Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX
14 August 2014
Please ask for: Miss J Maclennan
Telephone: (01463) 702132
TO: ALL DIRECTORS OF THE BOARD OF HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND
| Jenny Clarke | Drew Millar |
| Jaci Douglas | Kenneth Nicol |
| Ken Gowans | Fraser Parr |
| Douglas Graham | Ian Ross |
| Donald McLachlan | Laurence Young |
| Catriona MacLean |
Dear Director
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND – 21 AUGUST 2014
A meeting of the Board of HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND will take place in the BOARD ROOM, OLD LIBRARY, DINGWALL on THURSDAY 21 AUGUST 2014 at 10.00 A.M.
A note of the business to be transacted at the meeting is appended.
I trust that it will be convenient for you to attend.
Yours faithfully
MICHELLE MORRIS
COMPANY SECRETARY
BUSINESS
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest
Directors are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Director making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
3. High Life Highland Purpose, Key Business Objectives and Corporate Values P 1
There is circulated summary of High Life Highland’s purpose, key business objectives and corporate values as extracted from the High Life Highland Business Plan 2012-15.
4. Confirmation of Minutes PP 2-9
The following Minutes are circulated for approval:-
i. Board Meeting held on 25 June 2014 (pp 2-6); and
ii. Finance and Audit Committee held on 7 August 2014 (pp 7-9)
5. Matters Arising – Board Meeting of 25 June 2014 P 10
There is circulated, for information, matters arising from the meeting of the Board held on 25 June 2014.
The Board is invited to note the position.
6. High Life Highland Successes PP 11-65
There is circulated Report No. HLH19/14 dated 7 August 2014 by the Chief Executive presenting the best submissions from staff teams on the successful work being carried out by High Life Highland throughout the Highlands and across all areas of work.
The Board is invited to comment on the items presented and note that the selected items will form part of the long list for the annual Staff and Volunteer Award Scheme for 2014/15.
7. Queen’s Baton Relay – High Life Highland’s Involvement
A key element in the run up to the Commonwealth Games was the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) which, having travelled the Commonwealth, on its way to Glasgow, made several stops in the Highland area. At almost all of the stops, High Life Highland staff, mostly sports, but also facilities, youth work and arts, were involved in stimulating community activity to highlight the Torch’s passing. In this connection, there will be a short presentation of some of the images from those events.
The Board is invited to comment and note the presentation.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Board is asked to resolve that the following item be restricted to only those Directors and officers requiring to remain in attendance.
8. Approval of Draft Annual Report and Accounts to 31 March 2014 PP 66-109
There is circulated separately to Directors and necessary officers only Report No. HLH20/14 dated 7 August 2014 by the Chief Executive presenting the annual report and accounts for High Life Highland for the period ending 31 March 2014.
The Board is invited to agree the Annual Report and Audit Accounts as detailed in Appendix A of the report.
9. Appointments
i. High Life Highland
The Board is invited to note that Highland Council, at its meeting on 26 June 2014, approved the recommendation of the Nominations Committee and appointed Mr K Nicol and Mr L Young as Independent Directors to two of the three vacant positions, their appointment to take effect from the Board’s next Annual General Meeting.
ii. High Life Highland (Trading) C.I.C.
As Mr K Nicol has completed his three year term, in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Board is invited to appoint a Director from the Board of High Life Highland to the Board of High Life Highland (Trading) C.I.C. .
ii. Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
As Mr D Millar is nearing completion of his two year term, the Board is invited to appoint a Council Director to the Chief Executive Performance Review Committee.
iii. Nominations Committee
As Mr D Millar is nearing completion of his two year term, the Board is invited to appoint a Council Director to the Nominations Committee.
iv. Finance and Audit Committee
As Mr F Parr is nearing completion of his two year term, the Board is invited to appoint a Council Director to the Finance and Audit Committee.
STRATEGY
10. 10 Year Strategy Session – Timetable for Next 3 Years PP 110-111
There is circulated Report No. HLH21/14 dated 4 August 2014 by the Chief Executive introducing the report of the 10 year Planning Day held on 23 June 2014, as attached as Appendix A of the report.
To assist with the planning of the follow up session on 12 September 2014, the Board is invited to:-
i. comment on each of the recommendations in turn; and
ii. comment on and agree the reworked Statement of Purpose, Ambition, Core Values and Key Performance Indicators and Business Outcomes.
11. Trading Company – Role and Method of Operation PP 112-114
There is circulated Report No. HLH22/14 dated 5 August 2014 by the Chief Executive summarising the most recent discussion on the role and method of operation of the Trading Board, for discussion by the main Board as direction for the Trading Board.
