Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

To improve accessibility individual documents published after 1 May 2020 are available as HTML pages where their original format supports this

Speaking at a Council or Committee meeting

Venue: The Board Room, Oxford Direct Services - Cowley Marsh. View directions

Contact: Catherine Phythian / John Mitchell, Committee and Member Services Officers  email:  democraticservices@oxford.gov.uk tel: 01865 252402 or 2217

Note: PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE!! 

Items
No. Item

5.

Apologies for absence

6.

Scrutiny recommendations pdf icon PDF 117 KB

The Shareholder to consider any recommendations of the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel which met on 26 July 2018.  Any recommendations from the Panel will be made available as a supplement to this agenda.    

Minutes:

The Scrutiny Officer spoke briefly to the minutes of the Companies Scrutiny Panel. The Panel had noted the proposals to appoint Aled Bath as a Director to the companies and Mazars as the companies’ external auditor. It was pleased to note the companies’ positive health and safety culture. Members of the Panel would be meeting ODS colleagues at the Cowley Marsh site to learn more about their recycling work and would subsequently visit a recycling centre.

 

He drew attention to the Panel’s two recommendations to the Shareholder (see below).

 

Shareholder members were grateful for the thorough work of the Panel but observed that it raised questions about its role in relation to the Shareholder.  There was limited value in the Shareholder simply re-visiting what the Panel had done. It was agreed that the Companies Panel should focus on past and current performance, while the Shareholder should focus on the future and matters of strategy – whilst having an eye on past and current performance. 

 

As the new companies and the associated governance arrangements settled down further thought needed to be given to the timing of Companies Scrutiny Panel and Shareholder meetings in order that both bodies can operate effectively.  The Chair of the Company agreed to consider further, this consideration to include ensuring that meeting dates fit well with availability of quarterly monitoring data.

 

The Shareholder resolved to agree the Panel’s recommendations that:

 

a)    Councillor Community Infrastructure Levy projects, where appropriate, should use ODS as the preferred contractor to carry out the work. This should not however affect the Council’s duty to secure best value from its contracts.

 

b)    The Shareholder Group receives a more comprehensive scorecard of financial indicators as part of subsequent quarterly reports. This should include longer term projections for revenue and capital expenditure, including service level breakdowns with overhead costs, and progress updates on major contracts and projects.

It was noted that, in relation to 1 a), this should be no more than a codification (which will be achieved by a CEB decision) of what was already believed to be the practice. 

 

The Chair recorded her thanks to the Panel for its thorough work and helpful advice.

 

 

7.

Declarations of interest

Minutes:

None.

8.

Matters Exempt from Publication

 

 

 

Items to be considered in private - matters exempt from publication

 

 

If the Shareholder wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for the Shareholder to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

The Shareholder may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

 

 

Minutes:

 

 

The Shareholder resolved that, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 4 (2) (b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the two following items of business on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

 

 

9.

Oxford Direct Services - Quarter One - Update Report

For the Shareholder to receive and note the Managing Director’s Q1 report for Oxford Direct Services Limited and Oxford Direct Services Trading Limited.

10.

Presentation to the Board by Simon Howick and Aled Bath

11.

Appointment of Aled Bath, Finance Director, to the Boards of ODSL and ODSTL pdf icon PDF 100 KB

Aled Bath has been appointed as Finance Director to Oxford Direct Services.  The Board is clear that it would be desirable for Aled Bath to also be a member of the Board. Appointments to the Board are reserved to the Shareholder.

 

Recommendation: That the Shareholder resolves to:

 

Confirm the appointment of Aled Bath to the Boards of Oxford Direct Services Limited and Oxford Direct Services Trading Limited .

Minutes:

The Finance Director left the room for discussion of this item.

 

The Chair of the Board of Directors explained that Aled Bath had been appointed as Finance Director to the company following an extensive process involving Cllr Rowley as a representative of the Shareholder. 

 

There would be clear advantages for Aled Bath to be also appointed as a Director to the Board. Such appointments are reserved to the Shareholder.

 

The Chair of the Board noted that it was intended to expand the Board still further with the appointment of a non-executive director.   This was something being looked at in parallel with the appointment of non-executive directors to the Council’s other companies.

 

The Chair said that steps should be taken to address the lack of diversity on the Board. The Chair of the Board confirmed this was being taken into account.

 

The Shareholder resolved to:

 

Confirm the appointment of Aled Bath to the Boards of Oxford Direct Services Limited and Oxford Direct Services Trading Limited.

 

12.

Appointment of Mazars as External Auditor to Oxford Direct Services pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Mazars have  been appointed as External Auditors to Oxford Direct Services. Appointments of External Auditors are reserved to the Shareholder.

 

Recommendation: That the Shareholder resolves to:

 

Confirm the appointment Mazars as External Auditors to Oxford Direct Services.

 

Minutes:

The Finance Director returned to the room

 

The Chair of the Board of Director explained that the appointment of an external auditor to the companies was a matter reserved to the Shareholder.

 

Mazars were being recommended for appointment following an extensive process. Mazars had also been appointed as auditors to the housing company.

 

It was suggested that when auditors need to be reappointed there would be merit in doing so at one Shareholder meeting on behalf of all Council companies

 

The Shareholder resolved to:

 

Confirm the appointment Mazars as External Auditors to Oxford Direct Services Limited and Oxford Direct Services Trading Limited.