Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chairman for the 2019-20 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Jill Rhodes be appointed as Chairman of the Shared Services Joint Committee for the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

To appoint a Vice Chairman for the 2019-20 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Carol Gahan be appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Shared Services Joint Committee for the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Karen Shore.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

No members of the public were in attendance and no questions had been submitted prior to the meeting.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2019.

It was noted that in the minutes Cheshire East Councillors Paul Findlow and Paul Bates had been listed in error under the councillors present from Cheshire West and Chester Council.  

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2019 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the of  deletion of Councillors Paul Findlow and Paul Bates from the list of Cheshire West and Chester Councillors present.

To receive a report on the background to, and an overview of, the Shared Services that currently exist between Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The Committee considered a report which set out the background to, and an overview of, the Shared Services which currently existed between Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The Committee was asked to note that the date of a future meeting in paragraph 5.5.2 should read 27 March 2020 not 2019.

A verbal update was given on the work undertaken by the Civil Protection and Emergency Planning Service in response to the flash flooding in Poynton/Bollington area on 31 July, which resulted in a major incident being declared and it was suggested that the Committee be briefed on actions undertaken by the Service in response to incidents when they arose.

RESOLVED:  That

1          the report be noted; and

2          the Committee be briefed on the actions taken by the Civil Protection and Emergency Planning Service in response to incidents when they arose.

To consider a report on the outturn position for the Shared Services arrangements between Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The Committee considered a report which set out a summary of the outturn position for the Shared Service arrangements. It included both indicative financial and non-financial performance over the period 2018-19..

There had been a continuing good level of performance with all of the Shared Services being rated as ‘Green’ in terms of their overall financial performance.  An overview of performance was detailed in Appendix 1 to the Report. 

The Committee sought clarification on the overspend in Transactional Services and the underspend by ICT.  They were informed that overspend in Transactional Services related to one off redundancy costs, which was equally split between the two Council, and the underspend in ICT was due a delay in recruitment ahead of the implementation of a new staffing structure.

RESOLVED:

That the Shared Services outturn performance for 2018-19 be noted.

To receive a progress update in relation to ICT Shared Services, focussing on Evolution (Infrastructure Investment programme) and implementation of a Target Operating Model.

The Committee considered a report which provided an update on progress with ICT, focussing on Evolution and implementation of a Target Operating Model.

The Evolution Programme was a transformational investment programme to enable both Councils to modernise, ensure compliance and deliver a flexible environment to underpin delivery. 

The report set out details of work undertaken to date, the expenditure for the programme, challenges faced and the next steps for the programme.

RESOLVED: That

1          the progress to date and upcoming planned activity be noted; and

2          the benefits of the ICT Investment Programme (Evolution), the mobilisation of the programme and the progress to date be noted.

To receive an update on the implementation of a replacement HR and Finance system for the Councils and their partners.

The Committee considered a report which detailed the latest position with the implementation of the replacement HR and Finance system for the Councils and their partners.

The report provided an update on the status of the programme since the last report to the Committee in July 2018 and detailed the processes undertaken that led to the decision to defer the go-live date.  Following completion of the gap analysis a revised programme plan would be produced. Until the plan has been produced and approved it was not possible to give indication of a revised go-live date.

It was request that the Committee receive regular updates on the Programme and to enable this it was suggested that an additional meeting of the Joint Committee be arranged for January 2020 and monthly Portfolio Holder briefings be held.

RESOLVED:  That

1          the programme developments since the previous report to the Committee be noted;

2          the current programme of activities intended to develop and approve a revised programme and go live date be agreed;

3          a further report be brought to the next meeting of the Committee with an update on the revised programme; and

4          an additional meeting of the Shared Services Joint Committee be arranged for January 2020, along with monthly briefings for the Portfolio Holders.

The reports relating to the remaining items on the agenda have been withheld from public circulation and deposit pursuant to Section 100(B)(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the matters may be determined with the press and public excluded.

The Committee may decide that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items pursuant to Section 100(A) 4 of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

To consider the confidential appendix relating to this report.

The Committee considered the confidential appendix.

RESOLVED:

That the potential next steps, as set out in the confidential appendix, be noted.