Agenda and minutes

60.1 There were no declarations of interest.

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

61.1 There were no declarations of party whipping.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 30 April 2018.

62.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 30^th April 2018 were approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

63.1 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

64.1 There were no petitions or deputations.

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

65.1    The Committee considered the Work Programme and the Council Forward Plan.

65.2    The Chair noted the items scheduled for the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He commented that it would be useful for the Committee to revisit the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) report. He also stated it would be beneficial for the Committee to scrutinise the Shire Hall Accommodation Move report at the next Committee meeting.

65.3    Councillor Haigh noted the Social Enterprise Grounds Maintenance Pilot decision affects all wards so would be beneficial for Overview and Scrutiny to discuss this in the future.

65.4    Councillor Haigh also stated the Social Impact Bond Mid-term update should be brought before Overview and Scrutiny along with the Gloucestershire 2050 Vision Consultation.

65.5    It was agreed by the Committee that the Social Impact Bond Mid-term update and the Gloucestershire 2050 Vision Consultation would be added to the Committee’s Work Programme and discussed at the next Committee meeting.

65.6    The Chair reminded Members that there is a Member Development session regarding Overview and Scrutiny held by the Centre for Public Scrutiny in the next month, which would be beneficial for Members of the Committee to attend.

65.7    Councillor Haigh raised the point that as the High Strength Alcohol Task and Finish Group has finished there is now capacity for another Task and Finish Group.

65.8    The Chair noted this and asked the Committee to consult with Members and Officers for suggestions for a new Task and Finish Group.

RESOLVED: -          (1) That the Social Impact Bond Mid Term Report and the Gloucestershire 2050 Vision Consultation are added to the Committee’s Work Programme for July and, (2) That the Work Programme be noted.

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources informing Members of the final Council position against agreed budgets for the 2017/18 financial year.

66.1    The Chair welcomed Councillor Norman, Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources, the Head of Policy and Resources and the Accountancy Manager.

66.2    Councillor Norman provided an overview of the Financial Outturn report for 2017/18. The Committee were informed that the figures show an in year improvement quarter on quarter, with an improvement of £300,000 from quarter one.

66.3    Councillor Norman advised that £1.8m of savings were achieved in 2017/18 and those savings that had not been achieved would be added to the current year’s target. He commended the Finance Team for their advice and guidance which has ensured the Council’s financial situation continues to improve.

66.4    Councillor Hilton noted that there had been a slight improvement in Outturn for the year. However it appeared this was mainly due to corporate funding received from Kings Walk. He asked whether without this money the Council financials would be in worse position.

66.5    Councillor Norman replied that the Council was not solely funded by corporate income and the Council use all revenue streams wisely.

66.6    The Accountancy Manager stated the £15 million from Kings Walk was not being used to replenish this year’s accounts and has resulted in £250,000 income from interest. This money meant that the Council was able to safely invest which is beneficial in the long term.

66.7    Councillor Wilson enquired whether all staff are charged in full to the service area they predominately work in. He noted a previous statement from Councillor Noakes who stated that staff were being charged to her portfolio when they only carry out a small amount of work for Culture and Leisure.

66.8    The Accountancy Manager replied that a section was included in the report that stated staff times are not split across areas, that some Officers will carry out work for other sectors within the Council and the Budget reflects this.

66.9    Councillor Wilson noted that the cost for providing the Housing Subsidy had resulted in an overspend of £252,000 in the last quarter. He queried whether this would mean there would be an overspend of excess of £1 million in the coming year. He also stated that all of the portfolios have seen an increase in bad debt.

66.10 The Head of Policy and Resources replied that the increase in Housing Subsidy had resulted from the change to Universal Credit and the 2018/19 Budget would reflect this change. It was only a small negative swing in the last quarter therefore it only differed slightly from the year-end target.

66.11 The Accountancy Manager stated that there had not been an increase in bad debt, simply some debt had aged without collection.

66.12 Councillor Pullen thanked Councillor Norman for his report and honesty. He questioned whether it was beneficial to keep rolling over the debt from previous years and if there was a better solution.

66.13 In reply Councillor Norman agreed with Councillor Pullen and stated that the Cabinet were planning to introduce long term portfolio budgets in the coming year to rectify  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources informing Members of the Council’s performance against key measures in 2017-18 and set out the next steps towards implementing a new performance framework.

67.1    The Chair welcomed Councillor Norman, Cabinet Member for      Performance and Resources and the Policy and Governance Manager.

67.2    Councillor Norman stated that this is the first performance report since 2016. He was pleased to note that the Council had invested in a Performance Management System that would enable the Council to provide continuous oversight of performance.

67.3    The Committee were informed that with the new system in place the Corporate Performance would be reported quarterly with an Annual Report at year end. He further commented that the performance report was a work in progress but was hopeful the new system would provide clearer analysis of the Council’s performance.

67.4    Councillor Hilton noted the 12 downward trend areas, stating the Council needs to do better in terms of performance and that the report had 11 areas where the trend is unknown or there was no date available. He queried when the dataset for waiting times on the telephone would be available. He further questioned whether the complaints regarding Amey would increase in the following year.

67.5    Councillor Norman replied the performance report was a step in the right direction however it was a new process of collecting performance data and next year there would be more datasets. In reference to the specific performance questions, the Cabinet Member stated he would pass the questions on to the relevant officers.

67.6    In response from a query from Councillor Haigh regarding the formatting of the report, the Policy and Governance Manager clarified that the symbols are inherent within the system however she would review the formatting options.

67.7    Councillor Pullen shared his view that it would be beneficial to have qualitative data to support the existing data.

67.8    Councillor Hampson agreed and stated that more information is needed to support the datasets, especially in reference to footfall at the TIC and museums.

67.9    Councillor Toleman enquired whether there are any other key performance indicators are being looked at for reception.

67.10 The Spokesperson noted that the increase in staff absence had been contributed to the restructure and questioned what evidence the Council had for this correlation. He enquired if the Cabinet Member had any additional information regarding staff views towards Together Gloucester.

67.11 Councillor Norman responded that he would ask the Human Resources team for more information regarding the reason for staff absences, within the limits of data protection.

RESOLVED: - That the Committee note the Year End Performance Report.

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure presenting the first Annual Impact report prepared by the Gloucester Culture Trust.

68.1    The Chair welcomed back the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Noakes, the Head of Culture and Trading Services and the Director of the Gloucester Culture Trust.

68.2    The Director of the Gloucester Culture Trust gave a presentation on the strategy and achievements of the Culture Trust thus far.

68.3    The Committee were informed that the Culture Trust were awarded £1.49 million from the Great Place scheme to deliver their vision of Gloucester and to develop Gloucester’s cultural offering.

68.4    The Director of the Gloucester Culture Trust gave an overview of their current achievements and projects, including the Gloucester Roundhouse Exchange, the Kings Quarter regeneration project and upcoming festivals.

68.5    With regards to the impact of the Culture Trust, the Committee were informed that they provide the strategic guidance for culture throughout the City. The Trust’s events increased footfall for local businesses and ensured the people of Gloucester have a say in shaping the cultural message for the City. The Trust also enables the youth of Gloucester to participate in events that have cultural impact on the City.

68.6    Councillor Hampson asked for clarification between the Culture Trust’s aims and Marketing Gloucester.

68.7    The Director of the Culture Trust stated that the Trust provide a cultural strategy for the City with a long-term aim, whereas Marketing Gloucester provided the branding of the city and organise specific events.

68.8.   In response to a query from Councillor Pullen regarding the success of the Trust in reaching young people, the Director stated that the Trust worked closely with partner organising to increase the involvement of young people in projects. She stated there has been targeted investment in the Culture Matson project to encourage youth participation. She further noted that 60 education packs were distributed to schools and libraries in Gloucestershire regarding the anniversary of Aethelflaed.

68.9    Councillor Hilton questioned what conditions would be needed to enable Gloucester to bid for City of Culture 2025.

68.10 In response the Director of the Culture Trust stated that it wasn’t necessarily about creating the correct conditions over time, more about showing Gloucester has the drive and determination to continue to put Culture at the heart of the City.

RESOLVED: - That the Committee note the contents of the Culture Trust Annual Report.

2^nd July 2018 at 6.30pm in the Civic Suite, North Warehouse.

69.1    2^nd July 2018 at 6:30pm in the Civic Suite, North Warehouse.