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This is a Part A report template to be used for public reports. Where an item includes information not to be published, use Part A for the elements that can be published and Part B for those elements that cannot. Separate guidance has been produced for Part B reports and for reports to Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs).
This guidance has been devised to assist report authors, as they prepare reports, to include all relevant information in them. It should also be used by those reviewing draft reports to confirm that all relevant data has been included.
It has been produced, as individual section headings in the template report cannot, by their nature, fully cover what is anticipated to be included in that section.
The guidance is also repeated as comments in the actual template for the individual sections if that is easier to work, with as you complete a report using a template.
For all reports: Do not change section titles or alter text from the templates. Plus, keep the report succinct and to the point. Include only information which is relevant to the decision being recommended.
Remember to delete all comments before submitting the completed report. You can remove all comments from the template by going to the ‘Review’ Tab in Word, and in the “Comments” section of that Toolbar, select the down arrow below “Delete” and choose “Delete All Comments in Document”.
Insert Date of Meeting - use the full day, month and year written format (e.g. 17 September 2021).
Insert the Job/Office Title of the person who is responsible for the report. This could be, for instance, the Leader/relevant Portfolio Holder or Monitoring Officer etc.
Insert the title of the report. This should be informative of the subject of the report.
This section of the report sets out why the report is required. Explain the decision being sought. Should be brief (one or two sentences). This text will be used on the Meeting’s Agenda Sheet and so should provide a sufficient introduction to the decision being sought.
Use this section to provide a summary of the issue and proposal. Set out key points which the decision maker needs to know in order to make an informed decision; including outcomes the decision is intended to deliver.
Note - The reader of the report should be able to reach an initial view on the proposals set out in the recommendation(s).
Set out the recommendation(s) here. Be very clear what you are asking the decision maker to agree. Consider whether the decision maker can make the decision proposed. Check the Constitution to be clear who can take what decision. If the wrong person/body agrees a recommendation and makes a decision that is not in their authority to make it will be null and void.
For multi-part recommendations (as above), please ensure that recommendation (a) starts with a capital (and ends in a semi-colon) and then (b), (c) etc. with a lower case letter and a semi-colon at the end then a single full stop at the end of the last recommendation.
Ensure that any recommended delegations to Portfolio Holders and/or Officers are clearly set out in the recommendations. Advice on these can always be sought from the Deputy Chief Executive and/or the Assistant Director of Finance & IT (or colleagues in Democratic Services). This will extend to approving any necessary documentation to then implement the decision.
If there are further decisions to be made to implement the recommendations in the report then make sure these are covered. Think about regular consultation with Portfolio Holder/Corporate Director.
Include here information on alternatives considered and the reasons these were not pursued. Please don’t be flippant! This section is a legal requirement.
Identify which of the Corporate Plan 2024-28 Priority Themes the proposed decision will contribute to:
And whether it contributes to the delivery of the Cabinet’s Key Priority Actions for that year.
And also any existing adopted Strategy/Plan that is relevant.
In this section:
Mention relevant internal officer consultation as well as wider/external consultation on the subject and on the report content. Include any relevant elements of the proposals that came out of the consultation or if you are going against the outcome. Particularly where there are inter-dependencies, set out that you have consulted with the relevant internal departments?
Note: In many cases it is a Council Constitutional requirement to consult the relevant Ward Councillor(s). So mention which Ward Councillors(s) were consulted, when and whether they raised any issues.
Also use this section to record any intended consultation and how the outcomes will inform delivery (e.g. further report to Cabinet).
Note: In accordance with Article 7.08(3) of the Constitution, all reports to Cabinet on proposals relating to the budget and policy framework MUST contain details of the nature and extent of consultation with [...] [the] relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee [OSC], and other stakeholders and the outcome of that consultation. So mention which OSC was consulted (and any other stakeholders) and the outcome of that consultation where the report concerns proposals relating to the Budget and Policy Framework.
In addition, use this section to set out how the decision arising from the report will be communicated to the public/stakeholders.
The initial part of this section asks you to identify whether the recommendation a Key Decision. The criteria for a Key decision is shown (as follows here):
If it is a Key decision, identify which of the above criteria applies.
Public Notice of Key decisions must have been included in the Council’s Notice of Forthcoming Decisions for at least 28 days prior to the meeting date; unless the urgency provisions within the Council’s Constitution are being invoked. If the recommendation is a Key Decision you are asked to include the date in the report the proposal was published in the Notice of Forthcoming Decisions i.e. published to the Council’s website and therefore into the public domain.
