Agenda and minutes

a)   To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 9 October 2013 as a correct record; and,

b)   To note any update on matters for which follow-up action had been requested.

Committee noted the actions and responses to resolutions since the previous meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2013 be approved as a correct record.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Andrew Harper (who was substituted for by Anthony Finn).

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Rowan Quigley-Turner

a)      Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Non-Pecuniary Interests

b)      Whipping Arrangements (in accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 17)

The Chairman welcomed the Vice-Chairman, Councillor Rowan Quigley-Turner to the meeting.

Details of the questions asked and the published answers were provided with the agenda papers for the meeting.  Verbal responses were given to supplementary questions at the meeting. Four supplementary questions were unable to be responded to at the meeting and would be followed up in writing subsequent to the meeting.

None.

The Committee received a public comment on this item from Mrs Barbara Jacobson.

The Commercial and Customer Services Director, Claire Symonds, presented the Quarter 2, 2013-14, Performance Report for four of Council’s major commercial partnerships. It was noted that Quarter 2 performance for the Customer Support Group (CSG) covered two months where the service was still being provided in-house (July and August 2013) and one month when the contract transitioned on 1 September 2013. Development and Regulatory Services (DRS) transferred to the joint venture company on 1 October 2013 and would report as Re. Ltd. from Q3 onwards.

The Commercial and Customer Services Director provided Members with an additional paper which reported an early indication of Q3 performance following the quarter close in December 2013.

Members welcomed the update report. Following a discussion on the general lack of benchmarking data being reported, the Commercial and Customer Services Director confirmed that work was underway to improve benchmarking information through benchmarking groups and and organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) benchmark clubs in order that performance in Barnet be measured against national or inter-borough data.

HB Public Law

The Commercial and Customer Services Director, Claire Symonds, Contract Manager, Tim Campbell and Head of Legal for HB Public Law, Jessica Farmer, presented the performance report for HB Public Law. The Chairman moved that item 7 (HB Public Law – Full Year Performance Report) also be considered during the scrutiny of this item.

On a question from the Chairman relating to the use of block contract hours, the Head of Legal for HB Public Law clarified that the arrangement allowed for Barnet to use up any shortfall in hours used by Harrow before additional hours became chargeable, and vice-versa.

Responding to a Member’s query on the methodology for projecting the number of hours required under the contract, the Head of Legal for HB Public Law outlined that this was calculated by looking back at the previous three years’ actual use and taking an average. Variations to monthly allowances were based on historical seasonal fluctuations in demand. The challenge of projecting the number of hours more accurately was attributed to the difficulty in being able to predict the level of additional work such as Child Protection cases or Judicial Reviews.

Commenting on cost-savings being realised in part as a result of an overall reduction in staffing levels, a Member enquired as to a whether increased demand on the service would require work to be outsourced. The Head of Legal for HB Public Law confirmed that the work would be undertaken in-house, supported by temporary staff if necessary in the short-term. Over-use was charged at a higher hourly rate to cover such costs. If the demand on the service was seen as a long-term need this could warrant additional permanent staff being employed and trigger a review of the budget to ensure the correct level of service could be provided. It was noted that the cost of employing specialist legal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

This item was considered as part of agenda item 6: Quarter Two Performance 2013/14, HB Public Law as above.

The Commercial and Customer Services Director, Claire Symonds, presented the report which detailed the dedicated staffing structure being put in place to manage key external contracts; including CSG, Re., HB Public Law and The Barnet Group.

It was noted that recruitment to the new posts was underway. The Head of Customer Strategy and Programmes had been recruited from within the Council and the aim was to have all other posts filled by the end of March.

Following a Member’s comment on the value of a structure that detailed the names of personnel in these key roles, the Commercial and Customer Services Director agreed to supply this information when known.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The report on the management structure be noted; and,

2.    The Commercial and Customer Services Director to provide an update to Members once all posts had been filled.

RESOLVED that the Committee note the Advanced Notice of Executive Decisions. 

The Committee considered the Forward Work Programme and agenda for final Contract Monitoring OSC meeting of the municipal year 2013-14.

RESOLVED that the Committee receive a performance report for the Street Lighting Contract at its meeting of 17 March 2014.

None.