Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director, Resources

Purpose of report

To provide Overview & Scrutiny with a detailed update on the Council’s Cherwell Futures Programme, focusing on governance improvements, standardisation, workforce development, and the agreement of priorities since the last report.

Recommendations

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee resolves:

1.1         To note the progress made on governance, standardisation, and   workforce development.

1.2       To comment on the contents of this report and make any recommendations.

Resolved   

(1)                  That having given due consideration, the Cherwell Futures Programme update be noted.

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Resources detailing updates on the Council’s Cherwell Futures Programme, focused on governance improvements, standardisation, workforce development, and the agreement of priorities. 

In introducing the report, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership gave a presentation detailing the progress of the Councils transformation through the Cherwell Futures Programme. The programme aimed to make financial savings from streamlined efficiencies whilst improving and protecting council services

Members were advised that the programme was on track to achieve its medium-term financial target savings of 3-4 million pounds, through

efficiency and structural savings.

In response to a question regarding whether there was oversight of the various project boards, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership explained that there was the Transformation and Change board as well as further oversight from Executive members.

In response to a question regarding whether the programme included any resources dedicated to ecological improvements, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership explained that the programme in its current form focussed on three main points; Customer Front Door, Planning Transformation and Environmental Services improvement, and that the forthcoming Climate Action Plan due to be published would detail further plans for ecology and greenhouse gas emissions for the District.

In response to a request from the Committee, officers agreed to produce a diagram to illustrate the makeup and relationship between the various project boards referenced in the presentation.

In response to a question regarding the impact of Local Government Reorganisation on staffing structures and potential redundancies, the Executive Director Resources explained that any impact would depend on a business case evaluation.

In response to a question regarding a possible delay in the introduction of new waste collection timetables ahead of Local Government Reorganisation to ensure that resources in the meantime were not in vain, the Executive Director, Resources explained that the Cherwell Futures Programme would not carry out abortive work and that any work commenced would be with the intention of positioning the District in the best possible place for leading processes during Local Government Reorganisation.

In response to a question regarding advanced technology integration and back up support for communication services such as internet and whether council data was securely stored, the Head of Digital and Innovation advised that the Council had back up for both internet and telephone lines, and that the Council operated on a cloud based service with cyber security was at the forefront of operations. Members were also advised that the Councils IT services were subject to mandatory comprehensive security assessments known as the Public Services IT Health Check that ensured services were resilient and compliant against cyber security threats. 

Resolved   

(1)                  That having given due consideration, the Cherwell Futures Programme update be noted.