Agenda item

Report of the Director of Corporate Services. 

The Principal Democratic Support Officer presented a report that enabled the Panel to consider its Work Programme and a referral recommended by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

The Panel was advised of a number of items that were reported on a quarterly basis, namely financial monitoring, corporate performance monitoring and key performance measures. 

An annual stakeholder meeting was arranged as part of the Council’s budget consultation process, which was held in January each year, with other organisations invited to attend to present their budget proposals.  Also considered on an annual basis was the Treasury Management Strategy. 

It was reported that Cabinet Members could be invited to attend meetings to answer questions from the Panel. 

The Panel was advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would also be considering its Work Programme.  Any items referred to the Panel would be reported as part of the Work Programme report. 

It was reported that, at its meeting, held on 20^th February 2019, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered a report that detailed the current grant use for city centre arts provision.  After considering this issue, the Committee recommended this Panel:

·                To consider a strategic review of arts spend and Service Level Agreements for the management and governance of grants to support arts provision in the district.  Documentation to be provided to include the accounts of organisations when available. 

·                To receive and consider the end of year activity report forms on at least an annual basis. 

The Panel was asked to consider adding this item to its Work Programme. 

Questions and queries were raised at the meeting regarding:

·                commercial operations

·                income/return on capital for each venture,

·                monitoring the Council’s priorities and objectives,

·                easy to follow reporting formats,

·                reports on rental properties including vacancies voids and rent arrears,

·                reporting by exception,

·                impact of universal credit and work with the CAB and Signposts,

·                review of the Council’s Procurement Strategy and in particular being based around wealth building locally and considering qualitative criteria and duty for best value and working with other organisations and businesses that may already have been working on this issue in the local area,

·                use of the Ashton Hall,

·                looking at Council assets particularly regarding rental income,

·                MTFS,

·                small grants,

·                SLAs,

·                reviewing rationale for funding,

·                capital projects and Capital Strategy Group,

·                community wealth building and financial and social values,

·                invest to save,

·                waste bin widgets,

·                a wild flowers grassland survey,

·                and access and questioning of monitoring information data. 

It was noted that a list of Council assets would be circulated to the Panel. 

It was moved by Councillor Tim Dant and seconded by Councillor Roger Dennison:-

“That the Work Programme report and appendix to the report be accepted, together with the referral recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, subject to the words “when available” being deleted from the end of the first bullet point recommendation.”

Upon being put to the vote, the Chair declared the proposition unanimously carried. 

Resolved:

(1)       That the Work Programme report and appendix be accepted. 

(2)       That the Panel considers a strategic review of arts spend and Service Level Agreements for the management and governance of grants to support arts provision in the district.  Documentation to be provided to include the accounts of organisations. 

(3)       That the Panel receives and considers the end of year activity report forms on at least an annual basis.