Issue - meetings

“I know that I am not alone in wishing to congratulate the staff from every service area for showing such resilience during the past few extremely difficult months and in managing to carry out their duties to such very good effect.  

“The October spending review is obviously going to cause great stress for us all.  What is each of the portfolio holders planning to do in order to support their own departmental staff in these very challenging times?”

Councillor Bridget Smith asked the Leader, “I know that I am not alone in wishing to congratulate the staff from every service area for showing such resilience during the past few extremely difficult months and in managing to carry out their duties to such very good effect.   The October spending review is obviously going to cause great stress for us all.  What is each of the portfolio holders planning to do in order to support their own departmental staff in these very challenging times?” 

The Leader agreed with Councillor Smith’s commendation of staff, which he hoped was shared by all Members, and assured Council that the Executive would continue to support staff.  He felt that the Comprehensive Spending Review ought to have been concluded earlier in the year to end councils’ uncertainty.  Councillor Smith felt that this had not addressed her question and asked that the Leader detail how each Portfolio Holder individually supported staff in their service areas.

The Leader, noting that Members would have their own individual approaches and that the pressures facing areas could be service-specific, felt confident that all Executive Members had been supporting and would continue to support staff.  He encouraged Members to attend Portfolio Holders’ meetings and contribute to their discussions, especially if they had concerns about a particular service area.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)               the assumptions built into the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS);

(b)               the further consultation of the Council’s Vision and Corporate Aims and Approaches as the strategic planning framework for the organisation;

(c)               the list of Corporate Actions at Appendix B to the Cabinet report for internal and external consultation and as the basis for the preparation of draft service plans for 2011/12, authority being delegated to the Chief Executive and the relevant Portfolio Holder to correct minor grammatical errors and clarify the wording prior to the commencement of consultation;

(d)               to instruct the Executive Management Team, as part of the service planning process, to consider potential savings options to meet the savings targets set out in the MTFS; and

(e)               to instruct Senior Management Team to quantify and rank in priority order future spending pressures identified through the service planning process so that more accurate figures can be included in the MTFS.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)               the assumptions built into the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS);

(b)               the further consultation of the Council’s Vision and Corporate Aims and Approaches as the strategic planning framework for the organisation;

(c)               the list of Corporate Actions at Appendix B to the Cabinet report for internal and external consultation and as the basis for the preparation of draft service plans for 2011/12, authority being delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Policy and Performance Portfolio Holder to correct minor grammatical errors and clarify the wording prior to the commencement of consultation;

(d)               to instruct the Executive Management Team, as part of the service planning process, to consider potential savings options to meet the savings targets set out in the MTFS; and

(e)               to instruct Senior Management Team to quantify and rank in priority order future spending pressures identified through the service planning process so that more accurate figures can be included in the MTFS.

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder and Policy and Performance Portfolio Holder introduced the first look at the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and the Council Actions for 2011/12.  The MTFS had been brought forward so Members could consider the assumptions made on the basis of the Government’s Spending Review (SR) and the June mini-budget, and it was emphasised that these were assumptions only and the MTFS would be modified once further details of the formula grant and the SR were received.  The Council’s Vision and Aims would remain unchanged, but the new actions reflected a longer-term strategic plan which required minimal additional funding; specific actions would be addressed in the emerging service plans.  Members’ input was invited before the final proposals were put to Council in November 2010.

Councillor Nick Wright welcomed the funds for economic development and highlighted the recent BBC report which had ranked South Cambridgeshire’s economy in the top ten most resilient districts in England and Wales.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)               the assumptions built into the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS);

(b)               the further consultation of the Council’s Vision and Corporate Aims and Approaches as the strategic planning framework for the organisation;

(c)               the list of Corporate Actions at Appendix B to the Cabinet report for internal and external consultation and as the basis for the preparation of draft service plans for 2011/12, authority being delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Policy and Performance Portfolio Holder to correct minor grammatical errors and clarify the wording prior to the commencement of consultation;

(d)               to instruct the Executive Management Team, as part of the service planning process, to consider potential savings options to meet the savings targets set out in the MTFS; and

(e)               to instruct Senior Management Team to quantify and rank in priority order future spending pressures identified through the service planning process so that more accurate figures can be included in the MTFS.

