No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received. 

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents. 

Members are requested to agree on how to proceed with the above recommendation.

                                                                                    (Yusuf Patel – 01274 434579)

Resolved –

That a report on the Council’s Trading Services be submitted to this Committee which explores the internal finance options for the Council’s Commercial Services.

ACTION:       Strategic Director Place

There will be a discussion at the meeting which will focus on the prepared budget proposals in relation to a Well Run Council/Corporate Services.

Appendix C of the PROPOSED FINANCIAL PLAN 2017/18-2020/2 budget (Document “AJ”) considered by Executive at its meeting held on 6 December 2016 is being circulated to aid the discussion.

                                                                        (Stuart McKinnon – 01274 432800)

There was a discussion at the meeting which focused on the prepared budget proposals in relation to a Well Run Council/Corporate Services.

Appendix C of the Proposed Financial Plan 2017/18-2020/21 Budget (Executive Document “AJ”) considered by Executive at its meeting held on 6 December 2016 had been circulated to aid the discussion.

The Chair commented that in the absence of a detailed report, it was difficult for Members to understand the information that had been presented by way of appendix c.  In response the Strategic Director Corporate Services explained that the appendix set out the budget context for the Corporate Services area, and formed part of the larger Executive budget document that had been presented in early December.

He went onto explain the proposed budget savings proposals for each of the service areas that fell under the Corporate Services umbrella, with a £0.6m overall savings proposal for 2017/18 and £2.7m for 2018/19.

Financial Services – That the proposed savings of £162,000 would be achieved through reduced staffing, primarily via voluntary redundancies and retirement. He stressed that that the Service was already a low cost functioning service compared to other local authorities of a similar size.

In response to a question regarding the level of staffing in the last 5 years, it was pointed out that the number of staff currently stood at 58, compared to 95 in 2010.

Insurance Services – The proposed saving of £500,000 would be achieved by reducing the level of the premiums and departments reducing the number of claims.  In addition explore the possibility of selling on insurance to generate income.

In response to a question on how deliverable this ambition was in the context of reduced local government funding, its impact on service delivery and the possibility of more potential claims, the Strategic Director acknowledged that the savings target was ambitious and that sometimes significant claims can be made, which were difficult to predict, particularly in relation to claims pertaining to defects in the highway.

In relation to a question regarding shopping around in order to get a lower premium,  the Strategic Director explained that although this was possible and Local Authorities were exploring the possibility of mutual cover on a joint basis, there were risks associated with this arrangement, and in any case the level of cover offered by the current provider was second to none and an excellent relationship had been forged over the years.

Revenues and Benefits – That the proposed saving of £160,000 would be achieved by reducing the amount of cash circulating within the organisation and the transportation of it, by moving to a more cashless system.

A Member suggested that replacing the current cash only parking meters to a cashless system would significantly reduce the amount of cash that needed collecting.

Contribution of West Yorkshire Joint Committee -  That the proposed £110,000 saving would be achieved by capping Bradford’s contribution, becoming more financially viable in the process through the selling of services.

Information Technology Services  - That the proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

The Director of Finance will submit a report (Document “AI”) which provides an update on progress made with risk management across the authority during 2016.

Recommended –

That the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviews the

progress made on risk management during 2016 and comments on any

future activity it wishes to be implemented.

                                                                        (Mark St.Romaine -01274 432888)

The Director of Finance submitted a report (Document “AI”) which provided an update on progress made with risk management across the authority during 2016.

The Head of Internal Audit, Insurance, Information Governance and Risk explained that there had been minimal changes to the Corporate Risk Register in 2016, although there had been changes within the individual risk, but these were not considered fundamental.

During the discussion, a Member stated that this was a difficult report to compile and that it lacked clarity and detail, with confusion as to what outcomes the Council wanted to achieve.  He stressed that some of the risks such as educational attainment he would consider were objectives and possibly not a risk, and he suggested that it would be more useful to align risk to what the Council needed to deliver or were desired outcomes on the Budget.

A Member commented that he appreciated it was good practice in compiling a risk register, however many aspects were outside of the Council’s control, and it may be more useful to have a register that had more tangible, localised risks.

The Strategic Director Corporate Services acknowledged the comments and highlighted that in assessing risk a wider view had to be taken, so that the Council was aware of theses risks.  In addition aligning our risk register to our budget objectives and corporate planning would be better starting point.

In response to a question on how Services identified risks, the Head of Internal Audit stated that Services identified risks pertinent to them, and although we could advise on how to manage a particular risk, ultimately it was the responsibility of individual departments.

A Member suggested that the respective Overview and Scrutiny Committees have an oversight on risk in their area of responsibility and that Portfolio Holders are also fully appraised of the situation, and it was therefore:

Resolved –

(1)       That the Executive ensures that Portfolio Holders review             Departmental Risk Registers in their respective areas of          responsibility.

(2)       That this Committee requests that all Overview and Scrutiny       Committees consider Departmental Risk Registers relevant to         their area of responsibility.

(3)       That a progress report be presented to this Committee in 12       months time.

ACTION:       City Solicitor (1) / Overview and Scrutiny Lead (2)

Resolved –

That the work programme 2016-17 continues to be reviewed regularly

during the year.

ACTION:       Overview and Scrutiny Lead      

                                                                        (Mustansir Butt - 01274 432574)

Resolved –

That an item on managing migration be added to the Work Programme.

ACTION:       Overview and Scrutiny Lead