CARDIFF PUBLIC SERVICES BOARD GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS Background 1. At its meeting on 12 January 2017, the Cardiff Public Services Board agreed that an options paper be prepared on the current governance relationship between the Public Services Board (PSB) and the Executive Public Services Board and it be brought to the next Public Services Board meeting. 2. This report sets out the current governance relationship between the two Boards, the position of other PSBs across Wales and options for the Public Services Board to consider for a future governance structure. Current Arrangements 3. Cardiff operates a two-tier board system. The PSB is responsible for the following statutory requirements: Preparing, publishing and reviewing an assessment of the state of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being in Cardiff; Preparing a Local Well-being Plan, setting out local well-being objectives and the steps it proposes to take to meet them; Taking all reasonable steps to deliver the local objectives within the Wellbeing Plan; Publishing an annual report that sets out the Board s progress in meeting the local objectives. 4. Sitting underneath the PSB, the Executive PSB consists of the Chief Executive or equivalent representative of the statutory members and invited participants only. The Executive PSB provides strategic management of the PSB s agenda and ensures progress against well-being objectives is being made between PSB meetings. Membership 5. As set out in the PSB s Terms of Reference, the membership of the Full PSB is as follows (a full list of current members is at Appendix C): Page 1 of 9
Statutory Members City of Cardiff Council (Leader and Chief Executive) Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (Chair and/or Chief Executive) South Wales Fire and Rescue (Chair and/or Chief Officer) Natural Resources Wales (Chief Executive) 6. Individuals may be designated to represent any of the named persons above. Any designated representatives should have the authority to make decisions on behalf of their organisation. Each member has equal responsibility for delivery of the statutory requirements. Invited Participants 7. The following statutory invitees, exercising functions of a public nature, are invited to participate in the Board s activity: The Welsh Ministers The Chief Constable of South Wales Police The South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Representatives of the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Company Cardiff Third Sector Council 8. Invited participants will participate in meetings in the same way as statutory members. Invited participants are not members of the Board. They are entitled to make representations to the Board about the assessments of local well-being and local well-being plan, take part in Board meetings and provide other advice and assistance. Other Partners 9. The Board will engage with other key partners in the area who exercise functions of a public nature and who: have a material interest in the wellbeing of the area; deliver important public services; and are involved in the in the preparation, implementation and delivery of the work of the board. Frequency of meetings 10. The Terms of Reference state that meetings of the PSB will take place in May, November and March, subject to revision by Board members. Page 2 of 9
11. Executive PSB meetings are scheduled to take place in the period between PSB meetings to provide strategic management of the agenda and ensure progress against agreed actions and the PSBs statutory work programme is being progressed. 12. Since the first PSB on 24 May 2016, meetings have taken or will take place on 12 January 2017 and on 21 March 2017. A PSB meeting scheduled for 1 December 2016 had to be rearranged to 12 January 2017 due to the unavailability of the Chair. 13. Over the same period the Executive PSB has met regularly (August, September, November 2016 and March 2017) to ensure that the statutory work programme of the PSB is being taken forward alongside continued delivery of operational partnership issues. Minutes and Actions 14. Minutes and actions of each Board are approved by the respective Chair and circulated to Board members in the weeks following each meeting. 15. The minutes and actions of the Executive PSB are reported through to PSB meetings. Statutory work programme 2017/18 16. To ensure that the PSB publishes its local well-being plan by 3 May 2018, as required under the Well-being of Future Generations Act, the following steps must be taken: The advice of the FG Commissioner must be sought in terms of how to take steps to meet the local objectives in accordance with the sustainable development principle (she is permitted up to 14 weeks to give her advice); A full draft of the local well-being draft plan must be sent for public consultation for a minimum of 12 weeks; The final local well-being plan must be approved by a meeting of the Full City of Cardiff Council and meetings of the University Health Board, Fire and rescue Authority and of Natural Resources Wales; The final local well-being plan must be approved by a meeting of the Public Services Board. Page 3 of 9
17. Based on the timetable at Appendix A, the Executive PSB and not the PSB would approve the draft plan to go out to consultation. Review of arrangements across Wales 18. Appendix B contains a review of PSB arrangements elsewhere in Wales. There is an equal split between the number of PSBs that have adopted 1 tier or two-tier PSB models. Under the tier model, the PSB has responsibility for both setting the strategic direction and for operational delivery of the Wellbeing Assessment and Plan and all areas of operational partnership working, whereas the 2 tier model separates these responsibilities with the establishment of a supporting delivery board. 19. Under both models there is nearly an equal split between the number of PSBs meeting bi-monthly or quarterly. 20. The majority of PSBs in Wales are chaired by the Leader of the respective Council, though there are a small number of exceptions to this. Options for the Cardiff PSB A. (Current) Two Tier Model: PSB meets 3 times a year, Exec PSB meets on a bi-monthly basis The two tier model enables Full PSB meetings to dedicate the time needed to consider strategic issues, with the Executive Board meeting more frequently and dedicated to delivering the statutory work programme, actions from the Full PSB and other operational partnership issues. The length of time between the May and November meetings of the Full PSB means that for a significant part of the year the PSB does not meet to discuss strategic issues. In 2016/17, this was exacerbated by the postponement of the 1 December 2016 meeting, meaning that the PSB did not meet between May 2016 and January 2017. B. One Tier Model: Merge PSB and Exec PSB into one Board, meeting quarterly In this model there would be a single PSB which would consider both strategic and operational partnership issues. This would generate significant additional workload for the board, and so it is suggested that adopting this Page 4 of 9
