Issue - meetings

Commercial and Regulatory Services – to consider the attached report (C-024-2020/21) on the composition of the permanent Qualis Board and the remuneration levels for Qualis Board members.

1)   That Cabinet noted the composition of the permanent Qualis Group Board;

(2)   That Cabinet noted the renumeration levels for Qualis Group Board members; and

(3)  That Cabinet noted the selection and recruitment process for Group Board

Members.

The Commercial and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder, Councillor Patel, introduced the Qualis Group Board report.

In February this year the Cabinet approved the composition and appointment of the interim Qualis Group Board.  The decision for an interim board was taken to ensure that the set-up work already undertaken could be continued without a six-month pause whilst recruitment was undertaken.  A significant amount of work had been achieved during this period and it was now an appropriate time to create a permanent board.

The last six months had enabled the interim board to establish a programme of work and the operating guidelines to ensure effective governance.  As such the paper set out some suggested changes to reflect learning and progress over this period.  The Shareholder Agreement remained the key document that provided the Council with the framework for control of decision making, levels of authority and powers of delegation for Qualis.

It was proposed that the composition of the permanent board be made up of a combination of the independent non-executive directors, council members, executive directors of Qualis Group and the chief executive of the Council.  The chair of the Qualis Group board would be an independent non-executive director appointed for their specific skills and experience relevant to the Qualis business. He noted that this report was about the roles and not the people.

Councillor Murray thanked the Portfolio Holder for comprehensive introduction.  He noted that he had reservations about Qualis in general, but that these arrangements were much better than we had and was glad that the Cabinet had listened to the various comments made over the possible set up of Qualis. He noted that legally the appointed members on to the Qualis board had to have the interests of Qualis uppermost, but surely the interest of Qualis and the District were the same. Councillor Patel said that along with the two members on the board there would also be two council officers there, the Chief Executive and a Strategic Director all of whom would have both the Council’s and Qualis’ best intentions foremost in their minds. Councillor Whitbread agreed with Councillor Murray that they had listened throughout out the interim process. This was something new for Epping Forest, other councils had already done this differently, but this was now a fundamental part for driving income for councils.

Council Heap asked if the officer directors were going to do one day a week for Quails, how did the money work? Andrew Small replied that these roles were over and above what their existing hours, so they would do their normal day to day work within their normal council hours and then over and above that would be their Quails work.

Decision:

1)   That Cabinet noted the composition of the permanent Qualis Group Board;

(2)   That Cabinet noted the renumeration levels for Qualis Group Board members; and

(3)  That Cabinet noted the selection and recruitment process for Group Board Members.

Reasons for Proposed Decision:

It was a requirement the Council ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57