Meeting documents

Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee
Thursday, 16th July, 2015 6.30 pm

Place:
Jubilee Room, Civic 1, Civic Campus, Victoria Ave
 

Attendance Details

ItemDescriptionResolution
Part I
144 Apologies and substitutions.
 Apologies for absence were received from Councillor F Waterworth (substitute Cllr D C McGlone) and Councillor T K Byford (substitute Cllr J I Courtenay).
145 Declarations of interest.
 The following interests were declared at the meeting:

(a) Councillors Woodley, Gilbert, Longley and Norman MBE (Executive Councillors) - interest in the referred/called-in items; attended pursuant to the dispensation agreed at Council on 19th July 2012, under S.33 of the Localism Act 2011;

(b) Councillor J Garston - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - local landlord;

(c) Councillor D Garston -agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - private landlord owning one rented house in Southend;

(d) Councillor Flewitt - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - friend, family tenants of SEH Ltd;

(e) Councillor Ayling - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - private landlord, let to family member;

(f) Councillor Nevin - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - night shelter volunteer;

(g) Councillor Davies - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary -worked at night shelters / HARP;

(h) Councillor Holland - agenda item relating to Housing presentation - non-pecuniary - son works for SBC and involved in strategic housing;

(i)Councillor McMahon - agenda items relating to - Housing presentation; MPR - non-pecuniary - cofounder HARP; night shelter worker; former governor YMCA; worked as part of the street pastor team.

(j) Councillor Borton - agenda item relating to Digital Strategy - DwP and JobCentre Plus mentioned - her employer.
146 Questions from Members of the Public.
 There were no questions from members of the public.
147 Minutes of the Meeting held on Thursday, 16th April, 2015
 Resolved:-

That the Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 16th April, 2015 be received, confirmed as a correct record and signed.
148 Overview of the Council's Housing responsibilities
Business for item 148
Resolved:-

That the presentation be noted.
149 Monthly Performance Report - April 2015
Business for item 149
Resolved:-

That the report be noted.

Note:- This is an Executive Function.
Executive Councillor:- As appropriate to the item.
150 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
Corporate Plan & Annual Report - 2015
Scrutiny Comment for item 150
Business for item 150
Resolved:-

That the following decision of Cabinet be noted:-

"That the draft Corporate Plan and Annual Report 2015 be approved."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
151 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
2014/15 Year End Performance Report
Scrutiny Comment for item 151
Business for item 151
Resolved:-

That the following decision of Cabinet be noted:-

"That the 2014/15 end of year position and accompanying analysis, be noted."

Note:- This is an Executive Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
152 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
Annual Treasury Management Report - 2014/15
Scrutiny Comment for item 152
Business for item 152
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2014/15 and the outturn Prudential Indicators for the Period from April 2014 to March 2015, be approved.

2. That it be noted that the financing of capital expenditure of £34.752m has been funded in accordance with the schedule set out in Table 1 of section 4, with a reduced financing requirement of £6.701m.

3. That it be noted that Capital Financing and Treasury Management were carried out in accordance with statutory requirements, good practice and in compliance with the CIPFA (The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Prudential Code during 2014/15.

4. That the revised Treasury Management Policy Statement for 2015/16, as set out in appendix B to the submitted report, be approved.

5. That, in respect of the return on investment and borrowing, the following be noted:

(a) That the loan and investment portfolios were actively managed to minimise cost and maximise interest earned, whilst maintaining a low level of risk.

(b) That £0.61m of interest was earned during the whole of 2014/15 at an average rate of 0.64%. This is 0.29% over the benchmark of the 7 day LIBID (London Interbank Bid Rate) and 0.14% over bank base rate.

(c) That an average of £69.9m of investments were managed in-house These earned £0.39m of interest during the year at an average rate of 0.56%. This is 0.21% over the average 7 day LIBID and 0.06% over bank base rate.

(d) That an average of £24.8m of investments were managed by our external fund manager. These earned £0.22m of interest during the year at an average rate of 0.87%. This is 0.52% over the average 7 day LIBID and 0.37% over bank base rate.

(e) That the level of borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) (excluding debt relating to services transferred from Essex County Council on 1st April 1998) decreased from £250.8m to £237.8m (Housing Revenue Account (HRA): £80.8m, General Fund (GF): £157.0m) by the end of 2014/15.

(f) That the level of funding for invest to save schemes was £0.14m by the end of 2014/15."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
153 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
Debt Management - Position to 31st March 2015
Scrutiny Comment for item 153
Business for item 153
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the current outstanding debt position as at 31st March 2015 and the position of debts written off to 31st March 2014/15, as set out in appendices A and B to the submitted report, be noted.

2. That the latest individual write-offs greater than £25,000, as set out in appendix B to the submitted report, be approved."

Note:- This is an Executive Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
154 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
Provisional Revenue Outturn 2014/15
Scrutiny Comment for item 154
Business for item 154
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the provisional revenue outturn for the General Fund and HRA for 2014/15, be noted.

