Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. We, the Council, are committed to preventing and eradicating it.
This statement is made in response to the requirements of Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act (2015).
This statement covers the financial year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 and addresses what improvements can be made to monitor our suppliers and supply chains.
What we’ve already achieved
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We exclude companies that cannot demonstrate their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act from the tender process.
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We include a Supplier Code of Conduct in our tender documents, explaining the required standards of all bidders operating on behalf of the council. However this does not currently specifically address Modern Slavery.
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We require budget holders to describe the product or service being bought on the setup form when assessing new suppliers, allowing the Strategic Procurement team to identify potential high-risk areas.
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We publish an annual Modern Slavery statement, in line with our Terms and Conditions of Contract which were updated three years ago.
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We share our learnings and best practice with other councils and local authorities.
What we’re planning to do
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We will research high-risk supply chain areas and draw up plans to engage with suppliers to find out what they are doing to eliminate Modern Slavery.
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We will develop a process of auditing supplier contracts.
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We will question suppliers specifically about their susceptibility to Modern Slavery and the processes they will adopt to prevent it.
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We will expand the Code of Conduct to include a section on Modern Slavery.
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We will revisit the Terms and Conditions of Contract and liaise with Legal Services to ensure Modern Slavery is appropriately covered.
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We will continue to share learning on Modern Slavery with partnership organisations and keep them informed of suppliers or contractors that concern us.
Considerations for the future
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We will explore how best to train staff on Modern Slavery because our Contract Management Training does not currently cover Modern Slavery.
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We will consider how to monitor and audit supplies and contractors in the high risk categories in the longer term.