Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Ridgeway, The Beacon, Portway, Wantage, OX12 9BY

Contact: Steven Corrigan, Democratic Services Manager 01235 422526 Email: steven.corrigan@southandvale.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

54.

Apologies for absence

To record apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of councillors Stuart Davenport, Gervase Duffield, Mike Murray and Reg Waite.

55.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 338 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Council minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2017. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2017 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

 

56.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

Minutes:

None.

57.

gent business and chairman's announcements

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman. 

Minutes:

The Chairman provided housekeeping information.

 

The Chairman advised that in respect of agenda item 15 (questions under Council procedure rule 33), she would take question 5 on the Oxfordshire Growth Deal prior to agenda item 7, and question 4, which relates to the 2018/19 budget, prior to agenda item 10.

 

 

58.

Public participation

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

Minutes:

A.   Mr Alex Taylor asked the following question of Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for planning:

 

Why has the Vale of White Horse District Council planning department consistently told us lies and said everything was built as the plans from about 2003 and that there were no breaches of planning for building work reference P00/V0831 for about fourteen years? When a supposedly proper investigation was done (reference 11/00214/UNAUDV 13/10/2011) there obviously were breaches as proven by the information obtained from the council in 2015 and 2017. This stated that conditions 3 and 4 were not met and a Building Control Notice should have been served in 2005 - why was it not served and when did the Blue Ginger extractor become immune from complying with the building conditions laid down in the planning acceptance please? Why has the planning department refused to entertain any more correspondence on this matter since November 2014?

 

Answer

The concerns raised have been examined through the council’s formal processes, including an independent review, which found the council’s investigations satisfactory.  We would encourage you to recognise the conclusions of these investigations are valued rather than pursue further unnecessary correspondence, which cannot be entertained.

 

 

B.   Mr Mayhew-Archer addressed Council on the Five Councils Partnership.

 

He referred to an article in the Oxford Mail which stated that the partner authorities hoped to save about £9 million over nine years from the partnership. Following the decision to cancel the contract with VINCI and renegotiate the contract with Capita, a tweet from Councillor John Cotton, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, stated that projected savings for the council would be roughly £2.5 million over 10 years. He questioned the reduction in potential savings for the councils and whether the exercise could cost the councils money. He questioned the lack of scrutiny undertaken by councillors of both the Capita and VINCI contracts.  He pointed out that the joint scrutiny committee tried asking the right questions but it was told it had no role in the formal governance of the contracts.

59.

Petitions

At its meeting on 13 December 2017 Mr David Surnam of the Kingfisher Canoe Club in Abingdon presented a petition in support of a new home for the club to operate from land at Rye Farm (see minute 41/12/2017).

 

The council’s Petition Scheme provides the following regarding petition debates at Council meetings:

 

When petitions containing more than 500 signatures are submitted, the petition organiser will be given three minutes to present the petition and the petition will then be discussed by councillors.  Council will decide how to respond to the petition at this meeting.

 

In response to the petition, Council may decide

·       not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate;

·       to refer the matter to Cabinet and decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

 

Any Council recommendation will be reported to Cabinet.

 

 

Minutes:

At its meeting on 13 December 2017 Council received a petition regarding the Kingfisher Canoe Club’s efforts to secure a new home to operate from land at Rye Farm.  In accordance with the council’s petition scheme, which provides for a Council debate if a petition is signed by in excess of 500 people, Council considered the petition.

 

Mr Surnam addressed Council on behalf of the Kingfisher Canoe Club in support of the petition.

 

RESOLVED: to refer the petition to Cabinet to find a positive solution to secure a home for the Kingfisher Canoe Club.

 

60.

Housing and growth deal for Oxfordshire pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 9 February 2018, will consider a report and recommend Council on whether to approve the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal.  If approved by the constituent authorities, delivery of the Deal will be overseen by the Oxfordshire Growth Board.  The Growth Board is a statutory joint committee of the six Oxfordshire local authorities, the Local Enterprise Partnership and key strategic partners. 

