Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. 

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There was no urgent business.

** Please note that the Minutes will follow as the meeting is being held after agenda publication **

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 10 July 2012.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The following reports contain exempt information as defined in the following paragraphs of Part 1, Schedule 12A of Local Government Act 1972.

1 – Information relating to any individual.

2 – Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.

4 – Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.

Members are reminded that whilst the following items have been marked as exempt, it is for the meeting to decide whether or not to consider each of them in private or in public. In making the decision, members should balance the interests of individuals or the Council itself in having access to the information. In considering their discretion members should also be mindful of the advice of Council Officers.

Should Members decide not to make a decision in public, they are recommended to pass the following recommendation:

“That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business, on the grounds that they could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Schedule 12A of that Act.”

Resolved

That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business, on the grounds that they could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Schedule 12A of that Act.

Report of Head of Transformation

Summary

For the Board to consider the business case to restructure the Resources Directorate Support Team.

The Board considered an exempt report of the Head of Transformation which presented the business case to restructure the Resources Directorate Support Team.

In introducing the report, the HR Manager explained that the present structure had been formed in February 2010 to bring together one administrative support team within the directorate. On 1 September 2012 a new Joint Management Team Support Team would be implemented and as a consequence of the creation of this team, consideration needed to be given to the wider Resources Directorate Support Team.

Following consideration of three options and consultation with affected staff and Unison, the proposal that would bring most benefit was to de-centralise the Resources Directorate Support Team and return the 8 individual post holders back to the local service teams within that Directorate.

In response to Members’ questions, the Head of Transformation explained that the review of the Resources Directorate Support Team had been necessitated by the changes in the provision of support to the Joint Management Team and confirmed that the review would not result in any redundancies.

Resolved

(1)               That plans to de-centralise the Resources Directorate Support Team and return the 8 individual post holders back to the local service teams within that Directorate be noted and welcomed.

The Board is requested to resolve:

“That the press and public be readmitted to the meeting.”

Resolved

That the press and public be readmitted to the meeting.

Summary

To receive a briefing on the Local Government Resources Review. This will serve as an introduction to the Board’s scrutiny of the budget 2013/14 and assist Members in agreeing the approach.

The Head of Finance and Procurement will be present for this item.

Recommendations

The Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board is recommended to consider the information and the approach for the scrutiny of the budget 2013/14.

The Chairman welcomed the Head of Finance and Procurement to the meeting and advised Members that the briefing on the Local Government Resources Review (LGGR) would serve as an introduction to the Board’s scrutiny of the budget 2013/14 and assist Members in agreeing the approach for the budget scrutiny.

The Head of Finance and Procurement gave a presentation which provided an overview of the financial context, financial projections, the impact of the LGGR, the budget setting process and suggested topics for Members to consider as part of the budget 2013/14 scrutiny review.

The Board was advised that the 2012-13 budget was £14.3m. There had been a net reduction of 31% in the Council’s budget between 2008/08 and 2012/13, in part as the decision taken by the Council in 2008/09 to cease reliance on investment income. Reductions in Government Grants and the 2012 spending review had also necessitated budget cuts to ensure a balanced budget was achieved.

In terms of the impact of the LGGR, the Head of Finance and Procurement explained that from April 2013 council tax benefit would be abolished and replaced with a council tax support scheme, which must be defined by individual Local Authorities. Funding for the scheme would be a grant based on the current Council Tax Benefit expenditure with a reduction of 10%. Local Authorities were required to set their own scheme by 31 January 2013 otherwise a default scheme would be imposed by Central Government.

The first phase of the LGGR included plans to change the way in which Business Rates were collected and distributed from April 2013. The intention of the scheme was to give Local Authorities an incentive to promote growth over the longer term and reduce dependency on central government. The scheme allowed for authorities to form pools and be treated as a single authority under the scheme. The Board was advised that at their July meeting the Executive had agreed for CDC to express an interest in pooling across Oxfordshire.

The Head of Finance and Procurement advised the Board that there were five key elements to Welfare Reform: benefit cap; the extension of size eligibility criteria to social housing; the replacement of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) by a Personal Independence Payment (PIP); and, the localisation of Social Fund.

Members raised concerns about the potential impacts of the welfare reforms the financial implications for CDC fulfilling its social responsibilities and on residents in the district and agreed that it would be useful to consider the implications with Housing Officers.

In response to Members’ comments, the Head of Finance and Procurement explained that officers were working closely with partners, including the County Council, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and Registered Providers and would be providing assistance to individuals who would be affected by the changes. 

The Head of Finance and Procurement provided an overview of the budget setting process advising Members of the current Medium Term Financial Strategy assumptions, current financial projections and draft 2013/14 budget forecast. The budget guidelines would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Report of Head of Law and Governance

Summary

This report presents the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2011/12.

Recommendations

The Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board is recommended:

(1)               To consider the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2011/12.

The Board considered a report of the Head of Law and Governance which presented the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2011/12.

Resolved

(1)               That the draft Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2011/12 be noted.

Report of Head of Law and Governance

Summary

This report presents the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board work programme 2012/13 for consideration.

Recommendations

The Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board  is recommended:

(1)               To consider the Resources & Performance Scrutiny Board work programme 2012/13 as set out at Appendix 1 of the attached report.

The Board considered a report of Head of Law and Governance which presented the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board work programme 2012/13 for consideration.

The Board noted that in light of the discussions at the previous agenda item, the October R&PSB meeting would now take place on 16 October 2012 and the 18 September Finance Scrutiny Working Group and 25 September 2012 Performance Scrutiny Working Group meetings would be used to consider the capital bids as part of the budget scrutiny work.

Resolved

(1)               That the Resources & Performance Scrutiny Board work programme 2012/13 be noted.