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Council
5 December 2023
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Reports
Proposed Governance Approach to Strategies,
Plans and Programmes of Work
Department: Corporate Policy and Civic
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 Council
has a range of strategies and plans that require governance oversight. The
proposed approach clarifies decision-making and reporting requirements related
to governance oversight.
2 The
proposed approach has been developed in reference to the DCC’s Committee Structure and Delegations Manual
(2023).
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Council:
a) Approves the proposed governance approach.
If approved:
b) Notes that Terms of Reference for an Advisory Panel for the Zero
Carbon Plan will be drafted for the 12/13 December 2023 Council meeting.
c) Agrees that Terms of Reference for an Advisory Panel for the
Dunedin Destination Management Plan be drafted for the 12/13 December 2023
Council meeting.
d) Notes that the Committee Structure and Delegations Manual will be
updated with the approved governance approach.
BACKGROUND
Council
resolutions
3 In
September 2023, Council resolved the following:
“Moved
(Mayor Jules Radich/Cr Brent Weatherall):
“That the Council:
a) Requests
a report for the October 2023 Council meeting on governance options for the oversight
of the implementation of the Zero Carbon Plan.”
Division
The Council voted by division:
For: Crs
Bill Acklin, Sophie Barker, David Benson-Pope, Christine Garey, Kevin Gilbert,
Carmen Houlahan, Marie Laufiso, Cherry Lucas, Mandy Mayhem, Jim O'Malley, Steve
Walker, Brent Weatherall, Andrew Whiley and Mayor Jules Radich (14).
Against
Cr Lee Vandervis (1).
Abstained Nil
The division was declared CARRIED by 14 votes to 1
Motion carried (CNL/2023/213)”
4 At
the same meeting, Council also requested a report on governance options for the
wellbeing strategies as follows:
“Moved
(Cr Sophie Barker/Cr Marie Laufiso):
That the Council:
e) Requests
a staff report on governance options for the wellbeing strategies to be
reported back
in November 2023.
Motion carried (CNL/2023/002)”
DISCUSSION
5 Historically,
a range of governance approaches have been applied across key DCC strategies.
For example,
· the
Economic Development Strategy was overseen by the Grow Dunedin Partnership
which originally had relatively sizable financial delegations;
· the
Social Wellbeing Strategy was overseen by the Social Wellbeing Advisory Group;
· Ara
Toi was overseen by the Creative Dunedin Partnership; and
· Te
Ao Tūroa was overseen by the Te Ao Tūroa Partnership, which was
delegated to award grants for environmental community projects.
6 Each
of these groups were constituted differently, had different membership in their
Terms of Reference, and had a variety of reporting requirements and other
delegations. Some included staff as members. Some were chaired by Councillors,
but others had independent chairs. Although different, the groups often
functioned well.
7 In
addition to the Zero Carbon Plan and the wellbeing strategies, Council has a
wide range of strategies and plans currently being developed, implemented, or
planned for future development.
8 A
proposed governance approach to determine what if any governance oversight is
needed over the development and / or implementation of council’s
strategies and plans is presented for consideration.
9 A
governance approach will clarify decision-making and reporting requirements
across all the DCC’s strategies and plans in a consistent, transparent,
and aligned way, and will ensure governance oversight is upheld across key DCC
strategic activities.
10 The
proposal for a consistent approach to governance reflects the view of Council
that a more aligned approach is appropriate. This is timely given the work that
is underway on the Strategic Refresh and across various action plans in the
Council Forward Work Programme.
11 The
Council and Committee Forward Work Programmes and action lists provide a level
of governance oversight through high level updates to Councillors on the work
being undertaken on various strategies and plan but do not guarantee of any
reporting.
12 A
proposed approach has been developed to help clarify the level of governance
needed for Council’s strategies and plans, and to better determine what
reporting requirements are needed to uphold best-practice. The proposed
governance approach aims to provide clarity on roles, responsibilities and
reporting expectations, and support better decision-making.
Types of Governance Groups
13 Certain
types of governance oversight are currently provided for in the Committee
Structure and Delegations Manual. In particular:
Council and Committees
including Subcommittees, Joint Committees, Standing Committees
14 Council
and Committees have decision-making delegations and oversee DCC’s
strategies and plans. For Council, membership is restricted to elected
members. For committees, in respect of joint committees or subcommittees, with
Council approval, external members (non-elected) may be approved.
