Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Jon Hubbard, Jacqui Lay and Pip Ridout.

Councillor Hubbard was substituted by Councillor David Jenkins. Councillor Ridout was substituted by Councillor Peter Fuller.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

The Chairman announced that following the first meetings of three of the four scrutiny committees,  an email had been sent to all non-executive members advertising vacancies on task groups and other ad hoc OS activities. These included new activities with no memberships in place as well as historic activities where one or two vacancies have arisen following the local elections. The Chairman encouraged all members to idnicate their interest in participarting as soon as possible.

With the agreement of the Commtitee it was also announced that the aegnda order would be amended, to take the draft Business Plan and proposed alignment of the council staff structure ahead of consideration of the draft Digital Strategy.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 14 June 2017 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on 16 June 2017. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There were no questions or statements submitted.

On 20 June 2017 the Cabinet will receive the attached report on the draft Business Plan. The Management Committee, and other key partners, is being asked to provide feedback on the draft plan to be reviewed by Cabinet on 3 July 2017, in preparation for a final draft to be considered at Full Council on 11 July 2017 for approval.

A procedure note will follow on how it is proposed the Committee scrutinise the item.

The Business Plan is a policy framework document which sets the council’s strategic direction, priorities and key actions. The last Business Plan was approved at the start of the previous council’s term and ran from 2013-2017. A new draft Business Plan had been prepared by the administration following the May 2017 local elections, with a plan period of 2017-2027.

The Leader of the Council, Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE, presented the draft plan along with a report received by Cabinet on 20 June 2017. She explained that the draft plan built on and extended the vision and goals of the previous plans, focusing on the key priorities of building stronger communities, a growing economy and protecting the vulnerable. The draft plan also provided a framework to ensure the council delivers on its priorities, with regularly reviewed multi-year service plans and quarterly updated financial models.

It was explained that Cabinet would be reconsidering the draft plan in light of any comments from Overview and Scrutiny as well as other partners on 3 July 2017, ahead of consideration by Council on 11 July 2017.

The Committee then discussed the draft Business Plan and sought additional details from the Leader and senior officers on how the draft plan would deliver the key priorities, as contained the report appended to these minutes. In particular it was noted that the Business Plan had been produced following the election and therefore not much time was allotted for scrutiny, and that the context of the plan in conjunction with the medium term financial strategy was of continued reductions in government grants.

Other issues included questions on future plans to integrate health and social care services and transformation of adult care, details on apprenticeship growth, and arrangements for asset transfers to town and parish councils, including any potential for detailed guidance on best practice and level of assets recommended to be taken on at that level.

Resolved:

1)    That the Committee is satisfied with the time and opportunity it has had to scrutinise the draft Business Plan 2017-21 and notes that the Plan will now go forward to Cabinet and Council for approval.

2)    That Cabinet be asked to take note of the comments of the Committee as detailed in a report to be approved by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

The Cabinet will be considering reports on the proposed alignment of the Council’s Senior Management Structure at tier 1, to the new business plan. A copy of the public report is attached.

In providing feedback on the business plan the Management Committee is also given the opportunity to comment on the proposals as part of the formal consultation. A further update will be circulated following Cabinet on 20 June 2017.

The Leader of the Council, Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE, presented a report previously considered confidentially at Cabinet on 20 June 2017, on aligning the council’s management structure to ensure it could effectively deliver the proposed Business Plan.

It was noted that Wiltshire Council had made significant savings in relation to senior management when it eliminated the post of Chief Executive and reduced the number of Corporate and Associate Directors. The current model was for three Corporate Directors and thirteen Associate Directors, though interim arrangements had been in place since one of the Corporate Directors left the council in September 2016. The Leader requested her and the council’s thanks be noted to the current Corporate Directors, Carolyn Godfrey and Dr Carlton Brand, and the Committee shared and endorsed this.

