Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Bryan Searle or Andrew Spragg
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: There were no apologies or substitutions. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 5 DECEMBER 2012
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Minutes: The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: There were no declarations of interests. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To receive any questions or petitions.
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (28 January 2013). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (25 January 2013). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Minutes: There were no questions or petitions to report. |
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RESPONSES FROM THE CABINET TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
No referrals were made to Cabinet at the last meeting so there were no responses to report. Minutes: There were no issues referred by the Committee at its last meeting, so there were no responses to report. |
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BUSINESS PLANNING 2013-2018
Scrutiny of the draft budget for 2013/2014 Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Chairman introduced the item by welcoming Members of the Audit & Governance Committee who had been invited to attend in order to scrutinise the new Treasury Strategy.
2. The Committee questioned how the events that would trigger the decision to undertake debt rescheduling were being monitored. The Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Director for Change & Efficiency confirmed that the department received daily advice from their financial advisors, Sector, as to interest rates trends. This advice would inform the decision as to when it was an appropriate time to reschedule debt.
3. The Chairman raised concerns as to an over reliance on advisors to provide such information, in particular the potential time elapsing between the information being received and the decision to act upon that information. Officers clarified that this trigger was not entirely predicated on advice from advisors, as they were also closely monitoring the market and any potential significant changes within the market. The Chairman acknowledged the processes but still believed that trigger points would avoid chasing the market when the time came to make a decision.
4. Members questioned whether consideration had been given to issuing Surrey County Council bonds onto the market. Officers stated that this had been researched as an option, and they would look at possible similar actions in the future. Members highlighted that they believed the Council would receive a AAA credit rating and would mean that they would be an attractive prospect to potential investors.
5. The Committee noted the list of approved countries for investments and commented that countries such as France and the United States should be added to the list . The view was expressed that there could be scope to be more flexible and consider including countries that had an AA+ status, rather than just restricting to those with an AAA status.
6. The Committee questioned what implications of reducing the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) were, and whether the external auditors had reviewed the decision. Officers outlined that the MRP was a statutory requirement to set aside funds to repay its financial debts in the future. Officers also stated that they were confident that auditors would agree with this decision.
7. The Committee raised queries regarding the decision to reduce the level of the minimum cash balance to £49 million. Officers outlined that the decision to reduce this amount had been taken on the basis that it was unlikely that the Council would be required to meet the entirety of its potential liabilities at once. The Committee were informed that £35 million of this cash balance were needed to meet the monthly staffing costs, with a further £15 million held on the Police’s behalf.
8. Members commented that they understood ... view the full minutes text for item 6/13 |
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BUDGET MONITORING REPORT
Purpose of the report: Scrutiny of Services and Budgets
This report presents the revenue and capital budget monitoring up-date for December 2012 with projected year-end outturn.
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee noted the Budget Monitoring Report for December 2012 and this formed part of the discussions in Item 6: Business Planning 2013/18.
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
The Committee will consider the budget monitoring report for January 2013 at its meeting in March 2013. |
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RECOMMENDATION TRACKER
The Committee is asked to monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous meetings. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee noted the recommendations tracker.
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
The Committee is asked to review its Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme.
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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COMPLETED AUDIT REPORTS
Purpose of report: Scrutiny of Services
The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the Internal Audit reports that have been completed since the last report to this Committee in December 2012 and provide an update on management action plans for audits previously reported to this Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: This item was deferred to the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting on 13 February 2013. |
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CHANGE & EFFICIENCY SERVICE REVIEW - IMT
Purpose of the report: Scrutiny of Services Performance
This report is going to the Select Committee to provide an update on a number of IT matters including :
1. Novell, and the explanation of unplanned outages experienced late 2012 2. An update on planned PVR savings 3. Windows 8 implementation plans 4. Management/security of laptops and other mobile equipment 5. Status update on current IMT projects
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: Paul Brocklehurst, Head of Information Management and Technology
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee was provided an update on a number of Information Management and Technology (IMT) initiatives. It was clarified that, following two major failures of the Citrix system in September, there had been no repeat outages. IMT were working closely with partners to ensure any problems were being addressed.
2. The Committee was informed that the savings identified in the Public Value Review (PVR) for 2013/14 were at this stage achievable.
