Agenda and minutes

The Chair informed the Committee that this item was to consider a Call-in request in respect of the Cabinet decision taken on 4^th July 2018 in respect of “Restructure of Attractions”.

The Scrutiny Manager advised the committee on the process as outlined in the Constitution.  The purpose was to consider the appropriateness of a decision that had already been taken by the Executive, a decision that had been called-in by Members.  Members were advised that the Committee was not able to make a decision themselves but were able to do one of the following:

1.         Accept the Cabinet’s decision.

2.         Refer the matter back to Cabinet for re-consideration (with reasons).

3.         Refer the matter to Council for consideration.

The Chair invited Members who requested the call-in to briefly outline their reasons for calling in the decision.  The following points were noted:

Members who were signatories of the Call in expressed concern about the report as follows:

·         The report was considered by Cabinet without pre-decision scrutiny, no papers were available in advance of the meeting (therefore there had been insufficient notice) and the outcome was not listed as a proposal.

·         The report was vague with insufficient, defined information provided on costs and how they were calculated.

·         The position on possible redundancies was unclear and responsibility for costs was questioned as implementation would be ahead of the Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) and could exceed the £10,000 limit. It was also questioned if the cost of redundancies had been added into the ADM process.

·         The rationale was questioned noting that it was unclear if there was any financial advantage from the proposed change. It was queried why the change was proposed at this time, ahead of implementation in December.

·         It was questioned what arrangements would be in place to cover leave and sickness absence for the new Visitor Attractions Group Manager post, and also to address staff stress. 

The Chair invited the Cabinet Member to provide a response.

The Cabinet Member advised that this decision was not directly connected with an ADM adding that the Council had not made a decision as yet.  The reason for change arose from the need for a better management structure and this would have been the case with or without an ADM.  If an ADM proceeds it will be important to have a management structure that is fit for purpose from the beginning to ensure the best possible start.

·         Regarding possible redundancies, it was confirmed that those likely to be affected would have been consulted first.

·         Considering the reason for the Call In, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that costs could be over the £10,000 threshold as the costs are not fully known as they depend on appointment to jobs in the new structure and e.g. years of service etc.

·         The point was made that the Council makes decisions on a very regular basis and it would be impossible for every decision to be pre-scrutinised but there is the facility of Call in that allows any member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

No declarations of interest were made.

The minutes of the meeting of the Economy and Development Select Committee held on 7^th June 2018 were confirmed and signed be the Chair.

No members of the public were present.

Purpose:

Further to Cabinet approval for the implementation of the Inspire2Achieve (I2A) and Inspire2Work (I2W) programme in March 2016, and July 2017 Youth Enterprise requests in principle support for additional match funding from Authority Invest to Redesign reserves for 2018-19 and Base Budget consideration from 2019-20 to 2022-23. This funding will enable the extension the existing I2A programme to December 2021 which provides education and well-being support with the aim of

reducing the risk of becoming NEET (Not Engaged in Education, Employment or Training) and the existing I2W programme to December 2022 which provides post 16 support, intervention and employment opportunities utilising European Social Fund (ESF) monies.

Recommendations:

The Committee considers the request for additional match funding from the Invest to Redesign reserves for 2018-19 and Base Budget Consideration from 2019-20 to 2022-23, offering recommendations which will inform the Cabinet.

Key Issues:

1.    I2A provides education and well-being support, and qualifications for young people aged 11-16 years most at risk of becoming NEET and I2W provides employability support, qualifications and work placements for unemployed young people aged 16 -24 years.

2.    The current I2A programme for 11-16 year olds was approved by Cabinet in March 2016 for three years (March 2019) at total project cost of £792,900 split between 45% ESF of £356,805 and 55% MCC match funding of £436,095.

3.    The current I2W programme for 16- 24 year olds was approved by Cabinet in July 2017 until February 2020. The total project cost was £401,609 split between 45% ESF of £180,724 and 55% MCC match funding of £220,885.

4.    Members have previously been made aware that Welsh Government has implemented the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework 2013, which provides a delivery model centred on the needs of young people identifying six key areas for achieving better outcomes for young people. The principles of the framework is embedded in the I2A and I2W programmes and is designed to secure added value whilst reflecting the needs and aspirations of Monmouthshire’s young people and the Authority’s Corporate Plan.

Member Scrutiny:

The Head of Enterprise & Community Development introduced the report and the Youth Enterprise Manager provided further information.  Following presentation of the report, Members were invited to comment.

A Member asked what arrangements were in the event that the European Social Fund is discontinued due to Brexit.  It was responded that the lifetime of the project is until 2023.  The lead authority, Newport City Council has liaised with the Welsh European Funding Officer and the situation looks promising at the current time. In response to a query, it was explained that there is a budget for the lifetime of the project and quarterly claims are submitted to obtain funds. Newport City Council monitors outcomes and the authority is RAG rated green for both projects.

