CABINET 13/12/2011
APPENDIX A
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY AND AREA COMMITTEES: COMMENTS ON THE MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL PLAN
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 20 SEPTEMBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
· Consideration of inclusion of £50,000 be included in the Budget for 2012/13 specifically for third sector organisations
· Consider the future of in house Home Care provision (report to 22/11/2011)
· Consider the recommendations of the Eligibility Criteria Fairer Contributions Working Party (22/11/2011).
COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 29 SEPTEMBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
· Localism Bill –Potential for communities to challenge for Community Assets – consideration of support for community led groups.
· Poole Lighthouse & BSO – Invitation to organisations to present 5 Yr Business Plans – future paper explaining BSO/Lighthouse funding arrangements, including external funding, maintenance costs and funding in the national context for consideration.
· Museums – Admission charges – cost/benefit analysis, including comparative analysis with similar/neighbouring authority.
· Library Services – Collaborative working arrangements – Assess the application of further Bournemouth/Poole collaboration.
· Promote use of Photo-Voltaic systems by exploring options to promote the potential commercial use in the wider community of solar energy generation.
· Welfare Reform Act, Including Universal Credit – consider the impact of new legislation.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
4 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
The Committee recognised that Children’s Services were undergoing massive change, both nationally and locally and the difficulty of making savings in the Budget, whilst managing this Change.
· The need for more information and explanation required on Pay Award and Increments.
· The need for an explanation on how significant savings could be made in 2014/15 when provision for inflation had not been assumed.
· More information re the Financial Context for Children’s Services, to explain actual 2% savings against direct spend is £17.2m (minus central costs/IT/Capital Costs).
· The need to ensure the use of voluntary drivers is cost-effective and does not incur additional administration/training charges.
· Not convinced that cuts could be made to Educational Psychologists Service, even though the Borough of Poole was currently delivering this Service above the National Average.
· The exact costs of the Special Education Needs Transport.
· Reduction of staff within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the impact this may have.
· Cuts in staffing
i. would any redundancy pay come out of a central pot or the Service Unit?
ii. If redeployed potential training costs and again where would these costs come from?
iii. At what point would staff cuts impact on the Services?
· Capacity issues, particularly around fostering and the potential of growth in this Service and the impact this would have on children and families.
· The need to explain the complexity of adoption and the reasons for the ratio of staff against the number of placements made.
· Cost of managing change such as the Age of Transfer and the need for clarity to identify issues surrounding this Process.
· The impact of cuts within Open Access/Youth Service.
CYPIS
· Additional work to be undertaken with transportation colleagues and finance to consider whether school routes could become public routes, and whether the council would wish to continue to subsidise these routes, to ascertain, to what extent further savings could be identified in schools’ transport costs.
· To consider different and more effective ways of working within the Disability Services i.e. Access to Direct Payment/use of Social Workers as and when required.
· To work with ‘4Children’ to explore different ways of involving the voluntary sector and community sector in Children’s Centre delivery.
· Open Access Services continue to work on its delivery of 5-19 Services and the development of the voluntary and community sector on delivery of ‘Positive Activities’ for 5-19 year olds in Poole.
· To explore more effective ways of partnership working with Bournemouth Borough Council regarding commissioning of special educational needs.
· To continue to explore different models for Information, Advice and Guidance to be implemented, in order to meet the Medium Term Financial Plan requirements.
· To investigate partnership working with Poole Hospital for use of its Pool of Voluntary Drivers.
CYPSQI
· The costs for Asset Management and School Place Planning to be reviewed and possibly adjusted downwards in 2014-15 when the Age of Transfer has been concluded unless there is further growth in the demand for school places in primary and secondary schools.
· Officers continue to seek business opportunities for ‘buyback’ from the growing number of Academies.
· Officers continue to development joint funding arrangements for school improvement and other initiatives through Schools’ Forum.
CYPSC
· Close monitoring of the placement profile of children in care i.e. the proportion of nil, low, medium and high cost placements, to consider whether this position may change and have implications for growth requirements into 2012/13.
· A detailed business case continue to be prepared for Member’s consideration in respect of the growing cost pressures in relation to Adoption placements and the use of voluntary adoption agency placements for particularly hard to place children with very complex needs.
· Conclusion of the Information and Data Management Review to realise further savings in Social Care.
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - 6 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
· The need to prevent costs arising by preventing unnecessary demand e.g. encouraging composting and street scene services that prevent costs for the NHS.
· The need for more effective partnership working internally and externally to remove waste and achieve savings.
· The need to increase income from assets by being more entrepreneurial e.g. considers increasing wedding opportunities and fees at Upton House Country Park and Branksome Dene, car parking etc.
ECONOMY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 24 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
· Committee Administration – Review efficiency and effectiveness of this Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including time of commencement of meeting.
· Issue of Planning Application Notices to neighbours – NO REDUCTION in neighbourhood notifications.
· Planning hearings and enforcement costs – See these unpredictable cost pressures managed through corporate reserves.
· Local Planning Fee setting –explore how local fee setting can be used to support better resident engagement in the planning process.
· Outsourcing of Building Control Services – welcome the exploration of arms length arrangements to deliver Building Control Services.
· Explore if young offenders and voluntary groups could be used to help clear footpaths in severe weather conditions.
· Stronger enforcement of parking and fare offences – agreed to explore.
· Delivery of some services through social enterprise and third sector arrangements – agreed to explore.
· Free-issue items provided by developers and reinstatement works undertaken by utility companies – any free-issue items provided by developers for future highway maintenance are appropriately stored. Full repairs undertaken by utility companies using matching materials whenever they undertake works on the highway.
