Committees
A meeting of the Resources Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 1 December, 2011 at 2.00 pm or following the meeting of the Gaelic Committee, whichever is the later.
You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.
Webcast Notice: This meeting will be filmed and broadcast over the Internet on the Highland Council website and will be archived and available for viewing for 12 months thereafter.
Yours faithfully
Michelle Morris
Assistant Chief Executive
Business
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
3. Successes
i John Grieve, Corporate ICT Manager
John Grieve, Corporate ICT Manager for the Council, has been accepted as a Fellow of SOCITM (Society of IT Management) and also has attained Chartered Membership of the British Computer Society during the course of 2011. Both of these prestigious awards recognise John’s extensive ICT experience in the ICT industry and his particular expertise in terms of public sector ICT, and especially his contribution to the changing face of local government information technology.
The award of Chartered Information Technology Professional of the British Computer Society is a professional certification awarded under Royal Charter to IT professionals who satisfy strict criteria set by the British Computer Society, which is the professional body for IT in the United Kingdom.
Fellowship of SOCTIM is the most senior accredited designation awarded by SOCITM. Invitation to fellowship requires a successful track record of significant achievement in transformational public service delivery and a breadth of strategic management and leadership skills and recognises those who make a significant contribution to their organisation and the Society. John also represents the Council at a National level as a member of the SOCITM Insight Steering Board and a Member for the SOCITM Scotland Committee.
John has pursued both of these awards in his own time as part of his commitment to ongoing professional development.
ii Health and Safety Diplomas
As part of the Council’s commitment to work in partnership with trade unions to raise awareness of health and safety, 11 new health and safety trade union representatives recently successfully completed Stage 1 of the STUC Health and Safety Course. This course helps safety representatives develop their understanding of health and safety in principle and practice.
The representatives can now go forward to Stage 2 of the course to enhance their health and safety development. Further Stage 1 courses are booked for 2012. The Health and Safety Executive recognise that organisations with trade union safety representatives have 50% fewer injuries than those without. The Council’s Safety Representative Charter and Partnership agreement are viewed as “gold standard” by the course providers.
4. Central Services Revenue Budget Monitoring
(a) Chief Executive’s Service and Members Revenue Expenditure Monitoring to 30 September, 2011
There is circulated Report No. res-134-11 (84kb pdf) dated 18 November, 2011 by the Chief Executive which provides information on the revenue monitoring position for the Chief Executive’s Service for the period 1 April, 2011 to 30 September, 2011.
Members are invited to note the revenue monitoring report for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September, 2011 and approve the actions being taken to manage pressures and achieve a balanced budget by the end of the financial year.
(b) Finance Service Revenue Monitoring 2011/12
There is circulated Report No. res-135-11 (52kb pdf) dated 18 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which provides information on the revenue monitoring position for the Finance Service for the period 1 April, 2011 to 30 September, 2011.
The Committee is asked to consider and approve the Finance Service Revenue Monitoring Report for the period to 30 September, 2011.
5. Property Revenue Maintenance Budget 2011/12 Monitoring Statement to 14 November, 2011
There is circulated Report No. res-136-11 (29kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property Services which sets out the current position with regard to the component parts of the 2011/12 Property Revenue Maintenance Budget for the period 1 April 2011 to 14 November, 2011.
The Committee is asked to note the current position with regard to progress with the 2011/12 Property Revenue Maintenance Budget.
6. Corporate Revenue Monitoring Statement to 30 September, 2011
There is circulated Report No. res-137-11 (59kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which presents the revenue budget monitoring position for the period 1 April, 2011 to 30 September, 2011 and the projected year end position.
The Committee is invited to agree:
i. the Revenue Expenditure Monitoring Statement for the financial year
2011/12 which shows a predicted net overspend of £0.880m; and
ii. the actions taken by Services to bring overspend positions back on target by the financial year end.
7. Chief Executive’s Service: Capital Budget Monitoring Report to 30 September, 2011
There is circulated Report No. res-138-11 (55kb pdf) dated 18 November, 2011 by the Chief Executive which sets out the monitoring position for the Chief Executive’s Service capital budget for the period to 30 September, 2011.