 

The Deal, as announced by Government in November 2017, provides £215 million of additional government funding for Oxfordshire, to deliver the key infrastructure required to underpin proposed housing development, and additional funds to increase the supply of affordable housing.  This funding is comprised of £150 million for infrastructure, £60 million for affordable housing and £5 million capacity funding. 

 

The additional funding will support Oxfordshire’s ambition to plan for and support the delivery of up to 100,000 new homes across Oxfordshire between 2011 and 2031 to address the county’s housing shortage and expected economic growth.  This level of housing growth is that identified by the Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2014, and is consistent with that planned for in existing and emerging Oxfordshire Local Plans. 

 

The Deal also includes a proposed package of planning “freedoms and flexibilities” to help Oxfordshire to plan collectively for the long-term, sustainable development of the county by offering some protection from the risk of unplanned speculative development for the duration of development of a joint spatial plan and early years of its implementation. 

 

If approved by all constituent authorities, confirmation, in writing, will go to the Secretary of State along with submission of the agreed Delivery Plan.

 

The Deal brings with it additional funds for Oxfordshire.  It is proposed that Oxfordshire County Council acts as the Accountable Body for the deal and provides relevant reports to the Growth Board on a quarterly basis.

 

Following decisions from Government expected on 5 and 7 February, the Housing and Growth Deal Delivery Plan as well as a full report for the Cabinet meeting will be published and circulated to all councillors.

 

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors prior to the Council meeting.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A.   Question from Councillor Debby Hallett to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the council

 

“Can the leader please provide a simple list of the explicit benefits to Vale in this Growth Deal, and the explicit costs to Vale (or expectations from Government on Vale)?  We are not (yet) a unitary authority, and therefore we are making decisions for the Vale, as opposed to Oxfordshire County in general.  I think it’s important that members know exactly what’s promised to Vale, and what’s expected from Vale, before we vote on this deal.” 

 

B.   Debate on housing and growth deal for Oxfordshire

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 9 February 2018, on a Housing and Growth Deal for Oxfordshire.    

 

Council agreed to suspend Council procedure rule 45 insofar as it limits councillors to speaking once.

 

The majority of councillors supported the Deal. In return for supporting the development of up to 100,000 new homes (the majority of which were included in existing local plans) the Deal would provide much needed funding for infrastructure and affordable housing across Oxfordshire, benefitting residents of the Vale and provide planning freedoms with the application of a three year, rather than the current five-year, housing land supply. Without the Deal the houses would still be required but without the infrastructure funding and support for affordable housing. Councillors noted the conditions recommended by Cabinet, set out in appendix 4 of the report, which outlined matters for clarification and matters which are not negotiable for Vale of White Horse District Council.

 

Whilst welcoming the funding, some councillors noted that the infrastructure funding would not address the current shortfall in funding.

 

A number of councillors expressed concern regarding the Deal. The infrastructure funding is insufficient, only addresses roads and there are no details of where the affordable housing would be provided. Others expressed concern regarding the governance arrangements – public consultation was lacking, the Oxfordshire Growth Board lacked transparency and there had been no opportunity to scrutinise the proposed Deal and the decision making process. Scrutiny needed to improve going forward. Others questioned the ability of the Oxfordshire local authorities to work together and whether sufficient resources would be made available to deliver the project.

 

RESOLVED:  to

 

1.    agree to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal (the Deal) (attached as Appendix 1 to the report of the head of partnership and insight to Cabinet on 9 February 2018);

 

2.    agree the Delivery Plan (attached as Appendix 2 to the report of the head of partnership and insight to Cabinet on 9 February 2018) as the basis for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

Treasury management mid-year monitoring 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 386 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 9 February 2018, will consider a monitoring report on the treasury management activities for the first six months of 2017/18 and an update on the current economic conditions with a view to the remainder of the year. 

 

The Joint Audit and Governance Committee considered the report at its meeting on 29 January 2018 and had not recommended any adjustments to the strategy as a result of the first six months’ activities.   

 

The report of the head of finance, which Cabinet will consider on 9 February 2018, is attached. Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors prior to the Council meeting.

 

 

Minutes:

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 9 February 2018, on the treasury management activities for the first six months of 2017/18.

