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Contact: Claire Johnston Email: democratic.services@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
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Apologies To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors. Minutes: Apologies were received from Cllr J Beesley and Cllr O Walters. |
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Substitute Members To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.
Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.
Minutes: Cllr M Tarling for Cllr O Walters. |
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Declarations of Interests Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance. Declarations received will be reported at the meeting. Minutes: Cllr M Tarling declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in agenda item 8, Pay and Reward Progress update as a close family member was employed by BCP Council. He would not participate or vote on the item.
Cllr C Weight declared an other interest in agenda item 8 Pay and Reward Progress update as a family member was employed by BCP Council but they were not financially interdependent.
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Confirmation of Minutes To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 18 November 2024. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2024 were approved as a correct record. |
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To check on any outstanding actions. Minutes: The Board’s Action Sheet was noted.
The actions which had been resolved were removed.
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Public Issues To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:- https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1 The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday 3 clear working days before the meeting. The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting. The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting. Minutes: There were none received on this occasion. |
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BCP Community Safety Partnership Annual Report This paper sets out elements of development and delivery by the BCP Community Safety Partnership (CSP), ‘Safer BCP’ and its constituent agencies. It provides Members with an update since the last report to Overview and Scrutiny Panel in December 2023. The Local Government Act 2000 includes crime and disorder scrutiny as one of the functions the council must ensure its scrutiny arrangements cover. Sections 19 and 20 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and related regulations require the Council to have a committee with the functions of reviewing and scrutinising decisions and actions in respect of the discharge of crime and disorder functions by “responsible authorities”.
The specifics of the duty are set out in the Police and Justice Act 2006, which also allows members to refer any “local crime and disorder matter” raised with them by anyone living or working in their area, to the Crime and Disorder Committee. The Board designated as the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee must meet at least once every 12-month period to conduct the functions. Guidance issued concerning how this role should be conducted include that: • the role should be one of a critical friend, providing constructive challenge at a strategic level. • the focus should be on the entire partnership and if issues arise that relate specifically to a particular partner agency, it may be more appropriate to refer such issues to the governing bodies of that organisation. • the scrutiny of partners should be “in so far as their activities relate to the partnership itself.” In the BCP area, the Overview and Scrutiny Board undertakes this function each December. Additional documents:
Minutes: Due to the number of items on the agenda and to allow sufficient time for consideration of time critical items it was agreed to defer further consideration of the report to the next scheduled Board meeting.
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Pay and Reward progress update Since the creation of BCP Council through the merger of the four preceding councils in April 2019 we have been working with the trade unions to negotiate a new Pay and Reward package which aligns pay and conditions across all colleagues. This report sets out the results of the recent trade union ballot process and outlines next steps. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Portfolio Holder for Transformation Resources and Governance presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Board was informed that since the creation of BCP Council through the merger of the four preceding councils in April 2019 work had been ongoing with the trade unions to negotiate a new Pay and Reward package which aligns pay and conditions across all colleagues. The report sets out the results of the recent trade union ballot process and outlined the next steps. The Chairman invited the Unison Trade Union representative to address the Board. They noted the expected costs of fire and rehire and noted that the union was opposed to this approach and would challenge it if that was the route the Council chose to pursue. The Board raised a number of issues in the discussion of this issue which included:
The difference in timeframe between option 1 and 2 was only 3 months and the reasons for this being the recommendation option were discussed further. The Portfolio Holder confirmed that it was important to get the pay and reward process finalised for those staff currently affected. It was noted that the staff voting no to the proposals may be unhappy with both the proposals and the journey. It was noted that there was a lot of difficult history with the process and talking about fire and rehire at this stage would make things more difficult. In response to question regarding the numbers involved in the union ballot voting against the proposals the Director of People and Culture, advised that they do not have access to the numbers in terms of union membership, but they had a reasonable idea around the potential numbers
It was proposed and seconded that Cabinet be recommended to proceed with Option 1.
During discussion of the motion it was noted that the confidence of staff had already been affected by putting option 2 on the table but that the reasons for the recommendation were understood. The Portfolio Holder made it clear that if it became apparent that it was worth continuing conversations to reach agreement with the unions there could be flexibility of the timeline.
The motion was put to the vote but lost by 4 votes to 6.
