Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  No interests were declared.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of Annex 4 to Agenda Item 6 (Effective Organisation Programme – Efficiency Review), on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person.  This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

RESOLVED: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Annex 4 to agenda item 6 (Effective Organisation Programme – Efficiency Review), on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, which is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

To approve and sign the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 23 June 2009.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 23 June 2009 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Executive’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5:00 pm on Monday 6 July 2009.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.  However, there had been one request to speak at the discretion of the Chair.

With the Chair’s permission Heather Mackenzie, of UNISON, addressed the meeting with reference to agenda item 6 (Effective Organisation Programme – Efficiency Review).  She expressed concern about the potential impact of the proposals in the report on the Council’s staff and services.  Although staff and unions recognised the need for efficiencies, they felt that the proposals threatened job losses and privatisation with no corresponding guarantee of long term savings.  The apparent targeting of Home Care services was of particular concern, as was the proposal to delegate certain key decisions to Officers, the arrangements for consulting with unions and the lack of detail on some issues.  She stressed that UNISON required involvement at an early stage and would take any steps necessary to oppose large scale job cuts for the sake of short term gain.

To receive details of those items that are listed on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings.

Members received and noted details of those items that were currently listed on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings.

This report sets out the initial findings of the recent review of the Council undertaken by the Council’s efficiency partners, Northgate Kendric Ash, together with proposals from the Corporate Management Team for a broad-based programme of work to ensure the Council continues to provide efficient and effective services and to build upon its successful transformation programmes.

RESOLVED: (i)         That approval be given to commence the year 1 Efficiency projects set out in paragraph 25 of the report.

                        (ii)        That the proposed Programme governance arrangements set out in Annex 3 be noted.

                        (iii)       That authority be delegated to the Director of Resources to agreed financial commitments to Northgate Kendrick Ash (on the basis of the risk reward model), and agree allocations from and to the Efficiency Reserve, to enable the delivery of the Efficiency Programme.

                        (iv)       That authority be delegated to the Executive Board to manage the programme of efficiency projects and to develop further detailed proposals for years 2 and 3.

                        (v)        That progress on the Efficiency Programme be reported at least quarterly to the Executive, and to an all-party meeting of Group Leaders.

REASON:      To enable the Council to commence work on delivery of the strategic objective to be an Effective Organisation, to deliver service improvements and create efficiency savings of £15m over the next three years.

Members considered a report which set out the initial findings of the recent review undertaken by the Council’s efficiency partners, Northgate Kendric Ash (NKA).  It also presented proposals from the Corporate Management Team (CMT) for a programme of work to ensure that the Council continued to provide efficient and effective services and to build upon its successful transformation programme.

The Efficiency agenda was crucial to the objectives of the eighth theme of the Corporate Strategy – Effective Organisation.  NKA had been commissioned in December 2008 to carry out a 12 week review examining the potential to deliver £15m savings (net of fees) across the Council.  The summary of their review was attached as Annex 1 to the report.  The main finding was that NKA were confident that the £15m target could be achieved within three years.  The change programme being championed by CMT to deliver Effective Organisation included the easy@york programme, the Improvement Plan, the Workforce Development Plan, delivery of the Customer Strategy and Engagement Strategy and a series of efficiency projects, details of which were set out in paragraph 25 of the report.  It was estimated that these projects could achieve savings totalling over £17.1m by the end of the programme.

Although NKA’s fees were subject to the achievement of the identified savings, there would be a need for payments in advance of the full savings coming through.  It was recommended that approval be delegated to the Director of Resources to meet these and any other costs of the programme, from the Efficiency Reserve.  Approval was also sought for the establishment of governance arrangements for the programme, as set out in Annex 3 to the report. 

In response to the comments made under Public Participation / Other Speakers, Officers confirmed that the intention was to achieve efficiencies through a variety of means, not just ‘privatisation’.  There was a commitment to engaging with all affected parties during the process and all decisions taken must comply with the Council’s Constitution.  Members supported these observations and added that, whilst the efficiencies must be achieved, the involvement of staff was crucial to the success of the process.  Regular all-party briefings would also be needed, to ensure democratic accountability.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That approval be given to commence the year 1 Efficiency projects set out in paragraph 25 of the report.¹

                        (ii)        That the proposed Programme governance arrangements set out in Annex 3 be noted.