3. The Head of IMT outlined the work being undertaken to implement the new UNICORN Public Services Network (PSN). This network would also include District & Borough Councils, and the Committee asked whether take-up had been slow in relation to this. The Head of IMT commented that progress had been as expected, however it was necessary to co-ordinate with BT with regard to this switch-over and this could impact on the speed at which the change was implemented.
4. The Committee expressed concerns around the length of the UNICORN contract. It had been raised at the Finance sub-group that longer IMT contracts tended to be more costly for the Council as costs for technology usually declined over the longer time frame. An example of price reductions in the telecoms industry was highlighted. The Head of IMT explained that the contract was re-negotiated on an annual basis in order to ensure that the Council was receiving best value-for-money. The UNICORN contract also functioned as a system integrated model; this meant that any change would go out to competitive tender.
5. The Committee asked for an update on the roll-out of Windows 8. The Head of IMT confirmed that some work had been undertaken to look at the compatibility of Windows 8 with current systems and it was felt that it would be best to exercise caution at this stage. The view was expressed that it would be better to look to long term developments within computing than attempt a short term refresh at this stage.
6. The Committee raised a query regarding the IMT provisions in place to track assets, particularly with the increase in the number of staff working from home. The Head of IMT stated that he was confident that the asset register was up to date, and that IMT were able to identify where and who held these assets.
7. The Committee asked for further details regarding the data centre and what work was being undertaken to encourage new customers to use it. The Head of IMT confirmed that there had been discussions with both the Police and East Sussex Council with regards to the data centre, and that there had been some expressions of interest in the private sector.
8. The Committee noted and recognised the significant progress made by IMT.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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2012/13 QUARTER THREE BUSINESS REPORT
Purpose of the report: Scrutiny of Services and Budgets / Performance Management.
The Quarter Three Cabinet Business Report, to be received by the Cabinet on 5 February 2013, is provided to support the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee in its performance, finance and risk monitoring role (for all Council services), enabling them to discuss and identify specific and relevant issues for further discussion at relevant Select Committees. Additional documents: Minutes: This item was deferred to the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting on 13 February 2013.
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STAFFING BUDGET - STAFF NUMBERS AND MANAGEMENT OF VACANCIES
Purpose of report: Scrutiny of Services and Budgets
The Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee considered a report on staffing budgets, numbers, vacancies and associated costs at its meeting in April 2012. As a result, it was recommended that further investigation be carried out into the way staff and vacancy numbers are calculated and managed with the objective of understanding the impact these practices have on budgeting, operational efficiency and hence the actual costs for the organisation.
A review was carried out by Zully Grant-Duff and Mark Brett-Warburton on behalf of the Committee. This report sets out their findings and recommendations for the Committee’s consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: Neil Bradley, HR Group Manager
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee was informed that the report had been updated following the original discussion on this item at the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting on 5 December 2012. It was noted that these updates concerned the proposed recommendations contained within the report.
2. The Head of HR and Organisation Development expressed thanks for the important work undertaken by the Task Group in preparing the report and recommendations.
3. The Committee raised the question as to what work was in place to quantify the comparative costs of agency and contracted staff. The HR Group Manager clarified that agency staff were used either to meet a shortage of supply (for example in the case of social workers), or to fill temporary needs such as sickness or vacancy cover (for example in residential care). The former would come at an increased cost compared to permanent staff, and there was an initiative in place to encourage locum staff to become permanent. In the latter case, following the introduction of the Agency Worker Regulations the remuneration of agency staff is the same as permanent workers after the initial period, but no pension contributions were required.
4. The Committee asked how long it would take to implement the recommendations of the task group. Officers confirmed that proposals on the first two recommendations could be made before the new financial year, while the third would be dependent on the method used for implementation.
5. The Committee discussed the management of staff vacancies in relation to structure charts. The view was expressed that charts should reflect accurately where vacancies were within the structure, how long they had been vacant, and where these were being covered by agency workers.
Recommendations:
a) That a policy is formulated to define what constitutes a vacant position in the organisation structure.
Action by: Carmel Millar
b) That criteria are established which vacant positions must meet in order to remain in the organisation structure together with the operating budget allowance.
Action by: Carmel Millar
c) That the definition and criteria be consistently applied in all services in the management of their business plans.
Action by: Carmel Millar
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Committee will be held at 10am on 13 February 2013. Minutes: It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be at 10.00am on 13 February 2013. |