City Governance Committee - 12/05/2025

At a MEETING of the CITY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 12th May, 2025.

 

Present:-

 

Lord Provost Bill CAMPBELL

Depute Lord Provost Kevin CORDELL

 

BAILIES

 

Will DAWSON	Willie SAWERS	Fraser MACPHERSON
Christina ROBERTS	Kevin KEENAN	Derek SCOTT

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Heather ANDERSON	Lee MILLS	Dorothy McHUGH
Jimmy BLACK	Steven ROME	George McIRVINE
Nadia EL-NAKLA	Lynne SHORT	Wendy SCULLIN
Mark FLYNN	Roisin SMITH	Pete SHEARS
Stewart HUNTER	Siobhan TOLLAND	Michael CRICHTON
Ken LYNN	Georgia CRUICKSHANK	Craig DUNCAN
	Jax FINNEGAN

 

Councillor Mark FLYNN, Convener, in the Chair.

 

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 21st April, 2025 was held as read.

 

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

 

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

II REQUEST TO UK GOVERNMENT TO HALT ALL CUTS TO DISABILITY BENEFITS

 

This item was placed on the agenda at the request of Councillor Tolland who asked the Committee to agree that the Leader of the Council should write to Liz Kendall MP, Work and Pensions Secretary, UK Government on behalf of Dundee City Council calling for the proposed changes to disability benefits to be halted.

 

Thereafter, the Committee resolved as follows:-

 

This Committee requests that officers write to the UK Governments Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, to demand she withdraw her plans for benefit cuts to our disabled community.

 

The intended cuts not only reduce health-related Universal credit payments but make accessing disability benefits more generally significantly more difficult. This is, according to Disability Rights UK, the biggest cuts to disability benefits on record, with an estimated 350 thousand more people being pushed into poverty as a result.

 

Committee notes the following:-

 

(i) almost 90% of people on health-related Universal Credit sit in the poorest half of society. This includes 900 thousand children across the UK;

 

(ii) young people are especially affected, with 1821-year-olds being stripped of the limited capability payments;

 

(iii) Scotland has the highest proportion of people receiving the health element of UC and so will be hit harder;

 

(iv) Dundee has one of the highest uptakes of Universal credit, with 42% on the health element: compared to an average of 33% across the UK;

 

(v) the Fraser of Allander institutes estimates that these cuts will slash the Scottish governments budget by around 900m by 2030, threatening Scotlands devolved Adult Disability payment. This would leave 433,050 people in Scotland more vulnerable, with 22,000 of those living in Dundee; and

 

(vi) Committee notes years of austerity has made our nation sicker, being one of the key drivers of an unprecedented reduction in life expectancy, as well as a reduction in healthy life expectancy. That the recent welfare benefit cuts target disabled people will not only drive our disabled community into deeper poverty but raises real concerns for our increasing poor health and health inequality across Scotland and the UK.

 

Committee, therefore, requests the Westminster Labour government immediately halt these cuts, and ends another austerity agenda. The UK government must invest in our people, and not in a punishing system that enforces wider and deeper poverty, as well as further health inequalities. Instead, we suggest they create a social security system built on the principles of dignity, fairness and respect: as Scotland has and that the Leader of the Council should write to Neil Gray MSP calling for a recovery plan for CAHMS Tayside following the closure of the waiting list for Neurodevelopment Assessments for Children.

 

III LOCAL GOVERNMENT BENCHMARKING FRAMEWORK PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2023/2024

 

There was submitted Report No 161-2025 by the Chief Executive, advising of the performance of Dundee City Council, for the financial year 2023/2024, as defined by the performance indicators compiled by the Improvement Service for the Local Government Benchmark Framework (LGBF). It focussed on the 40 indicators that most aligned to the priorities as set out in the Council Plan 2022/2027 and described the Councils performance in relation to our comparator authorities (i.e. LGBF Family Group) for these.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to note the results contained in summary at section 5.2 to the report and as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report;

 

(ii) to remit the report to the Scrutiny Committee for further consideration; and

 

(iii) to remit the Council Leadership Team to review the selected areas of improvement as detailed in Section 6 to the report.

 

IV TENDERS RECEIVED BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE SERVICES

 

There was submitted Report No 142-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, detailing tenders received and seeking approval to award the contract.

