Agenda and minutes

            The Minutes from the meeting held on 4 November 2008 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            It was reported that no public questions had been received.

            The Minutes of the Executive Board and the Executive Sub-Committee relating to the work of the Corporate Services Policy and Performance Board since its last meeting were submitted for information.

 

            In relation to EXB74 Members queried what stage the implementation of the Efficiency Programme was at.  In response it was noted that work was almost complete regarding a programme of activity that would be brought to Members for decision.

 

            RESOLVED: That the minutes be noted.

            The minutes from the meeting of the Halton Strategic Partnership Board on 19 November 2008 were submitted for information.

 

            In relation to Minute number 28 – Children in Care, Members queried what work was being carried out with regards to the corporate parenting.  In response it was noted that a monitoring report went to the Children and Young People Policy and Performance Board on a regular basis and could be brought to this Board on a semi-regular basis.

 

            Members requested a Special meeting be held in order to receive an update regarding Neighbourhood Management. 

 

            RESOLVED: That the Halton Strategic Partnership minutes be noted and a Special Policy and Performance Board be arranged in February on Neighbourhood Management.

            The Board considered a report which detailed the Service Plans for the next three years in the following areas:

 

• Financial services;
• IT service;
• Policy and performance;
• Property services;
• Hospitality and stadium services; and
• Legal, Organisational Development and Human Resources.

 

Members held a wide ranging discussion and in particular noted the impact of job evaluation, Contact Point, the provision of school meals and the smart card system to obtain them, and the change in legislation for the adoptions panel.

 

The Board commended the work of the Policy and Performance Team for the work achieved to date.

 

Arising from the discussion Members felt the need to set up a working group in order to look at how to tackle targets within the service plans.  It was agreed that the following Members would form this group:

 

Councillor Mark Dennett;

Councillor Alan Lowe; and

Councillor Bob Gilligan.

 

It was agreed that detailed comments regarding any individual draft Service Plans be reported to the relevant Operational Director by 31^st January 2009.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1)     Board Members pass any detailed comments regarding draft Service Plans to the relevant Operational Director by 31 January 2009; and

 

2)     A working group be established to scrutinise and feedback any comments upon proposed service plan targets.

            The Board received the final report of this Topic group, which sought approval of the draft Asset Transfer Policy.  It was reported that as part of the 2008/9 Work Programme a topic group was formed to develop a policy for recommendation to the Executive Board as to how the Council might approach the issue of transferring assets to the third sector.

 

The report detailed the draft Strategy and Policy Statement which was intended to provide both guidance and a process to follow if such transfers were deemed appropriate.

 

It was noted that prospective applicants would need to produce a business case to the Council before consideration was given to requests for assets.  In addition decisions taken would have to balance the specific outcomes expected from the project against the overall aims of the Council.

 

RESOLVED: That the draft Policy be endorsed and the Executive Board be requested to consider and adopt it as Council Policy.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director Corporate and Policy which was the first step in developing a work programme of Topics for the Board to examine in 2009/10.

 

            Members suggested two options for work Topic Groups.  One relating to Carbon Management and the other relating to Building Schools for the Future (BSF). Members were asked to provide the Operational Director Legal, Organisation Development and Human Resources with further suggestions in order for a future programme to be considered at the next meeting.

 

            RESOLVED:  That Members provide the Operational Director Legal, Organisation Development and Human Resources with suggestions of other possible topics for inclusion in the 2009/10 work programme, for consideration and agreement at the February meeting of the Board.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Corporate and Policy which outlined the rationale behind the introduction of the new public telephone number (0303 333 4300) for contacting the Council.

 

            The Board was advised of a campaign driven by the Cabinet Office to reduce the number of telephone numbers that the public have to ring in order to get a service from an organisation.  It was reported that introducing the new 0303 number enabled the Council to promote a single number for customers to call for all services.  It was advised that the 03 number could be could be used from any phone whether that be a land line or a mobile and be charged at the same rate nation wide.

 

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board received a progress report regarding the Scrutiny Review of Customer Services. On 3 June 2008 the Corporate Services Policy and Performance Board recommended that a Customer Complaints Review be followed up by a Scrutiny Review of Customer Focus.

 

            Two strands to the Scrutiny topic were outlined as follows:

 

• to explore how best to implement the new Customer Excellence Standard, produced by Cabinet Office in February this year, to help drive improvement and consistency throughout the organisation; and

 

• to develop an overarching Customer Care Strategy  that would set out key areas the Council needed  to focus on in order to secure improved outcomes to its focus.

 

Detailed in the report was the progress made to date, the scope and purpose of the review, the new Customer Service Excellence Standard, progress of work of the officer group and next steps.

 

It was noted that a pilot assessment of customer services in Halton Direct Link and Revenues would be carried out.

 

RESOLVED: That the Corporate Services PPB endorse the plans for taking the review forward.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director Health and Community, which presented the findings of the first Joint Strategic Needs Assessment  (JSNA) – Health.

 

            It was reported that a JSNA had been carried out as a statutory requirement to produce a statement of facts about health related needs in the Borough. Various agencies had worked together to complete this document. It was reported that the information was sought from national and local sources and included a wealth of information, which was collected directly from services across Halton. 

 

            Members were advised that the JSNA was intended to identify “the big picture”  in terms of health and well being needs and inequalities within the local population.  It was advised that this was not intended to describe how the Council would address the needs, demonstrate outcomes or showcase services, but was to be used more as a source document to inform service commissioning.  

 

            The report outlined the consultation process that would be carried out and detailed the approval process within the PCT.  

 

            RESOLVED: The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Environment, which detailed the progress on the implementation of activities contained in the Carbon Management Strategy and Implementation Plan.

 

            Members were advised that the aim of the programme, set out in the Implementation Plan, was to establish a baseline from which future emissions could be measured in order to set the Council on a path of changing current practices over the short to medium/long term to ensure that carbon emission was considered in decision making processes.

 

            It was reported that as part of the overall Strategy the Council had committed to implement a range of measures that would lead to cost and emission reductions. Current projects aimed to reduce emissions by 20% over the 5 year life time which would result in significant cost and carbon savings by 2012/13.

 

            Members were informed of a range of measures that had been implemented to date and the savings that had been made.  These included energy efficient measures at the Stobart Stadium and Runcorn Town Hall,  the implementation of Multi Functional Devices, the introduction of an Employee Energy Awareness Campaign, the implementation of powerperfectors in various Council premises, the purchase of electricity from combined heat and power sources, the introduction of bio-fuels in the vehicle fleet and a reduction in the number of IT servers.

 

            The Board enquired about potential savings in emissions from reducing / switching off street lighting. It was noted that this was being actively looked into as part of the development of the Plan.

 

            It was intended to review the Plan annually and as part of this process further opportunities around IT Procurement and street lighting would be explored.

 

            RESOLVED: That

 

1)     The progress on implementing activities in the Carbon Strategy be noted; and

 

2)     The Strategy be reviewed in early 2009.

            The Board received a report on progress towards meeting Local Area Agreement targets at the end of the first six months of the Agreement.  The target indicator descriptions, current performance and a brief commentary for each was outlined in the report for consideration.

 

            RESOLVED: That the information be noted.