Agenda item

To consider the Huntingdon Multi-Storey Car Park and One Leisure St Ives project closure report.

(Councillor J D Ablewhite, Executive Leader of the Council was in attendance for this item).

The Panel considered a closedown report by the Managing Director (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) for the Multi-Storey Car Park in Huntingdon and the re-development of facilities at One Leisure, St Ives.

In his opening remarks the Chairman proposed that to enable Panel Members to give further consideration to the issues emerging from the report, to seek assurances that improvements had been made to Council processes moving forward and to test the robustness of the Council’s approach, arrangements should be made for the Panel to convene a Project Management Select Committee in February 2015. He envisaged that the Select Committee would report its findings, together with any proposed recommendations to the Cabinet and Corporate Management Team and the full Council in April.

The Managing Director then proceeded to introduce the report, which identified the lessons which had been learned from the roll out of the schemes and outlined improvements to the Council’s project management arrangements going forward. Members’ attention was drawn to the detailed recommendations set out in Section 3.4, of the report, which were intended to provide robust arrangements to monitor the performance of One Leisure St Ivo and the Huntingdon Multi Storey Car Park and ensure that capital projects are subject to appropriate appraisal and governance procedures in the future. Copies of the report had been provided to the Leader and the relevant Portfolio Holder.

The Executive Leader explained that ultimately the two schemes had delivered two significant longer term assets for the community, however he accepted that there had been significant failings with the delivery and execution of both schemes. In this regard the suggestion by the Chair to establish a Select Committee to give the report and project management generally further consideration was welcomed.

Having welcomed the candour of the report, Members then proceeded to discuss a number of the issues emerging therefrom. Councillor M F Shellens reminded Members that he had expressed a number of reservations about the projections incorporated within the business plans for both projects. He also questioned the extent to which the Cabinet and Senior Officers had taken these reservations into account during the decision making process leading to approval being given for the schemes to proceed. In response, the Chairman reminded Panel Members of the opportunity they had to invite Cabinet Members to attend Overview and Scrutiny Panels to justify their decisions.  The Managing Director also suggested that the spirit in which the current report had been prepared should offer some degree of reassurance about future decisions.

In response to a question with regard to responsibility and accountability for authorising the schemes to proceed, the Executive Leader confirmed that the decisions the Cabinet had been asked to take, given the information that was provided, were sound.  Members were reminded that both schemes had been considered by Overview and Scrutiny, the Cabinet and the full Council, and that whilst the Council’s Strategy was a matter for determination by elected Members, the delivery of individual schemes was entrusted to Council Officers. On these occasions there had been a clear failure in process. The Overview and Scrutiny Panels would have an important role pre-scrutinising future schemes.

With reference to the recent media coverage on the subject, a Member expressed concern that the issue had appeared in the public domain prior to Members having had sight of the report. In response, the Panel were informed that the report had been published in accordance with statutory timescales and these included distribution to the press.

In commenting on the Panel’s discussion on this item, the Executive Councillor for Resources emphasised the importance of learning from mistakes and drew attention to the changes in the management and culture of the organisation which had now been introduced. Members were also informed that investment decisions within One Leisure were being made the responsibility of the Centre Managers as opposed to financial officers.

Having welcomed the preparation of the report, which signalled a clear change in culture and approach for the Council, it was

RESOLVED

(a)  that arrangements be made to convene a Select Committee in February 2015, involving all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Economic Well-Being) and representatives from the Social and Environmental Well-Being Panels; and

(b)  that the Scrutiny & Review Manager be requested to prepare a report  for the Panel’s December 2014 meeting outlining some suggested terms of reference for the  Select Committee.