Agenda item

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer Governance which provided assurance on the risk management, financial management and governance arrangements of Arm’s Length External Organisations (ALEOs) within the ALEO Assurance Hub’s terms of reference.

The report recommended:-

That the Committee -

(a)      note the level of assurance provided by each ALEO on risk management, financial management and governance; and

(b)      note that Assurance Hub officers and ALEO Service Leads would discuss any outstanding issues identified in the appendices and identified at the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee with ALEO representatives, with a view to further improving the assessment ratings at the next Hub meeting.

Councillor Townson asked a question in relation to the reputational damage to the Council for employees on zero-hour contracts.  The Interim Democracy Manager advised that the reputational risk was diminished following changes in legislation whereby zero-hour contracts were preferred in most cases compared to casual contracts as they offered protection and no longer prohibited employees working for other employers.

Councillor Jackie Dunbar sought clarification in relation to the assurance ratings within the tables as it seemed that the ratings were not correct.  The Assurance Manager advised that she could see where the confusion had come from and would amend the ratings for future reports.

In relation to Bon Accord Care, Councillor Jackie Dunbar requested information on the number of EU Nationals working for Bon Accord Care.  The Assurance Manager advised that she would circulate the information to Members.

In relation to Bon Accord Care, Councillor Jackie Dunbar sought guidance on how often policies were reviewed.  The Finance Partner advised that Bon Accord Care reviewed their own documents which were then submitted to the Council to ensure they were satisfied with the content and that the full range of policies would be reviewed over a period of time and reported to the Council.

In relation to Sport Aberdeen, Councillor Townson enquired as to whether the grant for Garthdee Alpine Sports had ceased since the merger with Sport Aberdeen.  The Chief Officer Finance advised that Sport Aberdeen received a single payment for them to manage their operations.

Councillor Duncan sought clarification in relation to the differing situations with ALEOs paying either the National Living Wage or the Scottish Living Wage.  The Interim Democracy Manager advised that all ALEOs were at least paying the National Living Wage and that some were paying the Scottish Living Wage.  He further advised that that there were additional terms nationally and that these were being monitored and would be reflected in future reports.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       in relation to a comment regarding the way in which the ratings were presented in the assurance rating tables, to note that they would be amended for future reports;

(ii)      in relation to a question relating to the number of EU Nationals working for Bon Accord Care, to note that the Assurance Manager would provide the information via email to the Committee; and

(iii)      to otherwise approve the recommendations contained in the report.