Minutes of Meeting of the Resources Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 1 December 2011, at 2.00 p.m.
Present:
Mrs C Wilson, Ms L Munro, Mr R Rowantree, Mrs D MacKay, Mr R Greene, Mr M Rattray, Mr P Cairns, Dr D Alston, Mr A Henderson, Mrs H Carmichael, Mr D Hendry, Miss J Campbell, Mr P Corbett, Mr N Donald, Mr J Ford, Mr B Wynd, Mr G Marsden.
Non Members also present:
Mr G Farlow, Mr D Mackay, Mr W Fernie, Mr R Durham, Mr H Wood, Mr D Fallows, Mr B Gormley, Mrs I Campbell.
Officials in attendance:
Mr S Barron, Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property
Mr D Yule, Director of Finance
Ms M Morris, Assistant Chief Executive
Mr D Robertson, Head of Accounting and Budgeting, Finance Service
Mr G Westwater, Head of Property, Housing and Property Service
Mr A Maguire, Head of Property Partnerships, Housing and Property Service
Mr G Bull, Corporate Property Asset Manager, Housing and Property Service
Mr B Smail, Property Manager (South), Housing and Property Service
Mr C Anderson, Property Manager (North), Housing and Property Service
Mr F Macdonald, Property Manager (Building Maintenance), Housing and Property
Mr E Boyd, Principal Engineer, Housing and Property Service
Mr G Robson, Head of Environment and Development, Planning and Development Service
Mr J Batchelor, Head of Personnel, Chief Executive’s Service
Miss E Barrie, Personnel Manager (Operations), Chief Executive’s Service
Ms V Nairn, Head of E-Government, Chief Executive’s Service
Mr J Grieve, Corporate ICT Manager, Chief Executive’s Service
Mr J Robertson, Programme Manager, Corporate Improvement Programme
Mrs C Christie, Employee Development Manager, Chief Executive’s Service
Mrs C King, Policy Manager, Chief Executive’s Service
Ms R Mackinnon, Equal Opportunities Officer, Chief Executive’s Service
Mrs K Lackie, Business Manager, Chief Executive’s Service
Mrs R Moir, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Service
Mr A MacInnes, Administrative Assistant, Chief Executive’s Service
Also in attendance
Mr C Garside, Director of Fujitsu (UK and Ireland)
Mr M Satchithananda, Account Director, Fujitsu
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
Mrs C Wilson in the Chair
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr D Bremner, Mrs I McCallum, Mrs M Davidson, Mrs P Munro and Mrs G Sinclair.
2. Declarations of Interest
The Committee NOTED that there were no declarations of interest expressed.
3. Successes
(i) Mr John Grieve, Corporate ICT Manager
The Committee was advised that Mr John Grieve, Corporate ICT Manager for the Council, had been accepted as a Fellow of SOCITM (Society of IT Management) and also had attained Chartered Membership of the British Computer Society during the course of 2011. Both of these prestigious awards recognised his 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.
Mr Grieve also represented the Council at a national level as a member of the SOCITM Insight Steering Board and a Member for the SOCITM Scotland Committee.
The Committee congratulated Mr Grieve on his success.
(ii) Health and Safety Diplomas
The Committee was advised that, 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 had recently successfully completed Stage 1 of the STUC Health and Safety Course, which helped safety representatives develop their understanding of health and safety in principle and practice. They could now go forward to Stage 2 of the course to enhance their health and safety development.
The Health and Safety Executive recognised that organisations with trade union safety representatives had 50% fewer injuries than those without. The Council’s Safety Representative Charter and Partnership agreement were viewed as “gold standard” by the course providers.
The Committee congratulated the health and safety trade union representatives’ successes.
4. Central Services Revenue Budget Monitoring
(a) Chief Executive’s Service and Members Revenue Expenditure Monitoring to 30 September, 2011
There had been circulated Report No. res-134-11 (84kb pdf) dated 18 November 2011 by the Chief Executive providing information on the revenue monitoring position for the Chief Executive’s Service for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011.
The Committee NOTED the revenue monitoring report for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011, and APPROVED 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 had been circulated Report No. res-135-11 (67kb pdf) dated 18 November 2011 by the Director of Finance providing information on the revenue monitoring position for the Finance Service for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011.
The Committee APPROVED 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 had been circulated Report No. res-136-11 (29kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property Services setting 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 NOTED 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 had been circulated Report No. res-137-11 (59kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Director of Finance presenting the revenue budget monitoring position for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September, 2011 and the projected year end position.
