Agenda item

To receive and note the minutes of the Ridgeway Shared Services Partnership Operations Board meetings held on 20 October, 17 November and 15 December 2008. 

The minutes of the Operations Board meetings held on 20 October, 17 November and 15 December 2008 were received and noted as well as the draft minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2009. 

The Strategic Board asked that, in future, the most recent minutes of the Operations Board should be submitted to the Strategic Board, even if they were still in draft form.  It was better to see the latest position. 

The Strategic Board asked for updates on several issues that appeared in the Operations Board minutes:

• There had been problems in identifying the roles and responsibilities in the Payroll service.  This was now being discussed at meetings of the Operations Board.  The intention was to look at this in more detail at a subsequent Board meeting
• It was noted that Lisa Galvani would be leaving Capita on 4 February and her replacement was Darren Keen
• With regard to the Vale Benefit Subsidy Audit 2007/08 the total value of overpayments caused by local authority error had exceeded the Government-prescribed ‘lower threshold’.  This was despite several warnings to Capita that the threshold might be breached without improvements and despite assurances from Capita that the figures would improve.  As a result, the Vale stood to lose £57k benefit subsidy for breaching the threshold.  A performance notice had been served on Capita with a demand for £57k compensation.  The Strategic Board was not happy with Capita’s 2007/08 performance on benefits, noting that there was no improvement to date in 2008/09 with Capita predicting that both councils would exceed the lower threshold and incur subsidy loss.  It was reported that there was even the possibility of one or both councils exceeding the Government-prescribed ‘upper threshold’, which would incur even greater subsidy losses.  Members asked that Capita submitted a report explaining the situation and setting out what action it intended to take to resolve the problems.  In the meantime, Members asked that Capita’s performance was closely monitored
• The overall percentage error rates for benefits had not been received from Capita and this request had been outstanding since last summer.  There was some concern at Capita’s inability to provide this information.  It was hoped that Capita was carrying out the necessary checks but there was no evidence to suggest this was happening.  The Strategic Board was concerned at this and requested that the officers formally ask Capita for this information.  If this did not bring prompt action then the issuing of a performance notice should be considered as well as seeking a meeting between the Councils’ Chief Executive and the Capita chief executive
• It was noted that Capita was involved in the Vale’s project to upgrade software for credit card security
• With regard to brown bins, at the Vale there was still an under-recovery of invoices.  It had taken some time to synchronise the data between the brown bins management system and the Agresso financial management system.  At South Oxfordshire problems were being experienced with reconciling payments with the correct account due to Capita not printing invoice numbers on the payment slips.  Capita was being asked to rectify this error.  Internal Audit was also investigating these problems.  A meeting was being held between staff at the two Councils to overcome the problems experienced.  Members considered that in the longer term both Councils should move to charging the same amounts for the brown bin service and both should offer discounted payment by direct debit or only allow payment by direct debit or online methods
• As part of South Oxfordshire’s fit for the future project, it was intended to split housing benefit from the Housing service

RESOLVED

(a)               that Capita be asked to write a report explaining the reason for the Vale’s Benefit Subsidy Audit 2007/08 being over the threshold and setting out what action it intended to take to resolve the general problem of high local authority errors at both councils; and

(b)               that Capita be formally asked to provide the overall percentage accuracy/error rates for benefits.