Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Sheila Little, Director of
Finance
Adrian Stockbridge, Orbis
Programme Manager
Tim Oliver, Cabinet Member for
Property and Business Services
Key
points raised during the discussion:
- The
Chairman queried if Brighton and Hove were ready to join the Orbis
partnership and what work had been done in preparation for taking
on a new partner. The Orbis Programme Manager
explained that Brighton and Hove formally joined the partnership in
May 2017 but work had begun 18 months prior to them formally
joining. Although, not formally integrated, a phased approach for
integrating each of the services was being undertaken. Key
challenges for Brighton and Hove were around technology. It was
recognised that their IT was not yet at the right level and
required further work so that they can contribute effectively to
the partnership.
- Concerns
were raised around staff travel times and travel costs as a result
of needing to travel to different offices as part of wider Orbis
work. The Orbis Programme Manager stated that
this was a concern but more meetings were being arranged through
Skype which would save money on travel expenses. Going forward
travel expenses would be linked to pay grades. The Director of
Finance clarified that this meant that expenses would be paid
through payroll.
- It was
queried if each Orbis partner had their own sovereign property
strategy and what challenges this posed to the partnership as a
whole. The Director of Finance stated that
Surrey had a well-established property strategy. Although each
authority within Orbis would have a different property strategy,
each authority would be supported equally through the partnership
in ensuring their strategy was fit for purpose. The Chief Property
Officer in Surrey was in contact with each authority regarding
this.
- The Cabinet
Member for Property and Business Services explained that the Orbis
Joint Committee had asked the Orbis leadership to add more
granularity to the business plan including a dashboard with
KPI’s. The Joint Committee had discussed its ambitions for
Orbis and would like to see at least 80% of processes within Orbis
to be the same. The revised business plan is expected to include
more details around integration on lower levels of the
partnership.
- The
Chairman explained to members that the business plan was still very
much a work in progress and the Select Committee had the
opportunity to contribute to its development.
- A Member
queried what impact savings on staffing had on staff resilience and
morale. The Director of Finance explained
that the development of staff was at the forefront of the business
plan with coaching, mentoring and support always being available to
staff. A number of programmes focused on developing staff were in
place and ‘epic champions’ within the partnership would
feedback any concerns from staff to senior leadership. Staff were
also given the opportunity to take advantage of secondments through
the partnership.
- Members of
the Committee asked for more detail around the Centres of Expertise
(CoE) in regards to the pace of progression and queried if these
would be commercialised. The Orbis Programme
Manager explained that each CoE was progressing at different
stages. The HR CoE would go live in April 2018 and an update on the
development of CoE could certainly be provided in the future. There
was a growth model in place for developing commercial opportunities
and services such as payroll which was recognised as possible
income generator.
- The
Chairman queried if Orbis could make more savings in the future.
The Director for Finance stated that Orbis was only part way
through its original business plan and as the partnership
developed, changes to processes would bring in savings.
- A Member of
the Committee queried the FTE figure for management in Table 2.
Officers clarified that costs for management were included in
services operating budgets but more detail could be provided on
request.
- Officers
updated the Committee on the purpose of the maturity assessment
included on page 24 of the report. It was explained that the
assessment allowed the organisation to assess itself in terms of
development. The current and aspiration levels for technology
remained the same at 8, due to challenges in funding and the
requirement for the organisation to exploit the technology it
currently has.
- The
Director for Finance explained that employees in Orbis were
included on the payroll of each of their respective sovereign
authorities and are bound by the terms and conditions of that
authority. The Orbis budget has been split 70/30 between Surrey and
East Sussex. The contribution ratios were annually reviewed and
would be reviewed again in April 2018 with Brighton and Hove
included in the ratio.
- Members
queried what the biggest challenges facing Orbis were. The Director
of Finance stated that challenges included,
- Travel and
time- making sure that the travel undertaken by each partner was
equitable and cost effective.
- IT- issues
around connectivity and ensuring basic IT ‘hygiene
factors’ were being implemented i.e. ensuring electronic
calendars across the partnership can be shared.
The
Cabinet Member added that work around KPIs would evidence what is
and what is not going well for the partnership.
- The
Committee congratulated officers on performance to date. A Member
queried whether a marketing plan was being put in place to seek new
clients and new opportunities. The Cabinet Member stated that there
was currently no marketing plan in place but a plan would be
developed in the future. The Joint Committee were ambitious in what
they hoped Orbis can achieve and areas of development had been
identified.
- It was
queried if the investment that had been put into Orbis could have
been put into Surrey CC to create efficiencies in house. The
Director of Finance explained that very little investment had been
put into Orbis and that the majority of efficiencies had been
created from reducing management staff numbers which would not have
been possible if done in house. A small investment had been put
into an Orbis programme team headed by the Orbis Programme Manager.
There was an 'invest to save' fund for Orbis but very little of
this had been used.
- When
questioned if the partnership had been a success, the Cabinet
Member stated that the lack of detail around KPIs made it difficult
to fully understand the impact of Orbis.
Recommendations:
- For the
Corporate Services Select Committee to report key comments on the
Orbis business plan to the Cabinet Member for Property and Business
Services.