The Leader’s Portfolio

To consider report FIN/539 of the Head of Corporate Finance.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet approves

a)      the publication of the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Transparency Statement as attached at Appendix A to report FIN/539.

b)      that the Leader of the Council be delegated the approval of minor amendments and subsequent annual statements for publication, in consultation with the Head of Legal, Governance and HR, Head of Community Services and Head of Corporate Finance.

Reasons for the Recommendations

a)         The adoption and publication of a Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Transparency Statement is considered best practice and is likely to become a statutory requirement within the next 12 months.

b)        The approval of the statement shows the commitment of Crawley Borough Council to tackling modern day slavery in the community and in its supply chains. It also supports the principles set out in the Social Value Charter which is used within our procurement processes.

The Leader presented report FIN/539 of the Head of Corporate Finance.  The report sought approval for the publishing of the Council’s Modern Slavery Statement which acknowledged the provisions set out in the Modern Slavery Act (2015) and recognised the need to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking in its business and supply chain, including how the Council would work with its procured services to avoid exploitation. It was noted that it was a legal requirement for the Council to have an approved Statement.  The Statement would be updated annually and would set out the Council’s current position as well as future plans to ensure all modern slavery risks related to its business and supply chain were identified and mitigated. 

It was sadly acknowledged that there had been an incident of modern slavery within the Borough, so having a Statement in place was a further way in which the Council could support its residents.

Councillor Crow was invited to speak to the item and welcomed the approach being taken on both establishing a Modern Slavery Statement and the details contained within it.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet approves

a)      the publication of the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Transparency Statement as attached at Appendix A to report FIN/539.

b)      that the Leader of the Council be delegated to approve minor amendments to the Statement and subsequent annual Statements for publication, in consultation with the Head of Legal, Governance and HR, Head of Community Services and Head of Corporate Finance.

Reasons for the Recommendations

a)         The adoption and publication of a Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Transparency Statement is considered best practice and is likely to become a statutory requirement within the next 12 months.

b)        The approval of the Statement shows the commitment of Crawley Borough Council to tackling modern day slavery in the community and in its supply chains. It also supports the principles set out in the Social Value Charter which is used within the Council’s procurement processes.