model this would require more regular (quarterly) meetings. Given the scale and range of operational partnership working in Cardiff there is a risk in this model that the operational activity of the board would dominate meeting agendas, crowding out discussion of strategic issues. C. Two tier model with quarterly PSB and Exec PSB meetings As with option B, the PSB would meet quarterly and therefore on a more regular basis, with the Executive Board meeting aligned on a similar timetable. This model ensures that the PSB meetings is more heavily involved in the strategic development of the Wellbeing plan (including, for example, approving the Plan for consultation). It also allows for operational delivery to be managed by the Executive Public Services Board. The alignment of timetables allows for a greater alignment of agendas, work programmes and reporting. 21. The Executive Public Services Board considered Cardiff s arrangement at its meeting on 10 March 2017. They endorsed the current two-tier model but recommended that the communication between the two Boards should be improved. This should include the circulation of a short briefing note after each Board meeting to ensure the respective Board members are kept up to date with progress and decisions. Recommendations It is recommended that the Public Services Board: Discuss and agree a way forward for the Public Services Board governance arrangements. Page 5 of 9
Appendix A Date Action 18 May 2017 Executive PSB to consider draft well-being objectives 8 June 2017 PSB to agree draft well-being objectives plan to send to FG Commissioner for advice June to September 2017 Draft well-being objectives with FG Commissioner for advice 17 Aug 2017 Exec PSB meeting 29 September 2017 Executive PSB to approve consultation version of plan October to December 2017 Statutory consultation November 2017 Exec PSB meeting November 2017 PSB meeting January 2018 Exec PSB to consider amendments following public consultation 27 Feb 2018 PSB meeting to agree final draft following public consultation March 2018 Statutory members approve Local Well-being Plan through their own decision-making arrangements April 2018 PSB meets to agree Local Well-being Plan April 2018 Local Well-being Plan published Page 6 of 9
Appendix B Public Services Boards: Strategic and operational arrangements across Wales 1 Tier model (9 PSBs) 2 Tier Model (9 PSBs) Arrangements PSB supported by sub-groups Strategic PSB supported by an operational delivery Board Delivery Board supported by subgroups Chairing Majority of PSBs chaired by Leader of Council Majority of PSBs chaired by the Leader of the Council Operational delivery board typically chaired by the Council s Chief Executive Alternatives - Chief Executive or Health Board Area Director Alternatives - Deputy Leader, Chief Constable or provider of further education Governance Subgroups report directly to the PSB Delivery board minutes on PSB agenda (Swansea, Ceredigion) Delivery Board reports to PSB as required (Anglesey/Gwynedd) Frequency Equal split between the number of PSBs meeting bi-monthly or quarterly Alternative - subgroups report to the PSB and annually to Scrutiny (Ceredigion) Nearly an equal split between PSBs meeting bi-monthly or quarterly Swansea hold meetings monthly - PSB alternates with meetings of the delivery board Alternative - Meet bi monthly but a cycle of 3 meetings Board, Delivery Group then Joint Board and Delivery group meeting (Torfaen) Page 7 of 9
Appendix C Cardiff Public Services Board Membership Statutory Members Member Deputy Organisation Councillor Phil Bale, Leader (Chair) Paul Orders, Chief Executive Maria Battle (Vice Chair) Sharon Hopkins, Acting Chief Executive Huw Jakeway, Chief Fire Officer Gareth O Shea, Executive Director for Operations, South Wales Councillor Sue Lent, Deputy Leader Sarah McGill, Director of Communities, Housing & Customer Services Abigail Harris, Director of Planning Fiona Kinghorn, Interim Director of Public Health David Bents, Group Manager Operations Nadia De Longhi, Operations Manager Invited Participants City of Cardiff Council City of Cardiff Council Cardiff & Vale University Health Board Cardiff & Vale University Health Board South Wales Fire & Rescue Natural Resources Wales Member Deputy Organisation Sheila Hendrickson Brown, Chief Executive Officer Chief Constable Peter Vaughan Mark Brace, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Eleanor Marks, Deputy Director Communities Division Peter Greenhill, Head of Local Delivery Unit Victoria Harris, Head of Local Delivery Unit for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan N/A Belinda Davies, Chief Superintendent N/A N/A Gail Reed Deputy Head of Local Delivery Unit for Cardiff and Vale N/A C3SC South Wales Police Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales Welsh Government Wales National Probation Service Wales Community Rehabilitation Company Page 8 of 9
Cardiff Public Services Board Executive Board Membership Statutory Members Member Role Organisation Paul Orders (Chair) Chief Executive City of Cardiff Council Sarah McGill Director Communities, Housing and Customer Service City of Cardiff Council Tony Young Director Social Services City of Cardiff Council Fiona Kinghorn Interim Director of Public of Health Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan University Health Board Abigail Harris Director of Planning Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan University Health Board David Bents Group Manager South Wales Fire & Rescue Service Gareth O Shea/Nadia De Longhi Executive Director for Operations, South Wales Natural Resources Wales Invited Participants Member Role Organisation Sheila Hendrickson Brown (Vice Chair) Chief Executive Officer Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) Belinda Davies Chief Superintendent South Wales Police Mark Brace Eleanor Marks Gail Reed Victoria Harris Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales Deputy Director of Communities Welsh Government Deputy Head of Local Delivery for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Head of Local Delivery Unit for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Wales National Probation Service Wales Community Rehabilitation Company Page 9 of 9