Government releases report of statutory inspection of Avon FRS

Read full report here

I have published here a short extract of the conclusions of the full report.

Summary of Conclusions and Proposals

1. Based on my Inspection, my overall conclusion is that the Authority is failing to comply with its section 3 duty in a number of respects

2. It is my belief that its governance arrangements have not secured its section 3 duty. Poor decisions that signi cantly bene ted individuals were made following insuf cient scrutiny by Members, with inadequate papers and business cases being put to them; and Minutes that did not leave a proper audit trail. Where Members did challenge, those challenges were treated inappropriately. Members were unclear about their roles. There was too much emphasis upon maintaining consensus, and incremental change. The 2012 Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) process did not identify how resources could be better deployed in the way that it should have. A new Chair was recently chosen on 26 June 2017, and has indicated that he recognises the urgent need for change. Since then, the SMB have also indicated a strong willingness to embrace improvement. These are encouraging developments that bode well for the future, however, this does not negate my duty under the 1999 Act and the terms of reference to provide this report and to set out my ndings in relation to the issues of the past. The issue of governance is addressed in Section 2 of this Report.

3. It is also my belief that failings in leadership and culture have meant that the Authority has not secured continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, ef ciency and effectiveness. There have been rifts previously in the SMB that led to expensive exits and disharmony. Support staff are pressed, and do not always have the level of professional expertise now required by modern organisations. Staff relations have at times been poor and a recent Employment Tribunal (ET) identi ed speci c concerns. The Authority has to address equality issues with greater vigour. There are too many management layers. The handling of a missing laptop exempli ed a culture of defensiveness, as did the heavy-handed dealings with a member of the public who was criticising the Authority. Leadership and culture are addressed at Section 3 of the Report.

4. Having conducted the Inspection and identi ed the areas where I believe the Authority is failing in its duty, I set out at Section 4 of this Report a number of proposals for how the Authority may address its shortcomings.