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Transformation and Assurance Board - Monday, 12th May, 2025 3.00 p.m.
May 12, 2025 View on council websiteSummary
The Transformation and Assurance Board (TAB) met to discuss member and officer relations, the political culture within the council, and to review their workplan. The board agreed to continue working with councillors and other stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of acceptable behaviour, with an update due at the September 2025 meeting. The board also discussed commissioning academic work on the political culture of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, but deferred making a decision.
Member Interface and Development
The board received a presentation on member interface and development, which was introduced by Stephen Halsey, Chief Executive. The presentation covered interactions with wider governance work, reflections on Local Government Association (LGA) mentor sessions, and next steps for the political mentoring and scrutiny improvement programme.
Sir Steve Bullock DL, TAB Leadership Lead, spoke about the political culture in the council and the progress of the current mentoring programme run with the LGA1. He highlighted the importance of effective relationships for successful mentoring, and the challenges presented by the upcoming 2026 election. Sir Steve said that the council's goal should be to achieve a clear, agreed understanding between councillors on what constitutes acceptable behaviour, distinguishing between normal political debate and unacceptable challenge.
Following the presentation, the board discussed several points, including:
- The need for a clear demarcation between the roles of officers and members.
- Clarity on mandatory requirements and consequences for non-engagement.
- Collective agreement to challenge inappropriate behaviour.
- Inclusion of the workforce and residents in the council's improvement engagement.
- Defining expectations for leadership roles and providing appropriate training.
- Ensuring middle managers understand how to operate effectively in a political environment.
- Creating a safe space for councillors to resolve issues away from public meetings.
- Exploring incentive and sanction options, such as publishing attendance statistics and financial incentives.
- Granting officers greater powers to control council meetings, while managing the risk of curtailing legitimate debate.
- Rewarding good behaviour and investing in people to boost motivation and improve results.
- Politicians managing some behavioural concerns themselves through group structures, with formal sanctions for non-compliance.
The Improvement Team will continue to engage with councillors and wider stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of acceptable behaviour, and will update the board on progress at the September 2025 meeting.
Political Culture Commission
Stephen Halsey, Chief Executive, provided an update on the proposal to commission academic work to support the council’s improvement journey. He said that this work could bring greater objectivity to the process and demonstrate the council’s commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
However, board members suggested that the value of such work might be limited at this stage, and that it could be more valuable later on to measure success and progress.
Stephen Halsey, Chief Executive, will consider an adapted proposal for commissioning external expertise to support improvement.
Board Workplan
Kirsty Roberts, Chief Executive's Senior Strategy Officer, introduced the draft TAB Workplan. The board requested that the work plan include a discussion on the proposed Staff Survey prior to its launch, and that the measuring success session specifically address what is required to deliver the Ministerial Directions2.
Envoy Update
Kim Bromley-Derry, Lead Ministerial Envoy, provided an update on the preparation of the Envoys’ first formal report to the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution. A draft would be sent to the council for fact-checking before submission to the Minister on or before 22 May, and would be updated to include reference to this TAB meeting and the council AGM on 14 May.
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The Local Government Association (LGA) is a national membership body for local authorities in England and Wales. It provides support, training, and resources to councils and represents their interests to the government. ↩
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Ministerial directions are instructions issued by government ministers to local authorities, requiring them to take specific actions or address particular issues. They are typically used when a council is failing to meet its statutory duties or is facing significant challenges. ↩
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