Agenda and minutes

Councillor Ellie Harmer sent apologies for arriving late.

There were no declarations of interest, although in respect of agenda item 15 (a) Enhancement of Bromley Pensions Software it was noted that advice had been received that Members who were part of the Local Government Pensions Scheme did not need to declare an interest.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Thursday 29^th August 2013.

No questions had been received.

It was noted that in minute 357, Updates from PDS Chairmen, the typing errors related to the Education PDS Committee update, not the Public Protection and Safety PDS Committee update.  

RESOLVED that, subject to the correction set out above, the minutes of the meeting held on 18^th July 2013 (excluding exempt information) be confirmed.

Report RES13152

The Committee received an update on matters arising from previous meetings – the information requested at the last meeting from Liberata would be chased.

The Committee received the latest version of the Forward Plan of Private and Key Decisions published on 13^th August 2013.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to the Resources Portfolio Holder must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Thursday 29^th August 2013.

No questions had been received.

The Resources Portfolio Holder to present scheduled reports for pre-decision scrutiny on matters where he is minded to make decisions.

The Committee received the following reports for pre-decision scrutiny where the Resources Portfolio Holder was minded to take a decision.

Report RES13144

At its meeting on 24^th July 2013 the Executive had received the first quarterly monitoring report for 2013/14 and agreed a revised Capital Programme for the four year period 2013/14 to 2016/17. This was set out in Appendix A to the report. Appendix B set out details of the 2012/13 outturn and Appendix C set out detailed comments on scheme progress at the end of the first quarter of 2013/14. 

A Member commented that IT projects often appeared to be delayed, either because they were not planned or managed well. Officers responded that often these were very complex projects and sometimes project plans were too  optimistic; Members comments would be passed back. 

RESOLVED that the recommendation to confirm the changes to the Resources Capital Programme made by the Executive be supported. 

Report RES13151

The Committee considered the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2012/13 and a summary of investment performance in the first quarter of 2013/14. The report also included an update on the Council’s investment with Heritable Bank (the Council had now received 94% of its claim) and proposed changes to the Council’s Annual Investment Strategy in the form of an increase in the maximum duration for loans to other local authorities from two years to three and the inclusion of collective (pooled) investment schemes as eligible investment vehicles. These changes would require the approval of full Council. 

The Committee accepted that with returns at low levels it was sensible to accept the proposed changes to the Strategy.  

RESOLVED that the recommendations to note the report, approve the actual prudential indicators within the report and request Council to approve changes to the Annual Investment Strategy be supported.

Mr Doug Patterson, the Chief Executive, attended the meeting to update the Committee on his work and answer questions. He summarised the current position on a number of issues, including the budget, integration of health and social care and local terms and conditions for staff.

Mr Patterson indicated that he was confident that the projected overspends in the current year would be dealt with, and offered to comment further on this when the Committee considered the Executive’s Budget Monitoring report (minute 373 below). The budget gap for 2014/15 was projected to be between £4m and £8m, with a further £20m to be found in 2015/16 leading to an eventual reduction in budget in the region of £60m (from about £190m to about £130m.) Work was continuing on the twin strands of baseline reviews and commissioning, where a number of services were under active consideration.

The integration of health and social care services was a key issue and undoubtedly the correct way to go, building on the joint commissioning that had already taken place. Mr Patterson confirmed that recent announcements of funding for integration did not involve any new or additional money and the Department of Health would still need to approve the Council’s health spending plans.  Any movement towards more integration or community budgets would have opportunities for efficiencies, but there would also be some very difficult issues to overcome and a common vision across local public sector agencies would be needed.   

The move towards local terms and conditions was now largely completed, with only 27 staff not having signed the new contract, and 14 staff going to Employment Tribunal. The final deadline was 15^th September 2013. 

The Chairman stated that progress on commissioning needed to be faster; Mr Patterson accepted this but responded that five major services were now being considered – Customer Services, HR Transactional Services, Adult Social Care, Regulatory Services and Facilities and Property Management. Around £30m had already been taken out of the Council’s budget in the previous two or three years.  Councillor Nicholas Bennett suggested that as budgets declined the burden on Councils was actually being increased through new legislation and “activist” judges – Mr Patterson confirmed that local MPs were being briefed and agreed that issues such as people with no recourse to public funds, changes to youth remand funding, and homelessness and welfare reforms were causing budget pressures in Care Services. 

Councillor Pauline Tunnicliffe reported that Care Services PDS Committee had received reports of wastage in the community equipment budget, where expensive equipment had not always been retrieved and re-used and health partners were projected to overspend by a considerable margin. Mr Patterson commented that the Council’s greater financial rigour and democratic influence would help to prevent these issues as integration between health and social care progressed.

Councillor Neil Reddin raised the issue of inflationary pressures building up in the economy, and the effect of this on contracts. Members were informed that RPIX had been used for Council contracts in the past,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 372.

Members of the Committee are requested to bring their copy of the agenda for the Executive meeting on 11th September 2013.

RES13154

The Committee received an update from Councillor Pauline Tunnicliffe, Chairman of the Care Services PDS Committee, on the meeting held on 3^rd September 2013.

Report RES13118

The Committee received an update on its work programme for 2013/14 and on currently active working groups and Sub-Committees. The Chairman informed the Committee that there would be reports to the meeting on 13^th November on the Bromley Employment Project and to the meeting on 8^th January on Shared Parking Services.

Councillor Nicholas Bennett reported that the Primary School Development Working Group had been re-named the School Places Working Group, while the Behaviour Services Working Group had been wound up. Councillor William Huntington-Thresher invited Members to attend the meeting of the LIP (Local Improvement Plan) Working Group on 10^th September, which would be considering the draft LIP before it was considered by the PDS Committee on 1^st October.      

The Chairman to move that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

RESOLVED that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business referred to below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

The following summaries

refer to matters

involving exempt information

The exempt minutes of the meeting held on 18^th July 2013 were confirmed.

The Committee scrutinised the following proposed decisions of the Resources Portfolio Holder.

The Committee supported a proposal to approve a waiver of the Contract Procedure Rules to award a contract for the upgrade of the Council’s pensions administration software.

Farnborough & Crofton Ward

The Committee considered a proposal to release a restrictive covenant.

Biggin Hill Ward

The Committee considered a proposal to agree to a change of name of the purchaser.

Hayes & Coney Hall Ward

The Committee considered a proposal to accept a revised purchase price for Isard House.

Bromley Common & Keston Ward

The Committee considered a proposal to retain the former caretaker’s house at the former Education Development Centre.

The Committee scrutinised reports on the Executive’s part 2 agenda for the meeting on 11^th September 2013 – (13) Former Town Hall and South Street Car Park, Bromley  and (14) Gateway Review – Dynamic Purchasing System.