Agenda item

to consider a report that provides Members with the rationale for temporary, fixed-term transitional resources to improve customer satisfaction and public perception of the Council;

25/16              

A report was considered that provided Members with the rationale for temporary, fixed term transitional resources to improve customer satisfaction and public perception of the Council.

In discussion, reference was made to:-

(a)       the role of Executive Members during the Transformation Programme.  Whilst supportive of these temporary measures, a Member expressed his deep concerns that the Executive had let the situation escalate to such an extent that drastic remedial measures were now necessary;

(b)       the need for a review of the Programme to be undertaken.  An additional recommendation was PROPOSED and SECONDED as follows:-

‘That a full review of the Transformation Programme be undertaken before the end of Quarter 1 2017 (March 2017).’

In discussion on the addition, the proposer and seconder felt that a review would be useful in order to consider how the Programme had evolved to date and whether or not some tweaks were now required.  In contrast, other Members highlighted that a review had prompted this agenda item and questioned the need for a further review at this time.  Regardless of this request, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel commented that there was every likelihood that the Panel would, at the appropriate point, request a review when setting its own future work programme.

When put to the vote, the addition was declared LOST.   

(c)    the proposals reflecting the concerns raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel.  Some Members were of the view that these proposals had been raised at a number of Panel meetings and could have been brought forward sooner.  However, other Members acknowledged that, in reality, the detailed evidence based work carried out by officers to develop these proposals was very time consuming and the timescales were therefore not unreasonable;

(d)   the annual budget setting process.  A Member was unhappy that such decisions were being taken outside of the annual budget setting process and was of the view that all Members needed to be more rigorous in considering how the Council spent its monies;

(e)   the current pressures on Council staff.  A number of Members made reference to the staff survey findings and the consequent need to approve these proposals in order to relieve some of the work pressures on staff.

It was then:

RESOLVED

1.  That the use of transitional resources to improve service levels and customer satisfaction be approved;

2.  That the use of funding of £267,000 (as per paragraph 5.4 of the presented agenda report) be approved from the New Homes Bonus funding which was originally earmarked for Disabled Facilities Grants, to fund the transitional resources as set out in Appendix A of the presented agenda report;

3.  That the re-investment of £278,972 be approved from the 2016/17 Budget Surplus Contingency Earmarked Reserve of £767,995 (the 2016/17 budget surplus was generated by T18 savings), to fund the transitional resources as set out in Appendix A of the presented agenda report; and

4.  That the capital budget allocation for 2016/17 for Disabled Facilities Grants be revised to £750,000 (as set out in paragraph 5.3 of the presented agenda report), to be funded by £552,000 allocation from the Better Care Fund and £198,000 from New Homes Bonus funding.

Upon the conclusion of this agenda item, the Head of Paid Service acknowledged the concerns raised by Members and advised that officers recognised the need for demonstrable improvements and gave an assurance that these would be made.