Councillors and committees

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Ashcombe Suite, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN

Contact: Ross Pike or Sharmina Ullah 

Items
No. Item

9/18

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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    Minutes:

    The Chairman welcomed John O’Reilly as the new member of the Committee replacing Charlotte Morley who is now a Cabinet Associate for Property & Business Services.

     

    There were no apologies for absence.

     

10/18

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 26 JANUARY 2018 pdf icon PDF 283 KB

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    To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    The Chairman confirmed that the additional pressure of £6m referenced at Para 21 of the previous minutes was validated by the Deputy Chief Finance Officer.

     

    The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.

     

11/18

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

    (i)            Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)           Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

    NOTES:

    • Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest
    • As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)
    • Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

     

    Minutes:

    There were no declarations of interest made.

     

12/18

QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

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    To receive any questions or petitions.

     

    Notes:

    1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days

    before the meeting (16 March 2018).

    2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting

    (15 March 2018).

    3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no

    petitions have been received.

    Minutes:

    There were no questions or petitions submitted to the Committee.

     

13/18

RESPONSES FROM THE CABINET TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 161 KB

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    A response was received from the Cabinet to recommendations made on the Revenue & Capital Budget 2018/19 to 2020/21.

     

    Minutes:

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    It was noted that a response was received from the Cabinet to recommendations made on the Revenue & Capital Budget 2018/19 to 2020/21.

     

    2.    The Committee were informed that there would be an opportunity to make further comments at the Cabinet meeting on 27 March 2018.

     

    3.    The Chairman expressed some disappointment with the response, expressing the view that a more detailed response would have been welcomed particularly from the relevant Cabinet Member for each Select Committee.

     

    4.    The Cabinet Member for Business and Property Services advised that it would be useful for the Chairman to indicate whether Cabinet Members should respond individually to Select Committees or directly to the Overview and Budget Scrutiny Committee to avoid future confusion. 

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    The Chairman to advise how responses to recommendations should follow when put forward to the Cabinet to ensure the respective Committee receives a detailed response from the relevant Cabinet Member.

     

14/18

RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 104 KB

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    The Committee is asked to monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous meetings and to review its forward work programme.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Witnesses:

    Ken Gulati, Chairman of the Adults and Health Select Committee

     

    Key points during the discussion:

     

    1.    The Chairman proposed to nominate Members in groups of two to take responsibility for keeping up with the work of an individual Select Committee. One Conservative and one Opposition Group Member per Committee (with one Committee having two Conservatives).

     

    2.    Suggested responsibilities:

     

    a.    Tim Evans, Robert Evans – Children & Education

    b.    John O’Reilly, Jonathan Essex – Environment & Infrastructure

    c.    Ayesha Azad, Hazel Watson - Corporate Services

    d.    Tim Hall, Nick Harrison - Communities

    e.    Kay Hammond, David Harmer – Adults & Health

     

    3.    It was noted that the purpose of this was to make sure that the Overview and Budget Scrutiny Committee (OBSC) was informed of the issues within the Select Committee’s remit, its forward plan, the outcomes of the Committee meetings and any other useful information to help the Committee of its overview role.

     

    4.    The Chairman clarified that this new responsibility was an observation role only and encouraged members to attend meetings, read minutes or watch webcasts and feedback to this Committee.

     

    5.    It was further noted that the Select Committee Chairman’s Group had met on 14 March and been notified of the proposal.

     

    6.    In addition to this, the Chairman reported that each Select Committee Chairman has been invited to come to OBSC once a year to share a summary of the scrutiny work undertaken by the Committee to highlight the Committee’s experience and impact.

     

    7.    The Committee welcomed Ken Gulati to the meeting to discuss the Adults and Health Select Committee (AHSC).

     

    8.    The AHSC Chairman informed the Committee of the Transition Task Group that met recently to look at the issues and expectations of disabled children transitioning to adulthood and away from care. It was highlighted how valuable and insightful the meeting was especially as two young adults came to give evidence of their own experiences.

     

    9.     It was noted that the Task Group meeting was poorly attended and the Chairman would be circulating a letter to address his disappoint to members of the group. It was further noted that the Chairman planned to hold the next Transition Task Group meeting before the end of the municipal year.

     

    10.  The Chairman reported that the purpose of the Transition Task Group was to manage expectations of young adults and their families as opposed to reviewing cost saving measures.

     

    11.  The Committee was informed of a further task group which was formed to investigate the recommissioning of sexual health services in Surrey as a high level of public dissatisfaction was reported when the provider had been changed. The Chairman reported that a substantial amount of work had been carried out and as a result an interim report would be presented at its April meeting this would allow officers to complete evidence gathering and produce a full report for the Committee’s meeting in July.

     

    12.  The Chairman raised concerns with the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), reporting that although SECAmb were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14/18

15/18

STAFF SURVEY RESULTS pdf icon PDF 318 KB

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    This report provides the Committee with a summary of the results from the 2017 staff survey. This is the third staff survey undertaken by Best Companies and includes comparison data to the previous two years of engagement results. 

