Agenda

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personalinterest in any business on the agenda.  They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting.  Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it.  If in doubt please contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

The Committee is asked to agree the Part I minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2020 (cream paper).

Members are asked to indicate at this stage if they wish the meeting to consider bringing into Part I any items on the Part II agenda.

Items not on the agenda which the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency by reason of special circumstances, including cases where the Committee needs to be informed of budgetary or performance issues affecting matters within its terms of reference which have emerged since the publication of the agenda.

Copy of the ForwardPlan dated 9 March 2020.  An extract fromanyForwardPlan publishedbetween the date of despatchof the agenda and the date of the meetingwill be tabled at the meeting.

The Committee is asked to consider whetheritwishes to enquireinto any of the forthcoming decisions withinits portfolio.

Members to raise any items which they believe to be of relevance to the business of the Scrutiny Committee and suitable for scrutiny, e.g. raised with them by constituents, arising from central government initiatives, etc.

If any member puts forward such an item the Committee’s role at this meeting is to assess, briefly, whether to refer the matter to its Business Planning Group (BPG) to consider in detail.

The Committee is asked to note the responses from the Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Committee to recommendations dated 25 March and 24 May 2019.

The Committee is asked to note the responses.

The Committee is asked to note the responses to recommendations made at the 22 January 2020 meeting.

The Committee is asked to note the responses.

The Director of Law and Assurance has agreed to call-in the proposed decision by the Cabinet Member for Finance concerning the New Monks Farm - Withy Patch land surplus declaration and development agreement FIN 18 (19/20) decision, published on the Executive Decision Database on 2 March 2020 and in the Member’s Bulletin on 4 March 2020.

The decision report asked the Cabinet Member for Finance to agree:

1.   That the current Withy Patch Gypsy and Traveller Site be declared surplus to service operational requirements on the basis that the County Council enters into a development agreement with The Community Stadium Limited (TCSL) for TCSL to construct a new Gypsy and Traveller site, to an agreed specification, within the New Monks Farm development; and that

2.   Authority is delegated to the Director Property and Assets in consultation with the Director Law and Assurance to complete the development agreement and the land transfer transaction.

Decision report by Director Property and Assets attached as Annex and Appendix A site plan.

The call-in was initiated by Mr Michael Jones supported by Ms Karen Sudan, Mr Brian Quinn, and Mr Chris Oxlade.  The decision has not previously been previewed by the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee.

Mr Jones has been invited to outline the reasons for the call-in request to the Committee.

Mr Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance, has been invited to address the Committee and answer questions.

Report by the Director of Finance and Support Services providing an update on the Council’s redesign activities, achievements of the Step Up Programme and the Whole Council Design Programme, and outlines key programmes to be delivered under the next phase of Service Led Improvement.

The Committee is asked to scrutinise and comment on the report, with a particular focus on ensuring:

1)   The savings, costs achieved to date, and what has been achieved in terms of transformation and improving efficiency/effectiveness across the Council have been identified;

2)   The refreshed programme focusses on the priorities of the County Council going forwards;

3)   There are clear and achievable costs and savings identified within the programme budget along with an indicative timeline for achieving the savings; and

4)   Risks to achieving the improvements have been identified and are being managed.

A report by the Executive Director Place Services setting out the Quarter 3 Capital Programme performance position as at the end of December 2019.

The Committee is asked to review, comment on and make any relevant recommendations for action to the Cabinet Member for Finance.

12.55pm break for 30minutes - meeting to reconvene at 1.25pm.

A report by the Director of Finance and Support Services setting out the Quarter 3 finance, performance, capital and workforce position as at the end of December 2019.

The Committee is asked to examine the data and supporting commentary for the Quarter 3 December 2019 Total Performance Monitor report and make any relevant recommendations for action to the relevant Cabinet Member or Scrutiny Committee.

Report to update the committee following the latest Business Planning Group meeting held on 2 March 2020 and set out the key issues discussed.

The Committee is asked to:

1)   support the updates to the work programme as recommended by the Business Planning Group and reflected in the updated work programme at Appendix A to ensure that the highest priority issues are being scrutinised:

2)   note the Task and Finish Group Rolling Programme attached as Appendix B; and

3)   support the proposed Task and Finish Group on the ‘Award of Contract: Business Management Solution’ decision, seek volunteers to sit on the Group, and to agree the draft Terms of Reference for the TFG as proposed in Appendix C.

The next meeting of the Committee will be held on 15 May 2020 at 10.30am at County Hall, Chichester.  Probable agenda items include:

·         Appointment of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Committee

·         Annual appointment to the Business Planning Group

·         Total Performance Monitor Quarter 4 End of Year Report

·         Capital Programme Quarter 4 End of Year Performance Monitor Report

·         Capita Annual Performance Report

·         TFG Terms of Reference – Recommissioning of support services contract

·         Asset Strategy and Policy

·         Workforce/People Strategy

·         Annual Scrutiny Newsletter for 2019/20

Any member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the meeting must notify the Director of Law and Assurance by 4 May 2020.

The Committee is asked to consider in respect of the following item whether the public, including the press, should be excluded from the meeting on the grounds of exemption under Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as indicated below, and because, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption of that information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Exempt: Paragraph 3 related to the business affairs of the Council.

The Committee is asked to agree the Part II minutes of the last meeting on 22 January 2019 as a correct record.

The Committee is asked to note the Part II responses to recommendations made at the 22 January 2020.

Members are asked to note the responses.