Agenda and minutes

To note the appointments made by Council at the Annual Meeting on 22 May 2017:-

·         Chair – Councillor Coole

·         Vice Chair – Councillor Ryall

·         Spokesperson – Councillor Finnegan

RESOLVED:

1.1       That the appointments of Chair, Vice-Chair and Spokesperson at Annual Council be noted.

To receive from Members, declarations of the existence of any disclosable pecuniary, or non-pecuniary, interests and the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item. Please see Agenda Notes.

2.1       There were no declarations of interest.

To declare if any issues to be covered in the Agenda are under party whip.

3.1       There were no declarations of an existence of a party whip.

3.2       Councillor Hilton questioned the item’s inclusion on the agenda stating that the Liberal Democrat Group did not impose a whip, and its Members would therefore not be declaring an interest.

3.3       Councillor Patel stated that Overview and Scrutiny Committee was apolitical in nature and therefore this item seemed unnecessary.

3.4       The Chair advised Members that he had requested the item be added to the agenda to ensure that the Committee complied with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules Part 4- 17 as stated in the Council’s Constitution. He explained that this also complied with statutory guidance issued by the Government and was a practice that had been adopted by a number of different authorities. He noted Group Leaders  had raised no objection to the introduction of the item.  

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 27 February 2017 and 6 March 2017.

RESOLVED:

4.1       That the minutes of the meetings held on 27^th February 2017 and 6^th March 2017 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

5.1       There were no public questions.

To receive any petitions and deputations provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:

·         Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·         Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings

6.1       There were no petitions or deputations.

To receive the latest version of the Committee’s work programme and the Council’s Forward Plan.

7.1       The Chair reminded Members that they were able to refer any matter for consideration to the Work Programme. He reported that he was in discussion with the administration and senior management team in promoting the Committee’s role in the development of policy and hoping to email Members with further details with regards to this in due course.

7.2       RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme and Council Forward Plan be noted

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources which details budget variances, year-end forecasts, and progress made against agreed savings targets for the 2016/17 financial year.

8.1       The Chair agreed to revise the agenda to consider agenda item 11: 2016-17 Financial Outturn Report first. He welcomed the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources (Councillor Norman) to the meeting and congratulated him on his recent election as the County Councillor for Grange and Kingsway.

8.2       Councillor Norman congratulated the Chair on his re-appointment to the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He reported that the final outturn position was much improved from the in-year position and thanked the Head of Finance and the wider Finance Team for their efforts and diligence in this regard. He acknowledged that a number of savings targets had not been met and assured the Committee that was Cabinet Members were actively being challenged to think creatively and adopt innovative strategies in order to deliver improvements. He concluded by reminding Members that the economic climate continued to remain challenging and that the Council continued to face significant budgetary pressures. 

8.3       Councillor Wilson welcomed the report and the final outturn position. He expressed concern at reports in the local media of the intention of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s intention to fine the Council £100,000 for a security breach and questioned whether any provision had been made in the finances to accommodate for this penalty. He went on further to query why Members had not been advised prior to the information becoming public and questioned whether the Council were intending to appeal the decision of the ICO.

8.4       Councillor Norman advised Members that the Managing Director had made representations to the ICO once they had informed the Council of their intentions. He explained that the ICO had not made any attempt to engage with the Council and had gone on to release a statement to the media without giving the Council any notice that they were planning to do so. He went on further to explain that there had been no opportunity to advise Members on the final outcome as a result of the ICO’s actions.

8.5       The Head of Finance reported that appropriate provision had been made within the current budget as it had been recognised that the ICO had the powers to issue a monetary penalty notice following the security breach in 2014.

8.6       In response to Councillor Wilson’s query regarding the budget setting processes, the Head of Finance advised that the draft budget proposals presented to Members at the end of the 2016/17 year had not accounted for the penalty as the Council had not been issued with a notice by the ICO at this stage. He reported that the penalty would be budgeted for in the 2016/17 financial year.

8.7       In response to a query from the Chair options to appeal, the Head of Finance advised that One Legal were considering the Council’s grounds for appeal and if in a position to do so, the Council would appeal. He confirmed that the fine could potentially be reduced to £80,000 if the full amount was paid by the 27^th June  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive the report setting out progress made against implementation of the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Task and Finish Group on Employment and Skills.

9.1       The Chair welcomed the Corporate Director and the Head of Place to the Meeting.

9.2       The Head of Place outlined the key progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group on Employment and Skills. He drew Members attention to the significant regeneration projects taking place within the City, including Black Dog Way, Kings Quarter and Bakers Quay amongst others. He noted that these projects were home to market leading employers that contributed to high proportion of jobs in the local economy. He acknowledged that the City needed to continue to enhance its employment offer including the skills and opportunities available.

            He reported that the Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership were in the process of establishing a Gloucestershire Employment and Skills Board and were committed to working with local authorities in developing a Gloucester careers KiteMark. He went on further to explain that the City Council were committed to developing a Business Engagement Programme following an initial meeting with Gloucester Business Forum on the 3^rd March.

            He reported that the City Council were also looking to develop a social inclusion and skills programme, that focussed on areas of significant deprivation and would adopt a holistic approach, working alongside allied professionals and working partners. Referring to the Kings Quarter Project, The Head of Place advised Members that project was progressing on two key strands that encompassed building construction and physical works and secondly on sustainable employment and skill development. He went on further to explain that in relation to the construction, the Council were committed to hiring contractors who maximised on hiring locally and were looking to develop a project, based on the Gloucestershire Services Model that trained and developed a skill force that developers and contractors could utilise in development projects.

            He concluded by noting that the Gloucester City plan, currently out to consultation, also contained obligations in relation to employment and skills noting that no objections had been raised by local businesses in relation to this.

9.3       Councillor Hawthorne welcomed the progress made in improving the City’s urban and social landscape. He queried what evidence was available to demonstrate the successes of the schemes that had been referenced.

9.4       The Head of Place advised Members that these schemes were being monitored and evaluated. He acknowledging that the schemes, currently in the early stages had not yet generated significant evidence and provided assurance that evidence collated would be used to inform subsequent delivery.

9.5       In response to Councillor Ryall’s query regarding resources and support for managers and officers in delivering engaging work placements, the Head of Place reported that managers developed individual programmes to ensure that work placements were informative. He acknowledged that there was no formal learning programme in place.

9.6       Councillor Ryall questioned whether delivering engagement workshops would be a useful tool in supporting staff to ensure that work placements were effective. The Head of Place agreed that staff within the organisation would benefit from a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive the report of The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny for the civic year 2016-2017.

10.1    The Chair highlighted key areas of the report and advised Members that the report would be presented to Council on the 20^th July 2017.

10.2    Members endorsed the report, noting that there were a number of typographical errors that required correction.

10.3    RESOLVED that subject to the correction of typographical errors the report be recommended to Council.

11.1    The Chair noted that the next meeting would be held on 10^th July 2017. He advised Members that himself, Vice-Chair and Spokesperson had agreed to hold a special Overview and Scrutiny meeting at the end of July to consider the emerging Council Plan, details of which would be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting.