Agenda item

(a)  To hear from the Director and officers on current issues and ask questions

(b)  To consider a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development providing information to assist the Board to develop its work programme for 2008/09 on:-

  (i)   Board’s Terms of Reference.

  (ii)  Core information on relevant aspects of the: 

·  Corporate Assessment Report

·  Corporate Assessment Actions 2008

·  Draft  Council  Business Plan 2008-11;

·  Corporate performance management  information (PIs) and any identified areas for improvement;

·  Details of any forthcoming external  audit  reviews;

·  Outstanding Issues from Scrutiny Board (Resources)

(iii)  Referred Items from previous Board.

(iv)  Current Forward Plan and minutes of last Executive Board  meeting.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report covering the Board’s terms of reference, and outlining possible sources of work which the Board might wish to consider incorporating into its work programme for 2008/09.

Also enclosed with the agenda were copies of the Audit Commission Corporate Assessment Report, dated May 2008, and the associated action plan, the draft performance indicators associated with the Council’s Draft Business Plan 2008-2011 (copies of which were distributed at the meeting) and a report from the Head of Policy, Performance and Improvement regarding the 2007/08 Quarter 4 key performance indicators.

In attendance at the meeting and responding to Members’ queries and comments were James Rogers, Assistant Chief Executive (Planning, Policy and Improvement), Nicole Jackson, Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate Governance), Alan Gay, Director of Resources, Doug Meeson, Chief Officer (Financial Management), Lorraine Hallam, Chief Officer (Human Resources) and Steven Carey, Head of Leeds Benefits Service.

In brief summary, the main areas of discussion were:-

·  The comment contained in the Audit Commission Corporate Assessment Report regarding a lack of a strategic approach to services and the needs of Over-50s in the population.  It was explained that this comment was linked to a recent Government initiative, discussions were taking place regarding how this issue could be addressed and it was likely that this matter would be picked up by the Scrutiny Board (Adult Social Care);

·  Cover pricing – this term related to a practice prevalent amongst contractors competing for local authority business, whereby they effectively operated as a cartel to keep prices artificially high;

·  The Council Business Plan 2008-2011, and the themes and priorities contained therein. It was agreed that the review and monitoring of the Business Plan should be a regular agenda item for the Board;

·  The need for Members to have information regarding the total amount of resources the Council received from Central Government, and in relation to which services, and for this to then be broken down into Ward-based information, for instance Highways and Streetscene, to enable Members to see where money was being spent. The increased role and importance of Area Committees in terms of monitoring the implementation of the Local Area Agreement and the Leeds Strategic Plan priorities at local level was emphasised;

·  Equality and Diversity – the Board might wish to monitor and review progress against the new Council Equality and Diversity Strategy recently approved by the Executive Board, for example in terms of the Council’s record as an employer of women, BME staff and people with disabilities. It was agreed that as part of this particular strand, the Board should receive an update on the recruitment action plan for people with mental health difficulties, which was the subject of an Inquiry last year by the Scrutiny Board (Resources);

·  Managing  Attendance policies and procedures – similarly, it was agreed that the Board would like to follow through on the work carried out last year by the Scrutiny Board (Resources), and incorporate issues such as work place stress, to see if trends could be identified, and the extent and costs of using agency staff. It was requested that Richard Moss-Blundell’s (Head of HR, Environment and Neighbourhoods) analysis report, submitted to the Scrutiny Board (Resources) on 2^nd April 2008, be re-circulated to this Board’s Members; 

·  Out-sourcing of services – it was accepted that it would be inappropriate for this Board to investigate the details of particular contracts or services which had been ‘out-sourced’, but it could look at broader issues and concepts, such as what arrangements were in place for options/costs appraisals before decisions were taken, the TUPE arrangements regarding staff transfers and the monitoring and review arrangements in respect of these type of contracts to ensure that the Council was achieving the expected value for money service originally envisaged;

·  The use of consultants by the Council, and the associated costs;

·  The current Job Evaluation exercise – situation report and update;

·  Workforce Planning – and in particular the Council’s role in offering job offer guarantee schemes and apprenticeships for young people;

·  ALMOs – preparedness for inspections?

·  Budget process – the Board’s role in seeking to align budget allocations to strategic priorities, linked to the Council Business Plan and Leeds Strategic Plan;

·  Electoral matters – polling stations and electoral registration;

·  Revenue collection methods and statistics.

The Chair thanked the officers for their attendance.  The Board would now go on to consider its actual work programme for 2008/09.

(NB: Councillor Lowe was temporarily absent at the commencement of the meeting, and rejoined the meeting at 10.15 am, during this item).