Agenda item

This report sets out activities and progress within the areas covered by the Portfolio Holder for Resources which fall within the remit of this Committee.

Discussion:

Members received an overview of progress on the areas within the terms of

Reference of this Committee covered by Councillor Adrian Gulvin, Portfolio

Holder for Resources, i.e.:

·         Transformation and Digital Services

·         Council Plan and Service Improvement

·         Business and Administration Support Services

·         Complaints Policy and Management

·          HR

·         ICT

·         Legal

·         Property

·         Category Management//Procurement

·         Travellers

Councillor Gulvin responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

·         Public Works Loan Board – a Member asked what the impact would be on the Council of the decision by the Treasury to increase the cost of borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board. Councillor Gulvin commented that this decision was unhelpful but was unlikely to have any impact on the Council at present due to the Council’s cautious approach to borrowing and the fact the Council had anticipated the increase and borrowed in advance.  Medway Development Company would need to carefully assess future projects in the light of the increased cost in borrowing.

·         Transformation and Digital Services – a Member queried whether it would be possible for parking permits to be issued digitally instead of a paper permit given there were now systems which could read vehicle registration plates. Councillor Gulvin acknowledged this would be more convenient and as part of the transformation agenda various options were being explored. There were though potential security issues which would need to be addressed. In terms of consultation with residents, any new service would be tested with the public to ensure it was user friendly.

·         Re-organisation of front line services - referring to the expected savings of £406,000 from this re-structuring, Councillor Gulvin explained that every effort had been made to not reduce front line services and to end up with a structure that improved services. A Member expressed the hope that there would be no redundancies amongst community wardens and commented it would be helpful for Members to see the outcome of the consultation.

·         Tell us Once Service - a Member asked if this service, which allowed residents to tell the Council and the Government just once about a death, could be expanded to other life event such as moving home. Councillor Gulvin agreed with the need to expand this across other services so the Council acted in a more joined up way. The point was made that vulnerable people in particular needed to be assured that their information was being processed correctly.

·         Travellers – regarding the possibility of a permanent site in North Kent, Councillor Gulvin acknowledged this would make it easier for the team to deal with unlawful incursions. Some sites were being looked at although a permanent site was expensive and difficult to secure support for.

·         Council Property Portfolio – a Member asked if details of the Council’s current property portfolio could be sent to all Members.

·         Mountbatten House and the Pentagon Centre – a Member emphasised the importance of meaningfully involving the public in the plans for the development of these sites. Councillor Gulvin commented the Council needed to demonstrate it had a scheme for the development of Mountbatten House before it could be compulsorily purchased. Local firms of architects had been asked to provide outline ideas, some of which were very encouraging, and there would then be public engagement.

·         Permitted Development rights – Councillor Gulvin gave a commitment that neither the Council nor Medway Development Company would exercise these rights as otherwise it would not be tenable to criticise others for doing so.

·         Smart Cities – regarding a suggestion that a Member briefing on Smart Cities take place, it was clarified that a briefing for Members had taken place last year and the issue had also been covered as part of the Transformation briefing in the induction programme following the elections.

·         Windows Server 2008 – a Member commented that Microsoft would soon not be supporting this product and asked what plans were in place to replace this support. Councillor Gulvin commented that work was in hand to address this and the Council would continue to invest in the Data Centre, which also presented opportunities to generate income.

·         Capital receipts –a Member asked how likely it was that the expected capital receipts of £3.1m would be achieved by March 2020. Councillor Gulvin replied that in recent years around £4m per annum had been achieved but given the Council’s shrinking assets and the change in emphasis from selling assets to developing them, this was now more difficult to achieve.

·         Child care court proceedings –a Member queried how realistic the target of 26 weeks for average court proceedings was. Councillor Gulvin commented there had been some very difficult cases but the trend was downwards. Performance was about average in comparison to other councils.

·         ICT/homeworking for staff – a Member asked if thought had been given to more staff working from home on occasion to save money and help the environment.Councillor Gulvin stated he was keen to encourage working from home and there needed to be a shift in culture amongst managers so there was more of an emphasis on outcomes and less on assessing performance based on time spent in the office.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to:

a)  thank Councillor Gulvin for his attendance, and;

b)   ask that details of all Council properties (freehold and leasehold) be sent to Members.