Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holders for Procurement, Assets and Shared Services and Performance and Capacity to attend the meeting to answer Members questions on issues raised at the previous meeting during the presentation on Shared Services.

At its meeting held on 12 October 2010, the committee had received a presentation on the range and scope of shared services provided for Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester Councils. At that meeting, Members had raised a number of queries which related, amongst other things, to the operation of the Shared Services Joint Committee; the need to have a better understanding of the proposed legal entity in respect of HR and ICT; and future proposals for the former CountyEuropean and External Funding Unit.

Councillors David Brown (Performance and Capacity Portfolio Holder) and Peter Mason (Procurement, Assets and Shared Services Portfolio Holder) both of whom were Members of the Shared Services Joint Committee, attended the meeting and gave explanations in relation  to a number of outstanding queries from the previous meeting. The Portfolio Holders were assisted by the Borough Treasurer.

The Committee was informed that the Shared Services Joint Committee had taken a decision to close the former County European and External Funding Unit a few months ago. Cheshire East did however have a vacant post of External Funding Officer within Cheshire its establishment.

In response to a Members query about the status of each of the current 32 shared services, the Performance and Capacity Portfolio Holder undertook to provide members of the Committee with a position statement on each shared service.

In connection with the creation of a separate legal entity in respect of HR and ICT and other support services, the Borough Treasurer informed the Committee that this would provide an opportunity for new arrangements for Cheshire East and its partners. Two options were currently being explored.

The first option was in the form of a trading operation which would allow the Council to offer to sell services to smaller local authorities and public sector organisations, by trading with such organisations as customers. The second option was a more collaborative model which would allow the Council to work in partnership with other public sector organisations. The two models were not mutually exclusive and a combination of models could be put in place.

A report on CountyFarms was due to be considered by the Committee in January.

RESOLVED

1.      That the Performance and Capacity Portfolio Holder be requested to provide a position statement on each of the 32 shared services and distribute it to Members of this committee via the Senior Scrutiny Officer;

2.      That copies of agendas of the Shared Services joint committee be circulated to Members of this Committee in advance of meetings from now on, and copies of minutes of meetings be also circulated subsequently;

3.      That David Job, CountyLand Agent, be requested to submit a report on the future of Council owned farms to the Midpoint meeting of this Committee to be held on 11 January 2011