Issue - meetings

To consider the following motions:

·        Liberal Democrat alternative budget 2019/20

·        Modern Slavery proposed by Councillor Fisher

The following motion proposed by Councillor Fisher was agreed:

The Council has demonstrated its concern with the serious problem of modern slavery by providing awareness training for staff and members. However the Council needs to press ahead with work to ensure that its supply chain is free from any taint of modern slavery.

It therefore resolves to sign the Charter Against Modern Slavery put forward by the Co-operative Party and already signed by over eighty councils of various political complexions.

This pledges to:

1.    Train its corporate procurement team to understand modern slavery through the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) online course on Ethical Procurement and Supply.

2.    Require its contractors to comply fully with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, wherever it applies, with contract termination as a potential sanctions for non-compliance.

3.    Challenge any abnormally low-cost tenders to ensure they do not rely upon the potential contractor practising modern slavery.

4.    Highlight to its suppliers that contracted workers are free to join a trade union and are not to be treated unfairly for belonging to one.

5.    Publicise its whistle-blowing system for staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

6.    Require its tendered contractors to adopt a whistleblowing policy which enables their staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

7.    Review its contractual spending regularly to identify any potential issues with modern slavery.

8.    Highlight for its suppliers any risks identified concerning modern slavery and refer them to the relevant agencies to be addressed.

9.    Refer for investigation via the National Crime Agency’s national referral mechanism any of its contractors identified as a cause for concern regarding modern slavery.

10.  Report publicly on the implementation of this policy annually.

The Council will take a lead locally in the fight against modern slavery.

Cllr Fisher set out the proposal supporting the fight against modern slavery locally.

The Council has demonstrated its concern with the serious problem of modern slavery by providing awareness training for staff and members. However the Council needs to press ahead with work to ensure that its supply chain is free from any taint of modern slavery.

It therefore resolves to sign the Charter Against Modern Slavery put forward by the Co-operative Party and already signed by over eighty councils of various political complexions.

This pledges to:

1.    Train its corporate procurement team to understand modern slavery through the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) online course on Ethical Procurement and Supply.

2.    Require its contractors to comply fully with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, wherever it applies, with contract termination as a potential sanctions for non-compliance.

3.    Challenge any abnormally low-cost tenders to ensure they do not rely upon the potential contractor practising modern slavery.

4.    Highlight to its suppliers that contracted workers are free to join a trade union and are not to be treated unfairly for belonging to one.

5.    Publicise its whistle-blowing system for staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

6.    Require its tendered contractors to adopt a whistleblowing policy which enables their staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery.

7.    Review its contractual spending regularly to identify any potential issues with modern slavery.

8.    Highlight for its suppliers any risks identified concerning modern slavery and refer them to the relevant agencies to be addressed.

9.    Refer for investigation via the National Crime Agency’s national referral mechanism any of its contractors identified as a cause for concern regarding modern slavery.

10.  Report publicly on the implementation of this policy annually.

Cllr Williams felt the motion replicated work that has already been undertaken and appropriate measures are already in place, therefore he is happy to support the motion and implement it as policy.

Cllr C Wyatt-Lowe said she would be voting to support this motion and would like to reflect that in Hertfordshire where we have been working together in partnership which we do very well at all levels of local government and with local police.  We already have many elements that comprise this particular proposal and how widespread this has got.  Cllr C Wyatt-Lowe would like to remind Members that Hertfordshire Police were the first Police force in the Country to obtain a successful conviction for offences against modern slavery and have done great pioneering work on this issue, which has been recognised in the House of Commons.  Cllr C Wyatt-Lowe said she will certainly support this motion.

Cllr England said this is very much not just a policy issue, it’s a real life issue for many, many people.  Early in 2015 the coalition government passed the Modern Slavery Act to make it easier to identify victims and bring traffickers to justice and prosecutions have increased as a result, but now many of Theresa  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8