Agenda item

To consider the report of the Working Group.

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

With the assistance of a report by the Support Services Working Group (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Panel considered the findings following completion of the study, which had been undertaken to review the costs of the District Council’s Document Centre and to form a view on its efficiency and cost effectiveness. Members were reminded that the study had been selected to establish a trial methodology for use in future investigations and that the approach adopted had been largely successful. However, in future, the findings of any reviews by Internal Audit on a service area would be taken into account and consideration would be given to involving senior management in finalising any recommendations.

Having noted that the Working Group had been impressed with the way the Document Centre was run, Members were informed that there was scope to improve its financial performance. However, to do this, the Council would need to determine whether it had the appetite to undertake significant levels of investment to develop the service. It was explained that there was an opportunity to expand the printing operation to provide services to other organisations but this would require the production of detailed business and marketing plans for the service. In terms of the day to day operation, the Chairman drew attention to a number of specific recommendations relating to internal printing, design, post, mail handling and scanning services, which were designed to achieve further efficiencies and cost savings for the Centre. 

In considering the contents of the report, Executive Members recognised that there was clearly scope to improve the way the District Council handled its documentation internally. However a number of issues were raised in relation to the recommendations. These included the appropriateness of utilising taxpayers’ money to support competitive endeavours, the need to clarify the market in which the Council would seek to compete, how the challenges associated with competing with the private sector could be met particularly relating to public sector employment conditions and what weight should be given to the financial impact of the proposals in comparison with other priorities. The Executive Leader also suggested that when considering the recommendations the full range of options would be taken into account including technological advances and whether the Council should become a paperless authority. In this respect, it was reiterated that the Document Centre was not merely a printing facility and had a number of other functions.

In response to a suggestion regarding the electronic distribution of Council Tax bills, the Head of Financial Services explained that a contract was already in place for printing the booklet that accompanied the bills for the current year; however, this could be considered for 2014/15.

Having requested a report back on the Cabinet’s response to the Panel’s recommendations, it was

RESOLVED

that the report on the Document Centre be endorsed for submission to the Cabinet.