The Head of Enterprise & Community Development added that the Rural Development Programme also receives European funding and there is no indication that it will be withdrawn at the present time. Post 2022 projects, however, are likely to be affected.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Purpose:

1. To present an update on Abergavenny Borough Theatre following the Cabinet decision to accept the surrender of the lease, bringing the Management Agreement to an end, and returning ownership and control to the Authority.

2. To request that Members consider activity to date and proposed next steps, providing comments for Cabinet consideration on the 25th July 2018.

Recommendations:

1. That Select Committee scrutinises the situation analysis and options appraisal and

considers the proposal to recruit a fixed term, full time Theatre Manager, with supporting Front of House Supervisors, be resourced from within the approved Medium Term Financial Plan, in order to put the Theatre on a on a more stable footing and determine the medium/longer term future for the Theatre.

2. That Select Committee considers the development of a formal Charter or Concordat with Acting for the Borough (A4B), the former Borough Theatre Management Committee.

Key Issues:

1. In February 2018, Cabinet approved and accepted the surrender of the lease between the Council and the Borough Theatre Trust. In so doing, the Management Agreement entered into by both parties ceased and Abergavenny Borough Theatre returned to the ownership and control of the Council. The Borough Theatre Trust were in full agreement with the actions taken and agreed to cease to operate and to de-register themselves on conclusion of the hand-over. The Council also agreed to undertake a TUPE transfer of the six existing Theatre employees, and to meet any severance costs of the individuals if a viable, ongoing model for the Theatre could not be found.

2. In making the decision, the Authority agreed to review all operations of Abergavenny Borough Theatre over a six month period and to bring forward an options appraisal as a subsequent report to Cabinet for the medium term future of the Theatre.

Member Scrutiny:

The Head of Enterprise and Community Development and Finance Manager presented the report.  Following on, Members were invited to comment and ask questions:

A Member queried financial viability and asked if there was any comparative data with similar towns and theatres, also if any theatres are closing.  It was responded that the data comes from the Arts Council for Wales.  There was no information about closures.  It is a recognised fact within the industry that theatres need financial support.  The grant applied puts the theatre on a sustainable footing.  The theatre is a community facility and plays a significant role in the social wellbeing of Abergavenny.  It is bigger than any other in the town, has a good reputation and audience figures are strong. 

A Member stated that arts and entertainments have been identified as growth areas and spoke in favour of the appointment of a manager to promote successful outcomes whilst accepting the risk of a potential additional severance payment to do so.

In response to a question about the cost of refurbishment it was confirmed that there was a grant available from the Arts Council worth £280,000 which would have to be match funded, and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Purpose:

To provide a progression report on Events further to the findings of an independent

Events review; and to consider the options that will underpin a forward plan and future Events Strategy.

Recommendations:

To consider the forward plan for Events and offer comments and recommendations toinform the Cabinet paper for the 25th July 2018, regarding the preferred ‘Hybrid’ optionthe purpose of which is to put the Events and Special Projects team on a strategic andstable footing.

Key Issues:

1. Following the findings of a number of internal audit reports and a Limited Assurance audit opinion, an independent evaluation was undertaken to review progress made towards the implementation of the internal audit recommendations. The purpose of the review was to:

 review the current “in house“ team using the audit report as baseline data to analyse current procedural issues which pose risks to the Council;

 produce a detailed options analysis of alternative delivery options to include a hired facilities model, joint venture partnership delivery, etc. which will be specific in recommending new approaches to future event delivery;

 undertake local stakeholder consultations to gauge opinion regarding the staging of major events at Caldicot Castle;

 produce a detailed analysis of the option to divest from events to include the projected impact on tourism visitor numbers, the reduced potential for repeat visits, the potential for reduced visitor spend and the impact on the benefit of wider community engagement opportunities;

 inform a Forward Strategy document which contains a full appraisal of all available options; will be strong in strategic direction and guidance surrounding good governance; will enshrine due diligence and include guidance on how this can be operationalised, should the opportunity to divest prove too costly to consider.

2. The findings of the review concurred with the Audit report findings whilst also identifying the benefit of the events to the local economy:

• Events can be considered as part of the DNA of a rural economy like

Monmouthshire’s because they can create a lively and dynamic experience for residents and visitors. They can be key in promoting the area and all the wonderful things people can enjoy whilst visiting it. For local residents, they have provided recreational opportunities that help to build strong and resilient communities through participation and involvement, as well as increasing economic and social benefits in the following ways:

• Events boost the local economy from increased visitor numbers and increased spending associated with events;

• Events act as a platform for providing positive local and national media about the area as well as increasing the county’s profile locally and nationally;

• Events encourage economic growth opportunities by developing the local supply chain to respond to the need of major events;

• Events provide opportunities for the local community to get involved by volunteering to help develop skills and employment opportunities; and

• Events provide local entertainment for the community and additional recreational opportunities for residents across the county.

