Issue - meetings

To receive a joint report from the Overview and Scrutiny Panels on the prioritised recommendations for savings.

Agreed that the list of suggestions be categorised into service areas and cascaded down to the Heads of Service to create an implementation plan, in consultation with the Executive Leader, Managing Director and Portfolio Holders; agreed that priority be given to those suggestions that would result in “quick wins” or would give the best returns within a shortest timescale and that those suggestions deemed to have most impact on services to the public be held in abeyance until the financial impact of the items in list 1 and 2 have been fully investigated.

(Councillors S Criswell, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Social Well-Being) and T V Rogers, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Economic Well-Being,) were in attendance and spoke on this item).

Further to Minute No 13/35 and by way of a report by the Assistant Director (Finance and Resources) (a copy of which is appended in the Annex to the Minute Book), the Cabinet was invited to consider the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel Chairmen and Vice-Chairman on priorities for further work following completion of the first phase of the Facing the Future process.

Members were advised that Strategic Service Review templates for 32 Council activity areas had been considered by the Panels.  They contained details of the areas’ statutory duties, performance standards, manpower, financial information and options for the future of the service and had been categorised into those which require further research, those which are politically sensitive and those which have a limited service impact. In discussing the potential loss of an element of control from shared services and outsourcing the Panel recognised that this has to be weighed against the possible savings that might be achieved.

Having referred to the complexities of researching some of the savings and recognising the level of work required to be undertaken by Management Team and Executive Councillors to deliver savings in a timely fashion, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

(a)  that the content of the report now submitted be noted;

(b)  that the list of suggestions be categorised into service areas and cascaded down to the Heads of Service to create an implementation plan, in consultation with Executive Leader, Managing Director and Portfolio Holders;

(c)  that priority be given to those suggestions that would result in “quick wins” or would give the best returns within a shortest timescale; and

(d)  that those suggestions deemed to have most impact on services to the public be held in abeyance until the financial impact of the items in list 1 and 2 have been fully investigated.

To receive a joint report from the Overview and Scrutiny Panels on the prioritised recommendations for savings and to approve a list of savings priorities prior to its submission to the Cabinet.

(Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels for (Social Well-Being) and (Economic Well-Being) have been invited to attend for this item).

(Councillor J D Ablewhite, Executive Leader of the Council, and Councillor J A Gray, Executive Councillor for Resources, were in attendance for this item).

(Councillors R C Carter, S J Criswell, I J Curtis, R Fuller, M C Oliver P G Mitchell, T V Rogers and A Williams were also in attendance for this item).

With the aid of a report by the Assistant Director for Finance and Resources (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book), the Panel gave consideration to the complete list of suggestions for savings, which had been produced by the Facing the Future process. The report also contained the Overview and Scrutiny Panel Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen’s recommended approach to managing the work that would result from Facing the Future and their priorities for further research.

Members discussed what the potential implications of the Council’s approach to shared services and outsourcing and to individual savings suggestions might be. Some Members questioned whether the Council should pursue options for shared services or outsourcing on the grounds that the Council would lose an element of control of transferred services. However, this had to be weighed against the possible savings that might be achieved. Such a decision would not be taken without a detailed appraisal of all the Council’s options.

Having expressed a willingness to assist the Cabinet with specific tasks on Facing the Future proposals, the Panel requested future reports on progress of the overall Facing the Future Project, the effect of the Project on the performance of the Council against the Corporate Plan and on individual savings proposals. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

that, subject to amendments, the lists of suggestions appended to the report by the Assistant Director (Finance and Resources) be approved for submission to the Cabinet.