Issue - meetings

Report of Leader of the Council

Summary

To agree to establish a Joint Member Working Party to examine the business case for sharing senior management structures between Cherwell District Council (CDC) and South Northamptonshire Council (SNC), recognising that this may well lead to joint teams for service delivery in the future.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended:

(1)   To establish a Joint Member Working Party to examine the business case to   create a shared senior management structure between Cherwell District Council and South Northamptonshire Council with a view to reporting its findings to the Executive and then to full Council on 18 October 2010.

(2)    To approve the Terms of Reference for this Joint Member Working Party (attached as Appendix 1).

(3)    To nominate Cllrs Wood, Reynolds, Macnamara, Atack and Cotter to the Joint Member Working Party with Councillors Turner and Williamson as substitutes.

Recommendations approved, with the additional recommendation that a special meeting of Council be arranged for Wednesday 3 November 2010.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report to agree to establish a Joint Member Working Party to examine the business case for sharing senior management structures between Cherwell District Council (CDC) and South Northamptonshire Council (SNC), recognising that this may well lead to joint teams for service delivery in the future.

Resolved

(1)  That a Joint Member Working Party be established to examine the business case to create a shared senior management structure between Cherwell District Council and South Northamptonshire Council with a view to reporting its findings to the Executive and then to a special meeting of full Council on 3 November 2010.

(2)  That the Terms of Reference for this Joint Member Working Party (attached as Annex 1 to the minutes as set out in the minute book) be approved.

(3)  That Councillors Wood, Reynolds, Macnamara, Atack and Cotter be nominated to the Joint Member Working Party with Councillors Turner and Williamson as substitutes.

Reasons

Both CDC and SNC face significant medium term financial deficits, as well as short term financial challenges.  These need to be addressed, but at the same time, both Councils want to protect valued front-line services for as long as possible. They also want to retain the capacity to serve their respective Districts over and above the normal work of District Councils, as both already do. Many District Councils have already put in place arrangements to share management teams, and have then moved on to consider sharing specific services and/or procuring jointly from others while remaining separate and sovereign organisations and securing savings.

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