2. That the appropriation of revenue funds to and from earmarked reserves, as set out in paragraphs 4.6 and 5.4 of the submitted report, be approved."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
155 Item called in from The Cabinet minutes of Tuesday, 23rd June, 2015.
 
Provisional Capital Outturn 2014/15
Scrutiny Comment for item 155
Business for item 155
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That it be noted that the expenditure on the capital programme for 2014/15 totalled £34.752m against a budget of £41.453m, a delivery of 83.8% as set out in sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the submitted report.

2. That the relevant budget carry forwards and accelerated delivery requests totalling a net £7.005m, as set out in appendices 1 and 2 to the submitted report, be approved.

3. That the virements, reprofiles, amendments and new external funding for schemes, as detailed in appendices 3, 4 and 5 to the submitted report, be noted.

4. That the relevant changes to the budget identified since the approved capital programme was set at Council on 26th February 2015, as detailed in appendix 6 to the submitted report, be approved.

5. That it be noted that the above changes will result in an amended Capital Programme of £166.907m for the period 2015/16 to 2018/19 and later years, as detailed in appendix 7 to the submitted report."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
156 Digital Strategy - Minute 4 of the Meeting of People Management, Accommodation & Digital Strategy Working Party held on Wednesday, 27th May, 2015
Business for item 156
Resolved:-

That the following decision of Cabinet be noted:-

"That the Digital Strategy 2014-17, including the actions, be approved."

Note:- This is an Executive Function.
Executive Councillor:- Gilbert
157 Corporate Asset Management Strategy 2015-2025
Business for item 157
Resolved:-

1. That the report to Cabinet on the Strategy, attached at Appendix 1 of the report, should cover the following points:-

• Notification of intention to dispose of public open space - a process is required to inform ward Councillors at the same time as the public advertisement;
• Investment strategy - Members highlighted the need for a robust selection process given the potential risk of investment and the need for an appropriate decision making process;
• Non-operational property - Strategy needs more emphasis on retaining freeholds.

2. To note that the Strategy will require specific capital resources being identified as part of the relevant budget process together with some revenue support to be funded from the Business Transformation Reserve.

Note:- This is a Executive Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
158 In depth Scrutiny projects - 2015 / 16
Business for item 158
Resolved:-

1. That the in-depth scrutiny project for 2015/16 be - ‘Control of personal debt and the advantages of employment'.
2. To note that the following Members have been appointed to the Panel, which will manage the in depth project - Councillors M A Flewitt (Chairman), B Ayling, A Crystall, L Davies, D A Garston, D G Kenyon, C J Nevin and C W Walker.
3. To note the information attached at Appendix 3 to the Report, the summary of work of the 3 Scrutiny Committees during 2014 / 2015.

Note:- This is a Scrutiny Function.
18:30 / 21:00

Attendance Details

Present:
Councillor M A Flewitt (Chairman),
Councillor D A Garston (Vice-Chairman) Councillors B C Arscott, B Ayling, M L Borton, J I Courtenay*, A Crystall, L Davies, A E Holland, J M Garston, D G Kenyon, J L Lamb, D C McGlone*, J McMahon, C J Nevin, M Stafford and C W Walker
(*Substitute in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 31)
In attendance:
Councillors R A Woodley, I D Gilbert, G E Longley and D A Norman MBE (Executive Councillors)
J K Williams, S Holland, F Abbott, S Leftley, J Chesterton, D Patel, A Fiske, D Cummings and A Richards
M Ambrose (SEH) - in attendance for agenda item 5

Scrutiny Comment

ItemComment
150 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decision of Cabinet be noted:-

"That the draft Corporate Plan and Annual Report 2015 be approved."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
151 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decision of Cabinet be noted:-

"That the 2014/15 end of year position and accompanying analysis, be noted."

Note:- This is an Executive Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
152 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2014/15 and the outturn Prudential Indicators for the Period from April 2014 to March 2015, be approved.

2. That it be noted that the financing of capital expenditure of £34.752m has been funded in accordance with the schedule set out in Table 1 of section 4, with a reduced financing requirement of £6.701m.

3. That it be noted that Capital Financing and Treasury Management were carried out in accordance with statutory requirements, good practice and in compliance with the CIPFA (The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Prudential Code during 2014/15.

4. That the revised Treasury Management Policy Statement for 2015/16, as set out in appendix B to the submitted report, be approved.

5. That, in respect of the return on investment and borrowing, the following be noted:

(a) That the loan and investment portfolios were actively managed to minimise cost and maximise interest earned, whilst maintaining a low level of risk.

(b) That £0.61m of interest was earned during the whole of 2014/15 at an average rate of 0.64%. This is 0.29% over the benchmark of the 7 day LIBID (London Interbank Bid Rate) and 0.14% over bank base rate.

(c) That an average of £69.9m of investments were managed in-house These earned £0.39m of interest during the year at an average rate of 0.56%. This is 0.21% over the average 7 day LIBID and 0.06% over bank base rate.

(d) That an average of £24.8m of investments were managed by our external fund manager. These earned £0.22m of interest during the year at an average rate of 0.87%. This is 0.52% over the average 7 day LIBID and 0.37% over bank base rate.

