Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2019/025

Contact: Steven Fairhurst Jones, Corporate Performance & Risk Manager Tel: 07932 318890/Katy Jurczyszyn, Finance Manager (Finance, Strategy and Monitoring) Tel: 07584 909518

Report by Corporate Director: Customer & Organisational Development and Director of Finance (CA8).

This report sets out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and provides an update on the delivery of the Medium Term Financial Plan from 1 June to 31 July. Cabinet does not formally meet in August so information from June and July is covered in this report. As Cabinet do not meet in August, this report presents a summary of performance for June and July. A summary of overall performance and description of change is contained within the report. Each month the business management report will address:

a)      Corporate performance (measured against the Thriving Oxfordshire Outcomes Framework)

b)      Risk (summary of strategic risk and other significant matters)

c)      Human Resources (summary of key data)

d)      Finance (summary including forecast outturn variance) 

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to note the report and consider any matters for future attention by the Committee.

Cabinet had before it a report that set out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and that provided an update on the delivery of the Medium-Term Financial Plan from 1 June to 31 July. Cabinet does not formally meet in August so information from June and July is covered in the report. The business management report addresses:

a)      Corporate performance (measured against the Thriving Oxfordshire Outcomes Framework)

b)      Human Resources (summary of key data)

c)      Finance (summary including forecast outturn variance) 

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Chairman of Performance Scrutiny Committee, welcomed the improved report that was much more up to date. The report had been discussed at Performance Scrutiny Committee. The report covered a very broad range of issues and the Committee had focussed on a number of issues around older people. This included the figures around the delayed discharge of people from hospital that was going up. They had also discussed aspects of getting sufficient home care workers including the impact of Brexit and the issue of the cost of living in Oxfordshire. They would be looking more fully at issues around reablement.

Councillor Laura Price, Opposition Deputy Leader, referred to the staffing element of the report. There had been several iterations on how to report on staffing and the latest was to be quarterly reporting. That was fine but she hoped that the reporting approach would be allowed to settle so that it was possible to start to read trends. Councillor Price referred to recent changes in the vacancy management process and asked that she receive an update to ensure that there were not unforeseen consequences. Councillor Price added that there needed to be a clearer way to link staffing figures with transformation. She highlighted the challenge of covering qualified social worker posts. She referred to the Oxfordshire Living Wage.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Deputy Leader of the Council, commented that previously the report had been under the remit of herself and Councillor Bartholomew as Cabinet Member for Finance. In future responsibility for the report would be shared by all Cabinet Members. She confirmed that in future the staffing element would be reported quarterly. Referring to the performance management element of the report Councillor Heathcoat stated that there had been a change of approach to RAG rating and that they would be used only where there were clear targets. Councillor Heathcoat referred to the 6 priorities and 13 outcomes and highlighted work in the OFRS including the response times and the safe and well visits.

Councillor David Bartholomew, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the finance elements of the report detailing the current revenue budget position and providing an update on the Medium Tern Financial Plan. Councillor Bartholomew moved the recommendation.

Ben Threadgold, Policy & Performance Service Manager advised Cabinet that the Risk Management Strategy was being reviewed and would be brought to a future meeting.

A Cabinet Member in recognising the difficulties in managing such a diverse range of issues commented that the current structure was excellent, thanked those involved in its design and hoped that there would be a period of reporting stability.

RESOLVED:             to note the report and consider any matters for future attention by Cabinet.