In response to a query regarding the Education, Culture and Sport budget pressures being managed down and mitigated by the levying of contractual penalties on the PPP2 contract, it was confirmed that these penalties related principally to delays in availability of sports pitches and a number of small Facilities Management failures. It was confirmed that the Head of Business Support in the Education, Culture and Sport Service would provide details of the contract delays following the meeting.
Thereafter, the Committee AGREED:
i. the Revenue Expenditure Monitoring Statement for the financial year 2011/12
which showed a predicted net overspend of £0.880m; and
ii. the actions being 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 had been circulated Report No. res-138-11 (55kb pdf) dated 18 November 2011 by the Chief Executive setting out the monitoring position for the Chief Executive’s Service capital budget for the period to 30 September, 2011.
The Committee NOTED 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 had been circulated Report No res-139-11 (68kb pdf) dated 18 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property providing 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, seeking approval for Accelerated Capital Expenditure on Energy Management and asking Members to note accelerated Strategic Asset Management projects.
During discussion, an undertaking was given that further detailed information would be provided to Mr P Cairns in relation to the reduction in income on systems registered by the utility company following implementation of changes to the Feed-in Tariff scheme on 12 December 2011.
The Committee APPROVED the acceleration of Energy Capital Projects listed in Table 1, Paragraph 8.3, totalling £2,000,000, and NOTED:-
i. the current position with regard to progress with the 2011/12 Property Capital
programme; and
ii. 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 had been circulated Report No. res-140-11 (47kb pdf) dated 2 November 2011 by the Director of Finance providing 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 NOTED and AGREED the financial position of the General Fund and HRA capital programmes as at 30 September 2011.
10. Treasury Management: Summary of Transactions
There had been circulated Report No. res-141-11 (56kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Director of Finance providing details of the Treasury Management transactions for the period September and October 2011.
The Committee NOTED the terms of the report.
11. Treasury Management Mid-year Review Report 2011/12
There had been circulated Report No. res-142-11 (133kb pdf) dated 18 November 2011 by the Director of Finance on the Treasury Management Mid-Year Report which, in compliance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice on Treasury Management in Local Authorities, was being submitted to the Resources Committee for Members’ scrutiny and interests and would be submitted to the Council in December 2011 for approval.
The Committee NOTED the terms of the report and that it would be submitted to the Council in December 2011 for approval.
12. ICT Programme Performance Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-143-11 (308kb pdf) dated 22 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive providing an update on the progress of the ICT Transformation Programme and joint work on the Correction Plan.
Additional project updates provided at the meeting included:
Rollout: A series of meetings had taken place between Fujitsu and the Highland Council to address the expected slippage of delivery of the project from the revised date of 21 November 2011. New dates had been planned - the end of January 2012 for the curriculum rollout and the end of February 2012 for the corporate rollout - and it was hoped that, with dedicated resources in place, the new target dates would be met. Daily updates were being received on progress of the project.
Managed Print Service: The project was progressing well and was adhering to the agreed schedule, with 86% (560 devices) completed on the corporate side and 50% (469 devices) on the curriculum side. There were some issues regarding site engagement progress, as some additional network points had been required, and this was subject to the CDM process, which had caused some delays.
Telephony: There were ongoing issues with the project as outlined in the report, but it was hoped that these would be addressed and that rollout would begin early in 2012.
Data Centre: The Data Centre migration to Stevenage had been completed with a back-up being provided in London. Full disaster recovery had been implemented and was now in place.
Members were advised that all actions had been captured and that progress would be reported regularly to the Partnership Board and Weekly Business meetings.
During discussion, clarity was sought regarding the costs of any additional Council resources that had been utilised for the schools rollout. The Corporate ICT Manager, having advised that there had been no additional costs, support having been sourced in-house, undertook to provide Members, in particular Cllr D Hendry, with further more detailed information on the level of additional support being given to schools during the rollout period.
Assurances were also sought that there would be no additional charges for the IT equipment for the new school at Lochaline should the programme timescale require its initial installation into the current school prior to completion of the new building. An undertaking was given that the position would be clarified and confirmed to Members.
Mr C Garside, Director of Fujitsu (UK and Ireland), gave assurances to Members that Fujitsu were working hard to get back on track and were fully committed to the delivery of the ICT rollout and correction plan. Mr Garside also apologised to the Council for the delays which had been experienced.
Thereafter, the Committee NOTED:
i. the content of the report;
ii. that the weekly progress reports to Members on the ICT Transformation
Programme would continue;
iii. the change in project timescales for the Rollout Project;
iv. the progress on the Correction Plan;
v. that strong contract management and governance arrangements continued to
be applied and pursued by the Council; and
vi. that clarification would be provided on the arrangements for additional support
to schools during the Rollout period and also on arrangements for roll out at
Lochaline School.
