To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct, Members are requested to declare any interests orally at the start of the meeting and again immediately before consideration of the matter. Members are reminded to specify the agenda item number to which it refers and whether the interest is of a personal or prejudicial nature. Members are also reminded of the requirements of Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 that they should declare and not vote on specified matters if they are two months or more in arrears with their Council Tax payments.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider and approve the minutes of the Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny meeting held on 5 March 2012 – attached.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2012 be received and approved and the Chairman be authorised to sign them.

This report outlines the expected timetable relating to financial reports and decision making that will influence the 2013/14 budget.

Report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, and the Director of Finance and Corporate Services attached.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, and the Director Finance and Corporate Services were present for this item.

The Director said that there had been a new modelling tool obtained to assess potential changes to council tax benefit, although there were some details that needed clarification before anything could be produced for circulation to members.

There was a discussion about the consultation that takes place around the budget setting process, including the best way in which to engage residents.  The Director said that the committee would be able to look at this at the appropriate point in the future.  The Chairman said that he would discuss the matter with the Director at the next agenda planning session.

The Deputy Leader said that he was giving a clear indication of the Administration’s Council Tax proposals by June each year, in order to enable earlier discussion at committees.  The Director added that as the intention around council tax for 2013/14 was already known, officers were able to start preliminary work on the budget earlier and update reports would be offered to each Overview and Scrutiny Committee during September /October.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

This report provides details of the council’s fifth staff survey.  It summarises the results, comparing these with the public sector benchmark and with the results of previous surveys.  The report also highlights areas for action and includes an action plan agreed by Executive Board to address the issues raised.

Report of the Chief Executive attached.

The Chief Executive, the Head of Human Resources, and the Director of Finance and Corporate Services were present for this item.

The Head of Human Resources gave some background information on the staff survey.  Mrs Hall said that senior officers were expecting a decline in the results, although she confirmed that they were not complacent about them.  It was reported that this was an unsettling time for staff, particularly with the large number of redundancies and continuing uncertainty about local government finances.  Mrs Hall said that the results were being acted on, both strategically and in the day-to-day management of staff.

The Chief Executive said that she felt Richmond upon Thames had a good support package for its staff, which aimed to equip them with the necessary skills for both the council and future employers.  She was also pleased to report that, during a difficult time, staff had been able to maintain their high performance.

The Director said that steps had been taken to improve the council’s internal decision making processes in order to ensure that decisions were taken at an appropriate level in the organisation.  It was felt that this was a contributory factor in the improvement of the result for question 32.

The visibility of Cabinet Members around the organisation was also discussed, with it being noted that there were regular visits by portfolio holders to their areas of responsibility.  There was also discussion about how the results of the survey could be interpreted both in a local government setting and a private sector one.

The Chief Executive confirmed that staff engagement was under constant review, including ways of communicating with the workforce.  A recent change was the introduction of the Chief Executive’s blog.

The Head of Human Resources said that the effectiveness of the new measures was to be looked at before the next staff survey.  It was noted that the action plan had been published with the results of the survey, thus enabling staff to see what measures were being taken.

It was reported that there were various staff benefits in place including the staff award scheme, a staff discount scheme, a helpline for staff to contact and good quality training and development opportunities.

The Chairman, on behalf of the committee, wished Mrs Hall all the best for her retirement.

RESOLVED that the report be noted and that an update on the staff survey action plan be received in due course.

This report gives details of the Council’s forward procurement activity for the next three years. In 2011 the Council established a new procurement operating model based on a centralised function and revised governance arrangements and greater visibility of procurement activity through the publication of procurement plans.

Report of the Assistant Director Commissioning Corporate Policy and Strategy attached.

The Assistant Director for Commissioning Corporate Policy and Strategy, the Acting Head of Contracting and Procurement and the Director of Finance and Corporate Services were present for this item.

The Assistant Director said that the reason for this item being taken to each overview and scrutiny committee was to identify any procurement activities that members may want to scrutinise.  It was confirmed by the scrutiny officer that the other committees’ suggestions had been tabled.

The Director said that the ICT contract had a deliberately extended lead-in time because of its complexity and the likelihood that the Council would require a different type of provision following the implementation of changes currently being proposed and undertaken across many council services.

The Chairman suggested that the committee may wish to look at the communications contract in depth.  The following committee members confirmed that they would be interested in participating in this work:

1. Councillor Miller
2. Councillor Williams
3. Mr Hatch

RESOLVED that the following procurement activities be listed as ones which the Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider to be its priorities:

• Communications
• Information Technology Support Services
• Facilities Management

This report gives details of the proposed work programme.

Report of the Head of Democratic Services attached.

RESOLVED that the work programme be noted, subject to the following amendment:

• The scrutiny timetable around the budget setting process be incorporated.