The meeting of the Executive Member - The Mayor of Middlesbrough Council on Tuesday 17 December 2024 included the proposed annual review of the council’s Surveillance Policy, an updated Partnership Governance Policy, and a new Business Continuity Policy.

Surveillance Policy 2024/5

This item included a proposed Surveillance Policy for 2024/5. This was a revision of an existing policy that was last approved in December 2023 and included data about the Council's use of surveillance in 2024. The report stated that:

Guidance underpinning the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 states that elected members should review the Council’s use of RIPA powers and set the RIPA policy at least once per annum.

It also provided data about the number of times the council has sought authorisation to use RIPA powers in the last 10 years. The data indicated that only one application was made under RIPA in 2024. The report stated that the application related to the sale of illicit tobacco. The report also provided data about non-RIPA surveillance conducted by the council. It stated that in 2024 these primarily related to staffing matters.

Partnership Governance Policy

The meeting included a proposed Partnership Governance Policy, which the report describes as 'revised'. The policy included details about how the council planned to manage the governance of its strategic partnerships. It proposed a 'health check' for partnerships based on guidance issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The policy stated that the council would assess the following aspects of its partnerships:

 Whether the partnership behaves with integrity, demonstrating a strong commitment to ethnical values and the rule of law  How the partnership ensures compliance with the principles of openness and comprehensive stakeholder engagement  Defining outcomes in terms of sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits  Determining the interventions necessary to optimize the achievement of the intended outcomes  Developing the partnership’s capacity, including the capability of its leadership and the individuals within it  Managing risks and performance through robust internal control and strong public financial management  Implementing good practices in transparency, reporting and audit to deliver effective accountability.

Business Continuity Policy

This item included a proposed Business Continuity Policy. This report reiterated the council’s commitment to its statutory duties as a Category 1 responder under The Civil Contingencies Act 2004. The policy stated that Middlesbrough Council is:

committed to ensuring robust and effective business continuity management as a key mechanism to restore and deliver continuity of key services in the event of a disruption or emergency.

It listed the types of occurences that the council should prepare for, giving heavy snow, power outages, and cyber attacks as examples. The policy also included a significant amount of detail about the roles and responsibilities for business continuity within the council.