Dear Geoff;

I am submitting the following letter under Council Procedure Rule 23.3 to be included on the agenda for the Tourism, Equalities Communities and Culture Committee on 11^th March.

While it is within my scope as co-chair to request work of this nature, in recognition of the concerns expressed by all parties regarding the recent conclusion of the domestic and sexual violence commission, I wish to ensure through this letter that officers can be instructed to formally bring a report to committee, as this matter is now urgent, and that members can be made aware of the following proposals.

While recognising the strain officers are under, all councillors will now be aware that a proposed members cross party working group (recommended to the then NICE committee, October 2018) was not initiated. While this is unlikely to have had a legal, practical nor technical bearing on the outcome of the independently commissioned process, we are concerned to ensure that members’ voice is considered as part of review of the process to date.

I would therefore like to propose that the committee recommends a senior-level officer report be brought to the next meeting of Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee on 11th March to enable councillors to explore in detail - and in a public place - the process and decision making surrounding the commission;

· this report to include clear updates on the process, a timeline, and any further detail available to us on the use of MHCLG funding pertaining to domestic abuse provision. Further information on social value should also be included.

I would propose that such a report is also referred to Policy & Resources Committee as TECC does not have oversight of procurement, though may want to be sighted on the issues the report alights upon.

Procurement itself does not fall into the remit of the TECC committee, while the third sector portfolio does. It is vital that commissions affecting the city’s third sector are tied into updates given to this committee and I wish to explore with members and officers how this, and conversations surrounding social value, commissioning and impact on third sector organisations in the city can be absorbed into our ways of working in future.

I would therefore propose that the P&R Committee is further recommended to establish a Member Working Group to explore these issues. I would propose that representation from the TECC committee is on this working group, in recognition of the connection between the procurement and third sector/equalities portfolios. I know that all members are committed to trying to respond to concerns so lessons are learned for the organisation.

Sincerely,

Cllr Steph Powell