Agenda item

A report of the Head of Strategic Support to assist the Committee in determining its work programme.

Considered a report of the Head of Strategic Support to assist the Committee in (i) reviewing and planning the scrutiny work it would undertake moving forward; (ii) considering a request of the Scrutiny Commission that this Committee “review the Budget Scrutiny Panel report on a quarterly basis”; and (iii) considering, at the request of the Chair, the dates of future scheduled meetings of the Committee (item 9 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

Assisting with consideration of the report:  Strategic Director of Corporate Services, Head of Customer Experience, Democratic Services Officer.

Summary, key points of discussion:

(i)         To assist Committee in reviewing work programme, report included the current work programme, Corporate Strategy 2020-24, proposed Corporate Delivery Plan 2020/21, current Notice of Forthcoming Key Decisions, details of the services which the Committee had responsibility for scrutinising.

(ii)        Committee agreed that existing items on work programme should be retained.  Addition of regular capital monitoring reports was supported, Committee currently only monitored at outturn.

(iii)       Chair suggested Committee highlighted issues from the Corporate Delivery Plan and that he and the Vice-chair then review the work programme following the meeting with those issues in mind, with the resulting proposed work programme to be brought back to the next meeting of the Committee.

(iv)       Commercialisation and Transformation were significant matters which warranted monitoring/scrutiny, including outcomes.  Suggestion that visions within Corporate Strategy should also guide scrutiny work.

(v)        Discussion regarding the questions that the public would wish scrutiny to ask and the outcomes they would be looking for.

(vi)       Committee could hold additional meetings to the quarterly meetings scheduled by Council, if it so wished.  Such meetings should be useful/necessary.  Limited resources available to support regular increase in meeting frequency.  Timetabling of meetings briefly explained.  Noted that Committee may wish to hold additional meetings for specific purpose in future.

(vii)      How budget scrutiny should be undertaken moving forward discussed. Committee could recommend to Scrutiny Commission that it continue to be undertaken by a Budget Scrutiny Panel (Commission responsible for establishing scrutiny panels). 

RESOLVED

1.      that the existing items on the Committee’s work programme be retained, with the addition of capital monitoring reports at each quarterly meeting;

2.      that, following this meeting, the Chair and Vice-chair of the Committee consider appropriate additions to the Committee’s work programme, the focus for that work being the Council’s Corporate Delivery Plan 2020/21 and issues highlighted above;

3.      that the proposed work programme resulting from 2. above be considered at an additional meeting of the Committee to be held for the purpose and scheduled between this meeting and the next scheduled meeting of the Committee in July 2020;

4.      that, as part of the work outlined in 2. above, the Chair and Vice-chair of the Committee consider a useful scope for the Digitisation and Transformation of Services Scrutiny Panel, with appropriate assistance from relevant officers, with that scope to be emailed to members of the Committee for input prior to it being submitted to Scrutiny Commission for agreement;

5.      that it be recommended to the Scrutiny Commission that scrutiny of the Council’s draft budget 2021/22 be undertaken on the same basis as for the 2020/21 budget, that being via a Budget Scrutiny Panel, and that that Panel also monitor the outcomes of this year’s Panel report.  

Reasons

1.      To enable the Committee to continue and widen work within its remit of receiving regular performance and financial monitoring reports

2.      To work towards an efficient and effective approach to scrutiny, focused on the priorities of the Council.

3.      To avoid delay in agreeing and commencing the above scrutiny.

4.      To ensure panel work is useful, adds value and makes best use of the resources available to support panel work.

5.      To ensure the most effective approach to scrutiny of the Council’s budget.  To ensure continuity and retain experience, the Committee supports retention of the Panel Chair and membership but would look to expand that membership if possible.  An additional Panel meeting in June would also be useful, to commence budget scrutiny at an earlier stage and to consider the previous year’s outturn position.  Monitoring of the outcomes of this year’s Budget Scrutiny Panel is more appropriately undertaken by next year’s Panel, rather than this Committee (reference request of Scrutiny Commission, Minute 94.2, 13th January 2020).