It was explained that discussions and analysis had shown that two Corporate Directors was not sufficient as a long term arrangement to deliver the strategic aims of the council and its Business Plan, and that in particular combined with the growing need to integrate health and social care services, it was felt that increasing the number to four Corporate Directors would deliver the most effective and efficient structure. It was also proposed that a single officer at Associate Director level hold the statutory post of Head of Paid Service, rather than rotate the role between Corporate Directors as with the current arrangements.

The Committee discussed the report from the Leader, noting that one Corporate Director role would be a joint appointment with the Clinical Commissioning Group to reflect the growing integration and partnership, and details were sought on the nature of the role, confirming it would have equal standing and salary as the other senior roles.

During discussion it was confirmed it was legal for the Head of Paid Service position to not be held by an officer in the top tier position of a structure, and Wiltshire had previously operated under such an arrangement. Details were also sought on any implications for the numbers of Associate Directors, and it was explained there would be a review of the roles following appointment of the Corporate Director posts, which included two new posts and an additional vacancy when Carolyn Godfrey left the organisation in the autumn of 2017.

Resolved

To note and support the proposed alignment of the council structure to the new Business Plan.

To consider the draft Digital Strategy ahead of Cabinet on 3 July 2017.

On 6 June 2017 the Management Committee established the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group (formerly the My Wiltshire System Task Group) and asked it to consider the draft Strategy, bringing comments back to the Management Committee at this meeting. A report presenting these from its meeting on 13 June 2017 will follow.

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee received a presentation in January 2016 on the development of the MyWiltshire system, a system to enable the public and officers to remotely report a range of issues to be resolved. Following this, the Committee established the MyWiltshire System Task Group with terms of reference to consider and contribute to the development of the system, focusing on customer experience; system scope; development and resourcing; and councillor interface. On 6 June 2017 Management Committee re-established the MyWiltshire System Task Group as the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group with amended terms of reference to focus on the wider issue of the council’s Digital Strategy.

Councillor Howard Greenman, a member of the Task Group, presented its report following an initial meeting to consider the draft Digital Strategy. The Task Group was recommending a number of points be considered by the relevant Cabinet Member for the draft, and that the Task Group continue its work to monitor implementation of the Strategy.

The Cabinet Member with responsibility for IT, Councillor Philip Whitehead, was in attendance with the Portfolio Holder for IT, Councillor Ashley O’Neill, and responded to the report of the Task Group, welcoming its recommendations. He noted that the Digital Strategy was about transforming the way the council performed many of its functions to better meet customer needs, giving an example of 75% of those who had renewed their Green Waste bin online, did so after 7pm, when under historic methods could not have occurred. He emphasised that those unable or unwilling to use digital methods or new technology would still be able to contact the council in the same ways as presently, but that the more work that could be undertaken digitally would free up resources to help those people, as well as making significant financial savings.

The Committee discussed the report, with reassurance sought that the digital infrastructure, data definitions and IT system foundations of the council were sufficient to cope with any planned expansion of public facing systems. Questions were also raised on commercialisation, and it was stated some local authorities carried ads on their websites, although such a step would need to be considered very carefully. It was also stated through partnership working, for example with Wiltshire Police, partner organisations could be charged for utilising Wiltshire Council systems, and there may be more opportunities, within reason.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

To continue the work of the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group as a standing task group and for it to receive the draft tender document and regular updates on the progress of the Digital Strategy and its implementation.

And to endorse the recommendations of the Task Group as follows:

1)    To ensure that feedback from users is collected and reflected in the development of the new system to ensure that the system is designed to be accessible to all customers.

2)    To amend the governance structure diagram to demonstrate where users are engaged and where user feedback  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

To confirm the date of the next meeting as 26 September 2017.

The date of the next scheduled meeting was confirmed as 26 September 2017.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

In light of recent events in Kensington, the Chairman permitted a question on the status of emergency planning for disasters in Wiltshire. The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Public Protection, Councillor Jerry Wickham, provided details of the regular meetings between the council and partners such as the police, as well as rehearsals for specific tragic scenarios and agreements with bodies such as the Red Cross.

It was agreed a report would be provided at the next meeting on the processes for emergency preparation in Wiltshire, and the status of current plans.