 

The Joint Audit and Governance Committee had considered the report at its meeting on 29 January 2018 and had not recommended any adjustments to the strategy as a result of the first six months’ activities.  That committee and Cabinet had concluded that the treasury management activities had operated within the agreed parameters set out in the approved treasury management strategy.

 

RESOLVED: to approve the head of finance’s treasury management mid-year monitoring report 2017/18 to Cabinet on 9 February 2018. 

 

62.

Treasury management strategy 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 470 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 9 February 2018, will consider a report on the council’s treasury management strategy (TMS) for 2018/19 to 2020/21 and set out the expected treasury operations for this period.

 

The Joint Audit and Governance Committee considered the report at its meeting on 29 January 2018 and had not recommended any adjustments to the strategy. 

 

The report of the head of finance, which Cabinet will consider on 9 February 2018, is attached. Cabinet recommendations will be circulated to all councillors prior to the Council meeting.

 

Minutes:

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 9 February 2018, on the council’s treasury management strategy and investment strategy for 2018/19 to 2020/21.

 

The Joint Audit and Governance Committee considered the report at its meeting on 29 January 2018 and recommended that the head of finance should consult the co-chair of Joint Audit and Governance Committee before investing in any Non-UCITS Retail Scheme.  Cabinet supported the proposed strategy and the amendments as well as the recommendation of the Joint Audit and Governance Committee. 

 

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    approve the treasury management strategy 2018/19 set out in appendix A to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018; 

 

2.    approve the prudential indicators and treasury limits for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21 as set out in table 2, appendix A to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018; and

 

3.    approve the annual investment strategy set out in appendix A (paragraphs 18 to 59), subject to the head of finance consulting the co-chair of Joint Audit and Governance Committee before investing in any Non-UCITS Retail Scheme, and the lending criteria detailed in table 5 to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018. 

 

 

63.

Revenue budget 2018/19 and capital programme to 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 203 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 9 February 2018, will consider the report of the head of finance on the draft revenue budget 2018/19, and the capital programme to 2022/23.

 

The report of the head of finance, which Cabinet will consider on 9 February 2018, has been circulated to all councillors. Please bring this to the Council meeting. 

 

The Scrutiny Committee will consider this report at its meeting on 8 February 2018. Any views or recommendations will be reported to Council.

 

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors prior to the Council meeting. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A.   Question from Councillor Judy Roberts to Councillor Mike Murray, Cabinet member for Development and Regeneration

 

“What funding is allocated in the 2018-19 Vale budget specifically to the Housing Enabler role as outlined in the Joint Housing Delivery Strategy?” 

 

Answer

 

Councillor Ware responded to the question in the absence of Councillor Murray. She stated that the 2018/19 funding for the housing enabler role will be found from the existing housing team strength.

 

Supplementary question/answer

 

In response to a supplementary question Councillor Ware responded that requirements for additional resources would be subject to future growth bids.

 

B.   Debate on revenue budget 2018/19 and capital programme to 2022/23

The Chairman referred to regulations that require councils to record the names of those councillors voting in favour, against or abstaining from any vote on the budget, including amendments, and the council tax. In accordance with the regulations she would call for a named vote on each of these matters at this meeting.

 

The Chairman reminded councillors that they were not entitled to vote on any issue affecting the level or administration of the council tax or other decisions which might affect the making of any such calculation such as the budget, if they were over two months in arrears with their council tax payments. Where such circumstances applied, councillors were under a statutory obligation to disclose the restriction placed on them and refrain from voting at the relevant meeting. No councillor made any such declaration.

 

Council noted the report of the chief finance officeron the robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy of the reserves.

 

Councillor Sharp, Cabinet member for finance, presented the Cabinet’s proposals for the revenue budget 2018/19 and capital programme to 2022/23. On behalf of the council he thanked officers for their part in preparing the draft budget.

Councillor Sharp moved and Councillor Barber seconded a motion to approve Cabinet’s recommendations as follows:

1.    set the revenue budget for 2018/19 as set out in appendix A.1 to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018;

2.    approve the capital programme for 2018/19 to 2022/23 as set out in appendix D.1 to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018, together with the capital growth bids set out in appendix D.2 of the report;

3.    set the council’s prudential limits as listed in appendix E to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018;

4.    approve the medium term financial plan to 2022/23 as set out in appendix F.1 to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 9 February 2018.

