To consider the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2009.

It was AGREED -

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 7 July 2009 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Members were invited to declare interests in relation to items of business on the agenda.  Any interests declared are recorded in the relevant minute below.

The Chair introduced the item and welcomed Richard Mould-Ryan, Head of Countryside and Trees. Members were reminded that at the Panel meeting on 7 July 2009, the Chair presented a verbal update of issues raised by staff during the Panel’s visit to the Countryside and Trees Unit on 25 June 2009, and invited Richard Mould-Ryan to respond to those issues raised.

Richard Mould-Ryan thanked the Chair and advised that staff had welcomed the visit and the opportunity to speak to Members direct. Actions raised by Members were in hand.

He reported that the IT system at Itchen Valley Country Park (IVCP) had been upgraded in April 2009 and the development of the Countryside and Trees web pages would enable new content such as webcams to be installed as part of the re-launch of the Council’s new website.

With reference to litter and vandalism, he explained that over the last ten months there had been adjustments made to staffing grades which had meant that there were now more resources at the lower grade. This is turn had meant that management staff were now able to concentrate on the more detailed aspect of their roles and the controlling of litter and vandalism was detailed to lower grade staff. In addition, the proposed Go-Ape project at IVCP, if approved, would mean a staff presence in the park in the evenings which would reduce vandalism.

Due to its location in the Park, with trees shielding the wind, the wind turbine at IVCP had not been as successful in reducing energy costs as the solar panels at Lakeside Country Park.  Modifications were being discussed with the turbine manufacturer which may improve its performance.  Both installations however, had been used to help achieve the Council’s Beacon Council status for tackling climate change.

The buildings at Lakeside were to be redeveloped as part of the project with partner organisations. It was hoped that funding would be available next year to develop new shared buildings at the site.

The second Countryside Ranger post at Lakeside was hoped to be made permanent in the near future.

Access to the internet and files/software held on servers was still very slow due to the IT connection to Lakeside. The Head of Customer Service and ICT added that £37,000 had been quoted by BT (British Telecom) as a one-off charge for the upgrade. It was hoped that this would decrease but if not, a more robust business case would be produced and taken to a future meeting of Management Team.

Richard Mould-Ryan explained that staff understood the Council’s policy on the transfer of assets to town and parish councils, and that this would probably result in the transfer of all countryside sites of local significance in the parished areas of the borough over the next three to four years. The management staff had concerns about the possible impact of transfers on staffing levels, however the recent changes to the staffing structure would allow for a reduction in staff levels if and when required, thereby reducing temporary and seasonal staffing and any impact on permanent staff.

The Tree Survey and Risk Management Plan hoped to be completed by the end of they year but could slip due to current staff sickness.

Staff were positive over the introduction of the Customer Service Centre and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and were engaged in the scripting process for the Service Centre which would ensure that the correct information about trees was provided.

Members raised a number of issues, in particular the effectiveness of the wind turbine at IVCP. It was advised that although the turbine had not proved to be very cost effective its main aim was to raise the profile of renewable energy. The Centre was an energy hungry building and the turbine was fully exposed to the wind over no more than 90 degrees of the compass, and the energy savings had been less significant than hoped. In responding to the suggestion that perhaps it should be removed, it was advised that the costs savings were secondary objectives; the wind turbine was educational; it fulfilled it’s purpose by proving that wind turbines needed to be situated on well exposed sites; it was a landmark and talking point; and children were able to see it working and embark on a range of demonstration projects.

Concern was raised over the uncertainty created for staff who were affected by asset transfers. It was felt that this could lead to a fall in staff morale and therefore it would be of benefit to staff if decisions could be made quickly, though recognised that this was not an issue that could be rushed through. The changes made by the Head of Service to address uncertainty were noted. It was requested that staff be kept informed at all times.

With reference to the improvements of IT links to Lakeside, Members requested that this be completed as soon as possible.

The Chair thanked Richard Mould-Ryan and his staff for their cooperation.

It was AGREED -

(1)             That improvements to IT systems at Lakeside become a priority. Should any difficulties arise in achieving this then it must be reported back to the Panel in six months time;

(2)             That the Panel noted the uncertainties created for staff affected by the transfer of assets, and sought assurance that the process continued to move forward at an appropriate pace and that staff be kept fully informed at all times.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Customer Service and ICT on the ICT Strategy that detailed the progress made to date on the delivery of the Strategy and the milestones achieved on a number of projects.

The Strategy was divided into a number of key strategic themes which underpinned the business requirements of the organisation, these were:

Flexible Working - Network upgrades had been completed in June, this included a firewall, routers and switches. Monitoring tools had been installed and a number of the requirements of the code of connection (Govconnect) had also been fulfilled. The Itchen Valley Country Park (IVCP) link had been upgraded and this would now allow enhanced service delivery at the remote site. The telephone system had been implemented and adjusted to provide a dedicated service to undertakers regarding booking cemeteries.

