Decision:
(i) Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Report back to Cabinet in relation to the call in of the report re. the Grant Criteria and Funding Opportunities Guide
A copy of the COSC report is attached as Appendix 1.
Cabinet considered the recommendations – they agreed to reject recommendation (a) but agreed to approve recommendation (b) and (c):
(b) That an additional paragraph be included in the Guide to clarify the specific responsibilities in relation to disclosures of interests and the signing of confidentiality agreements for councillors serving on evaluation panels: the wording to be agreed by Legal Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Business Services and the Chairman of the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
(c) That the first sentence of the second paragraph of section 1.5.3 of the Guide be amended by the addition of the word ‘also’, to read ‘Conflicts of interest can also arise…’.
(ii) Environment and Transport Select Committee
A copy of the recommendation re. the Transport Strategy for Surrey’s School Place Programme is attached as Appendix 2, with a response from the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning (Appendix 3).
Minutes:
(i) Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee (COSC)
Report back to Cabinet in relation to the call in of the report re. the Grant Criteria and Funding Opportunities Guide (A copy of the COSC report is attached as Appendix 1).
The Chairman of COSC was invited to present the committee’s report and its recommendations arising from the review of the decision taken by Cabinet on 27 May 2014. He referred to the Cabinet decision taken on 25 March 2014, to support COSC’s recommended actions for the Adult Social Care directorate and said that he considered the amendment to the Grant Criteria and Funding Opportunities Guide, agreed by Cabinet on 27 May 2014 was too general. He said that in order for the County Council to realise the benefits of the Family, Friends and Community Support Programme (FFCS) staff must be trained appropriately and this was one area that the County Council could make a special effort to develop this shift in culture.
The Chairman of the Adult Social Care Select Committee was also invited to address Cabinet on this item. He considered that due consideration had not been given to this item by Cabinet and he hoped that by two select committee chairmen attending this meeting that Cabinet would reconsider and agreed the recommendations from COSC. He said that the Grant Criteria and Funding Opportunities Guide was not just a ‘procurement’ guide, it had wider importance because the County Council relied on the support of the voluntary sector. Also, he did not accept the argument of setting a precedent for one service above others. He also hoped that Cabinet would agree recommendations (b) and (c).
The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care confirmed that he had attended the COSC call in meeting and that he would support recommendations (b) and (c) but not (a). The Cabinet Member for Business Services agreed, stating that this Guide was a procurement framework to enable organisations to bid for funding.
The Leader of the Council referred to the Table 2.2.1 in the Guide: ‘How to decide the most appropriate way to fund the project / service’, which stated that the first question to ask was: ‘Does the project / services meet one or more of Surrey County Council’s corporate goals or priorities?’ Therefore, as the FFCP clearly met them, it would qualify for consideration and there was no need to specify this particular programme in this generic document.
Cabinet considered the COSC recommendations – they agreed to reject recommendation (a) but agreed to approve recommendation (b) and (c):
(b) That an additional paragraph be included in the Guide to clarify the specific responsibilities in relation to disclosures of interests and the signing of confidentiality agreements for councillors serving on evaluation panels: the wording to be agreed by Legal Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Business Services and the Chairman of the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
(c) That the first sentence of the second paragraph of section 1.5.3 of the Guide be amended by the addition of the word ‘also’, to read ‘Conflicts of interest can also arise…’.
(ii) Environment and Transport Select Committee
A copy of the recommendation re. the Transport Strategy for Surrey’s School Place Programme is attached as Appendix 2, with a response from the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning (Appendix 3).