The majority of councillors supported the budget which continued provision for grants to community projects, included provision for a feasibility study for electrical charging points at district council locations, included a fund to improve the look of public areas across the district and provided for a new leisure centre in Wantage. The increase in council tax is prudent to address the long term sustainability of the council by matching  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

64.

Council tax 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 356 KB

To consider the report of the head of finance on the setting of the council tax for the 2018/19 financial year - report to follow.

 

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the head of finance on the setting of the council tax for the 2018/19 financial year.

 

In accordance with regulations requiring councils to record the names of those councillors voting in favour, against or abstaining from any vote on the council tax the Chairman called for a recorded vote, which was carried with the voting being as follows:

 

For

Against

Abstentions

Councillors

Councillors

Councillors

Alice Badcock

 

Mike Badcock

 

 

Matthew Barber

 

 

Eric Batts

 

 

Edward Blagrove

 

 

Yvonne Constance

 

Roger Cox

 

Margaret Crick

 

 

Charlotte Dickson

 

St John Dickson

 

 

Katie Finch

 

 

Robert Hall

 

 

Debby Hallett

 

 

Jenny Hannaby

 

 

Anthony Hayward

 

 

Dudley Hoddinott

 

 

Simon Howell

 

Vicky Jenkins

 

Bob Johnston

 

 

MohinderKainth

 

Monica Lovatt

 

Sandy Lovatt

 

Ben Mabbett

 

Chris McCarthy

 

Chris Palmer

 

Helen Pighills

 

Julia Reynolds

 

 

Judy Roberts

 

 

Robert Sharp

 

Janet Shelley

 

Emily Smith

 

 

Henry Spencer

 

Elaine Ware

 

 

Catherine Webber

 

 

Total: 34

Total: 0

Total: 0

 

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.    to note that at its meeting on 13 December 2017 the council calculated the council tax base 2018/19:

(a)    for the whole council area as 50,451.8[Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “Act”)]; and

 (b)   for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a parish precept relates as in column 1 of appendix 1.

2.    that the council tax requirement for the council’s own purposes for 2018/19 (excluding parish precepts) is £6,391,739

3.    that the following amounts be calculated for the year 2018/19 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

(a)    £77,514,025 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by parish councils.

(b)    £67,308,728 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.

(c)    £10,205,297 being the amount by which the aggregate at (3)(a) above exceeds the aggregate at (3)(b) above, calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its council tax requirement for the

Band A

£774.47

Band B

£903.55

Band C

£1,032.63

Band D

£1,161.71

Band E

£1,419.87

Band F

£1,678.03

Band G

£1,936.18

Band H

£2,323.42

 

 
year.  (Item R in the formula in Section 31B) of the Act).

(d)    £202.28 being the amount at (3)(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 31(B) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year (including parish precepts).

(e)    £3,813,558 being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act, as set out in column 2 of appendix 1.

(f)     £126.69 being the amount at (3)(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (3)(e) above by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

65.

Pay policy statement 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 225 KB

To consider the report of the head of corporate services on the adoption of a pay policy statement to meet the requirements of the Localism Act - report attached.

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the head of corporate services on the adoption of a pay policy statement to meet the requirements of the Localism Act.

 

RESOLVED: to approve the pay policy statement for 2018/19 attached to the report of the head of corporate services to Council on 14 February 2017.

 

 

66.

Review of membership of the Planning Committee and the political balance on committees pdf icon PDF 236 KB

To consider the report of the head of legal and democratic on the membership of the Planning Committee and the political balance of committees – report attached.

