all parties following the meeting.