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 held on 07/12/2017

RESOLVED:            1. That the Minutes of the meeting of the Subject   Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2 of 7^th December 2017 be accepted as a true and accurate record.

2. That the information requested at the 7^th December   

2017 meeting regarding the request for a Council   Transport Unit representative and Scrutiny Members to sit on the Task and Finish Group and the actual figure for Sickness Absence, be provided to the Committee.                                

The Scrutiny Officer presented the items prioritised by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee to this Overview and Scrutiny Committee, items for comment and prioritisation and asked the Committee to identify any further items for consideration

In relation to the Economic Prosperity of Bridgend County Borough report scheduled for 7 February 2018, Members requested that the following information also be included:

·         Impact of BREXIT on EU Funding;

·         Impact of BREXIT on current Worklessness Programmes;

·         Statistics concerning the Worklessness Programmes.

The Committee highlighted Safeguarding as a priority to be presented to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee for formal prioritisation end identified Schools Standards Report 17/18 and ALN Reform for webcasting.

RESOLVED:            1. In relation to the Economic Prosperity of Bridgend County Borough report scheduled for 7 February 2018, Members requested that the following information also be included:

·         Impact of BREXIT on EU Funding;

·         Impact of BREXIT on current Worklessness Programmes;

·         Statistics concerning the Worklessness Programmes.

 2. That Safeguarding be highlighted by the Committee   as a priority to be presented to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee for formal prioritisation.

         3.  That the Schools Standards Report 17/18 and ALN  Reform be identified as suitable for webcasting.

Invitees

The Head of Adult Social Care presented a report requesting pre-decision scrutiny from Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2 in respect of a recommendation to tender as a going concern, one of BCBC’s internal residential care homes which was currently in-scope for the Extra Care Housing scheme plans. In July 2017 a report was presented to Cabinet advising then of the potential option to tender Ty Cwm Ogwr care home as a going concern. Targeted engagement and consultation was undertaken and the results were outlined in the report. The Head of Adult Social Care outlined the indicative procurement timetable, the benefits and risks of the proposal.

She explained that in light of the positive response to the proposal received from those directly affected, the report recommendations were to note the information contained in the report; to provide feedback in respect of the recommendation to tender Ty Cwm Ogwr as a going concern and to note that Cabinet would receive a report in February 2018 outlining the results of the consultation and feedback from scrutiny and seeking approval to go out to tender.      

A member asked if it would be possible for details of the current and proposed staffing structures to be circulated. The Head of Adult Social Care explained that the current structure could be circulated but it would be for the new provider to create a new structure.

A member asked if it would be possible for a committee member to sit on the procurement panel as an observer to see exactly what was being procured. The member was advised that legal advice would be sought to see if this was possible. There were concerns about setting a precedent and if the process allowed observers although it was recognised that this would improve openness and transparency. The Cabinet Member for social Services and Early Help explained that the report would be considered by Cabinet and a number of Cabinet Members were already involved in the procurement process. The Head of Adult Services added that discussions were ongoing with procurement to allow families to be part of the process and this could be extended to include an update to scrutiny.       

A member welcomed the general direction of travel but requested more information on how the savings had been identified. He was concerned as to how the same staff on the same contracts with the same salaries working in a property that required investment could provide a comparable service.   

Members asked who would take responsibility for redundancy payments 

following the transfer of staff and how terms and conditions compared to the current packages. The Head of Adult Services explained that the financial implications were included in the report. Discussions were ongoing regarding transitional arrangements. Independent providers had different opportunities with economies of scale and maximising the use of the site. The specification would include responsibility for redundancy costs and liability would transfer to new provider. Staff would transfer under TUPE however nursing placements would be funded in a different way and there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.