To receive a presentation on aspects of the operation of LGSS Law Ltd within Central Bedfordshire Council.

The Committee received a presentation on LGSS Law Ltd.  The presentation summarised the service improvements being implemented and the progress made against the Service Improvement Plan (SIP).  The Director of Resources introduced the presentation following which he, assisted by the Legal Services Business Manager, responded to a range of comments and questions raised by Members relating to the company.  Amongst the topics covered were the following:

·         The use of locums or interim staff for infrequent work of a highly specialist nature and its relatively low cost to the Council.

·         The action taken to improve the completion of client satisfaction surveys by staff, the wider value to the Council of the surveys, ways of achieving a more accurate feedback and the suggested viewing of the survey responses by the Committee.

·         The suggested seeking of Members’ views of their experience of using the company.

·         Employee turnover, the possible reasons for the ‘churn’ and the measures taken to mitigate against the impact.

·         The monitoring of the company’s financial position with especial reference to the financial circumstances of other council shareholders, the level of related risk and any action being taken to reduce this.

·         The purpose of the recruitment drive as a means of reviewing employee skillsets, both current and required for the long term on a permanent basis, rather than a means to fill vacancies.

·         Value for money, the reasons for any overspend, the current overspend figure and the largest source of the substantial reduction in the overspend which had taken place in the current financial year.

·         The time taken to process children’s social care cases by the company and the reasons why any cases took longer than the national average.

The Chairman commented that progress had been made and processes were being put in place to ensure it continued.  He thanked the Director for his presentation and the Business Manager for his support.  The Chairman stated that he did not think a further update was required by the Committee at its next meeting as he felt matters should be allowed to work through.  Unless, therefore, any issues arose he favoured a break of six months before the next update was submitted.

NOTED

the presentation on LGSS Law Ltd.

RESOLVED

that the next LGSS update presentation take place at the meeting of the Audit Committee on 29 May 2019 unless required earlier.