Agenda item

To receive and consider report 75/05 of the Directors' Group. 

(Time: 3.03pm to 3.17pm)

The Executive received and considered report 74/05 of the Strategic Director which detailed those issues referred by the Strategic Management Group following its detailed consideration of the Directors’ Corporate Governance Report.  The report for the first quarter looked at the following key areas:-

§         Key Issues

§         CPA Improvement Action Plan Monitoring

Corporate

Housing

Open Spaces

Implementing Electronic Government (IEG)

§         Best Value Performance Indicators

§         Local Performance Indicators linked to priorities for improvement

§         Financial Information

§         Key Staffing Data

In considering the report, the following points/amendments were made:-

§         In respect of partnership grants, a report would be made to the October 2005 meeting of the Executive.

§         In respect of a Strategy for Youth Provision,  it was reported that a draft Vale Strategy had been received by the Portfolio Holder which would eventually dovetail with the developing County Strategy.

§         In respect of the Summary of Sickness 2005/06 table, it was agreed that officer names should be omitted from the table in future reports.

§         In respect of the programme “Create a Cleaner, Safer and Healthier Environment”, it was reported that this should be amended to read “Create a Cleaner, Safer and Healthier Community and Environment”.

§         In respect of the implementation of the Communication Strategy, it was noted that the responsible officer should be amended to read “Councillor Tessa Ward and the Chief Executive”.

§         In respect of the Implementing E-Government (IEG) Action Plan, it was noted that the next meeting of the IEG Project Steering Group would be held on 13 September 2005 and that it would need to report on the Council’s progress in this area prior to the publication of the next Corporate Governance Report.

§         In respect of Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 109a - % of Major Planning Applications in 13 weeks – the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council be asked to raise with Oxfordshire County Council the need for improved performance from the County in preparing Section 106 Agreements relating to highway contributions to assist the Vale in improving its performance in this area.

In response to the above comments, the Chief Executive reported as follows:

§         In respect of the County Youth Provision Policy, a first working draft had been received which would be considered by the Oxfordshire Public Service Board on 12 September 2005.  A further draft would then be submitted to the Government Office for the South East by the end of September 2005 with final agreement expected in March 2006. 

§         Referring to the removal of officer names from the Summary of Sickness 2005/06 table, the Chief Executive advised that the names related to Steve Bishop and Tim Sadler’s offices and in future these would be grouped under a common heading “Strategic Management”.

§         Referring to the implementation of the Communications Strategy, the Chief Executive advised that an offer of appointment had been made to the post of Communications Officer, subject to the successful candidate receiving satisfactory medical clearance.

§         In respect of Best Value Performance Indicator 109a, the Chief Executive confirmed that the performance of the County Council in dealing with Section 106 Agreements relating to highway contributions had been raised at Officer level and that the County Council was sympathetic to the views of the Vale.  Furthermore, he advised that the matter would be raised at the forthcoming Oxfordshire Leaders Group meeting on 7 September 2005 and the bilateral meeting between the County Council and the Vale on 14 September 2005.

RESOLVED

that the Directors Group Corporate Governance Report 75/05 be noted.