The Committee is asked to note the position of the Chief Executive’s Service Capital budget for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September, 2011.
8. Property Capital Budget 2011/12 - Programme Monitoring to 31 October, 2011
There is circulated Report No res-139-11 (68kb pdf) dated 18 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which provides the current position with regard to the component parts of the 2011/12 Property Capital Programme for the period 1 April 2011 to 31 October, 2011 and seeks approval for Accelerated Capital Expenditure on Energy Management and asks Members to note accelerated Strategic Asset Management projects.
The Committee is asked to:
i. note the current position with regard to progress with the 2011/12 Property
Capital programme;
ii. approve the acceleration of Energy Capital Projects listed in Table 1,
Paragraph 8.3, totalling £2,000,000; and
iii. note the acceleration of Strategic Asset Management Capital Projects listed
in Table 2, Paragraph 8.5, totalling £500,000.
9. Corporate Capital Monitoring Report to 30 September, 2011
There is circulated Report No. res-140-11 (47kb pdf) dated 2 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which provides an overview of the General Fund and HRA capital programmes for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September, 2011 and the projected year end position.
The Committee is asked to note and agree the financial position of the General Fund and HRA capital programmes as at 30 September, 2011.
10. Treasury Management: Summary of Transactions
There is circulated Report No. res-141-11 (56kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which provides details of the Treasury Management transactions for the period September and October, 2011.
The Committee is invited to note the terms of the report.
11. Treasury Management Mid-year Review Report 2011/12
There is circulated Report No. res-142-11 (133kb pdf) dated 18 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance. In compliance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice on Treasury Management in Local Authorities the Report is submitted to the Resources Committee for Members’ scrutiny and interests. The report will be submitted to the Council in December, 2011 for approval.
12. ICT Services
There is circulated Report No. res-143-11 (210kb pdf) dated 22 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which provides an update about the progress of the ICT Transformation Programme and joint work on the Correction plan.
Members are asked to note:
i. the content of the report;
ii. the weekly progress reports to Members on the ICT Transformation
Programme will continue;
iii. the change in project timescales for the Rollout Project;
iv. the progress on the Correction Plan; and
v. that strong contract management and governance arrangements continue
to be applied and pursued by the Council.
13. Review of Information Management Strategy
There is circulated Report No. res-144-11 (89kb pdf) dated 30 November, 2011 by the Head of E Government which provides the annual review of the Information Management Strategy and includes an update on the progress made on the implementation of the Strategy.
The Committee is asked to:-
i. approve the Information Management Strategy; and
ii. note progress in delivering the Strategy.
14. External Audit: Information Handling and Security (cultural aspects) – 2010/11
There is circulated Report No. res-145-11 (458kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Head of E Government advising that in May, 2011, Audit Scotland undertook an external audit on the cultural aspects of the Council’s Information Handling and Security. The report was presented to the Audit and Scrutiny Committee on 22 September, 2011, and was now being presented to members of the Resources Committee in line with the further scrutiny arrangements agreed.
Members are invited to note the report and the progress in delivering the action plan.
15. The Corporate Improvement Programme
There is circulated Report No. res-146-11 (98kb pdf) by the Assistant Chief Executive which provides an update on the Corporate Improvement Programme project changes and progress of the projects across the Programme, and work to define the Council’s Shared Services business case. It also outlines the work in progress to develop a further phase of the Programme to run beyond June, 2012.
Members are asked to:
i. note the progress of the Corporate Improvement Programme and that a
further programme of work will be presented to the Committee early in
2012 to continue the Programme beyond June, 2012;
ii. agree the continuation of the Corporate Improvement Programme team
beyond June, 2012 in order to support further improvement and efficiency
work across the Council.
16. Review of the Implementation of the Customer Service Review.
There is circulated Report No. res-147-11 (79kb pdf) dated 17 November, 2011 by the Head of E Government which describes progress on the implementation of the review of the Customer Service Network, in particular reporting progress against agreed staffing changes, the various office moves and subsequent amendments to opening hours. The report then highlights the remaining activities and recommendations to enable the conclusion of the review.
