To receive for apologies for absence (to include reasons, where appropriate) from Members / Officers.

Apologies for absence were received from the following Member / Officers for the reasons so stated:

Councillor C Reeves – Work commitment

Susan Cooper – Corporate Director Social Services & Wellbeing

Deborah McMillan – Corporate Director Education & Transformation.  

To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest (if any) from Members/Officers in accordance with the provisions of the Members Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008 (including Whipping Declarations). 

None. 

To receive for approval, the minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Resources & Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 23 April 2015. 

RESOLVED:               That the minutes of the Corporate Resources & Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee of 23 April 2015 were approved as a true and accurate record subject to the inclusion of Councillor J C Spanswick in the list of Members present.   

Invitees:

Ness Young – Corporate Director Resources

Cllr M Gregory – Cabinet Member Resources

All Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs

All Corporate Directors

The Committee received a report on the Council’s financial performance as at 31 March 2015 which showed a net under spend of £1.796m on Directorate budgets and a net under spend of £2.991m on corporate budgets.  The under spend on Directorate budgets was attributed to the maximisation of grant and other income, strict vacancy and sickness management, increased productivity on trading accounts and savings resulting from improved systems and processes.  The under spend masked underlying budget pressures in some service areas of Looked After Children and Adult Social Care. 

The Committee requested clarification of the sum of £2.829m which had been drawn down from approved earmarked reserves to meet specific one off pressures.  The Corporate Director Resources stated that she would provide the Committee with the detail of that which had been drawn down from earmarked reserves.   

The Committee questioned the reasons for the projected under spend of £1.8m compared to the projected under spend at Quarter 3.  The Corporate Director Resources informed the Committee that there was usually a great deal of movement in expenditure at Quarter 3 due to the Welsh Government releasing grant monies in this quarter, a greater number of charges being made and the costs of re-structures and vacancy management. 

The Committee questioned the apparent contradiction in the report which referred to the financial pressures in the service areas of Looked After Children which contrasted with the statement made in the report that higher numbers of children had been placed for adoption, with 24 placements having being made.  The Corporate Director Resources informed the Committee that the report should have greater consistency in describing the budget pressures.  She confirmed that there is an over spend in Learning Disabilities Home Care which had contributed to the over spend.  The Committee questioned whether the budget for Looked After Children was initially underfunded which would have avoided the need to draw down from earmarked reserves.  The Corporate Director Resources informed the Committee that earmarked reserves were used for one off items of expenditure.  She stated that Looked After Children numbers showed a downward trajectory compared to the previous year, the numbers were 17 more than the target of 373, which attributed to the over spend.  The Corporate Director Resources informed the Committee that additional provision had been made to the Looked After Children budget, budgets were constantly being reviewed and that budgets were set on forecasts.  She informed the Committee that Directorates were required to make requests for the use of earmarked reserves in line with the Council’s Financial Procedure Rules, and this could relate to planned under spends or fortuitous underspends. 

The Committee referred to the budget reduction proposal of £100k on the Anaerobic Digestion Facility questioned whether it should be a corporate responsibility given the stringent budget cuts which had already been placed on the Communities Directorate.  The Chief Executive informed the Committee that the budget reduction proposal would still have to be made irrespective of the budget was held.  The Corporate Director Resources informed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 155.

The Scrutiny Officer presented a report outlining the suggested topics for consideration in the development of the Committee’s Forward Work Programme for 2015-16.  An outline Forward Work Programme had been developed utilising a list of suggested criteria such as Initial Reasons, Risk, Performance Measures, Community Perception, Budget and external factors for the identification of topics for investigation.

Conclusion

The Committee considered the suggested topics for inclusion in the Forward Work Programme for 2015-16 and the 12 primary topics for inclusion in the programme.

The Committee expressed concern over the slippage reported for the Depot Rationalisation and queried whether they could add it to their forward work programme.  It was agreed that the Scrutiny Officer would clarify whether this item was already incorporated into the FWP for the CEL Overview and Scrutiny Committee and if so, ensure that the Committees’ concerns were passed on and raised.

The Committee discussed and agreed their Annual Forward Work Programme and agreed that Joint Scrutiny Topics be considered at the Scrutiny Chairs meeting where they could be looked at as a whole picture for prioritisation

The Scrutiny Officer introduced the report of the Committee’s Corporate Parenting Champion, Councillor E Dodd on the work being undertaken by the Corporate Parenting Cabinet - Committee.         

Conclusions:

The Committee noted the Corporate Parenting Champion’s update and the concerns of the Committee raised under the Financial Performance item in relation to Looked After Children be raised by the Corporate Parenting Champion at meetings of the Corporate Parenting Cabinet - Committee.         

The Scrutiny Officer submitted a report seeking a nominee from the Committee as its Corporate Parenting Champion as an invitee on meetings of the Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting and nominations for the Budget Research and Evaluation Panel in line with the recommendations of this Committee made as part of the 2015/16 budget setting process. 

RESOLVED:               (1) That Councillor E Dodd be nominated as its Corporate Parenting Champion to represent the Committee at meetings of the Cabinet Committee Corporate Parenting.

(2)  That the Chairperson of the Corporate Resources & Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Councillor C Reeves be nominated to represent the Committee on the standing Budget Research and Evaluation Panel.

The Scrutiny Officer presented a report which detailed the items to be considered at the next meeting of the Committee and sought confirmation of the information and invitees required.   

Conclusions:                  

The Committee noted the items to be considered at its meeting on 22 September 2015 and the invitees to attend to attend the meeting of the Committee on 10 December 2015.   

To consider any items of business in respect of which notice has been given in accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency. 

There were no urgent items.