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To Members of the Best Value Committee

Notice of Meeting

Chris Impey
Assistant Chief Executive

September 2002

Membership

Chair – Councillor Dermot Roaf

Councillors:

Co-opted Members:

The agenda follows. Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 19 September 2002 unless called in by that date for review by the appropriate Scrutiny Committee

AGENDA

1. Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments
2. Declarations of Interest
3. Minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 July 2002 (BV3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.

4. Petitions and Public Address
5. Statement of Accounts 2001/2002

10:10

The Director for Business Support & County Treasurer reports as follows:

The Accounts and Audit Regulations 1996 require the Statement of Accounts to be formally approved by a committee of the Council within six months of the end of the financial year to which they relate.

The Statement of Accounts for 2001/02 has been circulated to relevant members and Chief Officers only. It can be seen in the Members’ Resource Centre and is available for public inspection. Any questions of detail which members of the Committee may have regarding the Accounts may be raised with Tim Paul (01865 815423).

A summary of the main corporate balances at 31 March 2002 is presented in the following table and compared with the provisional outturn figures reported to the Executive on 9 July 2002:

	Provisional Outturn	Accounts 2001/02	Increase/ Decrease (-)
	£000	£000	£000
School Reserves	9,765	9,465	-300
Carry Forward Reserve	-1,755	-2,171	-416
County Fund Balance	3,210	3,317	107

The reduction in the school reserves figure is largely explained by a late entry in the accounts reducing the amount in the balance sheet for examination fees paid in advance by schools. School balances have reduced by £1.2 million during 2001/02 largely as a result of the reduced examination fees debtor mentioned above and an increase of £0.4 million in the amount held on deposit by the Council.

The increased deficit compared to the provisional outturn forecast in the Carry Forward Reserve is largely explained by the overspend by Social Services being £325,000 greater than forecast and by a reduced underspend of £100,000 by Environmental Services, Property. The increased overspend by Social Services is the result of less than anticipated reimbursement of costs following the transfer of homes for the elderly, together with a reduction in income following a decision for reasons of prudence to increase the departmental provision for bad and doubtful debts. The underspend by Property reduced as a result of additional creditors being raised during the closure of the accounts.

The main reason for the improvement in the County Fund Balance is a reduction in the corporate bad debt provision as a result of continuing improvements in debt management.

The deficit on the carry forward reserve is being funded by the County Fund Balance as shown in the table on page 32 of the Statement of Accounts.

In order to assist the Council’s budget in 2002/03, a budget reserve has been set up using an underspend on revenue resulting from the capitalising of £2 million of structural maintenance in 2001/02.

The 2001/02 Accounts includes a note which we are now required to make with respect to FRS17 Retirement Benefits (page 14 of the Accounts). The estimated net liability attributable to the Local Government Pension Scheme at 31 March 2002 is £89 million. The liability for the Firefighters’ Scheme will be added to the table in the Accounts when the actuarial valuation has been received. Compliance with FRS17 is being introduced over three years and assets and liabilities will be included in the balance sheet with effect from 2003/04.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to approve the Statement of Accounts for 2001/02 for submission to the District Auditor.

6. External Audit Plan – Progress Report to 16 August 2002

10:25

The Director for Business Support & County Treasurer reports as follows:

The District Auditor has provided a report (BV6) (download as .rtf file) on progress against the Audit Plan, which was noted by this Committee on 8 May 2002. The District Auditor does not wish to raise any specific items but will attend the meeting, or be represented, and will answer Members’ questions.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to note the report on progress against the External Audit Plan.

7. Audit and Risk Management Services Plan – Work Programme 2002/03
   Progress Statement as at August 2002

10:40

Report by Director of Business Support & County Treasurer (BV7)

Since the beginning of this financial year, Audit & Risk Management Services has been operating with a new strategic plan, the first year of which forms the basis for the 2002/03 work. The progress report sets out the work undertaken so far this year, against the work programme and summarises the main findings and the Director or accountable manager response to those findings.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the work programme progress to date (as shown in Annex A);
2. receive the proposed work schedule for the rest of the year (as set out in Annex B);
3. identify any specific areas where future reports are required on the implementation of agreed management action(s) arising from any of the reviews reported in Annex A.

8. Best Value Review Specifications

The draft project specifications (BV8(a) (download as .doc file) Annex 1 (download as .xls file) & (BV8(b)) (download as .doc file) Annex 1 (download as .doc file) set out the proposed focus of detailed review work:

1. Promoting Independence in Older People

11:00

Designated Member: Cllrs Margaret Ferriman, Lesley Legge
Executive Member: Cllr Don Seale
Chair, Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Ted Cooper

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to approve the Review Specification.