The Board questioned the impact on Council finances incurred by the decision to progress with option 2 and whether the impact of this should mean that it was considered by Council. It was confirmed by the Chief Executive confirmed that the initial decision within the Cabinet paper would not need to go to full Council but that the final decision on termination and reengagement would need to go to Full Council.
It was noted that the project team was funded through to the end of this financial year. It would be around April 2025 that additional costs would be incurred and at that point further ... view the full minutes text for item 78. |
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This report provides an update on the Council Newbuild Housing and Acquisition Strategy established in 2021 and sets out the priorities for delivering more Council owned homes of all tenures. It includes the acquisition of the Harbour Sail, a 12-storey high-rise building in Poole, under the Council's New Build Housing and Acquisition Strategy (CNHAS) Programme 4a (subject to satisfactory warranties and no incumbrance to lettings). The building comprises 32 leasehold flats currently owned by Stonewater Limited. The acquisition is intended to provide temporary accommodation as part of the Council’s broader housing strategy.
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The report provided an update on the Council Newbuild Housing and Acquisition Strategy established in 2021 and set out the priorities for delivering more Council owned homes of all tenures. The report included the acquisition of the Harbour Sail, a 12-storey high-rise building in Poole, under the Council's New Build Housing and Acquisition Strategy (CNHAS) Programme 4a (subject to satisfactory warranties and no incumbrance to lettings). The building comprises 32 leasehold flats currently owned by Stonewater Limited. The acquisition was intended to provide temporary accommodation as part of the Council’s broader housing strategy. The Board noted that 105 properties had been acquired but only 46 of these had been let. There was potentially a significant financial impact of acquiring those properties and at the same time still paying for people to be housed in bed and breakfast accommodation. If the pace of acquisition continued there would need to be a strong project management plan in place to ensure that the properties were turned around in a timely fashion. The Plans would be shared with the Board once they were available
It was noted that responsibility for the programme was shared across a number of different services and the Board asked about the capacity of the Council to be able to do the work required in order to get properties into a condition that can be let. The Portfolio Holder was asked about how the organisation was set up to accommodate this and who had overall responsibility for ensuring the finances were used effectively The Portfolio Holder advised that responsibility was shared but was taken extremely seriously, it was noted that when there had been issues resources were relocated in order to try to reduce void periods. It was important to be flexible in order to improve delivery.
In response to a query around the Seascape acquisition for Assured Shorthold Tenancies programme it was noted that the immediate need was to reduce the numbers of families in Bed and Breakfast accommodation which the temporary accommodation was focused on. The Seascape lets were longer term to provide stability and help encourage people to settle into paying rent regularly.
It was noted that the MTFP paper set out the debt of the Council as being in the mid-range compared to other local authorities. It was noted that the viability of an acquisition programme always needed to be considered, especially in light of the current level of interest rates.
Queries were raised about the quality of properties being purchased and the time taken to let them. It was noted that properties were purchased in various different conditions and therefore the time taken to have them ready for let was varied. It was questioned whether the programme had had an impact on the market. There was a need ... view the full minutes text for item 79. |
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Scrutiny of Budget related Cabinet Reports The O&S Board will consider the following budget related reports due to be considered by Cabinet on 10 December:
· Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Update · Quarter 2 Budget Monitoring Report · Assessing the serious cashflow issue caused by ever-increasing demand and cost outstripping High Needs Dedicated Schools Grant government funding Additional documents:
Minutes: The Portfolio Holder for Finance presented the following three reports, a copy of each had been circulated to each Member and the reports appear as Appendices 'C', ‘D’ and ‘E’ to these Minutes in the Minute Book.
· Medium Term Financial Plan Update · Council Budget Monitoring 2024/25 at Quarter 2 · Assessing the serious cashflow issue caused by ever-increasing demand and cost outstripping High Needs Dedicated Schools Grant government funding.
The Board was informed that the MTFP aimed to ensure the council continued to maintain a balanced 2025/26 budget forecast by considering the impact that changes to the previous assumptions would have on the underlying approved position and taking mitigating action where necessary. This included the announcements relevant to local government in the 30 October Budget statement.
It was noted by the Board that this needed to be considered alongside the “Assessing the serious cashflow issue caused by ever-increasing demand and cost outstripping High Needs Dedicated Schools Grant government funding” report which provided an update on the ongoing conversation with the Department for Education (DfE) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) further to the letter of the Director of Finance issued on the 22 May 2024. This letter outlined concerns about the impact the ever-increasing deficit on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) would have on the council’s ability to set a legally balanced budget for 2025/26.
