Agenda item

To receive an update on Reset & Recovery including on the programme, service redesign and finance projects.

The Chair introduced the Recovery & Reset Programme Director / Assistant Director, Neighbourhoods, the Assistant Director Finance and a representative of Truman Change who were in attendance to provide an overview of the overall Reset & Recovery programme, the workstream allocation between the scrutiny committees and an overview of the two workstreams allocated for this Committee’s scrutiny: 

1.         Service Redesign

2.         Finance

The Recovery & Reset Programme Director highlighted to the Committee:

1.    The Recovery & Reset programme aims, which included increasing the Council’s financial resilience, delivering our core statutory services, enhancing our citizen’s experience, collaborating with the voluntary sector, regenerating and place shaping and encouraging inward investment, reducing our carbon footprint and celebrating our heritage and assets.   It was highlighted that these projects were closely interdependent.

2.    The proposed oversight by the three scrutiny committees and the Audit & Governance Committee, and comments from these workstreams would go forward to the overall Programme Board.

3.    The Programme Summary where it was reported that the programme was on track, all the risks were being managed and the highest risk currently identified was in the Economic & Regeneration workstream in terms of the viability of the regeneration of Marmion House.

4.    The Recovery & Reset Timeline and the requirement to deliver to the timelines identified in order to deliver the savings identified in previous Cabinet / Council reports.  The Programme Director reported that the Cabinet Report due for consideration on 7^th April 2022 would set out recommendations on next steps, what the Customer Services Offer would look like, what the arrangements would be for Marmion House in terms of security and / or demolition.

5.    An overview of the three phases of the Service Re-design workstream, and that in particular the approach to Phase 3 had shifted to include a strategic assessment, including horizon scanning in terms of the extent of any organisational reviews beyond 2023.

The Assistant Director Finance provided an overview of the Finance workstream, which had 5 projects within it and that the main focus had been on the first, which was to reduce the deficit from £9.3 million. 

The Assistant Director updated the Committee on the updated figures from the Local Government Finance settlement figures, which had provided an additional £2.2m for 2022/23 and the Council had identified further savings of £2.9m over 5 years through Phase 1 of the Reset & Recovery programme. However it was reported that a significant number of uncertainties in the budget over future years remain.

Work on the other areas within the Finance Workstream included a focus on a commerciality strategy to introduce a more business-like approach and to ensure staff had the required skills, and also to improve areas of training for staff in terms of financial processes, including procurement which would feed into the work on the value for money strategy, as well as a review of fees and charges.

The Committee sought clarification in the following areas:

1.    The opportunities raised for more energy efficient buildings for the Council’s offices which could potentially assist in reducing the impact of energy price rises and assist in working to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint, where it was reported that this would be a factor for consideration, within any constraints of the nature and term of any lease for new premises.

2.    The Committee highlighted the benefits of extended customer service operating hours which had operated as a result of the pandemic and whether this would continue in any new office location.  It was reported that it was currently expected that booked appointments would remain during conventional office hours however, the move to digital enabled services would be available.  The Assistant Director, People further identified that careful consideration would be given to vulnerable customers and to ensure that there was a clear picture of the demand from vulnerable customers. It terms of overall demand, it was reported that the demand for electronic interactions, via emails and web chat, had increased during the pandemic, whereas the demand for telephone interactions had remained steady.

3.    On the financial position and the period over which the budget was balanced, where it was reported that there was a £4.5m deficit over 5 years, with a balanced budget over three years.

The Committee noted that comments had been made by other scrutiny committees in respect of the Recovery & Reset workstreams, and that together with the comments raised above, Cabinet’s attention be drawn to those comments.

The Committee thanked the Officers for their attendance, and the Programme Director and representative of Truman Change then left the meeting.