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Agenda item

Reference from the Overview and Scrutiny Commission - pre decision scrutiny of the Business Plan 2014-2018

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet

1) acknowledges Scrutiny’s support on savings CS60, CS61, CS62, CS63, CS64, CS65, CS66, CS67 , CS68, CS70, CS71 , CS72 , CS73 , CS74 , CS75, EV01, CH6, CH5, CH9, CH10, CSF01, CSF02

2) agrees to give further thought to savings proposal CS63 over changing its risk rating to “medium”, prior to Council

3) agrees to withdraw savings proposals CS69, and EV03-EV07

4) agrees to defer savings proposals EV10, and CSF03 until next year

5) notes the views expressed by scrutiny on CH6 and in paragraph 2.12

6) agrees to adopt a general principle of bringing forward budget savings whenever that can be done, including for the financial year 2014/15.

7) agrees with the proposal of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel on proposal EV02, rather than the recommendation contained within paragraph 2.13 of the report

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council invited the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission to present Scrutiny’s comments on the Business Plan 2014-2018 to Cabinet. In presenting the Commissions views he highlighted three particular savings proposals and emphasised the views expressed by Scrutiny. They were:

• Saving CS60 – Scrutiny questioned as to whether it was possible that this saving currently scheduled for 2017/2018 could be move earlier?

• Savings EV03 to EV07- Scrutiny were concerned that those proposals would have significant impact upon residents due to the very busy nature of those services involved. Thus Scrutiny was proposing that those proposals should be rejected at this time.

• Savings EV10 and CSF03 – Scrutiny felt that both proposals should be deferred until the next budget process, so that further details on the savings would be available to be scrutinised.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance addressed the Scrutiny proposals, on behalf of the Cabinet, firstly thanking all Scrutiny Members for their hard work in thoroughly scrutinising the proposals contained within the Business Plan. He addressed the three proposals highlighted by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission:

• Saving OCS60, the reason why it was unlikely to be possible to push that through earlier, was that the saving relates to the outcomes of a system changes within the Directorate. Without finding out the result of such a change it would be unlikely to be able to know which of the Assistant Director post would be deleted.

• Savings EV03 to EV07 – There was a need for changes in how those service areas were supported, especially with the changes to core funding. Given level of the concerns raised the Cabinet were willing to withdrawn the proposal, but with the caveat that the proposal might be reconsidered in the future.

• Savings EV10 and CSF03 – The Cabinet accepted scrutiny’s views on the need to deter both proposals, due to the lack of information within the proposals.

The Cabinet Member then commented on two further saving proposals. The Cabinet accepts the suggestion that CS69 be withdrawn. On proposal EV02 the Cabinet would support original views of Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel on the proposal of having the increase proportional and proportionate to the permit, but not the Commission’s further recommendation on proposal EV02.