Friday 28 September 2012

The Answer to the Question. Public scrutiny. Wokingham Regeneration

If you do not know the question I sent then it is here. It relates to the Wokingham Regeneration contract with Wilson Bowden Developments made through Wokingham Enterprises Ltd.

http://kaz4wokingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/being-asked-today-at-executive-meeting.html 

As a forward to this long list. I would like to point out none of it address the issue.

The entire scrutiny process is in the hands of people or companies who will not be selected paid unless chosen by those being scrutinised. It is #Libor all over again.Thus the need for public scrutiny, as was the concern from the National Audit Office.

They may as well add 40 other friends non-spouse family to the list who may or may not have access to the actual contracts and give them special titles.

They also reduced the question to open loop holes.

The last line is hopeful at best since in 'normal operations' you or I are allowed to request all the details of the contract and then get other quotes and make sure we got a good deal. Can not get better than that other than us appointing someone to do it.


Question (their version)
Highlighted by the National Audit Office report Jan 2012 that Wokingham Borough Council
owned companies could be used to avoid scrutiny. What measures have we taken?

Answer

I understand that the question relates to the potential to avoid scrutiny rather than that
WBC has been referred to in this specific way. Which we haven’t been, of course.

There are many formal measures in place that enable the Council to scrutinise our
Companies. These include;

Under the Constitution surrounding our Companies, our Councillors and Officers sit on the
Company Boards

The Council can attend the AGM of each Company and indeed call an EGM as its
shareholder, when it sees fit

Our Companies report to TESC on a quarterly basis, which is open for Public Scrutiny and
questions

The Companies must appoint Auditors that must be acceptable to the Council (as
shareholder) and provide information as requested by the Council in the formulation of our
consolidated accounts.

These formal measures are supplemented by numerous informal measures to ensure
there is effective scrutiny in place. This includes;

Monthly meetings between the Finance Directors of the Companies and the Council’s
Chief Finance Officer, together with the Council’s Lead Member for Finance (Anthony
Pollock)
And Service related meetings to ensure the Companies are performing in the way we want
them to, for example; the Strategic Director for Health and Well-being together with the
Lead Member for Community Care (JMS) meet regularly with chair and MD of Optalis.

I hope this satisfies you that we take the scrutiny and oversight of our companies very
seriously, to both protect the interests of our residents and make sure they deliver on their
ambition; ambitions that will significantly impact on the financial well-being of the Council
and the delivery of vital infrastructure for our community.

Answer which was provided in Mr Lokuciewski’s absence
This is certainly not the case and in fact if anything it enhances the scrutiny role because
Scrutiny is quite entitled to look at the service being provided by any of our suppliers.

There are many formal measures in place that enable the Council to scrutinise our
Companies. These include the section of the Constitution covering our Companies; our
Councillors and Officers sit on the Company Boards; the Council can attend the AGM of
each Company and indeed call an Extraordinary General Meeting as its shareholder, when
it sees fit.

All our Companies report to a sub-group of this Committee, TESC, on a quarterly basis
which is open for public scrutiny and questions. The Companies must appoint Auditors that
must be acceptable to the Council and provide information as requested by the Council in
the formulation of our consolidated accounts.

These formal measures are supplemented by numerous informal measures to ensure
there is effective scrutiny in place. This includes monthly meetings between the Finance
Directors of the Companies and the Council’s Chief Finance Officer, together with my
Lead Member for Finance, Anthony Pollock, and service related meetings to ensure
the Companies are performing in the way we want them to. For example the Strategic
Director for Health and Wellbeing together with the Lead Member for Community Care,
Julian McGhee-Sumner meet regularly with the Chair and Managing Director of Optalis.

The scrutiny is actually even more rigorous than for the normal operations we have.

Kaz Solution.
Auditors and scrutiny panel  to be selected and agreed by 10 random adult voters. Not those being scrutinised.

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