Agenda item

Consider report by Chief Executive.  (Copy attached.)

4.1       With reference to paragraph 1 of the Minute of 25 February 2022, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Chief Executive regarding the preparation of an action plan to deal with the recommendations arising from the independent inquiry.  This followed on from the conclusion of the Independent Inquiry into the Council’s handling of concerns raised about a former Scottish Borders Council employee, who was subsequently charged with five counts of assaulting children and a further charge of abusive behaviour at a school in the Scottish Borders.   On 25 February 2022, Council accepted the recommendations contained within the Inquiry Report by Andrew Webster QC and noted that the Chief Executive would prepare an action plan to address the Inquiry recommendations.  The Action plan was appended to the report.  The action plan has been prepared, setting out the steps the Council needed to now take to address the identified failings, and to meet the Inquiry recommendations. It was recognised that some of the work set out in the plan had potentially far-reaching remits, in that it touched upon, not only the specific service areas mentioned within the Inquiry Report, but also had relevance across the entire breadth of the Council.  Accordingly, it was anticipated that the action plan would grow and evolve as implementation progressed.  In order to ensure that the identified improvements were achieved, it was considered necessary to put in place a system of governance and oversight which would remain in place until the Council could be satisfied that the necessary improvements had been established, implemented and tested successfully.  The Chief Executive highlighted the main points and advised that budget would be needed to allow implementation of the actions.  Members in general welcomed the action plan. 

4.2       Councillor H. Anderson moved the following amendments to the recommendations in the report:-

•           To amend Recommendation 2.1(a) to read “to endorse the Action Plan (attached as Appendix 1), and that this adequately reflects the work required to implement the Inquiry recommendations; this is subject to the inclusion of the following wording at the end of the sentence in Action 14(d) “having particular regard to the barriers perceived in such situations”.

•           To amend Recommendation 2.1(b) to read – “to agree to establish a Review Group, tasked with overseeing the performance of the action plan, in consultation with the Portfolio holder for Education and a member of the Opposition.”

•           To add to the end of Recommendation 2.1(c) – “however, in the event of the new Administration after the election continuing to exclude Opposition members from the Executive Committee of the Council, then reviews of progress and action must be submitted instead to full Council for approval and action”.

4.3       Councillor Tatler moved as a further amendment that Recommendation 2.1(c) be amended to read “to bring before the full Council updates on the work of the Review Group and the approval of any resultant changes to policy or procedure”.  Councillor Anderson agreed to accept this amendment to replace her suggested re-wording after being given assurances that there would be monthly updates on progress to Council.

4.4       Members discussed the report in detail and accepted the proposed amendments to the recommendations.

            DECISION

            AGREED:-

(a)     to endorse the Action Plan, as contained in Appendix 1 to the report, and that this adequately reflected the work required to implement the Inquiry recommendations; this was subject to the inclusion of the following wording at the end of the sentence in Action 14(d) “having particular regard to the barriers perceived in such situations”;

(b)     to establish a Review Group, tasked with overseeing the performance of the action plan, in consultation with the Portfolio holder for Education and a member of the Opposition; and

(c)     to bring before the full Council monthly updates on the work of the Review Group and the approval of any resultant changes to policy or procedure.

MEMBER

Councillor Haslam joined the meeting.