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the head of legal and democratic on the membership of the Planning Committee and the political balance of committees.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    reduce the size of the Planning Committee from 11 members to nine members;

 

2.    allocate seats to each political group in accordance with paragraphs 8 - 11 of the report of the head of legal and democratic to Council on 14 February 2018;

 

3.    (with no councillor voting against) allocate one of the Conservative Group seats on the Planning Committee to the Liberal Democrat Group to ensure the overall political balance;

 

4.    (with no councillor voting against)allocate one of the Conservative Group’s seats on the Corporate Services Joint Scrutiny Committee to the Liberal Democrat Group;

5.    appoint councillors and substitutes to sit on the Planning Committee and Corporate Services Joint Scrutiny Committee as follows;

 

Planning Committee, 9 Members

Conservative (6)

Liberal Democrat (3)

Anthony Hayward

Jenny Hannaby

Robert Hall

Bob Johnston

Sandy Lovatt (Chairman)

Catherine Webber

Ben Mabbett

 

Chris McCarthy

 

Janet Shelley (Vice-Chairman)

 

PREFERRED SUBSTITUTES

Conservative (6)

Liberal Democrat (3)

Mike Badcock

Margaret Crick

Yvonne Constance

Helen Pighills

St. John Dickson

Emily Smith

Monica Lovatt

 

Chris Palmer

 

Julia Reynolds

 

 

Names

Corporate Services Joint Scrutiny Committee, 2 Members

Conservative (1)

Liberal Democrat Group (1)

Ben Mabbett

Debby Hallett

 

 

PREFERRED SUBSTITUTES

Conservative (3)

Liberal Democrat (3)

Alice Badcock

Helen Pighills

Yvonne Constance

Judy Roberts

Chris Palmer

Emily Smith

 

6.    authorise the head of legal and democratic to make appointments to any vacant committee or panel seat and substitute positions in accordance with the wishes of the relevant group leader. 

 

67.

Report of the leader of the council pdf icon PDF 161 KB

(1)       Urgent cabinet decisions

 

In accordance with the Cabinet arrangements and 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.

 

On 21 December 2017, the Cabinet member for corporate services took an urgent decision to award a contract to purchase a software licence.  The decision had not been advertised on the Cabinet work programme for 28 days before it was made as the council’s IT contractor and the council’s procurement contractor were leading on the re-procurement of the licences for which a budget was in place and the timing of completion and contract award was not fully appreciated.  This decision was urgent and could not be deferred because the council’s software licences expired at the end of December and new licences needed to be in place by then to enable the council to continue to operate its IT solution.  The agreement of the Scrutiny Committee chairman was sought and received before the Cabinet member made this decision. 

 

(2)       Delegation of cabinet functions

 

To note changes to the leader’s scheme of delegation (attached).  The changes involve the continuation of Councillor Eric Batts as cabinet’s representative on both the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership Oversight Committee and the South and Vale Community Safety Partnership.  These changes took effect on 12 January 2018. 

 

(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:

Council noted that Councillor Eric Batts will continue as the Cabinet member for community safety and the council’s representative on both the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership Oversight Committee and the South and Vale Community Safety Partnership.

 

In accordance with the Cabinet arrangements and procedure rules, Council noted that on 21 December 2017, the Cabinet member for corporate services took an urgent decision to award a contract to purchase a software licence.    The agreement of the Scrutiny Committee chairman was sought and received before the Cabinet member made this decision.

 

 

68.

Questions on notice

To receive questions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 33. 

 

1.    From Councillor Catherine Webber to Councillor Matthew Barber, Cabinet Member for Partnership and Insight

Residents are asking about the Five Council Partnership deal and why the expectant savings for tax payers of £50million has now dropped drastically to only £20 million. Can the Cabinet Member help members, and the public, to understand what’s gone wrong by publishing the relevant information? After all, this is public money we’re talking about. The deal seems to be shrouded in secrecy, so anyone seeking information is forced to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Responding to FOI requests is costly to the Council, and frustrating for our residents. How can the administration improve transparency and ensure the public have access to more detailed information about the Five Council Partnership? 

 

2.    From Councillor Debby Hallett to Councillor Matthew Barber, Cabinet Member for Partnership and Insight

Whenever a decision is made to outsource public services to an external provider, we outsource the work but not the responsibility. It is Vale that must meet payroll, manage HR issues, keep the IT systems working, and replace batteries in officers’ mobile telephones. Cabinet decided to trust Capita with much of this work.

