Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services will attend the meeting to provide an end of year update following her attendance at a meeting of the Committee in June 2011 at which she outlined her priorities and challenges for 2011/12.

Members received an end of year update from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services. The Cabinet Member spoke about four priority areas:

Budget

Members were informed that a review would be taking place within the Labour group relating to processes used in the previous budget setting. They  also noted that the Cabinet Member felt more work needed to be done to integrate Equality Impact Assessments in the Council’s budget.

Council Procurement

It was noted that problems had been encountered with the performance of the Council’s external website and that statutory processes often discouraged small businesses in the city from bidding for Council contracts. Member agreed that there was a greater need for centralised functions and control of stock, and that smaller procurement should also be examined alongside larger orders.

The Cabinet Member reported that a full team of procurement staff had been established in each Directorate.

Members  discussed the Council buying out of habit from certain companies, recognising it could lead to complacency from those businesses. They also expressed their concern that local businesses were being undercut by companies from outside the city, thereby having an adverse effect on the local economy.

The Cabinet Member agreed more could be done to encourage small local businesses to apply for council contracts.  However, she stated that the Council would always look at the best value for taxpayers first, rather than solely the location of the provider. In response to an additional question from a Member about accountability from those commissioned to provide Council services, the Cabinet Member assured the Committee that a business would need to have the necessary specific credentials.

Members discussed conducting a scrutiny review on an issue related to procurement such as the methods used for procuring local services and queried if there were targets established for this. Some Members felt that this topic could be expanded to include the provision of information in regards to procurement.

Property Services

The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that the two departments that made up Property Services, i.e. Facilities Management and Asset Management, had been transferred into different Directorates following a restructure. It was reported that Facilities Management was now found within the Adults, Children and Education (ACE) Directorate and that Asset Management was located within Customer Business Support Services (CBSS). Also that Facilities Management was currently undergoing a review, as it was felt that it was not operating successfully or to a cost effective level. Additionally, an Audit Commission report had identified major issues regarding repairs and maintenance in the Council’s Asset Management department. The report identified  that some of the repairs needed were getting to a critical level, and that action taken was often reactive rather than strategic.

Council Headquarters

The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that the new Council HQ was on target to be completed on time and within budget. She also spoke about how the Facilities Management team would play a major role at West Offices such as making sure that there were no security issues to contend with.

RESOLVED:       That the update from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services be noted.

REASON:           To keep Members informed of areas of work within the remit of the Committee.