The budget monitoring report provided the quarter two 2024/25 projected financial outturn information for the general fund and housing revenue account (HRA). The Board was informed that the February 2024 approved general fund budget for 2024/25 was balanced on the assumption of £38m in savings, efficiencies, and additional resources.Consistent with the position being reported by other upper tier authorities, the relentless demand for services and ever-increasing costs is a continual financial challenge. The 2024/25 quarter two budget monitoring position for BCP Council was a net forecast overspend for the year of £3m. Officers were committed to bring the forecast back into balance.
· A number of issues were discussed relating to all of the finance papers although there was a significant focus on the report addressing the DSG related cashflow issues, including:
· Local Government Finance Settlement - In response to a question the Chief Finance Officer advised that the Local government finance settlement was delivered in November. In which the Government set out its intention towards Local Authorities. Further details on the settlement were still awaited. It outlined the basic principles on Council Tax increases which allowed for a 2.99 percent basic increase which was in line with the MTFP assumption. It was confirmed that the settlement was to include national insurance employer contributions for directly employed staff but would not cover the impact of increases in commissioned care costs. Support of the household support fund had also been confirmed. Further detail was expected on either 16 or 19 December. · Budget monitoring – parking costs -The Board asked about the situation with bank charges and the impact that this was having ... view the full minutes text for item 80. |
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BCP Council Libraries – Update on Library Strategy Development This report updates Cabinet on progress being made with the future library strategy following consultation with the Public during May and June 24. It also provides Cabinet with the Needs Assessment document which has been developed to aid the evaluation of any future proposed change. The report sets out the next phase of work to determine recommendations in relation to the future library service model and explains the connection with the wider asset management work which is underway organisationally to seek efficiencies around the corporate estate. It is anticipated that the key elements of the future library strategy will be presented no late than end May 2025, including potential options on a site-by-site basis. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Portfolio Holder for presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'F' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Board was advised that the report provided an update to Cabinet on progress being made with the future library strategy following consultation with the Public during May and June 24. It also included the Needs Assessment document which had been developed to aid the evaluation of any future proposed change. The report set out the next phase of work to determine recommendations in relation to the future library service model and explained the connection with the wider asset management work which was underway organisationally to seek efficiencies around the corporate estate. It was anticipated that the key elements of the future library strategy would be presented no later than the end of May 2025, including potential options on a site-by-site basis. The Board raised a number of issues in discussion on this item including:
· Access to refreshments - there were many respondents dissatisfied with the access to refreshments in libraries and there was a request to have café facilities within libraries. · Use of online Services – it was interesting to see that the survey respondents didn’t appear to use online services very often and it was noted that perhaps access to this service versus the cost of provision could be considered · Survey responses – The Board welcomed the very comprehensive survey responses and noted that it was interesting to see the use of libraries within different areas. It was noted that the main reason for library visits was the books but that this was combined with other reasons. · Friends of Library Organisations – it was suggested that if people were given the opportunity to do this it may be welcomed. It was noted that there was assistance available to help with setting friends groups up. Community use of Libraries – Encouraging community use of libraries was a positive step but it was noted that it was important to explain and promote the size and facilities for these and also how people could book them. · Survey results – It was suggested that it was important to recognise that the results of the survey were not necessarily representative. For example, there were a number of resources available which could be accessed online and perhaps those responding to the consultation accessing physical libraries were different to those accessing online resources. · Potential change of location or co-location of services – The Board questioned whether this could mean that some of the library services would be closed. The Portfolio Holder advised that it was their ambition to retain 24 libraries across the conurbation, but individual library locations may be given consideration. · Budget – There were some concerns raised at the potential direction the strategy may take when proposed. It was noted that the Library services budget has been reduced incrementally overtime and it wouldn’t be possible to continue in the same ... view the full minutes text for item 81. |
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The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'G' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.
It was noted that the Board had expressed a preference to take the Arts and Culture Funding Report as its next scheduled pro-active scrutiny item.
The Board noted the current working group on the Consultation Framework would need to meet for the first time in February 2025. The Chairman advised that further potential working groups on the issues raised by the BID briefing would also need to be considered. The Board agreed to add a working group on this issue to the Work Plan.
Items for the meeting in January were noted.
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