2. Raising Educational Achievement in Secondary Schools

11:20

Designated Member: Cllr Brian Hodgson
Executive Member: Cllr Tony Crabbe
Chair, Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Robert Evans

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to approve the Review Specification.

9. Implementation of Best Value Reviews

The reports (BV9(a), BV9(b), BV9(c)) provide information on progress against the Action Plans of the Reviews (copies of which will be placed in the Members’ Resource Centre):

1. Legal Services (BV9(a)

11:40

Designated Member: Cllr Craig Simmons
Executive Member: Leader of the Council

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the progress in implementing the improvement options; and
2. identify whether there are any matters in the report which should be drawn to the attention of the Executive Member.

2. Early Years and Childcare BV9(b)

12:00

Designated Member: Cllr Dermot Roaf
Executive Member: Cllr Janet Godden

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the progress reported; and
2. identify whether there are any matters in the report which should be drawn to the attention of the Executive Member.

3. Fire Service Control Room Function BV9(c)

12:20

Designated Member: Cllr Janet Godden
Executive Member: Cllr John Farrow

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the progress reported; and
2. identify whether there are any matters in the report which should be drawn to the attention of the Executive Member.

10. Best Value Review (Supplementary Report on Children In Public Care) Behaviour, Attendance and Exclusions

1:50

Designated Member: Cllr Bob Johnston
Executive Member: Cllr Tony Crabbe

The Executive considered the Best Value Review Report on Behaviour, Attendance and Exclusions at its meeting on 8 January 2002 and resolved:-

1. to note with concern the increase in the number of children in the care of this authority permanently excluded from school and the number of children in care without a school place;
2. in view both of the detrimental effect of absence from school on the life chances of the children concerned, and of the knock-on consequences for foster carers and the children’s residential homes of children out of school, to ask the Best Value review team to reconvene to consider these issues in more depth, and to report to with an action plan for implementation in September 2002;
3. to ask officers to ensure that appropriate stakeholders are consulted for the purpose of (c) above, and that these consultees include children in care, representative foster carers and the managers of the authority’s children’s residential homes.
   
   

The Best Value Review team with additional members from the Children in Public Care team (CIPC) has reconvened to undertake this additional work and develop the action plan requested. The CIPC steering group has also given consideration to the scope and issues arising from the report

BV 10 (Supplement).

Appendix (dowload as .rtf file)

11. Charging Policies Best Value Review

2:10

Report by Director for Business Support & County Treasurer (BV11).
Designated Member: Cllr David Wilmshurst
Executive Member: Leader of the Council

This Review was considered initially at the Committee’s meeting on 27 March 2002 and subsequently a report on feedback from Scrutiny Committees was considered at the meeting on 19 June 2002. The report presents the final version of the Review, drawing attention to any changes since the original. It also includes an update on progress with implementation.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED

1. endorse the further work on the Charging Policies Review and Action Plan;
2. RECOMMEND the updated review and Action Plan to the Executive; and
3. RECOMMEND the Executive to approve the Corporate Charging Policy for adoption.

12. Implementation of Best Value Reviews: Procedure

2:30

This item (BV12) (download as .rtf file) as been included on the agenda at the request of Councillor Dermot Roaf under Section FF, paragraphw5(d) of the Constitution.

13. Inspections of Best Value Reviews

Report by Director for Strategy (BV13).

2:50

At its briefing on 19 July 2002, the Best Value Committee requested that a report be provided on lessons learned from best value inspections. In addition, at the meeting on 24 July 2002 the Committee requested that proposals to strengthen the current approach to monitoring implementation of review outcomes be brought to the meeting on 11 September.

This report draws together areas for improvement identified from all of Oxfordshire’s best value inspections to date and presents the action we propose to take in response. Information has been taken from the final reports from four full inspections, four desktop inspections and five joint inspections carried out by OFSTED and /or the Audit Commission over the past two years. Copies of all reports are available in the Members Resource Centre.

A summary of the inspection outcomes is provided in the tables. For desktop inspections, judgements are not made about the quality of services and the Inspectorate does not publish the reports.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the main findings arising from inspections of best value reviews; and
2. approve the proposed actions to address areas for improvement identified, including proposed action under paragraph 6 to improve monitoring of implementation.

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