Members are asked to:
i. note the implementation and outcomes of the Customer Service Review;
ii. approve the transfer of the 0.5 FTE relief Customer Service Assistant to Kyle
as outlined in Section 4.2;
iii. approve the move from Invergordon Service Point to shared premises with
Invergordon Library as outlined in Section 4.3;
iv. note the savings of £650,000 which will be delivered in 2011/12; and
v. note the requirement to meet future savings targets.
17. Diamond Jubilee
There is circulated Report No. res-148-11 (33kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which advises that the UK and Scottish Governments have announced that an additional one off bank holiday will take place on Tuesday 5 June, 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and outlines options on how this could be applied for Highland Council staff.
Members are asked to agree:
i. that an additional annual leave day should be granted on either 4 June or 5
June, 2012 with the decision being deferred to allow for information on the
actual programme to be assessed and for the views of the trade unions to
be taken into account.
ii. that the Assistant Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chairs of
Resources Committee and Education, Culture and Sport Committee, be
granted delegated authority to agree the date of the additional leave day.
18. The new Public Sector Equality Duty and the Council’s Progress towards a Single Equalities Scheme
There is circulated Report No. res-149-11 (56kb pdf) dated 22 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which updates Members on the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010 including the introduction of a new single Public Sector Equality Duty in April 2011. It informs of progress in combining three previously separate schemes into a single comprehensive scheme; the work of the Members Equalities Working Group, the results of attitudinal questions in the Citizen’s Panel survey, addressing actions arising from focus groups carried out alongside the Citizen’s Panel and an internal audit of the Council’s equality impact assessment process.
Members are asked to note the content of the report including:
i. the changing legislative context for equalities;
ii. the work of the Members’ Equalities Working Group to help develop the
Council’s response to its new public sector duties; and
iii. that a final draft of the single equality scheme for the Council is planned for
end of March, 2012.
19. Mid Year Monitoring of Advice and Information Services
There is circulated joint Report No. res-150-11 (76kb pdf) by the Head of Policy and Performance and Head of Exchequer and Revenues which provides mid year monitoring of Advice and Information Services and asks Members to agree to changes to service provision.
Members are asked to agree:
i. that the Pan Highland Volunteer Recruitment and Development post be
reduced to 21 hours per week and to focus solely on training;
ii. to the transfer of £14,500 per annum arising from this change to Inverness,
Badenoch and Strathspey CAB from existing advice and information budgets
to support the Macmillan Cancer Care Advice Service;
Members are asked to note:
i. the update on advice and information services operating in Highland and the
continuing demand for these services; and
ii. Further reports will be presented to the Resources Committee on the
benchmarking exercise during 2012.
20. Annual Health and Safety Report 2010-2011
There is circulated Report No. res-151-11 (271kb pdf) dated 23 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which outlines the Council’s health and safety performance and achievements for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March, 2011 and sets out the programme for the next 12 months.
Members are asked to note the achievements for 2010/2011 and agree the recommendations for Service improvements and the health and safety plan for 2011/2012.
21. Update on Health and Safety Executive Improvement Notice The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007
There is circulated Report No. res-152-11 (30kb pdf) dated 21 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which provides an update on progress in relation to developing compliance with the Improvement Notice served on The Highland Council on 22 June, 2011 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding compliance with The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007.
Members are asked to note progress to date with developing arrangements to ensure compliance with the HSE Improvement Notice by 28 July, 2012.
22. Pathfinder North Update Report
There is circulated Report No. res-153-11 (49kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Head of E Government which provides Members with a status update for the Pathfinder North project. The report provides a background summary to Pathfinder North, establishes the current position, confirms the continued need for the service beyond 20 March, 2014, and indicates the ongoing funding required to continue the delivery of public sector services across the Highlands and Islands.
