To approve as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting held on 21 June 2010 (previously circulated).

RESOLVED

that the Minutes of the meeting of the Customer and Central Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 21 June 2010 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To receive from Members declarations and the nature thereof in relation to:

(a)       Personal Interests in any agenda item.

(b)       Personal and prejudicial Interests in any agenda item.

(c)        Any political whip in relation to any agenda item.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman and any matters of communication.

The Chairman advised the meeting that the Portfolio Holder for Policy and Performance had been delayed and that he would, therefore, provide his verbal update to the Committee as soon as he arrived.

To receive petitions from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 2 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

No petitions were received from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 2 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

To receive any questions, statements or deputations from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

No questions, statements or deputations from members of the public were received in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

To consider any matter referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to the call-in of a decision.

No matters were referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to the call-in of a decision.

To consider any items referred to the Committee at the request of a Member under Procedure Rule 3.1 of Part D2 of the Constitution.

No items were referred to the Committee for consideration at the request of a Member under Procedure Rule 3.1 of Part D2 of the Constitution.

To receive brief verbal updates from the Portfolio Holders for Policy and Performance, Finance, Governance and People and Customers, Systems and Assets.

The Committee received verbal updates from the Portfolio Holders for Customers, Systems and Assets, Finance, Governance and People and Policy and Performance.

The Portfolio Holder for Customers, Systems and Assets reported on work being undertaken in relation to various budget issues.  He also reported on the adoption by the Executive of both the Asset Disposal Strategy and the Remodelling of the Customer Services Programme and updated the meeting on the office moves and the staff response which appeared, from his experience, to be mainly positive.

The Portfolio Holder next referred to item 10 on the agenda (Property Services) which was to consider very early options regarding proposals for the Council’s Property Services function.  He explained that it had not proved possible to have the report ready in time for the meeting and that, following consideration, it had been decided that three reports would be submitted to the Committee on each of the three elements of this topic.  It was proposed, therefore, that Members would receive reports providing a position statement and the medium term accommodation strategy at the October meeting and the restructuring of property services at the December meeting.

In response to a query the Portfolio Holder stated that ICT was progressing well although some minor problems had arisen.  With regard to the longer term he referred to the possible use of the Government ‘Cloud’ and reminded Members that a report would be submitted to them by the end of the year.

In response to a further query the Portfolio Holder explained why the Executive had been required to make an urgent decision regarding the future of the Council’s contract with Mouchel.  The Chairman stated that the situation which had arisen emphasised the need for the Executive to ensure that any renegotiation regarding a contract should take place well before the end of the contract period.  Whilst indicating his agreement with this approach the Portfolio Holder stressed that the circumstances in this case had arisen without prior warning.

A Member referred to the presence of large numbers of crates in the offices which had not been moved for a period of weeks and expressed concern at the possibility of an accident.  The Portfolio Holder explained the action that officers should take to ensure the crates were removed.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People reported that a series of complications during the work to complete last year’s final accounts and present them to the Audit Committee by the June statutory deadline had led to pressure within the Accounts Team.  As a result the final accounts had been given priority status.  The deadline for the submission of the accounts had been met and, despite the need to prioritise work on the final accounts, the July budget monitoring had also been delivered on time though the Capital Review report had been delayed by a month.  It was expected that the results of the Capital Review would be presented to the September meeting of the Executive.

The Portfolio Holder further reported  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

To consider very early options regarding proposals for the Council’s Property Services function.

Further to comments by the Portfolio Holder for Customers, Systems and Assets (Minute 10/44 refers) Members were aware that the report on Property Services, scheduled to be considered at the meeting, had not be completed in time.  Furthermore, it had been decided that separate reports would be submitted to the Committee in October setting out a position statement and the medium term accommodation strategy and another report, on the restructuring of property services, would be submitted to the December meeting.

RESOLVED

that consideration of the report on Property Services be deferred.

To consider the provisional outturn position as at 31 March 2010 for the former Business Transformation Directorate.

The Committee considered a report setting out the provisional outturn position as at 31 March 2010 for the former Business Transformation Directorate.