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declaration of interests:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    David Hodge CBE, Leader of the Council

    Tim Oliver, Cabinet Member for Business Services and Property

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

    Lavern Dinah, Strategic OPD Manager

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    The Head of HR & OD introduced the report by highlighting that the staff survey allowed the Council to capture and assess staff views, particularly in challenging circumstances as the Council was experiencing continued change and uncertainty.

     

    2.    Members noted that the staff survey results highlighted enduring and common themes which could be helpful to the Committee to explore the responses of and draw focus on for areas of improvement and review.

     

    3.    The Cabinet Member for Business and Property Services commented on the Cabinet’s reaction to the staff survey particularly in relation to the leadership of the Council informing the Committee that new plans were underway as a result of appointing a new Chief Executive. It was noted seeking to achieve these plans would change the Council’s approach and potentially impact the leadership culturally and strategically.

     

    4.    Members acknowledged areas with low satisfaction particularly in ‘fair deal’ and supported the notion that the Council would improve under a new Chief Executive.

     

    5.    There was a discussion around the degree of comparability and Members were assured that the Council in contrast to previous year’s results and other local authorities maintained its position. It was noted responses were not considerably different to its peers, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove in relation to the Orbis Partnership.

     

    6.    It was noted that the Council had made tough decisions regarding pay and this had influenced responses. The Head of HR & OD explained it would be vital to communicate an effective explanation going forward regarding these decisions in an effort to deliver a positive narrative to staff.

     

    7.    Officers clarified that the survey was not extended to schools however responses did take account of firefighters. Members raised concern with the scores and response rates from the Fire and Rescue Service and were assured by officers that this has been flagged with the respective Director to review going forward.

     

    8.    Officers explained that, to encourage response rates across the board, electronic surveys as well as paper versions of the survey were distributed.

     

    9.    It was noted that the Council’s training development programme had been independently assessed and received positive ratings. Officers assured the Committee that there were no concerns with the quality and flexibility of training however the accessibility of training was being explored to develop this area.

     

    10.  The Leader of the Council highlighted that maintaining morale in any organisation was a difficult task however expressed the view that the Council addressed this area well, making decisions where appropriate.

     

    11.  Officers commended the Corporate Leadership Team for taking an active role in engaging and communicating with staff and the appointment of a new Chief Executive was an opportunity to re-engage with staff to boost morale.

     

    12.  Officers clarified that there was no evaluation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15/18

16/18

BUDGET SCRUTINY pdf icon PDF 188 KB

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    This report provides the Committee with an overview of scrutiny of service plans and fee & charges undertaken by the Select Committees during February and March 2018 and the latest budget sub-group findings.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declaration of interests:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

                            

    David Hodge CBE, Leader of the Council

    Kevin Kilburn, Deputy Chief Finance Officer

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    The Vice-Chairman introduced the report by informing members that the Budget Sub-Group had recently met with the Chief of Staff, to discuss the progress of transformation projects. Despite transformation projects playing a key part in meeting saving targets, the Budget Sub-Group Chairman reiterated the need for an increased pace of change at the Council to ensure a sustainable budget.

     

    2.    It was noted that a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rated list of savings listed in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) was reviewed by the group and concerns were raised with the amount of red/amber rated savings.

     

    3.    The Leader of the Council commended the Committee’s report and noted concerns with pace of change and the implications of the RAG appraisal. The Leader explained that the savings were agreed over a period of 3 years with the long term objective to produce a sustainable budget therefore achieving results would be on completion and not on a short term basis.

     

    4.    A Member reported a typographical error in the MTFP 2018-21 and Officers clarified that SEND, in the summary list of savings was in fact a red rating.

     

    5.    It was noted that the initial £15m investment in transformation projects would deliver savings between £30-£60m over a period of time.

     

    6.    The Chairman clarified that the Adults and Health Select Committee recommendation requested the review of income from charging for adult social care services and did not necessarily suggest any increases on the matter.

     

    7.    The Committee agreed to make revisions to recommendations 37c and 38c, to note that ‘the Council’ will explore and consider these options rather than addressing it as service specific leads.

     

    8.    The Vice-Chairman reiterated that detailed responses on the recommendations would be welcomed and the Leader of the Council assured respective Cabinet Members would provide these.

     

    The Committee agreed the following recommendations:

     

    1.        The Adults and Health Select Committee recommended that:

     

    a)    Officers benchmark income from charging for adult social care services with neighbouring local authorities to identify opportunities for Surrey County Council to maximise income from charging for adult social care; and

     

    b)    The Adult Social Care & Public Health Directorate embeds a process for reviewing the potential financial implications to the Council arising from reduced spending on Public Health programmes or non-statutory adult social care services.

     

     

    2.        The Children and Education Services Select Committee noted:

     

    a)    The service plans and recognised that there were significant challenges to the Directorate regarding securing external funding; and

     

    b)    That the Committee reviewed and approved the current scheme of charges as proposed by the Children, Schools and Families Directorate.

     

    3.        The Communities Select Committee recommended that:

     

    a)    An assumption is made that inflation is taken into account when annual increases in fees and charges are being considered by Cultural Services;

     

    b)    Officers adopt a more commercial approach to operating the Library Service in order to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16/18

17/18

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

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    The next meeting of the Committee will be held at 10:00am on 17 May 2018.

    Minutes:

    The Committee noted its next meeting would be held on 17 May 2018.