Advisory Panels
15 Advisory
Panels are panels where elected members and representatives from partners,
stakeholders and the community can be constituted to provide advice on plans or
strategies. An Advisory Panel may have specific delegations related to a
specific strategy or plan but will not generally have the authority to make
decisions. Staff provide support to the Advisory Panels based on their
terms of reference of the Advisory Panel.
16 The
purpose of an Advisory Panel is to monitor progress on the development of a
specific strategy or plan, or its implementation, for example, the Social
Wellbeing Advisory Group which oversees the Social Wellbeing Strategy, and the
Heritage Action Plan Advisory Group which oversaw the development of a draft
Heritage Action Plan.
17 Note
that the word ‘group’ and ‘panel’ appears have been
used interchangeably over time.
Proposed Approach
18 A
proposed approach to determine the requirement for government oversight over
Council’s strategies and plans, and their implementation, is set out
below.
19 Step
1 - For each new strategy, plan or programme of work, Council or the
relevant committee will establish what, if any, governance oversight is
required for the activity. This will be done at the time of adopting/approval
of the strategy, plan or programme of work. If governance oversight is
required, Council or the Committee will determine if this is directly to the
committee or through an Advisory Panel. The work will be added to the Forward
Work Programme of the Committee.
20 Step
2 – If an Advisory Panel was required, a future report would be
presented to a Council or Committee meeting, with draft terms of reference for
the Advisory Panel for approval.
21 The
Terms of Reference would cover the following:
· Purpose
of the Advisory Panel – advise, bring experience and knowledge,
· Powers,
duties and functions – delegations, ability to co-opt onto the panel if
for example, expertise is required.
· Reporting
requirements – define the nature and regularity of reporting required,
i.e., formal, updating, community (discussed below).
· Membership
– internal and external members (if required), Chair, quorum.
· Timeframes
– clearly setting out the expected term of the Advisory Panel.
· Staff
support.
· Remuneration,
if required.
22 Step
3 - If external membership on the advisory panel was required, a public
expressions of interest process would be undertaken to find the skills
needed.
23 The
approach enables Council to adapt or change the level of governance oversight
or reporting requirements over time, depending on the changing needs of a
specific strategy or plan.
24 A
key element to the improved governance oversight is that reporting will be
consistent across key areas of the strategic work.
25 The
approach allows flexibility, so some strategies and plans may only require one
type of reporting, while others will require two or three types of reporting.
The rationale for which type of reporting is needed, is determined by what is
needed to uphold and support good governance practice and decision-making.
Formal Reporting
26 Formal
reporting to Council or Committees will be focussed on the outcomes and outputs
associated with specific strategies and plans. Reports are detailed on
the Council or Committee Forward Work Programmes. This type of reporting
supports decision making by Council on specific matters related to strategies
and plans. This will be formal reports by staff. Formal reporting may seek
decisions.
Update Reporting
27 Update
reporting to Council, Committees or Advisory Panels focus on how a strategy or
plan is progressing against its annual workplan. This type of reporting
monitors progress and provides advice, but it does not seek decisions.
The timing for these would be made through the formal reporting framework.
Updated reports would generally be captured in the Forward Work Programme and
will be either from a staff member or from the group or panel. Reporting
requirements will be in the Terms of Reference.
Community Reporting/
Informal
28 Reporting
to the community on strategies and plans includes existing Council community
reporting such as the DCC’s annual report but can include providing
online updates and engagement. A recent example is DCC’s early engagement
on the 10 Year Plan.
29 Community
reporting can include presenting at community events, for example, staff hosted
a DCC stall at the 2023 Otago Polyfest, or hosting engagement opportunities
across different localities or with specific communities, such as the recent
engagement activities with South Dunedin communities. Community reporting could
also include a ‘stakeholder event’ where several plans or
strategies are presented, depending on what communities are interested in or
deem most relevant.
Hypothetical Scenario
30 Below
is a hypothetical scenario to show how the proposed governance framework could
be applied in practice.
31 Scenario
A: Social Wellbeing Strategy
Background. Governance oversight is currently
provided through the Social Wellbeing Advisory Group (SWAG). SWAG has no
delegations to make decision and no formal reporting requirements outside of
the group.
Strengths. It functions well, and there is a
good breadth among its wide membership. There is a strong commitment by members
to work together and share key wellbeing information from across the
city.
Weaknesses. It is unclear what
‘influence’ the group has on improving council activity related to
wellbeing. It is not clear what SWAG can do to support positive change among
the other organisations represented by its members.