The Board is invited to:-
i. comment on and agree the clarifications on the role and method of operation of the Trading Company; and
ii. agree the method of operation of the Trading Company is reviewed annually by the charity Board.
12. Corporate Membership Packages PP 115-125
There is circulated Report No. HLH23/14 dated 4 August 2014 by the Chief Executive providing Directors with an update on progress to date in developing High Life Highland corporate membership packages.
The Board is invited to comment on the progress made and agree the five year corporate membership package options proposed.
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE
13. Finance Report PP 126-132
There is circulated Report No. HLH24/14 dated 7 August 2014 by the Chief Executive providing an update on the financial performance of High Life Highland for the period ending 30 June 2014 and information on contracts awarded since the previous meeting of the Board.
The Board is invited to note:-
i. the current financial position of High Life Highland as detailed in Appendix A of the report;
ii. the financial results for the 3 months to 30 June 2014 reports a positive variance on budget of £2,207;
iii. the projected final out-turn for the year remains on target to the approved budget; and
iv. the award of contracts to Summit Web Solutions, Dynam Ltd, Achins Bookshop, EQ Sport, Lucy Woodley/Kirsten Body.
14. Human Resources Report PP 133-136
There is circulated Report No. HLH25/14 dated 4 August 2014 by the Chief Executive providing an update on Human Resources activity for April–June 2014 including a quarterly report on absence, disciplinary and grievance issues.
The Board is invited to note the content of the quarterly report including the update on the staffing establishment.
15. Quarterly Performance Report PP 137-147
There is circulated Report No. HLH26/14 dated 4 August 2014 by the Chief Executive presenting performance information for the period April to June 2014
The Board is invited to:-
i. comment on the report and agree that the overall health check on the company for the period is assessed as green;
ii. note the performance of the company against its business plan objectives;
iii. note that Leisure Facilities and Libraries compare well with the national figures for cost per attendance and that this is an indication that HLH services are providing good value for money; and
iv. note that the wide variation in cost per attendance for Museums reflects the widely varying differences in museums across Scotland and agree that because of this any future benchmarking comparisons focus only on Libraries and Leisure Facilities.
16. Chair/Chief Executive Verbal Updates
The Chair/Chief Executive will update Directors on:-
a) Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) Review of Arms Length External Organisations
High Life Highland has been selected by OSCR to take part in a review of Arms Length External Organisations (ALEOs) on the Scottish Charity Register. The aim of the review is to “establish a balanced and accurate view of the activities and governance of this group of charities and their relationship with the local authority. We will prepare a summary report on our findings later this year, with good practice guidance for the sector” …”your organisation is of particular interest to us because the local authority is the sole member and the constitution permits some degree of local authority control over appointment and removal of trustees”.
The review is in two parts. Firstly, a request for written information under the headings of:-
Documentation – minutes, Service Level Agreements, Code of Conduct/Conflicts of Interest/Register of Interests;
Appointment and Removal of charity trustees – role of Nominations Committee, appointments procedure, etc;
General Governance – make-up of the Board, examples of conflict of interest between Council and charity, occasions where the Council has exercised its powers as sole member; and
Finance – proportion of income from Council versus other sources, Trustee remuneration, ownership of assets, rates relief arrangements.
Secondly, a meeting with the Chief Executive, a council trustee and independent trustee and any other key staff.
The written pack of information has been provided to OSCR and the meeting scheduled for 14 August 2014 with the Chair and Councillor Drew Millar attending. A verbal update on the meeting will be available at the Board meeting.
The Board is invited to note High Life Highland’s participation in the OSCR review of ALEOs.
b) Budget Outlook 2015-18
The Chief Executive will give a verbal update on the budget outlook for 2015-18 and detail the discussions which have taken place with the Highland Council.
It is recommended that the Finance and Audit Committee working group be delegated the remit of reviewing the existing proposed actions and potentially increasing their reach in order to meet the new planning total, with final proposals being made available to the Board for comment at the October meeting.
c) Inverness Cultural Centre Project Board
The leadership of the Highland Council has completed their review of the project, and has decided that it is something that merits further detailed investigation. It is likely that the project will be taken forward by the Highland Culture Strategic Board. This is a multi-agency body that was set up following the Highland Year of Culture in 2007 and is attended by Highland and Islands Enterprise, Creative Scotland and Event Scotland. It has formal approval as a body led by the Council and includes opposition members and so offers a number of advantages as a project vehicle.
It is further likely that a sub-group will be established to take forward the Inverness Cultural Centre project and that this will include representation from HLH. It is understood that HLH will be asked to service this group and lead on the project management.
It is recommended that the Board note the position regarding the proposed Inverness Cultural Centre.