                        (iii)       That authority be delegated to the Director of Resources to agreed financial commitments to Northgate Kendrick Ash (on the basis of the risk reward model), and agree allocations from and to the Efficiency Reserve, to enable the delivery of the Efficiency Programme. ²

                        (iv)       That authority be delegated to the Executive Board to manage the programme of efficiency projects and to develop further detailed proposals for years 2 and 3. ³

                        (v)        That progress on the Efficiency Programme be reported at least quarterly to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

This report provides information on the successful outcomes achieved through the deployment of effective risk management arrangements across the Council over the past year and seeks approval for a revised and refreshed risk management policy and strategy.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report, and progress to date, be noted.

                        (ii)        That the economic downturn risks set out in Annex A, and the intended action to manage, them, be noted.

(iii) That the revised and refreshed risk management policy and strategy, set out in Annexes B and C respectively, be approved.

REASON:      To raise awareness of risk management issues and to ensure the implementation of an approved framework for the delivery of effective risk management at the Council.

Members considered a report which provided information on the successful outcomes achieved through the deployment of effective risk management arrangements across the Council during the past year, summarised the impacts and risks of the current economic downturn, and sought approval for a revised and refreshed risk management policy and strategy.

Overall, there was evidence that the organisation was considering risk in a much more positive way.  Risk was now owned, managed and delivered as part of good business practice by officers across departments and was no longer viewed as a separate bureaucratic process.  A summary of changes in the Key Corporate Risks (KCRs) profile indicated that in most cases the number of risks had reduced over the course of the year. 

The output of the work requested by Members last October on the impact of the current economic downturn was presented in Annex A to the report.  From this it was clear that, in addition to its financial impact, the recession could also affect service provision and performance levels against National Indicators.  However, work was being undertaken to manage and mitigate these risks.  The revised policy and strategy were attached at Annexes B and C respectively.  The policy set out the Council’s aspirations and objectives with regard to risk management, while the strategy provided a corporate framework to assist in implementing risk management practices.  Both documents had been revised to provide clear, up to date best practice advice, and to reflect a more mature approach to risk management.

With reference to a recent article in the Press concerning car parking charges in the city centre, it was noted that this was incorrect and that there were no major changes planned or current in this area of work.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report, and progress to date, be noted.

                        (ii)        That the economic downturn risks set out in Annex A, and the intended action to manage them, be noted.

(iii) That the revised and refreshed risk management policy and strategy, set out in Annexes B and C respectively, be approved. ¹

REASON:      To raise awareness of risk management issues and to ensure the implementation of an approved framework for the delivery of effective risk management at the Council.

Note:  The above decisions have now been revised, following re-consideration of this item at a meeting of the Executive (Calling In) on 14 July 2009.  The minutes of that meeting, incorporating the revised decisions, can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.asp?CId=601&MId=4341&Ver=4

This report sets out a refreshed vision for street level services and proposals for Area based working, in line with the ‘More for York’ transformation proposals.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the principle of area based working, and the street level services proposed in the report, be supported.

                        (ii)        That a further report be received, outlining the details of areas and options for a single brand.

REASON:      In order to achieve further improvements in street level services, based upon previous achievements, the original York Pride vision and the ‘More for York’ proposals.

Members considered a report which set out a revised vision for street level services and recommendations for Area based working, in line with the ‘More for York’ transformation proposals.

The new vision was intended to build upon the work done under the York Pride initiative and to deliver benefits similar to the successful ‘StreetPride’ initiative in Rotherham.  It encompassed:

• A more efficient end to end approach to service delivery
• A comprehensive re-branding of street level services
• Stronger area management arrangements
• A strengthened approach to devolved budgeting and local decision making.

