Public reports can be viewed individually from the SJVG meeting page on the council’s website.

Separate packs for each company, containing all the reports for that company, are sent to the SJVG members and their support officers and to those attending on behalf of that company.

This agenda shows the approximate time when the SJVG will consider reports from each company.

The Group is asked to consider any comments and/or recommendations from the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel on matters not on the agenda.

Representatives of the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel may also comment on substantive items.

The agenda item text indicates which documents are available to the public and which are private.

Public reports in this section are available on the website under each agenda to download individually but are not included in an agenda pack.

Report of:  Head of Financial Services

Purpose of report: To propose the appointment of Mazars LLP as external auditor for the 2023/24 financial statements and subsequent 3 years.

Recommendation: that the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group resolves to:

1.    Approve the appointment of Mazars LLP as external auditor for the 2023/24 financial statements and the following three years, with the final year being subject to satisfactory performance.

The Council’s representatives on the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) and supporting officers:

·       Carolyn Ploszynski, Director

·       Jane Winfield, Director

Report of: Jane Winfield, Head of Corporate Property

Purpose of report: This report provides an update into the activities of Barton Oxford LLP (BOLLP) over the past quarter.

Recommendation(s): That the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group resolve to:

1.       Note the contents of the report

If the SJVG 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 SJVG 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 SJVG 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.

The Head of Financial Services will submit a report to the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group which provides an update on the 2023-24 financial performance for the 10 months ending 31-01-2024, and the ODSL and ODSTL Business Plan 2024-25 to 2027-28.

Company Directors:

Tim Sadler (Non-Executive Director, Chair of the ODS Board)

Catherine Pridham (Non-Executive Director, Chair of ODS Audit Committee)

Michael Whitwell (Non-Executive Director, Chair of ODS RemCo Committee)

Tom Hook (Non-Executive Director)

Simon Howick (Managing Director)

Anne-Marie Scott (Executive Director of People and Corporate Services)

Others in attendance:

James Gutteridge (Financial Consultant)

Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

David Curtis (Chief Commercial Officer)

Report of:  ODS Group Board

Purpose of report: To provide the SHJV with a summary of 2023/24 trading year to date; to propose a dividend for the trading period 2022/2023; to present two new business plans for ODSL and ODSTL for approval, underpinned by 2024/25 ODS budgets.

Recommendation(s): That the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group resolves:

1.    To note confirmation of the forecast full year trading position for both companies (as at period 10) with a group net profit after tax working assumption of £2.7m.

2.    To declare a dividend of £1.4m for the financial year 2022/23 from ODSL.

3.    To note a summary of the ODS Group budgets for 2024/25 (which support the new business plans).

4.    To approve, the refreshed ODSL Business Plan (as attached at Appendix 1).

5.    To approve the refreshed ODSTL Business Plan (as attached at Appendix 2).

Recommendation: to approve the public and private minutes of the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group meeting on 7 December 2023as a true and correct record.