13. Review of Information Management Strategy
There had been circulated Report No. res-144-11 (89kb pdf) dated 30 November 2011 by the Head of E-Government providing the annual review of the Information Management Strategy and including an update on the progress made on the implementation of the Strategy.
The Head of E-Government assured Members that discussions regarding arrangements for the Planning for Integration initiative had been taking place, although further work would be required. A request was made that assurances on these issues be given to affected staff at the earliest opportunity.
Following further discussion, the Committee APPROVED the Information Management Strategy and NOTED progress in delivering the Strategy.
14. External Audit: Information Handling and Security (cultural aspects) – 2010/11
There had been 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 had undertaken an external audit on the cultural aspects of the Council’s Information Handling and Security. The report had been 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.
During discussion it was confirmed that responsibility for governance in respect of the outsourcing of the records management function to an arms length organisation would lie with the Council, and that an update on progress with records management would be reported back to the Committee.
The Committee NOTED the report and progress in delivering the action plan.
15. Corporate Improvement Programme
There had been circulated Report No. res-146-11 (98kb pdf) by the Assistant Chief Executive providing an update on the Corporate Improvement Programme project changes and progress on the projects across the Programme and work to define the Council’s Shared Services business case. It also outlined the work in progress to develop a further phase of the Programme to run beyond June 2012.
Responding to a question it was confirmed that the potential to include ‘business change in schools’ as a specific work stream within the Corporate Improvement Programme would be investigated.
The Committee NOTED the progress of the Corporate Improvement Programme and that a further programme of work would be presented to the Committee early in 2012 to continue the Programme beyond June 2012; and AGREED 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 had been circulated Report No. res-147-11 (79kb pdf) dated 17 November 2011 by the Head of E-Government describing 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 highlighted the remaining activities and recommendations to enable the conclusion of the review.
Particular reference was made to the Gairloch Service Point, whose premises were now shared with Northern Constabulary. Overall the new arrangements had settled in well; however, it was advised that the premises still did not have a dedicated telephone system and that a path from a nearby car park to the Service Point was in need of improvement. Members also expressed their general appreciation for the sensitivity and professionalism of the Registration Service staff in carrying out their duties.
The Committee APPROVED:
i. the transfer of the 0.5 FTE relief Customer Service Assistant to Kyle as outlined
in Section 4.2; and
ii. the move from Invergordon Service Point to shared premises with Invergordon
Library, as outlined in Section 4.3.
The Committee also NOTED:
i. the implementation and outcomes of the Customer Service Review;
ii. the savings of £650,000 which would be delivered in 2011/12; and
iii. the requirement to meet future savings targets.
17. Diamond Jubilee
There had been circulated Report No. res-148-11 (42kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive advising that the UK and Scottish Governments had announced that an additional one off bank holiday would take place on Tuesday, 5 June 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and outlining options on how this could be applied for Highland Council staff.
Following consideration, the Committee AGREED that:
i. an additional annual leave day should be granted on either 4 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; and
ii. the Assistant Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chairs of the Resources
Committee and the 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 had been circulated Report No. res-149-11 (65kb pdf) dated 22 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive updating 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 informed 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.
In response to a question, it was confirmed that, although not subject to the public sector duties, the press also had to comply with the Equalities Act 2010, and that there were guidelines for the press in terms of equalities.
The Committee NOTED 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 was planned
for the end of March 2012.
19. Mid Year Monitoring of Advice and Information Services
There had been circulated joint Report No. res-150-11 (86kb pdf) by the Head of Policy and Performance and Head of Exchequer and Revenues providing mid year monitoring of Advice and Information Services and asking Members to agree to changes to service provision.
Reference was made to a decision by the Council in December 2009 to make a reduction of £60,000 from the overall funding available for welfare rights and money advice with effect from 2012/13. The intention had been to continue to meet demand for the service; however, the proposals had made the assumption that, by the time of the review (2012), the economy would be improving and the demand for this service would be reducing. The figures presented in the circulated report demonstrated that demand was not reducing as anticipated at the time the efficiency savings had been agreed, as the economy still faced difficulties. In this respect, it was confirmed that there was to be a review of this Council decision.
The Committee AGREED:
i. that the Pan Highland Volunteer Recruitment and Development post be
reduced to 21 hours per week, and to focus solely on training; and
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.
The Committee also NOTED:
i. the update on advice and information services operating in Highland and the
continuing demand for these services;
ii. that further reports would be presented to the Resources Committee on the
benchmarking exercise during 2012; and
iii. that the decision made by the Council in December 2009 to make a reduction
of £60,000 from overall funding available for welfare rights and money advice
with effect from 2012/13 was to be reconsidered.
