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Shared Regulatory Services Annual Report 2018-19

Minutes:

The Operational Manager, Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) presented a report, the purpose of which, was to provide Cabinet with the Shared Regulatory Services Annual Report 2018-19 for noting.

 

The report commenced with some background information, following which, the Operational Manager SRS outlined some key aspects of operational performance across the region arising from the Annual Report, particularly insofar as it related to Bridgend.

 

He confirmed that sickness levels for 2018/19 were 7.55 days per FTE person. This was below the Council’s average of 11.90 days FTE, but was an increase on the previous year where absence records were recorded as 6.89 per FTE person. There were mitigating factors for this however, with several Officers undergoing planned medical interventions. There were no discernible trends in either the short or long term absence figures.

 

He proceeded by advising that the Gross Revenue Budget position for 2018/19 for the SRS was an under spend of £496k against the gross revenue budget of £8.504m. For Bridgend County Borough Council, this resulted in a net underspend of £129k against a net budget of £1.328m. The Authority Specific Services for Bridgend County Borough Council underspent by £57k, which was partially the result of a £29k underspend within the Licensing Section and a £28k underspend within Kennelling and Vets, where activity is below budget. 

 

The SRS had also consolidated service delivery, in accord with agreed standards and delivered the requisite financial savings. However, the report indicated that more demands were being placed upon the service at a time of reduced resources. Targets and actions identified in the 2018/19 Plan were achieved for the most part.

 

The Operational Manager, SRS was pleased to advise Cabinet, that the Service had been active in the Courts and Appendix 2 of the Annual Report, set out the successful interventions undertaken in the 2018/19 period.

 

Paragraph 4.2 of the report, then outlined key operational implications for BCBC and the Operational Manager SRS gave an overview of these for the benefit of Members.

 

With it acknowledged that the SRS Business Plan is also aligned to the Council’s Corporate Plan, the next section of the report reflected upon some of the notable activities for the Borough during the above mentioned period.

 

The Cabinet Member – Future Generations and Wellbeing confirmed that she was pleased to note that food hygiene standards in establishments within Bridgend had improved in Bridgend for 2018/19 and that there had been some successful prosecutions against businesses that had fallen foul of food hygiene requirements and the like.

 

The Deputy Leader acknowledged the significant levels of improvements made within the SRS since 2014, but made the point that there were challenges going forward, particularly in respect of staff recruitment and retention moving forward.

 

The Operational Manager, SRS agreed with this, stating that resources had shrunk over the last few years and that there was an issue regarding the recruitment and retaining of certain professionals, for example, Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers. This was being mitigated to a degree, by looking to use some underspend in the Service to recruit students and apprentices, before these were recruited by the private sector.

 

The Leader added that he was pleased to note that two businesses in Bridgend and Barry, had been prosecuted in relation to food allergens following test purchases and hoped that further such testing would continue in the future, in order to remind businesses of the ultimate consequences that could happen, if a member of the public had an extreme adverse reaction as a result of consuming a food product they were highly allergic to.

 

RESOLVED:                  That Cabinet noted the Shared Regulatory Services Annual Report for 2018/19.       

Supporting documents:

 

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