Return to Agenda

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - 4 MARCH 2004

ADDENDA

 

ITEM

15. Tracking Scrutiny Outcomes

    • Revenue Budget and Capital Programme 2004/05 – 2006/07

On 27 January 2004 the Executive considered scrutiny’s comments on the budget as part of the Budget and Medium Term Plan 2004/05 to 2008/09 Draft Report to Council on 10 February.

The comments relating to the advice given by the Scrutiny Committee are attached.
    • Oxfordshire Plan 2004/05

On 17 February, the Executive considered a report (EX6) setting out the individual priorities which had been endorsed by the Executive in July together with the comments of the Scrutiny Committees on the respective priority assessments as the basis for the 2004/05 Oxfordshire Plan and a supplementary report (EX6A) by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.

The Executive resolved:

    1. to note the outcome of the process of consultation set out in paragraphs 1 to 4 of the report EX6A and the comments of the Scrutiny Committees;

    2. to agree the amendments to certain of the priorities as set out in Annex 1 to the report EX6A subject to the following further modifications:

      3. under "Foundation Stage Learning", move the words "good quality foundation stage" to appear after "access to" and delete the final word "learning";

      under Public Transport, substitute "journeys" for "trips";

    3. that subject to those amendments, to RECOMMEND Council to confirm the priorities in no particular order of preference as the basis for the Oxfordshire Plan 2004/05 pending presentation of the full Best Value Performance Plan to a subsequent Council meeting.

 

Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee - 18 December 2003

 

The Scrutiny Committee supported the following in the Corporate Governance programme area :

 

  • Category A.

 

  • Category B:

 

    • Control of asbestos at work regulations;

Included £330k

    • Strengthening of Financial Services;

Included £400k in 2004/05

    • Additional resources for Health and Scrutiny;

The Executive cannot regard these as sufficiently high priority in the context of other corporate needs and the current under-spend on Scrutiny

    • Social Inclusion;

£50k included in Resources

    • (In place of the existing ‘Human Resource & Performance Management Employee Development’) the proposals in the Consultant’s Report - Review of Human Resources Function’.

The Executive has proposed additional funding for this activity without prescribing its precise allocation. This will be determined in the light of factors including the consultant’s report and the appointment of a new Head of Service.

  • Category C

 

    • Local area working but at a cost lower than £200,000.

In the light of there being no clear Council position on this, the Executive is unable to propose any budget provision.

  • Capital

 

    • Repair & Maintenance of Buildings;

Noted

    • Improvement to Council Buildings;

Noted

    • Central Buildings;

Noted

    • Energy Conservation Programme.

Noted

 

 

Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee – 19 January 2004

 

The Scrutiny Committee agreed to advise the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee on 20 January and the Executive on 27 January of the following:

 

  1. that this Committee considers all the items set down in Annex 2 to report EX5E to be necessary for the efficient running of the service and would not wish any of the items to be removed from the list or to be put into priority order. Should insufficient funding be available, the Committee urges the Executive to be as proportionate as possible, to avoid the removal of any area(s) from the list.

Advice taken. It was not possible to include all of these spending pressures and priority has been given to those areas impacting on the Council’s Corporate Performance Assessment

(b) to pay special consideration to the Committee's comment made at the 3 December meeting with regard to the Youth Service [see D above].

Noted but the Committee’s advice is remarkably non-specific. Modest additional funding has been proposed.

 

 

Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee – 20 January 2004

 

The Scrutiny Committee considered the draft proposals and made the following comments to the Executive:

 

  • Four to five members expressed the view that the maximum rise in Council Tax should be in the order of 4%; more members supported a Council Tax increase in excess of 5%.

This advice has been noted carefully. It has been considered alongside the advice from the Community Workshop Consultation and the "advice" from the Minister for Local Government and his intention to cap "high spending" Councils.

On Annex 2 of EX5E (First Priority Omitted Items) …

  • page 2: Job Evaluation proposals supported
  • page 3: Schools Block proposals supported
  • page 4: Learning & Culture-first priority should be LC3-Youth Service
  • page 5: Social & Health Care-proposals supported in total
  • page 6: Environment & Economy
    • Priority 1 EE1.1.1-Development of schemes proposed by the Transport Network review and the preparation of the Local Transport Plan 2006-2011
    • Priority 2 EE1.3.1-Operation of real time Passenger Information System
  • Page 7: Community Safety-supported
  • Page 8: Resources & CDC
    • Priority 1 RC2.1-Strengthening of Financial Services
    • Joint Priority 2 RC1-People (HR&PM) and RC6&7.2-Property

Fully supported in proposed budget.

Fully included in proposed budget.

Some funding for youth service allocated in proposed budget.

Impossible within a 4% or 5% or 6% Council Tax rise!

 

Provision for £150k included in proposed budget.

 

Provision for an additional £50k included in proposed budget in each of the five years

Noted.

£400k included in proposed budget.

£160k for personnel function and £330 for asbestos work; £800k for property maintenance and £100k to strengthen the central property function have all been included in the proposed budget.

Annex 3 page 1

RC10.4-Chief Executive’s Office-Social Inclusion should be included whatever the level of Council Tax.

£50k included in proposed budget.

CAVEAT The Scrutiny Committee’s comments were made subject to District Councils’ decisions to reduce discounts for second homes and empty properties to release additional revenue.

Noted

Return to TOP