Agency Board Planner
Summary
Agency board report number: SEPA 05/24 - February 2024
The schedule for Board and Committee meetings was agreed by the Agency Board in July 2023. This paper presents the Planner to be approved by the Board with proposals on seminar sessions and strategic items for tabling at Agency Board meetings to March 2025.
The Board is also asked to agree the proposed date of 30 January 2025 for a Board strategy/planning day.
For approval.
For Public session of the Board.
Kirsty-Louise Campbell, Chief Officer Governance, Performance & Engagement
Jennifer McWhirter, Clerk to the Board
Jenny Faichney, CLT & Board Support Unit Manager
Introduction
The schedule for SEPA’s Board and Committee meetings was agreed by the Agency Board in July 2023 and is available on SEPA’s website at Board and Committee calendar of meetings. This paper presents the Planner to be approved by the Board with proposals on seminar sessions and strategic items for tabling at Agency Board meetings throughout the year. A separate forward planning exercise is being undertaken for the agendas for the 2024 People & Remuneration Committee and Audit & Risk Committee meetings; these will be discussed at the committee meetings, but an overview is presented in section 3 of this paper.
The planner presented in section 2 takes into consideration the need for Board sessions to be structured to reflect the priorities/key deliverables in SEPA’s Corporate and Annual Operating Plans, and the content of the Board action note. It also considers how to make the best use of Board time (including interactive sessions, seminars and site visits), the need for public Agency Board meetings, and continuing to have alternate meetings on MS Teams and in person. In-person meetings will be held at SEPA offices as far as possible to avoid unnecessary costs of venue hire.
Agency Board meetings are predominantly held in public, and the papers and minutes are published on the SEPA website, as described in the Standing Orders. Following the public meeting there is a private session for the Board to discuss items which may be sensitive, or draft documents, e.g. which need approval prior to publication. The agendas will clearly state when they are published which items will be taken in public or private.
Items for Board consideration
Seminars and strategic items for Board consideration are planned to the end of 2024-25 financial year; see section 2.4 for proposals to be agreed. Please note that they may be subject to change to consider new priority work areas over the course of the year as the Corporate Plan 2024-2027 is rolled out. Board members views made at the Board induction day on 22 February 2024 will also be incorporated – a verbal update on these will be provided at the meeting on 27 February.
The Agency Board meetings also currently have the following standing items on all agendas: Chief Executive and Chair reports; Board engagement; and Committee reports.
A reminder of other standing items and routine Board items expected throughout the year is also provided in section 2.4 and in a calendar/table format in Annex 1.
Proposed Board agenda items:
- The Code of Conduct – seminar session led by the Standards Commission for Scotland
- Approval of SEPA Corporate Plan 2024-27
- Draft Inflationary Cost Increases for Charging Schemes
- Standing items: Q3 reports for Performance and Financial Monitoring; Draft Annual Budget; SEPA and Board Governance (annual review of official documents and procedures approved by the Board); Agency Board planner.
- Flooding
- MSP research
- Annual Operating Plan (AOP)
- Water scarcity
- IS and Digital Development
- Grangemouth Regulatory Hub
- Standing items: Q4 reports for Performance and Financial Monitoring.
- Board visit to Aberdeen lab (am)
- Water management: Sewerage and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
- People Strategy and SEPA Values
- Standing items: Audit & Risk Committee Annual Performance Report; Annual Review of Risk.
Informal and in person (SEPA office venue TBC) with a proposed focus on SEPA’s Performance Framework.
- Programme for Government (including possible attendance by the Cabinet Secretary/Environment Minister)
- Circular Economy regulation developments
- Standing items: 2025-26 Calendar of meetings and Forward Planner; Q1 reports for Performance and Financial Monitoring; SEPA Customer Service Level Complaints Statistics Annual Report.
- Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by SEPA – opportunities & risk (seminar session TBC)
- Reservoir regulation
- Flooding
- Standing items: Annual Report and Accounts - Fully Audited; Procurement Annual Report; Q2 reports for Performance and Financial Monitoring.
Reflection on the first year of progress with the delivery of the 2024-27 Corporate Plan and look ahead to the AOP for 2025-26.
Note that the date for this is currently presented in the published Board calendar as Tuesday 28 January 2025, but this date is proposed to be moved to Thursday 30 January 2025 following the agreement of the Board at the meeting on 27 February.
- Topic of seminar TBC
- Sealice Framework progress
- Standing items: Q3 reports for Performance and Financial Monitoring; Draft Annual Budget; AOP 2025-26; SEPA and Board Governance; Agency Board planner; draft Equality mainstreaming report sign-off (biennial).
