Agenda and minutes

To receive details of any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

An apology for absence from the Committee was received from Councillor John Smale.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 3 December 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 3 December 2019 were received for consideration, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and accurate record.

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.

There were no announcements.

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 21 January 2020 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 23 January 2020. 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.

A report from the Chief Executive Officers and Director of Finance on the Council’s Financial Plan Update for 2020-2021 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2020-2025 will be circulated to all councillors.

It will be accessible at the following link.

The draft Wiltshire Council Financial Plan Update 2020-21 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2020-2025 was presented by Councillor Simon Jacobs, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, with support from Deborah Hindson, Interim Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer, along with Councillor Philip Whitehead, Leader of the Council, and the Chief Executive Officers, Alistair Cunningham and Terence Herbert.

The proposals included a 1.99% rise in Council Tax and a 2% Social Care Levy, as well as details of proposed savings of £14.683m required as a result of growth in demand of key services, of which £3.849m are already identified from the budget setting of 2019/20.

Full details of matters raised in discussion would be included in a report appended to these minutes. The report from the Financial Planning Task Group in consideration of the budget was also received and considered.

Topics raised included, but were not limited to, the increase in level of reserves to 5%, achievability of savings, predictions of growth of adult social care and looked after children costs, future changes from central government, previous waste contract delays, climate change, Special Education Need funding, along with other topics as detailed in the appended report.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

1)    To note the Financial Plan Update 2020-21 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2020-25 and to refer the comments of the Committee and the report of the Financial Planning Task Group to Cabinet and Full Council for consideration on 4 and 25 February 2020 respectively.

2)    To welcome the Executive’s positive engagement with the Financial Planning Task Group in the budget development and monitoring process.

3)    To support the Financial Planning Task Group’s continued focus on monitoring the delivery of the savings and efficiencies proposed in this Financial Plan Update (and of any further savings proposed throughout the year).

To receive the Final Report of the Task Group.

The Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group commenced in January 2016, initially as the MyWiltshire System Task Group before its remit was widened in January 2017 to encompass the council’s Digital Strategy. Since its formation the Task Group had looked at a variety of topics, including but not limited to the cultural transformation of the IT service, technology and platform projects and redesigns of service activity. Interim reports were received from the Task Group on 18 September 2018 and 24 September 2019.

Following meetings with the relevant Cabinet Member and officers, the Task Group determined that its activity had been taken as far as it could and that it was not the most appropriate way to add further value to the council, though it supported continued engagement between Overview and Scrutiny and the Executive in other forms. As such, the Chairman of the Task Group, Councillor Jon Hubbard, presented the final report of the Task Group, recommending it be disbanded.

The Committee thanked the Task Group members and supporting officers for their work, and agreed to explore options for future scrutiny of specific programmes and activity in the future. At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

1)    To thank the Task Group for its hard work and contribution to the council’s digital portfolio since its establishment in 2016.

2)    To disbands the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group.

3)    To maintain its regular dialogue with the Cabinet Member for ICT, Digitalisation and Operational Assets regarding future scrutiny of this area and involves the current Chairman of the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group in those discussions.

4)    To endorse a scrutiny representative maintaining a position on the Digital Board (or its equivalent), in consultation with the Executive members for ICT and Digitalisation.

To receive updates from the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Select

Committees in respect of the topics under scrutiny in their areas, including any recommendations for endorsement by the Management Committee.

The Forward Work Programmes for each Overview and Scrutiny Committee were received, and it was,

Resolved:

To note the updated Forward Work Programmes provided.

To receive updates on recent activity of Task Groups established by the

Management Committee.

Written updates were provided on all Task Groups of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, and it was,

Resolved:

To note the update on Task Group activity provided.

To confirm the date of the next meeting as the extraordinary meeting on 11 February 2020 to consider any amendments to the budget.

To confirm the date of the next ordinary meeting of the committee on 17 March 2020.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as the extraordinary meeting on 11 February 2020 to consider any proposed amendments to the budget.

The date of the next scheduled ordinary meeting was confirmed as 17 March 2020.

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

There were no urgent items.