Agenda item

To receive a report by the Managing Director following the agreement in principle between Huntingdonshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council to work as a partnership to deliver a range of shared services.

1)  Endorses the approach to shared services outlined in the report;

2)  Approves the establishment of a Joint Committee without delegated powers to oversee the delivery of shared services;

3)  Appoints the Executive Leader as the Council’s representative to the Joint Committee and Councillor Howe as the deputy appointment;

4)  Approves the Sovereignty Guarantee detailed in Section 8 of the report;

5)  Agrees the approach to cost sharing principles and partnership agreement as outlined in Section 9 of the report; 

6)  Approves that the final partnership agreement be delegated to the Managing Director, in consultation with the Executive Leader of the Council.

7)  That formal consultation commences with Staff Council and affected staff on 24 July 2015, closing on 1 September 2015.

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) containing a number of recommendations regarding the first phase of the partnership arrangement between Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC), South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) and Cambridge City Council (CCC) for ICT, Legal Services and Building Control shared service proposals.

It was explained that the Councils intended to share services as there were significant risks in doing nothing.  Each Council had to identify significant savings as well as protecting and preserving services and retaining skilled staff in a competitive market place.  Shared services offered a way of mitigating these risks.

The Cabinet were referred to the main risks associated with sharing services across the three Councils as highlighted in the Officer’s report.

A Lead Authority model was being used for the shared service arrangements since it best reflected the current vision for shared services and the starting position of each partner Council.

It was explained that a Joint Committee with no delegated powers or functions was to be established to oversee the operation of shared services, supported by an Officer Board.  The remit of the Joint Committee was to provide advice, oversight, challenge and endorsement of the shared service business plans and budget. The Joint Committee would receive regular updates on the operation of the shared services and would take reports and recommendations for decision to their respective Executives (and Full Council, if appropriate), at agreed points with the engagement of each Council’s Scrutiny Committees. Membership would consist of the Leaders of each Council with a nominated Deputy attending in their absence.  The Cabinet appointed Councillor Howe to deputise for the Leader on the Joint Committee.

The Cabinet endorsed the Sovereignty Guarantee to give confidence to individual Councils’ Executives that they would retain sovereignty of their organisations, as well as Executive decision-making powers.

The Cabinet expressed appreciation to the Managing Directors and Management Team of the three respective Councils and to the Leaders of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council for their assistance throughout the process.

Prior to the meeting of the Cabinet a summary of the comments from the South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council Scrutiny Committee meetings following consideration of the ICT, Legal Services and Building Control shared service proposals had been circulated to the Cabinet.  The comments of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Panels (Economic Well-Being) and (Environmental Well-Being) had also been circulated to the Cabinet prior to its meeting.

In considering the additional recommendations by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) the Cabinet suggested that the three respective Executive Councillors responsible for ICT should convene regularly to discuss the matter and that the Overview and Scrutiny Panels should receive update reports from the respective Councils’ Scrutiny Panels to scrutinise topics related to shared services.

In conclusion the Cabinet,

RESOLVED

1)  to endorse the approach to shared services outlined in the Officer’s report;

2)  to approve the establishment of a Joint Committee without delegated powers to oversee the delivery of shared services;

3)  to appoint the Executive Leader as the Council’s representative to the Joint Committee and Councillor Howe as the deputy appointment;

4)  to approve the Sovereignty Guarantee detailed in Section 8 of the Officer’s report;

5)  to agree the approach to cost sharing principles and partnership agreement as outlined in Section 9 of the Officer’s report; 

6)  to approve that the final partnership agreement be delegated to the Managing Director, in consultation with the Executive Leader of the Council;

7)  that formal consultation commence with Staff Council and affected staff on 24th July 2015, closing on 1st September 2015.