(e) That the level of borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) (excluding debt relating to services transferred from Essex County Council on 1st April 1998) decreased from £250.8m to £237.8m (Housing Revenue Account (HRA): £80.8m, General Fund (GF): £157.0m) by the end of 2014/15.

(f) That the level of funding for invest to save schemes was £0.14m by the end of 2014/15."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
153 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the current outstanding debt position as at 31st March 2015 and the position of debts written off to 31st March 2014/15, as set out in appendices A and B to the submitted report, be noted.

2. That the latest individual write-offs greater than £25,000, as set out in appendix B to the submitted report, be approved."

Note:- This is an Executive Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
154 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That the provisional revenue outturn for the General Fund and HRA for 2014/15, be noted.

2. That the appropriation of revenue funds to and from earmarked reserves, as set out in paragraphs 4.6 and 5.4 of the submitted report, be approved."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley
155 Called in by Councillors J Lamb and A Holland.
Final call on 02/07/2015 at 15:45
Resolved:-

That the following decisions of Cabinet be noted:-

"1. That it be noted that the expenditure on the capital programme for 2014/15 totalled £34.752m against a budget of £41.453m, a delivery of 83.8% as set out in sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the submitted report.

2. That the relevant budget carry forwards and accelerated delivery requests totalling a net £7.005m, as set out in appendices 1 and 2 to the submitted report, be approved.

3. That the virements, reprofiles, amendments and new external funding for schemes, as detailed in appendices 3, 4 and 5 to the submitted report, be noted.

4. That the relevant changes to the budget identified since the approved capital programme was set at Council on 26th February 2015, as detailed in appendix 6 to the submitted report, be approved.

5. That it be noted that the above changes will result in an amended Capital Programme of £166.907m for the period 2015/16 to 2018/19 and later years, as detailed in appendix 7 to the submitted report."

Note:- This is a Council Function
Executive Councillor:- Woodley

Business

ItemBusiness
148The Council's Group Manager Housing, Andrew Fiske, provided an overview of the Council's housing responsibilities. He gave an outline of the Housing Group, the relationship with South Essex Homes, the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) and also highlighted some of the major challenges ahead.

The Committee asked a number of questions which were fully responded to by officers.

The Committee thanked Mr Fiske for the helpful and informative presentation and asked that a copy of the Power Point presentation be made available to all members of the Council.
149The Committee considered Minute 34 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, together with the Monthly Performance Report (MPR) covering the period to end April 2015. The Committee additionally had before it the latest MPR to end May 2015, which had been circulated on 8th July 2015.
150The Committee considered Minute 36 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, together with a report of the Chief Executive & Town Clerk presenting the Council's draft Corporate Plan and Annual Report for 2015.

In response to a question from Councillor Davies, the Council's Head of Public Protection said that she would send a written response providing further information about ‘cash for trash'.
151The Committee considered Minute 37 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to all 3 scrutiny committees, together with a report of the Chief Executive & Town Clerk detailing the end of year position of the Council's corporate performance.

In response to a question from Councillor J Garston, the Council's Head of Finance & Resources agreed to send a written response about the charges applied in respect of online card payments.
152The Committee considered Minute 38 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, together with a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate Services. This detailed the treasury activity for the period from April 2014 to March 2015 and reviewed performance against the Prudential Indicators for 2014/15.
153The Committee considered Minute 39 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, together with a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate Services. This informed Members of the current outstanding debt to the Council as at 31st March 2015 and debts that had been, or are recommended for write-off.
154The Committee considered Minute 40 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, together with a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate Services on the provisional revenue outturn for 2014/15.
155The Committee considered Minute 41 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, together with a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate Services. This outlined the capital programme outturn for 2014/15 and sought approval for the relevant budget carry forwards, accelerated delivery requests and in-year amendments to the current approved programme.
156The Committee considered Minute 54 of Cabinet held on 23rd June 2015, which had been called in to scrutiny, which was the Minutes of the People Management, Accommodation & Digital Strategy Working Party held on 27th May 2015 and the recommendation in so far as it relates to the Southend Digital Strategy (Minute 4).

In response to a number of questions from the Committee, the Executive Councillor for Community and Organisational Development and the Corporate Director for Corporate Services explained how the shift to paperless meetings and the new ICT systems and equipment would be implemented in an incremental way, with full support and training being provided to Members.
157(This is a pre-Cabinet scrutiny item).

The Committee considered a report by the Corporate Director for Corporate Services concerning the Corporate Asset Management Strategy 2015-2025 incorporating a Commercial Property Investment Strategy.

The Committee discussed the report in detail and made detailed comments on the draft Corporate Asset Management Strategy 2015-2015 (CAMS).
158The Committee considered a report by the Corporate Director for Corporate Services concerning the possible in depth scrutiny project to be undertaken by the Scrutiny Committee in 2015/16. The report also attached some information about the work carried out by the Scrutiny Committees in the 2014 / 15 Municipal Year.

 

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