Agenda and minutes

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personal interest 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.

8.1      None declared.

The Committee is asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2024(cream paper).

9.1      Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2024 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

The Committee is asked to note the responses to recommendations made at previous meetings of the Committee.

10.1      Resolved – That the Committee notes the responses to recommendations from previous meetings.

A report by the Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Support Services setting out the corporate performance, finance, workforce, risk and capital programme positions as at the end of March 2024.

The Committee is asked to examine the data and supporting commentary for the Performance and Resources report and make any recommendations for action to the relevant Cabinet Member or Scrutiny Committee.

11.1      The Committee considered the Quarter 4 Performance and Resources Report (PRR) by the Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Support Services summarising the position on finance, performance, risk and workforce as at the end of March 2024 (copy appended to the signed minutes).

11.2      Summary of responses to committee members’ comments and questions:

·         There is confidence that the £10.2m savings undelivered at year end will be delivered in full during 2024/25 - the reasons for the non-delivery are being investigated and will continue to be reviewed through the year both by the Cabinet and the appropriate scrutiny committees

·         Savings brought forward from previous years are consolidated and reviewed to make sure they are achievable, if not, alternative ones are put forward

·         The overspend in Adults’ Social Care is due to an increase in the demand for services and clients’ needs becoming more complex – the Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee will continue to monitor the overspend position, particularly in relation to paying service providers. ACTION: the Interim Director of Finance and Support Services to provide the Key Performance Indicators in relation to paying service providers

·         Overspend could be mitigated by providing services more efficiently or through back office savings

·         Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) guidance recommends that the general reserve has to be 5% of the overall budget - any monies withdrawn from reserves should be replenished as soon as possible to maintain this level

·         The Council takes a risk management view in terms of its overall reserves and balances, and compares and assesses its position against its nearest neighbours within the Society of County Treasurers

·         Although the gross budget shows how much the Council spends, the net budget is key as this is what is agreed by Full Council every year and reflects the grant position

·         The Council’s Dedicated Schools Grant deficit stands at £70m and could be £140m or more by the end of the financial year – when this money comes back on to the balance sheet it will be very difficult to clear unless the Government takes action. This is a significant national issue with £4bn in debt outstanding due to inadequate funding over a number of years, particularly in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

·         Bad debt provision takes account of the age of the debt with tapering over the total period of the debt

·         A large proportion of the debt relates to unpaid adult social care contributions

·         The Council has an active process in relation to debt collection and is satisfied that the right level of doubtful debt provision is applied

·         The Oracle Fusion project will be delivered on time within budget

·         Corporate Risk 78 is about benefit realisation from Oracle Fusion, not its implementation

·         It was queried why the construction of the Special Support Centre at the Edward Bryant Academy was still listed on the capital programme as a decision had previously been made not to proceed – ACTION: Assistant Director (Property and Assets) to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Committee is asked to review the Scrutiny Annual Report which summarises the main outcomes of scrutiny, best practice, lessons learnt, and any development issues identified during 2023-24.

12.1        The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes).

12.2        Summary of committee members’ comments: -

·         Recognition of the continuing improvement in the scrutiny process over a number of years

·         The role of co-opted members on scrutiny committees needs to be clearly defined going forward

·         There was continuing support for the Council Plan and Budget scrutiny and engagement process

·         Scrutiny meetings need to continue to be held in public to enable transparency and accountability

12.3        Resolved – that the Committee agrees that the Scrutiny Annual Report 2023-24 should be presented to County Council in July 2024

The Committee is asked to review its current draft work programme taking into account the scrutiny checklist (Appendix B), agree the Grant Funding Task & Finish Group draft Terms of Reference (Appendix A) and highlight any further possible items for future scrutiny.

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 to consider in detail.

The Committee is also asked to review the Forward Plan of Key Decisions (Appendix C) and consider whether it wishes to enquire about any of the forthcoming decisions within its portfolio.

13.1       The Committee considered an extract of the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and Work Programme (copies appended to the signed minutes).

13.2       Resolved – that the Committee: -

                 i.     Notes the Forward Plan of Key Decisions

                ii.     Agrees its Work Programme

               iii.     Agrees the Terms of Reference of the Grant Funding Scrutiny Task and Finish Group and its membership of Cllr Boram, Cllr Burrett (Chairman), Cllr Johnson, Cllr Kerry-Bedell, Cllr Payne, Cllr Turley and Cllr Wall

The next meeting of the Committee will be at 10.30am on 13 September 2024 at County Hall, Chichester.  Probable agenda items include: -

·         Quarterly Performance and Resources Report (PRR) – Quarter 1

·         Social Value, Procurement Strategy and Sustainable Procurement

·         Digital Strategy

·         Economy Plan progress, Growth Deals and new Economic Strategy

Any member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the meeting must notify the Director of Law and Assurance by 29 August 2024.

14.1       The Committee notes its next meeting will take place on 13 September 2024, commencing at 10.30am.