Additional seminars or visits for groups of Board members, including via engagement with SEPA staff and/or working groups will also be arranged outwith this calendar with the appropriate Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) lead. As detailed in the Standing Orders, special meetings of the Agency Board may also take place where there is business that is urgent and cannot wait to the next meeting of the Agency Board. If it is not practicable to convene a special meeting, the Chair may under exceptional circumstances deal with the matter(s) by correspondence. The Standing Orders allow for papers to be sent to the Board via circulation.
Committee meetings
Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) - to meet its Terms of Reference (ToR), the Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) meets no fewer than four times each financial year for 2-3hrs to receive reports from the internal auditors, the external auditors and SEPA staff. As requested by the current committee, four shorter (1hr) meetings have also been added to the timetable for ARC to scrutinise the quarterly Financial Monitoring Reports before going to the Board. ARC is also to hold an annual workshop on 19 March 2024; this will be in person. A review of the ARC ToR will be carried out for approval at the Board meeting on 24 September 2024.
People & Remuneration Committee (PRC) - to meet its ToR, the Committee meets no fewer than four times each financial year, coordinated with Agency Board meetings to facilitate timely briefing for the wider Board membership. The balance of how time is used in the meetings will be different with up to two meetings each year extended beyond the planned 1.5hrs to focus on remuneration alongside People issues to complement the remuneration planning timetable.
Recommendations
The Board is asked to approve the planner for 2024-25 and agree Thursday 30 January 2025 for a strategy/planning day.
Annex 1: Calendar of Board meetings and expected items - Reporting Cycle 2024-2025
Format
- Seminar Session: Standards Commission for Scotland – Code of Conduct
- Board Meeting
Venue - Online (MS Teams)
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Board Engagement Activity
People - CLT update
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
- Q3 Financial Monitoring report
- Draft Annual Budget
- Draft Inflationary Cost Increases for Charging Schemes
Operational (strategic level)
Governance
- Q3 Performance Report
- Approval of Corporate Plan 2024-2027
- SEPA and Board Governance
- Board Planner
Format - Board Meeting
Venue - In Person – Eurocentral, ASB
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Board Engagement Activity
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
Operational (strategic level) - Flooding
Governance
- Annual Operating Plan 2024-25
- MSP research
Format - Board Meeting
Venue - Online (MS Teams)
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Board Engagement Activity
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
- Q4 Financial Monitoring report
- IS and Digital Development
Operational (strategic level)
- Water scarcity
- Grangemouth Regulatory Hub
Governance - Q4 Performance Report
Format
- Site Visit – Aberdeen lab
- Board Meeting
Venue - In Person – Aberdeen
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- ARC Annual Report
- Board Engagement Activity
People - People Strategy and SEPA Values
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
Operational (strategic level) - Water management: Sewerage and CSOs
Governance - Annual Review of Risk
Format - Strategy / Planning Day*
Venue - In Person – location TBC
Routine
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
Operational (strategic level)
Governance - SEPA’s Performance Framework
Format - Board Meeting
Venue - Online (MS Teams)
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Review of the ARC ToR
- Board Engagement Activity
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital - Q1 Financial Monitoring report
Operational (strategic level)
- Circular Economy regulation developments
- SEPA Customer Service Level Complaints Statistics Annual Report
Governance
- Programme for Government (including possible attendance by the CabSec/Env Minister)
- Q1 Performance report
- 2025-26 Calendar of meetings and Forward Planner
Format
- Seminar Session – Use of AI by SEPA (TBC)
- Board Meeting
Venue - In Person – Eurocentral, ASB
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Board Engagement Activity
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
- Q2 Financial Monitoring report
- Annual Report & Accounts
- Procurement Annual Report
Operational (strategic level)
- Reservoir regulation
- Flooding
Governance - Q2 Performance report
Format
- Seminar Session
- Board Meeting
Venue - Online (MS Teams)
Routine
- CEO Report
- Chair Report
Board Committee Reports & Work Programme
- ARC and PRC chair reports
- Board Engagement Activity
People
Finance, Modernisation & Digital
- Q3 Financial Monitoring report
- Draft Annual Budget
Operational (strategic level) - Sealice Framework progress
Governance
- Q3 Performance report
- AOP 2025-26
- SEPA and Board Governance
- Agency Board Planner
- Draft Equality Mainstreaming Report
* A further Strategy / Planning Day is proposed to be held on Thursday 30 January 2025 for the January 2025 strategy/planning day, in person, which will include reflection on the first year of progress with the delivery of the 2024-27 Corporate Plan and look ahead to the AOP for 2025-26.