Members are asked to note:-
i. the work and funding being committed to develop an options appraisal and
business case for the provision of a high speed broadband service beyond
March, 2014;
ii. that the final options appraisal and business case will be presented to
Scottish Government in January, 2012; and
iii. the risk of a funding pressure from 2014/15 onwards to ensure continued
provision of a high speed broadband service.
23. Performance Reports
i Attendance Management
There is circulated Report No. res-154-11 (41kb pdf) dated 21 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which provides a summary of the staff absences for the period 1 July – 30 September, 2011.
Members are asked to note the details of the report.
ii Finance Service Performance Report
There is circulated Report No. res-155-11 (44kb pdf) dated 14 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which provides details of 2011/12 Finance Service performance for the quarter ending 30 September 2011.
Members are asked to consider the contents of the report.
24. Amendments to Organisational Structures/Establishments
There is circulated Report No. res-156-11 (83kb pdf) by the Assistant Chief Executive which recommends amendments to organisational structures/establishments as a consequence of proposals from Service Directors.
The Committee is asked to approve the amendments to the staffing establishment and other staffing changes as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.
25. Highland Council Workforce Management Plan 2011-2012
There is circulated Report No. res-157-11 (197kb pdf) dated 1 November, 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive which presents the new Workforce Management Plan for 2011-2012.
Members are asked to:
i. note the progress against the Workforce Management plan;
ii. approve the revised Highland Council Workforce Management Plan;
iii. support the objectives identified within the Action Plan; and
iv. agree that consultation take place with the Council’s recognised trade
unions and that any final amendments are delegated to the Assistant Chief
Executive.
26. Minutes of Meetings
The following Minutes of Meetings are circulated for confirmation:-
i. Early Retirement Sub-Committee held on 5 October 2011 (38kb pdf);
ii. Investment Advisory Group 11 November 2011 (50kb pdf);
iii. Appeals Committee held on 4 November 2011 (28kb pdf).
27. Exclusion of The Public
The Committee is asked to resolve that, under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 6 & 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.
28. ICT Members Working Group – Minutes of Meeting
There is circulated to Members only for approval, Minutes of Meeting of the ICT Members Working Group held on 16 November, 2011.
29. Debts Recommended to be Written-off
There is circulated to Members only Report No. RES/158/11 dated 18 November, 2011 by the Director of Finance which, in accordance with good accounting practice, recommends the write-off of uncollectable debts, including outstanding local taxation.
In the event that there is no additional information from Members, the Committee is asked to agree that the total value of debts as detailed in the report be written-off.
30. Property Transactions
There is circulated to Members only Report No. RES/159/11 dated 21 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which seeks approval for the purchase of an area of land of Lundavra Road, Fort William to facilitate the development of a new primary school and the purchase of an area of land in Wick to develop the new 3-18 educational Campus.
Members are asked to approve:
i. the purchase of 2.64 hectares (6.13 acres) of land at Lundavra Road, on
terms and conditions to be agreed by the Depute Chief Executive/Director
of Housing and Property and the Head of Legal Services, for the provision of
a new primary school in Fort William.
ii. approve the purchase of 3.887 Acres (1.57 hectares) of land to the south
of Pultneytown Academy on terms and conditions to be agreed by the
Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property and the Head of
Legal Services, for the provision of a new educational campus in Wick.
31. Proposed Lease of Land at John o Groats
There is circulated to Members only Report No. RES/160/11 dated 22 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which seeks approval for the lease of an area of Land at John o Groats.
Members are invited to approve the recommendation.
32. Property Sale Transactions
i Monitoring Report
There is circulated to Members only Report No RES/161/11 dated 17 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which advises on property sales targeted for completion within the financial year 2011/12 and summarises progress to date.
The Committee is invited to note progress on property sales with anticipated settlement within financial year 2011/12.
ii Industrial and Commercial Property Transactions Monitoring Report
There is circulated to Members only Report No. RES/162/11 dated 21 November, 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property which provides Members with details on the Property Account property transactions approved by the Head of Property Partnerships.
Members are asked to note Property Account transactions approved by the Head of Property Partnerships between 23 September, 2011 and 15 November, 2011.