 

The Committee agreed to approve the acceptance of the tender submitted by HP Inc, Ukas top scoring bidder for the Supply and Maintenance of Multi-Functional Devices as set out in the report and Appendix 1 to the report.

 

V SOURCING STRATEGY FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SWIMMING POOL CHEMICALS

 

There was submitted Report No 148-2025 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Services presenting a summary of the sourcing strategy as outlined in Section 5 to the report and seeking approval to secure supply and delivery of swimming pool chemicals.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to approve the Sourcing Strategy as outlined in Section 5 to the report; and

 

(ii) to the direct award via a national Framework for the supply and delivery of swimming pool chemicals to Brenntag UK Limited.

 

VI SOURCING STRATEGY FOR A FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 

There was submitted Report No 150-2025 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Services, presenting a summary of the sourcing strategy as outlined in Section 5 of the report and seeking approval to secure supply of a flexible workforce management system.

 

The Committee agreed:-

 

(i) to approve the Sourcing Strategy as detailed in Section 5 of the report; and

 

(ii) to the direct award of a contract to Teacher Booker Ltd via Crown Commercial Services Framework for the supply of a flexible workforce management system.

 

VII SOURCING STRATEGY FOR THE PROVISION OF SCHOOL TO COLLEGE COACH TRANSFER SERVICES

 

There was submitted Report No 149-2025 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Services presenting a summary of the sourcing strategy as outlined in Section 5 to the report and seeking approval to award a tender for the secure provision of school to college coach transfer services.

 

Thereafter, the Convener seconded by Bailie Sawers moved:-

 

(i) to approve the Sourcing Strategy as outlined in Section 5 to the report;

 

(ii) to delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children and Families following an open tender process to award a contract where the tender price was less than 340,000; and

 

(iii) to note that if the outcome of the open tender process is greater than 10% above this amount then the outcome will be brought back to Committee for consideration.

 

As an amendment, Bailie Macpherson seconded by Councillor Duncan moved to amend the recommendation at paragraph 2.1(b) of the report to read:-

 

And delegates authority to the Executive Director of Children and Families following an open tender process to award a contract where the tender price is less than 200,000.

 

On a division, there voted for the motion - the Convener, Lord Provost Campbell, Depute Lord Provost Cordell, Bailies Dawson, Keenan, Roberts and Sawers and Councillors Anderson, Black, Cruickshank, El-Nakla, Finnegan, Hunter, Lynn, Mills, McHugh, McIrvine, Rome, Scullin, Shears, Short, Smith and Tolland (23); and for the amendment Bailies Macpherson and Scott and Councillors Crichton and Duncan (4) whereupon the motion was carried and became the finding of the meeting.

 

 

VIII TENDERS RECEIVED BY HEAD OF DESIGN AND PROPERTY

 

There was submitted Report No 152-2025 by the Executive Director of City Development, detailing the tender received following Sourcing Strategy Report 158-2024 and seeking approval on acceptance thereof.

 

This report detailed a tender return above the Sourcing Strategy approved figure of 450k (inclusive of non-contract allowances and fees), as additional works had been added to the project during design development. After further surveys replacement of rooflight windows had been added to ensure gallery investment was protected from potential risk of water penetration. Accordingly, the tender figure had returned higher than set out in the sourcing strategy.

 

The report had been brought to City Governance Committee to ensure that material and component orders could be placed and programme dates met to align with the DCA programming in order to minimise disruption to their events timetable. The associated gallery closure had been planned for over a year and failure to meet these timescales would present significant challenges for DCA.

 

The Committee agreed to approve the acceptance of the tender submitted by Robertson Construction as set out in the report, with the total amount, including allowances as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.

 

IX MEMBERS SALARIES

 

There was submitted Report No 139-2025 by the Executive Director of Corporate Services recommending a revised scheme of salaries for elected members to be effective from 1st April, 2025 following changes to statutory regulations.

 

The Committee agreed to note that in view of the timescales involved this report had been approved by the Executive Director of Corporate Services in consultation with the Convener of the City Governance Committee, Labour Group Spokesperson, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson and the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Member.

 

 

 

 

Mark FLYNN, Convener.