Cabinet Reports
To consider and comment on reports due for consideration by the Cabinet on 12 June 2019. Members are asked to consider these reports in advance of the meeting which will be available to view online using the following link:
https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=285&MId=3718&Ver=4
Reports for this Cabinet meeting will be published on 4 June 2019.
Minutes:
The Chairman briefly clarified the role of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, reminding members that questions should be directed to Cabinet Portfolio Holders as the accountable policy makers, in order to delve further into the policy details. He explained that members could request that specific items be submitted for the Board’s consideration and that other scrutiny methods, such as Task and Finish Groups, could be utilised to scrutinise the policy.
The Board considered reports due for submission to the Cabinet on 12 June 2019. This allowed the Board to scrutinise the Financial Outturns 2018/19 report, Medium Term Financial Plan Update report, Appointment to Outside Bodies report and the Cabinet Forward Plan. The Chairman opened the discussion by inviting comments or questions on any of these items.
Financial Outturns 2018/2019
The Board considered the Financial Outturns 2018/2019 report, submitted by the Portfolio Holder for Finance.
The Vice-Chairman expressed that, because of the strict budget monitoring of the predecessor Councils, it was pleasing to see a surplus in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council budget. However, she highlighted that it was not clear whether other priorities had been considered for the allocation of the £493,000 in capital funding, as set out in Section 10 of the report. The Portfolio Holder for Finance explained that, when allocating the £493,000 in capital funding, various priorities were considered by Cabinet members and that it was agreed that the re-opening and refurbishment of Poole public conveniences was an early priority.
A Board member asked how many available public conveniences there were in each of the three areas of BCP and questioned why Poole’s public conveniences were prioritised above those in Bournemouth and Christchurch. The Portfolio Holder for Finance responded that in recent years the number of public convenience closures in Poole were far higher than in Bournemouth or Christchurch and the reputational damage because of this had been widely reported in both local and national news. The same Board member asked what the other priorities were that the Cabinet had considered, to which the Portfolio Holder for Finance reported that all members of the Unity Alliance felt that this was an early priority that was deliverable. The Portfolio Holder for Finance clarified that the various other priorities would be set out in the Unity Alliance’s corporate plan.
Following questions from another Board member, the Portfolio Holder for Finance explained further that the Unity Alliance’s corporate plan was currently being developed alongside senior officers. The Board member questioned whether, as development of the corporate plan progresses, there may be a better priority that emerges on which the £493,000 may be spent. She also said that the corporate plan may now be constrained due to this early decision. The Portfolio Holder for Finance agreed that there would be different priorities emerging as the programme developed but assured the Board that these other priorities would be worked through and assessed as they arose. The Leader of the Council explained that, during their strategy week, the Unity Alliance had ... view the full minutes text for item 7