Welsh Revenue Authority Board minutes: 7 June 2023

Members

• Ruth Glazzard, Chair
• Jocelyn Davies, Deputy Chair
• Dyfed Alsop , CEO
• Rebecca Godfrey, Non-Executive Member    
• Mary Champion, Non-Executive Member      
• Jim Scopes, Non-Executive Member      
• Rheon Tomos, Non-Executive Member
• Karen Athanatos, Staff-Elected Member

1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. No conflicts of interest were declared, and apologies were received from the Chief of Staff. Attendees included representatives from the Welsh Treasury (WT), and presenters and observers from the WRA. 
2. There were no comments regarding any of the papers to note. The latest ARAC minutes would be circulated out of committee after they had been cleared. 
3. The minutes and redacted minutes of the last meeting (February ’23) were agreed, with minor amendments.  
4. The committee noted their thanks to the Head of Customer Insight and Strategy for their work on the WRA Charter review - this was laid before the Senedd and published on the WRA website in May. 
5. The February meeting was Dyfed Edwards’ last meeting, as he temporarily stepped down to accept a 12-month position on the Betsi Cadwaladr Board. The Board thanked Dyfed for his service and looked forward to him returning in 2024.     

CEO/ AO Report 

1. An update was provided on the latest Tîm Arwain (TA) priorities, renewed and updated to reflect the organisation’s future direction and current business plan. These, alongside the Service Delivery Leadership Group’s (SDLG) priorities, will be shared with the organisation.
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SDLG Report

1. Since the fourth quarter, SDLG have undertaken leadership development workshops which have been valuable in the team’s focus and decision making skills.
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6. An Apprentice Software Developer came third in a Four Nations Secure coding tournament- the Board congratulated them on this fantastic achievement.

A23-02-02: COO to feedback to the Board on webinars and lessons learnt.  

Performance Report

1. The Head of Data provided the latest on performance measures. To note was the pleasing picture of the downward trend in tax risk- this is due to the decreasing number of cases, but also in the amount of tax risk in higher value cases (i.e multiple dwellings relief, which is down considerably).
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Finance & ARAC Report

1. Highlights from the report included a positive outcome from engagement with budget managers resulting in 99% forecast accuracy. The focus is now on preparing for next budget round, particularly understanding what the core operating staff budget will look like.
2. WG have started to discuss the parameters and considerations for the 2024-25 budget. WT will engage with the WRA as soon as possible, once they have sufficient information.
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4. In terms of the annual audit, this is planned to start in August due to Audit Wales scheduling, with a different approach also due to new risk-based auditing standards. The WRA has typically laid its accounts in July, so this is a departure. The aim for publishing is mid-September.
5. The case management committee (CMC) had undertaken an effectiveness review, which provided a high level of confidence from within the group. Areas of improvement included increasing CMC engagement & understanding of remit across the WRA.

Remuneration Committee update

1. The remuneration committee had their first meeting of the year in May, which included an update on recruitment and succession planning.

Welsh Treasury Report

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2. The tax conference will be held in person, likely to be in November- WT to send further details when available. 

Visitor Levy Governance Arrangements

1. The WRA has been confirmed by the Minister as the intended delivery body responsible for the collection and administration of the Visitor Levy on behalf of Local Authorities (LA) that opt-in.  
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 Tax Risk

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Stakeholder Mapping 

1. The Head of Customer Insight and Strategy gave the Board an overview of WRA stakeholder mapping activity so far. The Board’s away day in July will include a session on aligning SH mapping with the latest TA priorities, focusing on where there may be gaps and possible engagement risks and opportunities for the organisation.  

 Risk reflections and financial implications 

1.  The secretariat provided an oral summary of the risk and financial implications related to the day’s discussions. 

1. Last week, the UK Government announced their intention to allow departments to pay a non-consolidated amount to civil servants of £1500. Welsh Government have yet to decide how to respond, but are in negotiations with unions.
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3. The next meeting will be a Board Conversation at the end of June, and the strategy away day in mid-July.

Redacted information

There are certain circumstances where it is not appropriate to share all of the information contained within the Board minutes, for example, where it contains personal or commercial data or relates to the formulation of government policy or the effective conduct of public affairs. In such circumstances, the information has been redacted and the text is marked clearly that this has been the case.