For the remainder of this section of the report, set out the legal authority that underpins the proposed decision.
For reports concerning property matters, set out whether the Property Dealing Procedure applies. If so, reference the requirements of the procedure.
Consider whether you wish to use the incidental powers under Section 111 of the LGA 1972 – if so seek advice from the Legal Team. In these cases use this section to mention the use of those powers.
The content of this section must be submitted to and authorised by the Deputy Chief Executive in her capacity as the Monitoring Officer of the Council.
The content of this section must be submitted to and authorised by the Assistant Director of Finance and IT in his capacity as the Section 151 Officer of the Council.
Explain the implications for the Council’s resources:
Specifically explain the financial implications and how the proposal will be funded (from which budget?)
Consider how the proposals relate to the Capital Investment Strategy and reference the relationship.
Make sure you refer to both set up costs and on-going revenue and capital (short and long term) implications, as appropriate.
Have you considered the non-financial resources required to deliver the proposed action within the anticipated timescales? Make sure these non-financial resources are referenced here.
Where necessary complete and attach the Council’s Project Scoping Document (if determined as a project) – which will cover this information. If you are not attaching it as an appendix to the report, it should be listed as a background paper (see rules on this below).
External Audit expect the following matters to be demonstrated in the Council’s decision making:
As such, set out in this section the relevant facts for the proposal set out in this report.
Include relevant information for delivery of the decision such as:
Set out an appropriate assessment of the risks involved in the proposed decision and the steps proposed to mitigate them to allow opportunities to be realised or to reduce any threat.
Set out in this section:
Further guidance is set out in the Council’s Risk Management Framework.
If you refer to a separate document and it’s not attached as an appendix it should be listed as a background paper (see rules on this below).
Use this section to set out that an equalities risk assessment based on the Public Sector Equality Duty, has been undertaken and how the conclusions of the assessment impacted on the proposal in the report. See standard wording below.
In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, public bodies such as the Council must, in the exercise of their functions, give due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
The protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.
The Council’s Equality Impact Assessment Form is available in TED.
Include in this section either of the alternative standard wordings as apply:
The equality impact assessment form, if you are not attaching it as an appendix to the report, should be listed as a background paper (see rules on this below).
Social Value is defined through the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and requires all public sector organisations (and their suppliers) to look beyond the financial cost of a contract and consider how the services they commission and procure might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of an area.
In the section, set out how the proposals:
In this section, include reference to the impact the proposal will have on the Council’s aim for its activities to be carbon neutral by 2050 including the actions, policies and milestones in its Climate Change Action Plan (part of the Council’s formal Policy Framework). This section should also outline the impact of the proposal on the Council’s community leadership actions influencing and encouraging partners, businesses, community groups and individuals across Tendring to join the Council in striving to achieve carbon neutrality for the District as a whole.
Set out what consideration has been given to the implications of the proposed decision in respect of the following and any significant issues are then set out below.
Crime and Disorder
Health Inequalities
Subsidy Control – where the report proposes financial awards (such as grants or procurement exemptions) to businesses and other organisations the report will need to identify here how the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and the related Statutory Guidance have been considered and include the assessment of the proposals against those requirements.
Area or Ward affected
There is no need to repeat information from the Executive Summary or other sections above.
Use this section for Cabinet Reports (and where necessary for Portfolio Holder/MT reports) to provide the context for the proposed decision (that do not easily fall in one of the earlier sections) such as:
Explain the circumstances which now make a decision necessary. Please provide the up to date information which enables the decision to be made.
State any previous relevant discussions and/or decisions, giving date and minute number and any consequential action taken.
List the background papers (unpublished documents) relating to the subject matter of the report which in the report author’s opinion:
Please note that background papers should be made available on the Council’s website for viewing therefore, these should be provided to Committee Services.
Refer to sections about Project Scoping Documents, Equality Impact Assessments and Risk assessment documents if you are not attaching them.
State if there are none.
In addition to background papers as defined above, if you have relied on published material then include reference to it here as ‘other published reference material’ and provide the links to it.
In this section, list any appendices, in the order they are referred to within the Report – using the following format:
Appendix A – name/title of document
Appendix B – name/title of document
State if there are none.
Make sure they match the actual titles on the Appendices; and
Mark the Appendices in the top right hand corner as Appendix A, B and so on.
Include here the Name, Job Title and Email/Telephone details of the person(s) who wrote the report and who can answer questions on the content.