Agenda item

The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder and Policy and Performance Manager presented the 2015-16 Year End Position Statement on Finance, Performance and Risk, which would be presented to the July 2016 meeting of Cabinet. The committee considered the report and the following points were made:

·         The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder proposed that for future performance reporting to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee, the committee nominate in advance of the meeting the portfolio it would like to consider in more depth. This would enable the relevant Portfolio Holder to attend the meeting and answer more in depth questions. At the end of the reporting year, the Portfolio Holder proposed that the committee still review the year end position statement as a whole. It was advised that at least one month’s notice in advance of the meeting be given, with regards to which portfolio the committee would like to consider. The Portfolio Holder felt that this would enable more effective scrutiny of individual portfolios.

·         The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder informed the committee that highlight reports were presented to the Council’s Executive Management Team on a monthly basis and therefore any urgent issues would be highlighted to the relevant Portfolio Holder through these meetings.

·         The committee suggested that if specific portfolios were going to be looked at by the committee, that the committee should be presented with information covering a longer period than one quarter.

·         Clarification was sought on how a Portfolio Holder reporting to the committee would report back on any actions from that meeting. It was clarified that this would come back to the next meeting under matters arising, either directly from the relevant Portfolio Holder or from a relevant officer.

·         The committee supported the Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder’s suggestion whilst reserving the right to call Portfolio Holders back to meetings as it saw fit.

·         A number of negative variances in the report were queried. The Portfolio Holder clarified that this was due to Northstowe not coming forward as quickly as originally anticipated and due to refurbishment of the Whaddon travellers’ site.

Risks were discussed:

·         Concern was raised over lost rental income from renting out space in the Council’s offices to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, which was moving. The committee was informed that empty space in the building was being made available to rent to other organisations.

·         The Shared Services risk (STR27) scoring was queried and it was questioned whether this should remain green. Concern was raised that only one Monitoring Officer was covering all the shared services councils. The Executive Director (Corporate Services) reassured members that the monitoring officer activity could, under the guidance of the monitoring officer, be carried out by the rest of the legal team. The new head of the shared legal service, would be the Monitoring Officer.

·         The Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder highlighted two further potential strategic risks:

·         He had requested that Devolution be addressed in the Council’s strategic risk register. This would be presented to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee in autumn 2016.

·         He alerted the committee to a potential future increase in tax on diesel fuel, which could impact the Council in a negative way. This would be monitored closely.

The Committee noted the report and agreed to proceed with the Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder’s suggestion regarding future position reporting by portfolio, to be identified in advance of the meeting by the Scrutiny and Overview Committee.