Issue - meetings

Surrey County Council places a relentless focus on delivering public value. The council has a successful track record of finding new and innovative ways of delivering services, in the interests of the residents of Surrey.

During the next few years many councils will respond to the challenges they face by reducing their capacity and capability. Surrey County Council is taking a different approach adopting a strategy of strengthening its ability to deliver services and investing in staff, so enabling it to continue to protect vulnerable residents and secure economic growth and a prosperous future for Surrey.

Recognising the scale of the challenge ahead and anticipating the needs of the future, this report focuses on how the council proposes to use the most effective delivery model to provide services for residents while ensuring public value. The report describes the different delivery models already being used by the council; examples of successes it has achieved so far; and makes recommendations to provide the foundations for the council to develop its approach to trading.

Please note there is a separate confidential annex relating to this report (item 24).

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee]

1.    That the progress and achievements delivered to date through a range of existing delivery models be acknowledged.

2.    That the primary objective the council seeks to achieve by developing its approach to trading is to deliver public value for Surrey residents and businesses be confirmed.

3.    That the creation of a Surrey County Council Shareholder Board (‘the Board’) with responsibility for exercising ‘shareholder control’ over any limited (‘trading’) companies established by the council be approved and the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member for Change and Efficiency and Chief Executive, be asked to establish the Board.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Change and Efficiency, to establish a trading company that will deliver in the first instance ‘business services’ and in order to do so:

a.   to consider and approve a business case, which must satisfy the statutory requirements and the criteria set out in paragraph 28 and 29 of the submitted report; and

b.   to approve the Articles of Association including the naming of Directors of the company.

5.    That the opportunities that a range of delivery models provides be acknowledged, future proposals (expressed as options appraisals and business cases) from services across the council over the three-year period 2013 – 2016 be welcomed and the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency be asked to lead a programme of work that will review service delivery models including currently traded activity.

Reasons for Decisions

In the current financial and funding climate for local government it is essential that the council continues to focus on delivering public value to the residents of Surrey.

The council recognises that a range of delivery models are already and should continue to be used to provide services that best meet the needs of Surrey residents and businesses. Building on existing successes, the recommendations set out in this report will enable the council to continue to anticipate and respond to the challenges it faces and represent the next phase of its approach to ensure Surrey residents receive good quality public services.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee]

Surrey County Council places a relentless focus on delivering public value. The council has had a successful track record of finding new and innovative ways of delivering services, in the interests of the residents of Surrey.

The Leader of the Council commended this report to Cabinet Members and said that the County Council was looking to strengthen its capacity for delivery of services more effectively and that the creation of a trading company would enable the authority to do this. He also referred to a part 2 annex for this report (item 24).

The Cabinet acknowledged the progress and achievement delivered to date through a range of other options and referred specifically to Babcock4S and the £1.7m profit currently being reinvested in Education projects.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the progress and achievements delivered to date through a range of existing delivery models be acknowledged.

2.    That the primary objective the council seeks to achieve by developing its approach to trading is to deliver public value for Surrey residents and businesses be confirmed.

3.    That the creation of a Surrey County Council Shareholder Board (‘the Board’) with responsibility for exercising ‘shareholder control’ over any limited (‘trading’) companies established by the council be approved and the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member for Change and Efficiency and Chief Executive, be asked to establish the Board.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Change and Efficiency, to establish a trading company that will deliver in the first instance ‘business services’ and in order to do so:

a.   to consider and approve a business case, which must satisfy the statutory requirements and the criteria set out in paragraph 28 and 29; and

b.   to approve the Articles of Association including the naming of Directors of the company.

5.       That the opportunities that a range of delivery models provides be acknowledged and future proposals (expressed as options appraisals and business cases) from services across the council over the three-year period 2013 – 2016 be welcomed and the Strategic Director for Change and Efficiency be asked to lead a programme of work that will review service delivery models including currently traded activity.

Reasons for Decisions

In the current financial and funding climate for local government it is essential that the council continues to focus on delivering public value to the residents of Surrey.

The council recognises that a range of delivery models are already and should continue to be used to provide services that best meet the needs of Surrey residents and businesses. Building on existing successes, the recommendations set out in this report will enable the council to continue to anticipate and respond to the challenges it faces and represent the next phase of its approach to ensure Surrey residents receive good quality public services.