 

News of Capita’s fall in share price after profits warnings are of huge concern to this council. Their announced strategic and operational changes raise the question of whether Capita are still willing and able to carry out their performance commitments to us. This council is just a small part of their world, but they are a big part of ours. 

 

When Cabinet decided to outsource this work, it appears no one was designated as Contract Manager. Who at Vale is now responsible for managing the contract with Capita? What is the true savings per year for Vale now that we have so many of our senior officers dedicating so much of their time to this outsourcing scheme? What has been the cost of officers in addressing issues arising? And what is the level of service now, compared to what it was before 5CP?

 

Where can members and the public see what contingency plans Vale has put in place to mitigate the risk of Capita’s services to Vale ceasing?

 

3.    From Councillor Emily Smith to Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for Planning:

In terms of the Housing Test imposed by Government, here are the targets, as I understand them to be, for house building Vale must achieve, or face consequences in our planning policies or processes: housing delivery limits.png

I understand the 2020 target is likely to actually be 75%.

Can the Cabinet member explain to Council how we measure and report our figures, how we are doing so far, and what steps are being taken to ensure we do not regress into the situation where we’ve been for most of the time he’s been in charge, where speculative developers have the upper hand?

 

4.    From Councillor Judy Roberts to Councillor Mike Murray, Cabinet member for  ...  view the full agenda text for item 68.

Minutes:

1.      Question from Councillor Catherine Webber to Councillor Matthew Barber, Cabinet member for partnership and insight

 

Residents are asking about the Five Council Partnership deal and why the expectant savings for tax payers of £50 million has now dropped drastically to only £20 million.  Can the Cabinet Member help members, and the public, to understand what’s gone wrong by publishing the relevant information?  After all, this is public money we’re talking about. The deal seems to be shrouded in secrecy, so anyone seeking information is forced to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.  Responding to FOI requests is costly to the Council, and frustrating for our residents.  How can the administration improve transparency and ensure the public have access to more detailed information about the Five Council Partnership?”  

 

Answer

 

Councillor Barber responded that officers are still in negotiation with both Capita over a deed of variation, and VINCI. The discussions are commercially sensitive for all parties and cannot be conducted in public without undermining the council's position. Although final figures will not be known until the negotiations are completed, the council remains confident that the corporate services contracts will provide significant savings to the councils compared with the previous cost of running the services. If required, confidential briefing sessions or meetings of the Scrutiny Committee could be held for councillors. The council would respond to FOI requests but could not divulge confidential information.

 

2.      Councillor Debby Hallett to Councillor Matthew Barber, Cabinet member for partnership and insight

 

“Whenever a decision is made to outsource public services to an external provider, we outsource the work but not the responsibility.  It is Vale that must meet payroll, manage HR issues, keep the IT systems working, and replace batteries in officers’ mobile telephones.  Cabinet decided to trust Capita with much of this work.

 

News of Capita’s fall in share price after profits warnings are of huge concern to this council.  Their announced strategic and operational changes raise the question of whether Capita are still willing and able to carry out their performance commitments to us.  This council is just a small part of their world, but they are a big part of ours. 

 

When Cabinet decided to outsource this work, it appears no one was designated as Contract Manager.  Who at Vale is now responsible for managing the contract with Capita?  What is the true savings per year for Vale now that we have so many of our senior officers dedicating so much of their time to this outsourcing scheme?  What has been the cost of officers in addressing issues arising?  And what is the level of service now, compared to what it was before 5CP?

 

Where can members and the public see what contingency plans Vale has put in place to mitigate the risk of Capita’s services to Vale ceasing?” 

 

Answer

 

Councillor Barber responded that from the commencement of the contract there has been a joint client team, shared by all the five council partners and headed by a client  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

69.

Motions on notice under Council procedure rule 38

No motions have been received from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 38. 

 

 

Minutes:

No motions were submitted under Council procedure rule 38.

70.

Exclusion of the public

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)        it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii)       the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)        it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1,2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii)       the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

 

 

 

71.

Minutes

To adopt and sign as a correct record the confidential Council minutes of the   meeting held on 13 December 2017. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the confidential minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2017 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

 

 

Contact us - Democratic services

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01235 422520
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Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon
OX14 3JE