Proposed Governance Framework:
What type of governance best supports the Social
Wellbeing Strategy?
Advisory – this enables a wide membership
including councillors, which is a key strength that SWAG currently has.
What type of reporting best supports the Social
Wellbeing Strategy?
All three reporting types are needed for this
strategy. Below are hypothetical examples of how this could work.
· Formal
– Annual report to Council on key strategy outcomes. Requests for decisions
to be made by Council and for possible funding to deliver against the strategic
outcomes.
· Updates
– Quarterly update report from staff to SWAG based on an approved
workplan related to the Social Wellbeing Strategy
· Community
– Annual event related to Social Wellbeing or a combined event with the
other three wellbeing strategies. This ensures the wider community is updated
on outcomes related to wellbeing across the city.
32 In
developing this scenario, staff considered what other councils are doing in
governance and with their advisory groups/panels. One example is Wellington
City Council and their annual application process for selecting members to five
Advisory Groups. The five advisory groups present to Council on a regular
basis. See; Meetings
- Join an Advisory Group - Wellington City Council.
33 If
the proposed approach is approved, it is recommended that a report be presented
to a future Council, discussing recently adopted plans and their need for
governance oversight.
34 It
is also recommended that a draft Terms of Reference be presented to council for
governance oversight of the Dunedin Destination Management Plan, and as
requested by Council at its meeting on 25 September 2023, a draft Terms of
Reference will be prepared for the Zero Carbon Plan.
OPTIONS
35 Council
approval is sought on the proposed governance approach. Two options have been
identified.
Option
One – Council approves the proposed governance approach
Advantages
· Provides
decision making on governance oversite in a consistent, transparent, and
aligned way.
Disadvantages
· There
are no identified disadvantages.
Option
Two – Council does not approve the proposed governance approach
Advantages
· No
identified advantages.
Disadvantages
· Missed
opportunity to provide greater consistency in governance oversight in relation
to the DCC’s strategies and plans.
NEXT STEPS
36 If Council
approves the proposed governance approach, the next steps are:
· To
update the proposed governance approach with the DCC’s Committee
Structure and Delegations Manual (2023)
· To
apply the proposed governance approach to the Destination Management Plan and
bring a report to the 12/13 December 2023 Council meeting.
· To
draft Terms of Reference for an Advisory Panel for the Zero Carbon Plan for the
12/13 December 2023 Council meeting.
· To
work with the Chairs and their groups across the current Wellbeing Strategies
to workshop applying the proposed Governance Framework. This will help
determine what level of reporting and governance oversight is needed to best
support governance for each wellbeing strategy going forward.
Signatories
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Author:
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Gina Huakau - Corporate Policy Manager
Sharon Bodeker - Special Projects Manager
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Authoriser:
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Sandy Graham - Chief Executive Officer
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Attachments
There are no attachments
for this report.
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SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose
of Local Government
The Strategic Refresh enables democratic
local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities. It also
promotes the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of
communities in the present and for the future.
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Fit with strategic
framework
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Contributes
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Detracts
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Not applicable
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Social Wellbeing Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Economic Development Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Environment Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Arts and Culture Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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3 Waters Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Spatial Plan
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Integrated Transport Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Parks and Recreation Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Other strategic projects/policies/plans
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☒
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☐
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☐
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The proposed governance framework encapsulates all of the
above strategies.
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Māori Impact
Statement
Option One supports the DCC in being a good Treaty partner
by providing an opportunity for Council to consider governance options over
its strategies and plans.
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Sustainability
Supporting consistent governance arrangements and
reporting will promote social, economic, environmental and cultural
well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
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LTP/Annual Plan /
Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy
Supporting consistent governance arrangements and
reporting is expected to bring greater visibility and clarity as to how
delivery of strategic outcomes is overseen and monitored.
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Financial
considerations
There are no financial considerations.
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Significance
This report is considered to be of low significance in
terms of the Significance and Engagement Policy.
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Engagement –
external
There has been no external engagement.
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Engagement -
internal
Governance Support Office has been engaged in regard to
understanding existing DCC governance groups. Zero Carbon team has been
engaged regarding governance options for the implementation of the Zero
Carbon Plan.
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Risks: Legal /
Health and Safety etc.
There are no identified risks.
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Conflict of
Interest
There are no known conflicts of interest.
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Community Boards
No direct implications for Community Boards have been
identified.
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