Agenda item
Overview of Progress To-Date in Respect of Key Outcomes
Minutes:
The Chair introduced the report which was to review progress of key outcomes contained in the action plan arising from the Secretary of State’s directions. He noted the revised Appendix 3 document circulated in the supplementary agenda and agreed to vary the order of the themes to be reviewed.
The following themes were reviewed:
1. Procurement – Councillor Edgar Cabinet Member for Resources
The Board considered this theme and noted the following:
· A number of improvements to procurement were being implemented.
· Work has been done to identify the nature of spend and test compliance. Further work is in hand to consider how the council can maximise budget savings from procurement.
· The action plan was on target to achieve its key milestones.
Commissioner Max Caller noted that some areas of the organisation required familiarisation with principles of procurement. Mayor John Biggs advised that a Member workshop would be held prior to Christmas to ensure that Members were aware of their role in procurement.
The progress reported to BVRB was noted.
2. Grants – Councillor Saunders Cabinet Member for Education and Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Third Sector and Grants.
The Board considered this theme and noted the following:
· The Mainstream Grants Programme has been agreed and grant agreements are being finalised with recipient organisations. The Third Sector Strategy under development will inform future grant making which will support corporate priorities and assessments of local need.
· A consultation with stakeholders on this strategy was in progress.
· The strategy aimed to recognise the value of the relationship and contributions of local organisations.
· Through the strategy, arrangements for future decision making and cross-party scrutiny will be developed
Commissioner Sir Ken Knight was encouraged that the strategy will address the use of future resources and that grant decisions will be delivered through a transparent process. Commissioners were pleased to work with Councillor Saunders in developing the strategy.
The progress reported to BVRB was noted.
3. Property – Councillor Edgar Cabinet Member for Resources
The Board considered this theme and noted the following:
· Substantial work had been done on financial regulations and procurement procedures to ensure that a common approach was taken throughout the organisation.
· Areas of work that remained were asset strategy and community buildings charging policy. These would be reported to Cabinet in December.
Mayor John Biggs advised that he wished to see a consistent approach and processes which were properly managed.
The progress reported to BVRB was noted.
4. Communications - Mayor
The Board considered this theme and noted the following:
· The action plan was being delivered and key milestones had been achieved.
· A review of communications by the LGA was underway and interviews would be undertaken with a range of stakeholders in early November. An interim report would be made at the end of the week on site and a final report issued by the end of November.
· Councillors have a key role in the implementation of the Council’s communications strategy. The issue of better communication about ward activities to ward councillors was raised.
· The Board was advised that improvements had already been made to the Members’ Bulletin and arrangements for ward member liaison and also advised that the issue would be addressed via a dedicated strand in the Communications strategy under development.
Commissioner Sir Ken Knight noted the Code of Practice on local authority publicityand that the Mayor had committed to compliance with this and that as a first step East End Life would move to fortnightly from January 2016.
The progress reported to BVRB was noted.
5. Organisational Culture – Mayor
The Board considered this theme and noted the following:
· The comments of Commissioners in the amended Appendix 3 circulated as an addendum.
· Work was being undertaken with SOLACE on relationships between Members and officers and mutual understanding of roles.
· A number of sessions facilitated by SOLACE will take place with political groups and members of CMT
· Organisational culture concerned how officers discharged the business of the Council and this was a fundamental element cascading from the senior management of the organisation.
· The directions concerning the appointment to the statutory officer posts were now fulfilled and it was noted that organisation needed to progress to establish objectives and performance measures.
Commissioner Max Caller was pleased with progress made. He wished to evidence that the organisation was progressing towards ensuring cultural change was embedded at all levels. The Chair agreed that further evidence would be provided to the Board as the delivery of the Best Value plan progressed.
RESOLVED
That
1. the draft progress update attached at Appendix 1 and revisions to targets agreed with the Mayor and the Commissioners and the discussion of this progress at the meeting be noted and
2. BVRB comments on the additional narrative in this report be noted.
Supporting documents:
- BV Plan Update to BV Board 21 October 2015_revised 151009 - v2, item 4.2 PDF 122 KB
- BV Action Plan monitoring - Sept 15 update - MASTER post CMT 151007 - v2, item 4.2 PDF 383 KB
- BVP 6 month update_Mayor cover letter FINAL, item 4.2 PDF 23 KB
- CE Direction letter from Commissioners, item 4.2 PDF 49 KB
- Commissioner response_16 September 2015, item 4.2 PDF 108 KB