Agenda item

Shared Services Arrangements with Preston City Council for the Revenues and Benefits Service

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Langhorn)

 

Report of the Heads of Financial Services and Governance (to follow)

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Langhorn)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Heads of Financial Services and Governance to consider arrangements for establishing a Joint Committee of this Council and Preston City Council to administer a shared service for Revenues and Benefits with effect from the 01 July 2011.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

Option 1: To approve the entering into of a Shared Service Agreement and the establishment of a Joint Committee

Option 2: Not to approve the entering into of a Shared Services Agreement and the establishment of a Joint Committee

Advantages

A robust and fully integrated service will be established with the potential for efficiency savings as set out in the business case previously considered by Cabinet.

None – it would be necessary to consider alternative arrangements for the provision of the service, to achieve the approved budget savings.

Disadvantages

None identified.

The considerable work in negotiating the arrangements to this stage would have been wasted, and there would be uncertainty for staff. 

Risks

No further risks identified.

See comments above – these points would raise new financial and operational risks potentially.

 

Option 1 was the Officer preferred option.  It was noted that an options analysis was included as part of the business case approved back in December and therefore the options presented below follow on from this.  For more details on the options and risks associated with the business case itself, Members were requested to refer back to the December Cabinet agenda.

 

Councillor Langhorn proposed, seconded by Councillor Kerr:-

 

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

 

By way of an amendment, which was accepted as a friendly amendment by the mover and seconder of the original proposition, Councillor Barry proposed:

 

“That the composition of the Joint Committee be as stipulated in the draft terms of reference in Appendix 1 to the report.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

(1)                    To enter into a Shared Revenues and Benefits Service Agreement with Preston City Council with effect from the 1st July 2011, and to authorise the Chief Executive to approve the terms of such agreement on behalf of the Council.

(2)                    Through the Shared Service Agreement, to delegate Cabinet’s Revenue and Benefits functions to a Joint Committee with Preston City Council 

(3)                    To recommend to Council that the Council’s Constitution be amended to reflect the establishment of a Joint Committee to carry out the Revenues and Benefits functions of this Council and Preston City Council, with the terms of reference as set out in Appendix 1. 

(4)                    That the composition of the Joint Committee be as stipulated in the draft terms of reference in Appendix 1 to the report.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Chief Executive

Head of Financial Services

Head of Governance

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The implementation of the Council’s agreed programme for Shared Services was a key action in the 2010/11 Corporate Plan and is included in the proposed Plan for 2011/12 onwards.  The decision enables this key action to be progressed.

 

Supporting documents: