Agenda item
SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHT
The Chief Executive, Kevan Collins, will be attending the meeting.
(Time allocated – 30 minutes)
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed Kevan Collins to the meeting and thanked him for agreeing to attend the Committee’s first spotlight on the Chief Executive.
A comprehensive document detailing the Council’s Achievements, Aspirations and Challenges had been circulated to all Members of the Committee prior to the meeting and the presentation focused on the key parts of this.
The Chief Executive spoke of the arrival of a new elected Mayor for the first time in Tower Hamlets which came at a time of unprecedented challenges facing local government, and Tower Hamlets Council in particular, and also reported that the Government Spending Review had announced a 27% reduction in central government funding, coupled with additional cuts of about 45% in capital funding. These cuts were significantly front-loaded creating the need for immediate decision making and action in a short space of time.
However there remained prospects for continued improvement some of which would be delivered as part of the Community Plan Refresh due to take place in Spring 2011, and also the Council’s Transformation Agenda which was based around 3 key goals – becoming more lean, flexible and citizen centred which would enable the Council to address those challenges.
Members of the Committee asked questions on a number of related issues including the possibility of collecting business rates from Canary Wharf, supporting residents to access services online, protection of frontline services and the need to establish exactly what was regarded as ‘frontline’, use of S106 monies, the use of co-operatives, the changes to the Child Benefits structure and the impact this would have on the Borough, the impact of the growing population, the use of volunteers to monitor contracts, the possibility of sharing key officer posts with neighbouring Boroughs, introduction of the Housing Benefit cap, nomination rights to houses built for the Olympics, the future of partnership working and the role of Scrutiny under the new Mayor.
The Chief Executive responded in detail to the questions raised, highlighting in particular:
- Government plans for a ‘Business Incentive Bonus’ which would provide prospects for supporting local business and provide benefits to the local area
- The dangers of reducing access to services with the loss of One Stop Shops and the importance of establishing what could be provided online
- The need to support residents in accessing online services
- The importance of recognising the role of both frontline and back office staff and need to protect ‘outcomes’
- The use of S106 monies would not enable recurring savings but would possibly be used to fund further much needed education provision
- The need to support residents in changing behaviour to allow them to take a more proactive role in their local community
- The Council’s action plan to support the families who would be affected by the changes to Benefits and the requirement to start driving down private landlord rents
- The obligation to meet the more complex needs of residents and the requirement to ‘do more with less’ and find more innovative ways of working
- The need to support residents in acquiring the skills necessary to find work
- The importance of maintaining good relationships and working more flexibly with partners, which would be considered at a ‘Budget Congress’ in a few weeks’ time.
- The Chair thanked the Chief Executive for his attendance and comprehensive responses to questions