Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 June 2011

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 7June 2011 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting (including whipping declarations).

The following interests were declared:-

Personal Interests

To consider call-in items (if any).

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The report sets out the 2010/11 outturn position on the Council's general fund revenue account.

The report was considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 11 July 2011.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the report.

Officer contact: Christine Buxton Tel: 474 4124 email: christine.buxton@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director of Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the 2010/11 outturn position on the Council’s revenue account.

The report had previously been considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 13 June 2011

Members made a number of comments and in particular requested further information in relation to:

·        An update on the possible deficit position  as a result of the closure of Offerton High School

·        The surplus of £231,000 in relation to the final grant claim for housing benefit and council tax benefit

·        Details of the number of Community Confidence Co-ordinators and their role

·        Why none of the £63,000 identified for ‘tackling equalities’ had been spent to date.

·        Neighbourhood North West and how the £535,000 allocated was to be spent.

·        All the vacant posts being held (vacancy management)

·        A copy of the report on car parking that will be considered by the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee

·        The planned use of the International Liaison/Business Development Reserve

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be requested to respond in writing to the above issues.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The purpose of this report is to update the Committee with regard to the achievement of the outputs and outcomes of capital projects in 2010/11 and to seek approval for amendments to the capital programme to reflect changes in available funding and expenditure profiles of schemes.

The report was considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 11 July 2011.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the report.

Officer contact: Christine Buxton Tel: 474 4124 email: christine.buxton@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing progress on the outcomes of capital projects in 2010/11.

It was reported that final expenditure for 2010/11 was £101.146m, £10.0m higher than the original programme approved by Council in February 2010. The three year programme totalled approximately £200m.

The report had previously been considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 13 June 2011

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be requested to provide details on the use of the £85,000 reassigned to the Stockport Incubator Company.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director, for Corporate and Support Services

The report and the attached document is the Executive’s response to the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Committee.

The report was considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 13 June 2011.

Officer contact: Andrew Pollard, 0161 474 4018, andrew.pollard@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the agreed responses to the Executive in relation to the Insurance Services Scrutiny Review.

The Executive had agreed the Action Plan at their meeting on 13 June 2011.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted and welcome the action already taken.

(2) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be requested to submit a further report on 20 September 2011 detailing progress in relation to the scrutiny review recommendations.

(3) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be requested to inform members of this Scrutiny Committee the reason for the delay in  the Executive responding to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Panel.

To consider a report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Communications)

The report and the attached document is the Executive’s response to the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Committee.

The report was considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 11 July 2011.

Officer contact: Ian Ratcliffe, 0161 474 3059, ian.ratcliffe@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Assistant Chief Executive (Communications and External Relations) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the agreed responses to the Executive in relation to the Communications Scrutiny Review.

The Executive had agreed the Action Plan at their meeting on 11 July 2011.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted

(2) That the Assistant Chief Executive (Communications and External Relations) be requested to submit a further report on 8 November 2011 detailing progress in relation to the scrutiny review recommendations.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.               

The report sets out planned agenda items for the next two meetings of the Committee and Forward Plan items that fall within its remit.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider the information in the report and put forward any agenda items for future meetings.

Officer contact: Craig Ainsworth, Tel: 474 3204, email: craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

The Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned agenda items for the Committee’s next meeting, Forward Plan items which fell within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee and progress with resolutions made by the Scrutiny Committee at previous meetings.

The Committee was requested to consider scrutiny review topics for the current Municipal Year and how scrutiny activity could align with any of the BITE service reviews. In addition, the Committee considered a number of options for its first Scrutiny Review of the Municipal Year which were also included within the BITE scoping exercise.

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services reported that the ‘corporate and support’ strand of the Council’s transformation programme aimed to  ensure that the financial and business processes are designed, managed and delivered to support the Council as a whole, single organisation. Twelve  transformation projects had been grouped together under two main headings:

Corporate Design of Corporate and Support Services - the transformation of all financial and business processes needed to support the Council as a single, whole organisation in the delivery of frontline services (including collaboration with other authorities within AGMA)

Customer Experience - developing customer services that put the customer firmly at the heart of everything the Council does (how the public contact the Council and how the Council communicate with members of the public).

The twelve projects were currently being scoped and a series of proposals would be considered by the Executive in September and suggested that there may therefore be advantages in the Scrutiny Committee waiting to identify topics until the next meeting.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the scrutiny review topics for the current Municipal Year align with the Business Improvement, Transformation and Efficiency strategy.

(3) That approval be given to a scrutiny review being held on ‘how the public contact the Council’ and that officers be requested to submit a scoping report to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee.

(4) That the scrutiny review panel be comprised of the following members:-

Scrutiny Review Panel – ‘How the public contact the Council’

Councillor Daniel Hawthorne (Lead Councillor); Councillors Ben Alexander, Philip Harding, Anthony O’Neill and Suzanne Wyatt.