20. Annual Health and Safety Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-151-11 (295kb pdf) dated 23 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive outlining the Council’s health and safety performance and achievements for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 and setting out the programme for the following 12 months.
In response to a query, the Head of Personnel confirmed that, while High Life Highland was now responsible for its own health and safety arrangements, there would continue to be close liaison with that organisation.
The Committee NOTED the achievements for 2010/2011 and AGREED 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 and Management) Regulations 2007
There had been circulated Report No. res-152-11 (36kb pdf) dated 21 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property providing 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 and Management) Regulations 2007.
The Committee NOTED progress to date with developing arrangements to ensure compliance with the HSE Improvement Notice by 28 July 2012 and that a further report would be brought to Committee on related costs, as required.
22. Pathfinder North Update Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-153-11 (59kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Head of E Government providing Members with a status update for the Pathfinder North project. The report provided a background summary to Pathfinder North, established the current position, confirmed the continued need for the service beyond 20 March 2014, and indicated the ongoing funding required to continue the delivery of public sector services across the Highlands and Islands.
In response to a query, the Head of E Government confirmed that a report would be brought to the Committee early in 2012 with more information, which would include the potential role of new technology developments such as 4G.
The Committee NOTED:
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 would 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 had been circulated Report No. res-154-11 (51kb pdf) dated 21 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive providing a summary of the staff absences for the period 1 July to 30 September 2011.
The Committee NOTED the details of the report.
ii Finance Service Performance Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-155-11 (54kb pdf) dated 14 November 2011 by the Director of Finance providing details of 2011/12 Finance Service performance for the quarter ending 30 September 2011.
The Committee NOTED the details of the report.
24. Amendments to Organisational Structures/Establishments
There had been circulated Report No. res-156-11 (97kb pdf) by the Assistant Chief Executive recommending amendments to organisational structures/establishments as a consequence of proposals from Service Directors.
Having clarified questions from Members on points of detail, the Committee APPROVED 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 had been circulated Report No. res-157-11 (211kb pdf) dated 1 November 2011 by the Assistant Chief Executive presenting the new Workforce Management Plan for 2011-2012.
Having clarified questions from Members on points of detail, the Committee NOTED the progress against the Workforce Management plan; APPROVED the revised Highland Council Workforce Management Plan; and AGREED:
i. to support the objectives identified within the Action Plan;
ii. that consultation take place with the Council’s recognised trade unions; and
iii. that any final amendments be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive.
26. Minutes of Meetings
The Committee NOTED and APPROVED, as appropriate, the following Minutes of Meetings:-
i. Early Retirement Sub-Committee held on 5 October 2011 (38kb pdf);
ii. Investment Advisory Group held on 11 November 2011 (50kb pdf); and
iii. Appeals Committee held on 4 November 2011 (28kb pdf).
27. Exclusion of The Public
The Committee RESOLVED that, under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public should be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following items on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 6 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.
28. ICT Members Working Group – Minutes of Meeting
There had been circulated to Members only Minutes of Meeting of the ICT Members Working Group held on 16 November 2011.
The Committee APPROVED the Minutes of Meeting of the ICT Members Working Group held on 16 November 2011 as circulated.
29. Debts Recommended to be Written-off
There had been 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, recommended the write-off of uncollectable debts, including outstanding local taxation.
The Committee AGREED that the total value of debts as detailed in the report should be written-off.
30. Property Transactions
There had been circulated to Members only Report No. RES/159/11 dated 21 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property seeking 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.
Following consideration, the Committee APPROVED:
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 Acting Head of Legal Services for the provision
of a new primary school in Fort William; and
ii. the purchase of 1.57 hectares (3.887 acres) 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 Acting Head of Legal
Services for the provision of a new educational campus in Wick.
31. Proposed Lease of Land at John O’Groats
There had been circulated to Members only Report No. RES/160/11 dated 22 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property seeking approval for the lease of an area of land at John O’Groats.
The Committee APPROVED the recommendation as detailed in the report.
32. Property Sale Transactions
i Monitoring Report
There had been circulated to Members only Report No RES/161/11 dated 17 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property advising of property sales targeted for completion within the financial year 2011/12 and summarised progress to date.
The Committee NOTED progress on property sales with anticipated settlement within financial year 2011/12 as detailed.
ii Industrial and Commercial Property Transactions Monitoring Report
There had been circulated to Members only Report No. RES/162/11 dated 21 November 2011 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property providing Members with details of the Property Account property transactions approved by the Head of Property Partnerships.
The Committee NOTED the Property Account transactions approved by the Head of Property Partnerships between 23 September and 15 November 2011 as detailed.
The meeting ended at 3.30 p.m.