The Chairman stated that the Committee should be examining the overall Council Budget and that it would be doing so in the future.  He then commented that the content of the report before Members was repetitive and unclear and asked that the officers produce a clearer, more concise document whilst retaining all of the information.  This proposal was met with general approval and the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People stated that this would be examined.

A Member commented on the absence of any risk assessment implications in the document.  In response the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People explained that the report’s content was historical in nature whilst the Chairman added that there was no risk associated with the content of the report.  The Member then queried the accuracy of the information in Appendix B1 (Summary Capital Monitoring March 2010) and, in addition, stated that the same appendix in item 12 contained different figures.  The Committee felt that a corrected version of Appendix B1 should be circulated after the meeting.

Further debate followed during which the Portfolio Holders responded to various queries raised by the Chairman.

RESOLVED

1          that the officers circulate a corrected version of Appendix B1 of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People to all Members of the Committee;

2          that the format of the outturn reports be reviewed with the aim of producing clearer, more concise reports, which are consistent in presentation across all Directorates, for the Committee to consider in the future.

To consider the provisional outturn position as at 31 March 2010 for the former Corporate Resources Directorate.

The Committee received a report setting out the provisional outturn position as at 31 March 2010 for the former Corporate Resources Directorate.

Discussion took place with regard to the Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and recharges from Bedford Borough Council.  The meeting noted that, where necessary, action was being taken to reach agreement on costs before full payment was made.  The Committee was advised by the Head of Financial Strategy that prudent estimates would have been made in the outturn assumptions in respect of SLA’s.

The Chairman referred to Appendix E and queried the apparent increase in employee numbers during June 2009 – March 2010 despite voluntary redundancy payments being made during the same period.  In response the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People undertook to circulate an answer to Members.

The Vice-Chairman expressed concern that there was a risk that some of the budgetary overspends and underspends from the previous year were being replicated in the current budget and emphasised the need for greater detail to be made available to the Committee at earlier stages of the budget.  In response the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People reminded the meeting that the budget strategy report to the Executive in August was due to be considered by the Committee in September and this represented the next stage of consideration.  However, he also stressed that the government’s spending review in October was likely to have a major impact as it could give rise to major reductions in funding.  He stated that, given these circumstances, he did not feel that any other action was either possible or necessary.  The Portfolio Holder for Customers, Systems and Assets reminded the meeting of the internal difficulties faced by the new Authority in putting the Council’s budget together but that these were of diminishing importance and the situation was improving year on year.

NOTED

To receive a verbal update regarding the progress made in devising a revised methodology for managing the Council’s capital programme.

The Chairman reported that a meeting of the Budget Task Force had taken place on 2 July 2010 when Members had received an overview of capital expenditure and the capital programme from the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People and the Assistant Director Finance.  During this overview Members had raised a number of questions and discussed the key issues which it was felt required further review by the Task Force.  The Committee noted that a further meeting of the Task Force was scheduled to take place in mid August.

RESOLVED

that the Overview and Scrutiny Officer circulate copies of the note of the Budget Task Force held on 2 July 2010 to all Members of the Committee.

To consider any issues arising from the briefing note previously circulated by the Assistant Director Strategy and Performance on the progress made towards formulating a policy for Third Sector funding.

The Committee was given the opportunity to raise any issues arising from the briefing note, previously circulated by the Assistant Director Strategy and Performance, on the progress made towards formulating a policy for Third Sector funding.  No questions were forthcoming.

NOTED

(Note: The meeting adjourned at 11.55 a.m. for a short break and reconvened at 12.00 p.m.)

To consider the Committee’s current work programme and the latest Executive Forward Plan.

The Committee considered its current work programme and the latest Executive Forward Plan.

RESOLVED

1          that the Committee’s Work Programme be amended as follows:

6 September:           add Budget Strategy

defer Medium Term Accommodation Strategy until 11 October

                                                defer People Strategy to a date to be agreed

                                                defer ICT Strategy to a date to be agreed

11 October:              add Property Services Position Statement

note that Quarter 1 Performance Monitoring and the Review of Revenues and Benefits Performance reports have been combined

15 November:         add Restructuring of Property Services

2          that authority be delegated to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Committee, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and People, to revise the content of future budget monitoring reports.