Report of the leader of the council
(1) Urgent cabinet decisions
In accordance with the overview and scrutiny procedure rules, a cabinet decision can be taken as a matter of urgency, if any delay by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the council’s or the public’s interest. Treating the decision as a matter of urgency must be agreed by the chairman of the Scrutiny Committee and must be reported to the next meeting of the council, together with the reasons for urgency.
To receive any details of urgent cabinet decisions taken since the last ordinary meeting of the council, (if any).
(2) Delegation of cabinet functions
To receive details of any changes to the leader’s scheme of delegation.
(3) Matters affecting the authority arising from meetings of joint committees, partnerships and other meetings
To receive the report of the leader (if any).
Minutes:
Councillor Roger Cox, Leader of the council, provided the following update:
“The chief executive has continued to keep me appraised of the developing position in relation to the ‘5 Councils’ Contract. As all members will be aware, we recently approved a renegotiation of the contract and I am pleased to say that the insourcing of services from VINCI and the establishment of a direct relationship with Indigo for our Parking Service delivery has gone exceptionally well. Whilst we all too often take it for granted, I would like to pay tribute to the staff involved in this process, they have actioned our decision quickly, with a strong focus on residents and have done so without fuss or drama.
In relation to the elements of the contract that remain with Capita, our officers continue to work in a positive manner with Capita to reshape the services they provide. I am pleased that Capita have committed to work with us to achieve this and that they support the benefits of the positive and truthful approach our officers have taken as confirmed via their recent email to our Scrutiny Committee, which I have asked to be copied to all members.
Financially, I am advised that our ‘best case’ scenario under a full cost model of assessment is that the contract, over its life time, will ‘break even at best’. I have held many meetings with officers regarding this matter, as I am aware it is a significant shift from the savings that members were originally advised of.
I am content that the chief executive and his team have not only secured the best possible renegotiation of the contract, but that the straightforward and pragmatic approach that they have taken has increased transparency and member understanding of the contract considerably. This work is ongoing and I am sure all councillors would agree that we should offer our support to the officers involved in this. I would be happy to meet with any councillor, the chief executive and our section 151 officer to expand on this area, which remains commercially sensitive at this time.
I have specifically sought out assurance from the chief executive and our section 151 officer regarding the original decision making process and the information that was made available to members, staff and residents at that time. Based on this, I am satisfied that the original decisions taken by members were appropriate based on the information made available to them at that time. I think all councillors will agree that we are fortunate that our current officers are realists and have committed themselves to resolving the challenges we face and that we are better informed regarding the detail of the 5Cs contract now than at any other time. However, based on the information that was available to us at the time, I do not believe members made a decision that was illogical, inappropriate or unreasonable. Furthermore, I believe that is the view of our chief executive. If required, I am sure ... view the full minutes text for item 21