Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 6th September 2017.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6th September 2017 was approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary and other interests in relation to any Agenda item.

No declarations of interest were received.

A copy of the current Notice of Key Executive Decisions is attached. Members are invited to note the Plan and to comment as appropriate on any items contained therein.

The Panel received and noted the current Notice of Key Executive Decisions (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) which has been prepared by the Executive Leader for the period 1st November 2017 to 28th February 2018.

The Integrated Performance Report 2017/18 – Quarter 2 is to be presented to the Panel.

With the aid of a report by the Corporate Team Manager and the Finance Manager (a copy of which has been appended in the Minute Book) the Integrated Performance Report 2017/18 – Quarter 2 was presented to the Panel.

The Corporate Team Manager introduced the report covering the Performance Section. Members were informed that the number of actions on track has increased since quarter one. It was highlighted that performance clinics will be held focussing on delivering continuous improvements. This is a new initiative where there will be a discussion with Heads of Service on areas of concern. In response to this a Member commented that they thought that the number of key actions rated green (84%) was commendable and that the performance clinics could prove valuable.

Despite the small improvement, a concern was raised in regards to DFGs and that whether the District was getting its fair share. In response the Panel was informed that the Cambridgeshire Home Improvement Agency Manager will be attending the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Communities and Environment) in December 2017 and one of the areas they would be covering is Disabled Facility Grants (DFGs).

The Panel commented that the percentage of calls answered by the Call Centre was, in their opinion, not acceptable. In response the Member was told that the target is 90% and details of what actions the service is taking to recover their performance is the sort of exchange that should be covered by the performance clinic. Some Members argued that there might have to be a trade-off between the number of calls answered and the comprehensive answers they give to enquiries unless more resources are allocated.

Members expressed concern over the level of sickness in the Council and the target, which was perceived by Members to be high. In response, the Panel was informed that sickness has reduced since last year and that the target is reasonable given recent performance. Also there are variations across services as some have much higher levels of sickness than others. In comparison, the public sector average is over 10 days. The Panel was reminded that a workforce report, which has more details on sickness levels, will be presented to the Employment Committee at their next meeting.

Following a question regarding the number of employees on long term sick leave, Members were informed that in total there had been 22 employees on long term sick in Quarter 2 and of these all but 5 cases had been resolved.

The Finance Manager presented the financial performance section of the report to Members. The Panel was informed that the overspend on both the revenue and capital budgets has doubled. The revenue overspend is £0.8m and the capital overspend is £0.6m. The reasons for the overspend, and its impact on the Medium Term Financial Strategy, were explained to the Panel.

The Panel was informed that as part of the Commercial Investment Strategy the Council have completed a purchase in Fareham, Hampshire, however a Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The Treasury Management Six Month Review is to be presented to the Panel.

With the aid of a report by the Head of Resources (a copy of which has been appended in the Minute Book) the Treasury Management Six Month Performance Review was presented to the Panel. The Principle Account introduced the report to Members and outlined the contents of the report.

A Member asked a question in regards to the loan given to Luminus in light of the merger, in response it was confirmed that the loan is secured against property and that as a result of the merger Luminus would be in a stronger financial position and more able to pay back the loan.

The Executive Councillor for Strategic Resources explained the different types of Public Works Loans that can be taken out and added that the Luminus loan is a capital and interest loan and that Luminus are also paying capital and interest back to the Council.

In response to a question regarding the impact of the Commercial Investment Strategy upon the Council’s budget, the Executive Councillor for Strategic Resources stated that the CIS produces in excess of £2m per annum and that if the Council did not have that income then Council Tax would have to increase considerably to offset the cost.

(At 8.08pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillor Mrs D C Reynolds left the meeting.)

(At 8.08pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillor Mrs D C Reynolds returned to the meeting.)

Members are to receive the work programmes for all Overview and Scrutiny Panels.

With the aid of a report by the Democratic Services Officer (Scrutiny) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book), the Panel reviewed all the Panel’s work programmes since the last meeting.

A Member stated that they saw no point in continuing with the Cambridgeshire County Council Budget Scrutiny. The Panel resolved to remove the item from the work programme.

(At 8.21pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillor J A Gray left the meeting and did not return.)