The General Purposes Committee met to discuss the use of investigatory powers, and to review and update the council's tender and contract regulations in light of new legislation. The committee agreed to recommend the adoption of the proposed contract standing orders to the Full Council. They also reviewed the political balance of the General Purposes Urgency Sub-Committee and made appointments to it.

Tender and Contract Regulations Refresh

The committee agreed to recommend to the Full Council the adoption of proposed Contract Standing Orders (CSOs) to replace the existing Tender and Contract Regulations (TCRs). The proposed CSOs are intended to align with the legislative requirements of the Procurement Act 2023¹ (PA23), the Procurement Regulations 2024 (PR24) and Provider Selection Regime (PSR). The report presented to the committee noted that the new CSOs aim to:

• Establish clearer rules with lines of accountability to ensure compliance
• Provide a framework for fair and transparent procurement decisions
• Protect against fraud and misuse of public funds
• Minimise risk to the council's interests and reputation
• Ensure best value for money

The report also noted that the new procurement legislation requires the council to transform its procurement processes, revise procurement documents, reconfigure systems and upskill staff.

The committee was asked to recommend to the Full Council that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to update the Constitution and any Scheme of Delegations to make any consequential changes, and that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to approve any further consequential amendments to the CSOs, provided these are not material, as the procurement process becomes embedded.

Use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and Investigatory Powers Act 2016

The committee reviewed a report on the council's use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000² (RIPA) and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016³ (IPA). The report noted that both RIPA and IPA enable the council to use covert methods of surveillance and information gathering to assist in the detection and prevention of crime related to its core functions. It also noted that any evidence obtained through covert surveillance could be challenged under data protection law and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights⁴ (ECHR). The report stated that local authorities are only permitted to use RIPA/IPA for the purpose of investigating or detecting crime and disorder, and that they must show that the surveillance is necessary and proportionate. The council cannot carry out intrusive surveillance, such as putting a hidden camera in a suspect's home.

The report noted that the council has made relatively little use of the powers available under RIPA/IPA during the calendar year 2024. There was one authorisation for directed surveillance to support Trading Standards investigations into the supply and sale of illicit tobacco, vapes and related offences, and no requests to access communications data.

The report stated that the low use of RIPA/IPA is due to a number of factors, including the changes resulting from the introduction of Universal Credit, which largely removed the ability for the council to investigate benefit fraud, and the increase in data sharing between public authorities and government agencies.

The report included the council's Covert Activities Policy as an appendix.

General Purposes Urgency Sub-Committee - Political Balance Review and Appointments

The committee reviewed the political balance of the General Purposes Urgency Sub-Committee and made appointments to it. The report noted that the rules on political balance and committees are set out in sections 15 to 17 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and supplemented by the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990.

The report stated that the political balance calculations for the purposes of the Annual Council Meeting were based on 71 members (70 councillors plus the Executive Mayor). The political balance calculations were based on the following split:

• Labour: 34/71 = 47.9%
• Conservative: 34/71 = 47.9%
• Green: 2/71 = 2.8%
• Liberal Democrat 1/71 = 1.4%

The report noted that the General Purposes Urgency Sub-Committee consists of 4 members drawn from the membership of the General Purposes Committee, and that applying the political balance rules, only the Conservative and Labour groups are entitled to be allocated seats on the sub-committee.

The committee agreed to appoint the following members and substitutes to the General Purposes Urgency Sub-Committee:

• Conservative: Tbc
• Labour: Councillor Sean Fitzsimons and Councillor Appu Srinivasan
• Substitute Members: Tbc, Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice and Councillor Stella Nabukeera