· Promotions budget – NO REDUCTION in promotion budgets, especially with the current difficult economic climate and the potential impact of the Olympic traffic route on visitors to Poole.
· Investigate delivery of some events and activities by community interest groups and social enterprises.
· Street Lighting – extension and acceleration of the street lighting turn off programme –possibility of turning lights off before midnight, should also be explored.
· Street Lighting – spacing – explore increasing the spacing of street lights as columns are replaced.
· Bus Subsidies – explore how bus subsidies can be adjusted in a way that better addresses equality issues. The option of charging for the issue and re-issue of concessionary fare passes should also be explored.
· Concessionary Bus fares –investigate lower cost options for issuing passes.
· Concessionary Bus Fares – funding comparisons – produce a table showing concessionary fare funding compared to the Poole family group of Local Authorities with a view to engaging with Government on fairer funding.
· Highway patching contract – requested benchmarking evidence to demonstrate value for money in respect of the highway patching contract.
· Dropped crossing for disabled access – ensure that where maintenance of footpaths is undertaken that drop crossings for disabled access are incorporated into the works passes – investigate lower cost options for issuing passes.
· Dropped crossing for disabled access – ensure that where maintenance of footpaths is undertaken that drop crossings for disabled access are incorporated into the works.
· Consider undertaking additional commercial activity at the Tourist Information Centre.
· Town Centre Management Board – explore adding value to district trading centre and possible associate memberships.
· Town Centre Management - effective utilisation of the Twin Sails Bridge image in promotional activity.
COUNCIL EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 27 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUS HIGHLIGHTED
· Members’ Allowances – freeze for 2012/13
· Investigate maximising investment in Customer Services in the longer term
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –22 NOVEMBER
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
(i) the Committee support the proposals in the Report for growth and savings.
(ii) Members stressed that changes to Fairer Contributions for people receiving care from two carers should be the subject of full consultation with each individual and introduced in a sensitive, non discriminatory manner. Members asked that Officers explore the equality issues fully and report back to Committee.
(iii) Members wished to be fully engaged in a process to analyse and scrutinise the total Adult Social Care budget in the coming months.
(iv) If the Council was looking to pay for external challenge, the value for money needed to be fully evaluated prior to commissioning external expenditure.
(v) the Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee assess the efficiency and effectiveness when bringing in the Public Health Budget in April 2012;
(vi) the Committee endorse the £50,000 to support the community voluntary and faith communities to work in collaboration to develop services where there are gaps and to ensure there is more readily available information and signposting about these services.
COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 29 NOVEMBER 2011
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
Culture and Community Learning Service (CCL)
(i) The Committee endorsed Joint working with other Local Authorities in Culture and Community Learning.
(ii) The Committee noted the Portfolio Holder intention to maximise the value of our investment in the arts and plans to work closely with the service units to consider whether any alternative approaches in the arts might increase value for money or enhance the support arts already provide for the Borough of Poole’s priorities.
(iii) The Committee endorse Lighthouse Arts Centre funding and not prioritise funding for the BSO.
(iv) The Committee endorse the income generation by the introduction of a Cafe rather than charging for entry to the Museum.
(v) Further consideration to be given to the Wedding Partnership at Scaplins Court.
(vi) The Committee supported the inflationary growth and potential for solar panels
Housing and Community Services
(i) The Committee note the Housing and Community Services pressures and savings.
Benefits Service
(i) The Committee noted the growth pressures and savings proposals in the Benefits Service.
(ii) Staff subject to redundancies to be added to the redeployment register.
ECONOMY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 24 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
Tourism
- PH asked to review recommendation to reduce tourism promotion budget by £12k.
- GR asked to explore more diverse opportunities to attract tourism to Poole such as fishing/angling.
Transportation
- Head of Transportation Services advised that savings per 1000 street lights switched off are c£15k with an upfront cost of C£45k
- Member reiterated their desire for the services of young offenders to be deployed in the event of severe weather – and asked for a formal response.
- Members stressed the opportunity to involve social enterprise, third sector local inputs into footpath and street maintenance. It was suggested that this can be explored as part of the Localism Act work streams.
- Members stressed the importance of using enforcement powers to ensuring utility companies carry out full reinstatement using materials to match original surface treatments.
COUNCIL EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 27 OCTOBER 2011
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
Human Resources
1. Recognition was given to the existing good relationships with the Trades Unions and the sensitive nature in requesting details of time and costs of staff engaged in employment relation matters. Head of Human Resources be requested to explore methods to gather and report the information.
2. To avoid potential duplication, that a skills matrix be formulated across the whole Council and that the Workplace Plan be refreshed and updated.
Asset Management & Property Services Merger Into Transportation Services
1. As Project Management exists within both Service Areas, would there be a head count reduction following the merger?
2. Can the efficiency savings achieved through merger of the Helpdesk within ICT Services and Business Support be expedited promptly?
Communications & Customer Services
- The impact of the Localism Act 2011 be monitored and that a Member seminar be organised to take place in January 2012.
- “Customer First” - That the voice response technology be evaluated as some customers prefer or require that they speak to Council representatives in person.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 6TH DECEMBER 2011
Nothing further added to Medium Term Financial Plan proposals.
ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 12TH DECEMBER 2011
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED:
· The need to review all waste processes and increase benefits to the Council i.e. renewable energy from waste and more value for money from recycling
· The need to look at more effective working practices to minimise the impact of rising fuel costs.
· The need to prevent costs arising by preventing unnecessary demand e.g. Property Services to undertake regular checks and clean the public toilets gutters and drains to prevent additional maintenance and repair costs, encouraging home composting and Street Scene Services.