Cabinet

(a)               APPROVED continuation of the current Vision, Aims and Approaches as the Council’s strategic policy framework;

(b)               APPROVED the twelve draft Actions for 2010/11 for the purpose of service planning and subject to more detailed costings:

(i)                 We will achieve Customer Service Excellence accreditation by 31 March 2011;

(ii)                We will increase the number of teenagers taking part in positive activities by [figure to be added] in 2010/11;

(iii)              We will meet or surpass a 65% recycling and composting rate by 2012;

(iv)              We will improve and maintain the appearance of our villages in 2010/11 by:

·                      Continuing our programme of installing litterbins at a further ten lay-bys on the major routes in the District;

·                      Continuing enhanced street cleaning within ten of our larger villages past 2010/11;

·                      Undertaking a further ten community clean-up events;

·                      Maintaining our street cleansing and envirocrime operations including the litter picking of the A11 and A14 verges;

(v)               We will achieve [target to be added] % reductions in the emission of CO₂ from the Council’s operations and publicise the outcome in order to set an example to other organisations;

(vi)              We will work with parish councils to complete at least six local projects (or other quantified targets to be developed) supported by LPSA funding to contribute to the county target for the reduction of CO₂ emissions;

(vii)            We will promote the relocation of Marshalls within Cambridgeshire in order to meet the district’s requirements for new homes and retain job opportunities;

(viii)           We will promote the district to new businesses;

(ix)              We will support local people to establish community orchards;

(x)               We will implement key actions (yet to be determined) from the Community Transport Plan;

(xi)              We will review and restructure the Housing service to enable us to continue to provide our tenants with the best possible service within the resources available and to meet new regulatory standards;

(xii)            We will sign up to the Member Development Charter to enable Members to develop skills to meet new challenges for local government.

(c)               ADVISED services that there would be no bidding process this year for resources for service development and that only in exceptional cases would requests for additional resources for inescapable commitments be approved;

(d)               REQUESTED services, wherever relevant, to continue current year Council Actions into the service planning process for incorporation into the Council’s core business from 2010/11 onwards; and

(e)               AGREED to review and confirm the Council Actions at their November meeting in the light of costs and other emerging financial commitments and the review of the Medium Term Financial Strategy. 

Cabinet

(a)               APPROVED continuation of the current Vision, Aims and Approaches as the Council’s strategic policy framework;

(b)               APPROVED the twelve draft Actions for 2010/11 given in Appendix 2 to the report for the purpose of service planning and subject to more detailed costings;

(c)               ADVISED services that there would be no bidding process this year for resources for service development and that only in exceptional cases would requests for additional resources for inescapable commitments be approved;

(d)               REQUESTED services, wherever relevant, to continue current year Council Actions into the service planning process for incorporation into the Council’s core business from 2010/11 onwards; and

(e)               AGREED to review and confirm the Council Actions at their November meeting in the light of costs and other emerging financial commitments and the review of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Cabinet received the proposed Council Actions for 2010/11, which would build upon work undertaken in 2009/10.  The Leader drew attention to the increasing importance of joint working, particularly through the Cambridgeshire Local Area Agreement (LAA).

In response to questions about their respective portfolios, Cabinet members explained that:

·                      There was a need for increased anti-littering education, as litter picking along the A14 cost the authority approximately £20,000 per annum.  The A10 was also a major route which could be included in the litter picking scheme if funds could be identified;

·                      Local Public Sector Agreement (LPSA) reward grant monies had been funding enhanced street cleaning in those villages prioritised by officers as having an urgent need, freeing up some of the Council’s budget for use in the smaller villages;

·                      Under the current planning system, if Marshall’s Aerospace did not relocate from Cambridge, the Council would be required to find somewhere in South Cambridgeshire to accommodate its share of the homes proposed for the Cambridge East development, but not for those the City Council was required to accommodate within Cambridge;

·                      Establishment of community orchards was a suggestion coming from villages and existing schemes had proven popular; and

·                      Attendance by non-executive members at Portfolio Holder meetings was encouraged.

Cabinet

(a)               APPROVED continuation of the current Vision, Aims and Approaches as the Council’s strategic policy framework;

(b)               APPROVED the twelve draft Actions for 2010/11 given in Appendix 2 to the report for the purpose of service planning and subject to more detailed costings;

(c)               ADVISED services that there would be no bidding process this year for resources for service development and that only in exceptional cases would requests for additional resources for inescapable commitments be approved;

(d)               REQUESTED services, wherever relevant, to continue current year Council Actions into the service planning process for incorporation into the Council’s core business from 2010/11 onwards; and

(e)               AGREED to review and confirm the Council Actions at their November meeting in the light of costs and other emerging financial commitments and the review of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.