If supported by Members, the vision would be delivered through the existing More for York and Easy@york projects.  Details of how this would be achieved were set out in paragraphs 18 to 33 of the report.  Stage 1 (system and service re-design work), could be achieved through Easy@york by the end of the 2009 calendar year.  If Members agreed the vision in principle, a detailed implementation plan would be produced showing how much of the change could be completed by April 2010 or, if necessary, beyond that date.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the principle of area based working, and the street level services proposed in the report, be supported. ¹

                        (ii)        That a further report be received, outlining the details of areas and options for a single brand. ²

REASON:      In order to achieve further improvements in street level services, based upon previous achievements, the original York Pride vision and the ‘More for York’ proposals.

This report provides an update on the progress of this project since the last report to Executive in November 2008, including the outcome of the procurement process to identify a development partner, and seeks approval for a recommended course of action to continue the project.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the successful outcome of the procurement process, with the result that LaSalle UK Venture Property are the preferred concessionaire for the Castle Piccadilly Regeneration Project, be noted.

REASON:      So that the requirements of the procurement process are satisfied.

                        (ii)        That the recommended course of action for the next stage of the project, as detailed in paragraphs 8 to 11 of the report, be approved.

REASON:      So that negotiations can take place with the preferred concessionaire and the development partner to ensure that this project, which is vital for the long term economic well being of the City, can be quickly progressed.

Members considered a report which provided an update on the progress of the Castle Piccadilly regeneration project since the last report to Executive, in November 2008, and recommended a course of action to continue the project.

A full procurement exercise had been undertaken, in accordance with all procurement and legislative requirements.  Responses to the Invitation to Tender had been assessed and Officers had met with the proposed development partner or ‘Preferred Concessionaire’, LaSalle UK Ventures Property. This company was the current operator of the Coppergate Centre.  They had appointed Centros as their development manager, to deliver a retail-led scheme on the Castle Piccadilly site that met the Council’s aims and objectives.  Centros had extensive experience of similar projects.

The Council would now work with LaSalle and Centros to take the project through the next stages, as set out in the Castle Piccadilly Planning Brief.  The next steps in this process, which included public consultation and reporting to Members at each stage as well as early engagement with key agencies, were set out in paragraphs 8 to 11 of the report

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the successful outcome of the procurement process, with the result that LaSalle UK Venture Property are the preferred concessionaire for the Castle Piccadilly Regeneration Project, be noted.

REASON:      So that the requirements of the procurement process are satisfied.

                        (ii)        That the recommended course of action for the next stage of the project, as detailed in paragraphs 8 to 11 of the report, be approved. ¹

REASON:      So that negotiations can take place with the preferred concessionaire and the development partner to ensure that this project, which is vital for the long term economic well being of the City, can be quickly progressed.

This report presents a draft Customer Strategy and Delivery Plan, setting out a vision for the delivery of customer focused, efficient council services, and asks Members to comment upon the Strategy and recommend it to Full Council for approval.

RECOMMENDED:That the Customer Strategy and Delivery Plan be approved.

REASON:                  To ensure that customer service excellence is delivered in York, in line with the Council’s strategy and vision.

Members considered a report which presented a draft Customer Strategy and Delivery Plan, setting out a vision for the delivery of customer focused, efficient council services, as part of the Council’s strategic priority to become an Effective Organisation.

The draft Strategy, attached as Annex 1 to the report, reflected the results of consultation carried out on an earlier draft presented to the Executive in October 2008.  It included a Delivery Plan, a Customer Strategy Toolkit to embed customer service culture into service planning and delivery, new Customer First standards and behaviours and a simple Customer Leaflet to communicate the Strategy.  The work identified in the Delivery Plan was significant and cross-cutting and would require a sustained corporate effort to sustain it.  The lead Officer for the Plan would be the Resources AD for Customer Service and Governance, in her role as Customer Champion.

Members were invited to comment on the draft Strategy and recommend it to Full Council for approval.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RECOMMENDED:That the Customer Strategy and Delivery Plan be approved.

REASON:                  To ensure that customer service excellence is delivered in York, in line with the Council’s strategy and vision.