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ITEM BV3

BEST VALUE COMMITTEE – 11 SEPTEMBER 2002

BEST VALUE COMMITTEE – 24 JULY 2002

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 10.00 am and finishing at 1.15 pm

Present:

Voting Members:

Councillor Dermot Roaf - in the chair

Councillor Margaret Ferriman
Councillor Patrick Greene
Councillor Brian Law
Councillor Lesley Legge
Councillor Sam S. Segaran
Councillor Sylvia Tompkins
Councillor David Wilmshurst

Non-Voting Members:

Mr J. Appleton
Dr G. Jones

Other Members in Attendance:

Councillor Brian Hodson (ex officio)
Councillor Ted Cooper (for Agenda Items 6, 7(a))
Councillor Robert Evans (for Agenda Items 7(b) and (c))
Councillor Margaret Godden (for Agenda Item 7(d))

Officers:

Whole of meeting: G. Malcolm (Chief Executive’s Office); D. Lines (Strategy Directorate); M. Rolton (Directorate for Business Support).

Part of meeting: S. Corrigan, P. Coulter, N. Lawrence (Strategy Directorate); L. Brown, J. Auton (Social Services Department); G. Jones, S. Rodway (Education Department).

The Committee considered the matters, reports and recommendations contained or referred to in the agenda for the meeting together with he following additional documents:

Letter 19 July 2002 with 2 papers:

‘Best Value Review Specification – Promoting Independence in Vulnerable People’; and

‘Waste Management and Best Value’

and decided as set out below. Except insofar as otherwise specified, the reasons for the decisions are contained in the agenda and reports and additional documents, copies of which are attached to the signed Minutes.

    37/02. MINUTES

    The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 19 June 2002 were approved and signed.

    Minute 32/02(b): Best Value Review Specification – Developing Our Staff

    The Strategy Directorate was continuing to explore the independent member role with BMW.

    Minute 33/02: Implementation of Best Value Reviews

    Mr Malcolm circulated a note (a copy of which is attached to the signed Minutes) on the outcomes of Scrutiny Committees’ consideration of the implementation of the Arts & Recreation, Social Inclusion and Care Management & Commissioning Physical Disabilities Best Value Reviews.

    38/02. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2000-2001

    (Agenda Item 5)

    The Statement of Accounts for 2000-2001 had been approved for submission to the District Auditor by the former Strategy & Resources Committee on 25 September 2001.

    The District Auditor was required, under the Accounts and Audit Regulations 1996, to complete his audit by 31 December in the year following the year of account. The audit of the 2000-2001 Accounts was completed in December 2001 but the District Auditor was unable to issue an audit certificate until he had considered whether to provide further information in answer to questions asked by a local government elector.

    On 31 May 2002, the District Auditor gave an unqualified opinion and issued the audit certificate for the 2000-2001 Accounts but required some amendments to be made to the Accounts. The Committee considered a report (BV5) which explained the changes which had been made.

    RESOLVED: to note the amendments to the certified Accounts for 2000 – 2001.

    39/02. BEST VALUE REVIEW SPECIFICATION

    (Agenda Item 6)

    The Committee considered the additional paper which suggested that the draft project specification Promoting Independence in Vulnerable People (BV6) which set out the proposed focus of detailed review work be withdrawn, and a revised specification for the review considered at the next meeting.

    RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Legge, duly seconded and carried by 5 votes to 4, the Chair having exercised a second vote):

    1. agree in principle to the BV review ‘Promoting Independence in Vulnerable People’ focusing on promoting independence in older people with further reviews on other vulnerable people next year;
    2. consider a revised specification for the review on 11 September 2002 following consideration by members of the review team; and
    3. ask the officers to ensure co-ordination between the review and the Council’s Social Inclusion initiatives.

    40/02. IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST VALUE REVIEWS

(Agenda Item 7)

The Committee considered reports (BV7(a)-(d)) which provided information on progress against the Action Plans of the Reviews:
          1. Domiciliary Care for Older People

(Agenda Item 7(a)

Ms Brown introduced the report and the significant progress which had been made in the majority of the areas identified for action.

RESOLVED:
        1. note the progress reported;
        2. draw to the attention of the Executive the slow progress in implementing Options 8 & 10, and that without 10 the Committee were unable to assess progress;
        3. refer the report to the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee for them to make comments, if any, to the Executive.
          1. Special Needs Transport

(Agenda Item 7(b)

Ms Rodway and Mr Auton introduced the report and responded to members’ questions and comments concerning the limited progress with the review implementation tasks. They circulated a note (copy attached to the signed Minutes): "SEN Transport – Comparision (with others) of Budges (Fixed 2001/2002 Figures)".

RESOLVED: to
        1. note the progress reported;
        2. draw the attention of the Executive to the Committee’s deep concern that the implementation of the Action Plan was running up to a year late; the fact that the criteria were not being applied uniformly to all pupils; and that significant savings were available in this area;
        3. refer the report to the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee for them to make comments, if any, to the Executive;
        4. instruct the officers to report back to the Committee in one year.
          1. Schools of Concern

(Agenda Item 7(c)

Mr Jones introduced the report which outlined progress with the three improvement options. The report was amended at paragraph 4 by the deletion under ‘Actual 2001/02’ of ‘4’ and substitution of ‘3’. He responded to members’ questions and comments on achievements so far and the challenges still faced for further improvement.

RESOLVED: to
        1. note the progress reported;
        2. draw to the attention of the Executive the successful work of the members of the Education Department led by Geoff Jones, particularly in relation to removing schools from special measures and serious weakness;
        3. refer the report to the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee for them to make comments, if any, to the Executive.
          1. Personnel

(Agenda Item 7(d)

Ms Corrigan introduced the report. An enormous amount of work had been done toward the actions from the Best Value Review. Present resources were fully committed to the Job Evaluation and MIS but when these initiatives were in place officers would revisit the outstanding work.

RESOLVED: to
        1. note the progress reported;
        2. draw to the attention of the Executive the fact that the achievement of the Action Plan had slipped due to concentration of work on job evaluation / MIS;
        3. refer the report to the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee for them to make comments, if any, to the Executive;
        4. ask Democracy & Organisation Committee if they considered it appropriate to receive the Personnel Strategy 2002/04 and the proposed Annual Report on Personnel Services in the light of their power to appoint staff and to determine the terms and conditions on which they hold office;
        5. congratulate Ms Corrigan on her work.

    41/02. WASTE MANAGEMENT AND BEST VALUE

    (Agenda Item 8)

    Mr Coulter reported the outcome of the Audit Commission Report on Waste Management. Members had before them the Summary and Recommendations of the Audit Commission Report, together with Mr Coulter’s response to the key points identified.

    RESOLVED: to draw the Audit Commission Report on Waste Management to the attention of the Environment Scrutiny Committee and the Executive, and congratulate Mr Coulter and team for their magnificent performance.

    42/02. BEST VALUE PROCESS

RESOLVED: to instruct the Head of Performance & Review to submit to the next meeting proposals to improve the monitoring activity of past Best Value Reviews.

in the Chair

Date of signing 2002

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