GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 7
NEWS
GPSJ
Council apologises and accepts public interest
report recommendations
Woking Borough
Council has issued a
formal apology and fully
accepts the findings and
recommendations of an
independent public interest
report into its governance
arrangements relating to
past investment decisions
and strategy.
existing Improvement and Recovery
The report also found that key
Plan to take account of the public
senior officers failed to fulfil their
interest report.
statutory duties during the period
prepared by independent external
referenced in the report have since
repeated and accepting the report’s
auditors, Grant Thornton, highlighted
left Woking Borough Council.
recommendations in full is a critical
historic shortcomings in the council’s
Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, Leader
arrangements spanning decades.
“Publication of the Grant Thornton
There was a failure by previous
public interest report confirmed what
During an extraordinary council
political and managerial leadership
many residents already felt - that
meeting on 20 November 2024,
to ensure borrowing and investment
their council has let them down.
councillors unanimously accepted
decisions were proportionate to the
Years of mismanagement, poor
the report’s conclusions and
council’s size and failed to ensure
governance and a disregard for
recommendations, alongside
‘best value’.
the risks have left our community
It concluded that these
governance failures, coupled
burdened with unsustainable debt.
“These systemic failings betrayed
with inadequate financial control
the trust residents placed in the
Commissioners, the council will
and risk management, resulted in
council and have had far-reaching
now check whether there are any
unsustainable borrowing and an
consequences.
additions it needs to make to its
extraordinary level of debt.
With the support of
“As Leader, I am committed to
ensuring that such failures are never
of Woking Borough Council, said:
of the past.
unacceptable failings of the past.
under review. All individuals
The public interest report,
financial, governance and legal
apologising to residents for failings
Council I want to apologise for these
step. Embedding them into our
ongoing Improvement and Recovery
Plan will strengthen governance,
improve financial management, and
rebuild public confidence in the
council.
“We cannot undo the failures
of the past, but we can and must
learn from them. By implementing
the auditor’s recommendations, we
are taking decisive action to secure
a better future for Woking and the
residents we serve.”
“On behalf of Woking Borough
Sodexo advocates for cross industry
collaboration to increase green skills
Sodexo UK and Ireland
is advocating for cross
industry collaboration to
advance green skills1,
enabling organisations,
including its own, to meet
net zero commitments
report 2024 uncovered a significant
and refer to the capabilities that
gap exists between corporate
enable individuals to contribute
sustainability commitments and the
has identified different job families,
to sustainable development and
skills workers needed to achieve
from senior leadership to frontline
address pressing environmental
them. Currently, the demand for
colleagues at its sites, and mapped
challenges, such as climate
green skills is growing faster than
skills competency across these key
change.
the supply. The report highlights that
role families. This mapping helps
by 2030, one in five jobs will lack
determine the specific knowledge,
There is a growing need to ensure
Recognising that every role in its
transition to a low-carbon economy.
businesses transitioning to net zero
To support this goal, Sodexo
the workforce is equipped with the
the green talent to fill it; by 2050 this
skills, and behaviours required for
organisation must adapt to meet
necessary green skills to support
is predicted to be one in two jobs.4
green skills to be incorporated into
the challenges posed by climate
economic growth. A recent Skills
Sodexo already has a sustainable
change, Sodexo is embedding
England report2 identified that 2
learning pathway in place, through
every role.
Alongside its established
green skills within its workforce,
in 5 workers will play a central role
which 71% of its senior leaders and
community of practice with clients
providing training and learning
in supporting the transition to net
on-site managers have completed
and supply partners, which it set up
opportunities for its people at
zero; however, without investing
the green skills training so far.
all stages of their career journey
in green skills, employers will face
To extend the opportunity to all
through a dedicated training
challenges in sourcing a workforce
employees as well as its clients,
centre which it has partnered
with the relevant expertise.
and supply partners, Sodexo is
with the Institute of Environmental
According to the Climate Action
partnering with IEMA to establish a
Management and Assessment
Tracker3, 90% of the world’s GDP is
dedicated training centre which will
(IEMA) to establish.
covered by a net zero commitment,
enable individuals to access the
and yet a LinkedIn Global Skills
skills training necessary to drive the
Green skills are vital for
in collaboration with FuturePlanet in
2023, the new dedicated training
centre sees Sodexo take another
pivotal step toward reaching net
zero and fulfilling its commitment
to foster a culture of environmental
responsibility within its workforce.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL AUTUMN 2024
7
