Agenda item

For the Committee to review the Orbis achievements to date and progress in developing a revised business plan.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Members queried what the biggest challenges facing Orbis were. The Director of Finance stated that challenges included,

The Cabinet Member added that work around KPIs would evidence what is and what is not going well for the partnership.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.