Agenda and draft minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Curry.

An apology for absence was also received from Peter Little, Chair of the Board, Kyndi Ltd.

The record of the meeting held on 15 June 2026 was agreed by the Sub Committee and signed by the Chairperson as correct.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none. 

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

There were none.

Background:

The report sought to provide assurance over the governance arrangements in place at Kyndi Ltd, by presenting the outcomes of the governance self-assessment undertaken by Kyndi Ltd against the Local Partnerships Local Authority Company Review Guidance (2023), and the results of the subsequent independent validation carried out by Internal Audit.

The validation review had confirmed that Kyndi's governance arrangements were effective and broadly aligned with recognised good practice principles. Strong arrangements had been identified in relation to governance structures, strategic planning, Board oversight, financial management, ethical conduct, and performance management. Whilst a small number of governance improvements had been identified, these did not detract from the overall effectiveness of the governance framework currently in place.

The Head of Internal Audit & Counter Fraud Shared Service (Chief Audit Executive) advised that since the review, only one outstanding action remained and that there was ongoing clear improvement activity. It was confirmed that Board member performance appraisals would be completed by Q3. The Chairperson thanked the Head of Internal Audit & Counter Fraud Shared Service (Chief Audit Executive) and team for the collaborative approach taken in supporting the self-assessment.

It was noted that following the governance review, work was underway to establish a Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, which would be chaired by the Head of Finance. It was confirmed that the current Interim Head of Finance’s contract had been extended and it was anticipated that the role would remain part-time, enabling resources to be redirected towards transformation activity. The Head of Internal Audit & Counter Fraud Shared Service (Chief Audit Executive) confirmed that there had not yet been engagement with the Interim Head of Finance.

It was requested that an update be provided at the next meeting on progress made against the governance improvements identified within the review.

Reasons

To ensure the Council maintains effective oversight and assurance over its local authority trading company in line with best practice.

To strengthen governance arrangements and mitigate risks identified through independent validation.

Background:

The Sub Committee considered the report which provided an overview of the progress made in Quarter 4 of 2025/26 against the approved Kyndi Business Plan.

The Sub Committee considered and discussed the Exempt Appendices. Noting that Exempt Appendices 1 to 5 provided the CEO report to the Board, the Operations report Q1 26/27, Quarterly Management Accounts – Kyndi Consolidated (Q1 2026/27), the Sales & Business Development report Q1, and the Strategic Risk Register. It was also noted that Exempt Appendices 6 to 7, provided further information in respect of the Board Effectiveness Review in March 2026.

The Chief Executive Officer, Kyndi Ltd, advised that a range of transformation activities were underway across organisational culture, workforce development and automation. Key appointments included a Transformation Manager on a fixed-term basis, an Interim Head of Finance and ongoing recruitment for an Operations Manager to support the Control Centre following the departure of the Head of Operations. It was reported that recruitment to the Head of Operations role had proved challenging, although a further round of interviews was scheduled. In the meantime, officers had worked closely with managers to ensure service levels remained unaffected.

It was also reported that the organisation had successfully achieved Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, which reflected the importance of protecting sensitive data held on behalf of vulnerable residents. In response to a question, it was reported that a dedicated project focusing on aged debt had achieved positive results and that improvements would be reflected in the Quarter 2 financial report.

In response to further questions, it was confirmed that the CCTV camera upgrades were on track and the drop in incident reporting may have been due to changes in the control centre staff structure that had now been addressed and was being monitored closely. It was confirmed that stage 1 of the Real time Information for public transport would be completed with a test in mid-October, with Phase 2 commencing from November. It was agreed that the communications plan could be shared with the Sub Committee. It was suggested that there could be more joint working with the relevant bodies at the railway station and the Police with regard to CCTV coverage. The Sub Committee were advised that there were some data issues with regards to sharing.

The Sub Committee discussed recent recruitment challenges and it was confirmed that the recruitment process was being strengthened with regard to disclosures. The Sub Committee were advised that there was now a further challenge associated with enhanced vetting requirements recently introduced by Kent Police for CCTV operators, which was impacting on workforce capacity throughout Kent. Discussions were scheduled with the Kent Police vetting team later in October, and further clarification was being sought regarding arrangements for existing staff.

The Sub Committee touched on the use of technological advances and how they could be validated as saving ideas. It was noted that work around this formed part of the work of the One Medway Financial Improvement and Transformation (FIT) Plan 2026/27.

It was requested  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.