Customer Access – The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system had undergone a number of upgrades and a significant amount of work had been completed to develop the concept of a Customer Service Centre which would have a direct impact on the direction of the CRM system. Two business analysts were now in post to identify business processes in Development Control, Countryside and Trees, Reception and Parking Services.

The new website was being populated with information and content was being refreshed. The ‘go live’ date was scheduled for November 2009.

Service Management – Remote access software had been installed to allow helpdesk staff to resolve IT problems remotely.

Information management – the Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) had gone ‘live’ in the Revenue and Benefits Unit and was currently being implemented within Human Resources, to go ‘live’ in October 2009, and Development Control, to go ‘live’ in the Enforcement team in late December.

Electronic Services – The new website would incorporate the infrastructure to add additional electronic services, such as e-news, e-consultations and e-surveys.

During discussion the Panel raised a number of issues regarding the feasibility study of moving to the ground floor and flexible working. It was advised that there had been two options to redesign the ground floor, one was by using part of the Mayor’s extension and the other was to adjust rooms 2 and 3 which proved to be the most cost effective way. It was hoped that this would be completed by Christmas 2009.

The third stage of flexible working was to purchase new software that would enable home-workers to have access to applications other than email.

It was advised that public access to a wireless connection at The Point would be free. This would entice more businesses to use it and be of benefit to artists and any conferences held there.

In response to questions on scanning protocol and the way planning images were portrayed on the web; and the compatibility of GIS with Internet Explorer, Members were advised that these would be looked in to.

It was confirmed that IT security was almost to Ministry of Defence (MOD) standards. A penetration test had been a pre-requisite and it had been pleasing to know that only two minor issues had been picked up. Changes had been made to accommodate these.

Members congratulated staff and thanked them for achieving so much in such a short time.

It was AGREED - 

That the report be noted.

Attached is the report that went to Cabinet on 10 September 2009.

Consideration was given to the joint report of the Corporate Director (CFO), Chief Executive and Head of Financial Services concerning the Council’s budget projections for the period 2009/10 to 2011/13, which had been considered and approved by Cabinet on 10 September 2009.

The Panel were advised that the uncertainty of the economic climate made forecasting difficult. The Government felt that there were green shoots emerging from the recession and it was hoped that the October data would reflect this.

The Panel noted that the Council’s Strategic Priority was to commit to holding Council Tax increases at 1% below RPIX.  It was assumed that this commitment would continue for the period covered by the Medium Term Budget Strategy (MTBS).  Underpinning the Strategy was the need to preserve the minimum level of General Fund Reserve of 10% of net revenue expenditure which was £1.4M for 2009/10 onwards. The Strategy was based on prudent assessments of both income and expenditure, although there were a number of uncertainties regarding some of the items which could have a significant impact on the final budget position.

The projected budget showed that the minimum General Fund Reserve would be maintained for 2009/10 and 2010/11 but would fall below the minimum for 2011/12 onwards.

The Strategy sought to maintain the Council’s financial position of one of stability in terms of ongoing income and expenditure levels and minimal draw from reserves. The realisation of the Efficiency Strategy savings of £500,000 was essential to the medium term financial stability of the Council.

Members were advised that the Council’s approach to asset management had put them in a better financial position in comparison to other local authorities in the area. Members were assured that the Council’s quarterly financial monitoring process was designed to identify emerging financial risks as early as possible so appropriate action could be taken.

In response to a question on lists, values of assets and the £500,000 efficiency savings, it was advised that all the information could be found in the Asset Management Plan.

It was AGREED -

That the report be noted.

The Chief Executive presented the report of the Head of Human Resources, which was in response to a request from Members to be updated on how appraisal monitoring was undertaken in the Council.

The Council’s standard was that all eligible permanent staff, with a minimum twelve months’ service, had to have an annual appraisal. Staff with less than twelve months’ service had a six month probationary period where formal training and feedback was given.

The current standing was 86 percent completed, with 100 percent in five Units.

During discussion Members requested that a full breakdown of the percentage of people eligible for appraisals across each service be identified in the 2010 report.

It was AGREED -

(1)             That the report be noted; and

(2)             That a full breakdown of the percentage of people eligible for appraisals across each service be identified in the 2010 report.

The Panel considered the CIP Overview Scrutiny Group Minutes of 16 July 2009.

It was AGREED -

That the current Minutes be noted.

The Panel considered the Action List, which set out the recent decisions and subsequent actions arising from the Panel. It was noted that some actions would be removed due to the forthcoming changes to the Scrutiny arrangements of the Council.

It was AGREED -

That the Action List be noted.

The Panel considered the current Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

It was AGREED -

That the current Forward Plan be noted.

The Panel considered its current Work Programme and added Unit site visits to the agenda for the meeting on 3 November 2009.

At its meeting on 22 September 2009, the Audit and Risk Management Committee had requested that the Resources Scrutiny Panel monitor the progress against the Use of Resources Action/Improvement Plan on a regular basis.

It was AGREED -

(1)             That the Work Programme be noted and that Unit site visits be added to the agenda for the meeting on 3 November 2009;

(2)             That the Use of Resources Action / Improvement Plan be monitored by the Panel on a regular basis.