Issue - meetings

To receive the annual reports of the services currently delivered in partnership with Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Please note: One of the appendices to the report is restricted. There will be a need to move to private session if the Cabinet wishes to discuss its content.

Executive Councillor: M Hassall.

The Cabinet has endorsed the 3C Shared Services Annual Reports attached as Appendices A, B and C to the report now submitted and agreed that future reporting on the 3C ICT, Legal and Building Control shared services be incorporated into the Council’s annual reporting arrangements.

The Cabinet received a report by the Corporate Director (People) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) regarding the Annual Report 2021/22 of the services currently delivered in partnership with Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Following an introduction by the Executive Councillor for Corporate and Shared Services on the performance of each of the three service areas, attention was drawn to the proposal that future reporting be incorporated in the Council’s annual reporting arrangements. The Managing Director commented that the relationship with service areas was now well established and that quarterly updates would continue to be received.

Having had their attention drawn to the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth), a brief discussion ensued on 3C ICT which included the measures taken by the service to mitigate cyber security, the relocation of the Street Naming and Numbering team to Building Control and the contributions from all three services towards the identification of savings targets. The Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources commented upon the various risks associated with ICT and in response the Managing Director confirmed that risk management was the responsibility of the Corporate Governance Committee but that she would discuss the matter with the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources outside of the meeting. In receiving a response to a question raised by the Executive Councillor for Community and Health regarding the commercial nature of Building Control and the advantages that this brought to the District, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

a)  to endorse the 3C Shared Services Annual Reports attached as Appendices A, B and C to the report now submitted; and

b)  that future reporting on the 3C ICT, Legal and Building Control shared services is incorporated into the Council’s annual reporting arrangements.

The 3C Legal, ICT and Building Control Shared Services Annual Reports 2021/22 are to be presented to the Panel.

By means of a report by the Corporate Director (People) (a copy of which was appended in the Minute Book), the 3C Legal, ICT and Building Control Shared Services Annual Reports 2021/22  were presented to the Panel.

Having praised the position that ICT were in, Councillor Corney enquired on the progress of the Building Control Service to be in a similar position. The Panel heard that the Building Control Service had a good reputation  and furthermore that their performance and profitability had remained strong despite the recent fluctuations of the industry. The officer noted the specific issue raised and would investigate outside of the meeting.

Councillor Gray questioned the speed of response and customer satisfaction levels attained by the Legal Service. The Panel heard that indicators were reflective of the feedback received and it was noted that this may not be a fair reflection over time. The Panel were assured that regular meetings were held to identify and resolve any issues arising within the service. Councillor Gray’s concerns that by continuing with these indicators the Council were not being honest with themselves or the public were noted along with his suggestion that these be revised with a more critical eye.

Following an enquiry from Councillor Martin on the work processes within ICT, the Panel were reassured that all processes and server security were robustly tested and that the Council were confident that there was an extremely low risk of any issue arising in this area. Councillor Martin further enquired on the timeline of moving to be completely remote, the Panel heard that whilst there were some expected challenges, emergency contingency planning was already in place. The officer noted the query and would advise the Panel of more detail in due course.

Councillor Pickering enquired on the timescales involved in the employment of a Cyber Security team and whether security measures were in place in the absence of this. The Panel were assured that this was something which the Council takes very seriously and that the Cyber Security roles, which were currently in the advertisement stage, would enhance the current robust security measures.

Having welcomed the reports, the Panel thereupon

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet be encouraged to endorse the recommendations contained within the report.