3. On top of these benefits the review recognised the general  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Purpose:

To present the 2017/18 performance information under the remit of Economy and

Development Select Committee, this includes:

 Reporting back on how well we did against the well-being objectives which the previous Council set for 2017/18 (appendix 2)

 2017/18 performance information on how we performed against a range of nationally set measures used by all councils in Wales (appendix 3).

Recommendations:

Members are invited to scrutinise how well the authority performed against the objectives it set for the previous financial year and scrutinise performance measured using a range of nationally set indicators that fall within the remit of the committee.

Key Issues:

1. The council currently has an established performance framework, this is the way in which we translate our vision - building sustainable and resilient communities – into action and ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction to deliver real and tangible outcomes. This is shown at appendix 1. Further information on the council’s performance framework is available on the council’s intranet, the hub.

2. The information contained within the report, in many cases will cover the performance of service areas already scrutinised as part of the Select Committee’s work programme. The purpose of bringing the information together is to allow Select

Committee to understand performance in the context of the strategic plan or performance framework within which it is set. Committee members are encouraged to utilise their time appropriately in consideration of the scrutiny the committee has already undertaken in service areas and has planned on the committee’s work programme. The report may identify further areas of scrutiny that committee may want to consider for inclusion on the forward work programme. Activity that contributes to the delivery of some objectives cross cuts select committee remits.

Therefore it is suggested members particularly focus their scrutiny on the activity relevant to the committee with consideration of its contribution to the objective as a whole.

3. In March 2017 full Council set Monmouthshire County Council’s well-being objectives for 2017/18. These objectives were set just prior to local government elections in May 2017, in order to meet the legislative requirement of approving and publishing Wellbeing Objectives by 31st March 2017. Given the timing of the publication the latest available evidence from the Monmouthshire well-being assessment, as well as policy and legislation was used to set the Objectives.

4. The approval of the Corporate Plan ‘A Monmouthshire that works for everyone’ which sets five priority goals the Council will be working towards by 2022 supersedes the Council’s well-being objectives set in March 2017. Despite these objectives being superseded by the Corporate Plan it is important, and we have a duty, to report back on the progress we made in 2017/18 against the well-being objective set in March

2017. The report in appendix 2 provides the progress with the objective that is under the remit of the select committee. This includes progress against areas of work related to the objective, an understanding of key performance information and future activity the Council has  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Purpose:

1. The purpose of this report is to provide Members with information on the revenue and capital outturn position of the Authority at the end of reporting period 3 which represents the financial outturn position for the 2017/18 financial year.

2. This report will also be considered by Select Committees as part of their responsibility to:

• assess whether effective budget monitoring is taking place,

• monitor the extent to which budgets are spent in accordance with agreed budget and policy framework,

• challenge the reasonableness of projected over or underspends, and

• monitor the achievement of predicted efficiency gains or progress in relation to savings proposals.

Recommendations Proposed To Cabinet

1. That Members consider a net revenue outturn underspend of £653,000, an improvement of £694,000 on period 2 (month 7) outturn predictions.

2. Members consider a capital outturn spend of £46.8 million against a revised budget of £47.2 million, after proposed slippage of £11.8 million, resulting in a net underspend of £395k.

3. Considers the use of reserves proposed in para 3.7.1,

4. Supports the apportionment of general underspend in supplementing reserve levels as described in para 3.7.3 below, i.e.:

Priority Investment Fund £155k

Capital Receipts Generation Reserve £50k

Balance Invest to Redesign Reserve £448k

Total £653k

5. Members note that the low level of earmarked reserves will notably reduce the flexibility the Council has in meeting the challenges of scare resources going forward.

6. Members notes the extent of movements in individual school balances placing emphasis on schools to review the extent that recovery plans can be delivered over shortened timescales, and appreciates a net use of balances of only £94k instead of the original budgeted intention of schools to draw on balances by £877k.

Member Scrutiny:

The Assistant Finance/Section 151 Officer presented the report and invited questions:

A Member asked about progress with the budget at Chepstow School and was informed that a recovery plan was put in place and the Headteacher, Governors and Bursar worked together to outperform the recovery plan ending the year with an £180,000 surplus.  Comparisons were drawn with the deficit positions of the other three secondary schools.  Recovery plans will be used to manage the situation back to surplus position.

The Chair referred to a recent robust scrutiny session with the Chief Officer, Resources regarding the procurement strategy mentioning the savings listed in this report being relatively small.  It was noted that savings of £100,000 for procurement were not met and questioned what other challenges are expected.  It was queried how to make changes and what potential there is to drive savings from procurement.  It was explained that there have been lessons learned and ways to make savings will be reviewed.  It was agreed that there needs to be a focus on managing commissioning.

A Member asked if there was extra capacity to assist with addressing this matter and suggested that expertise is used collaboratively.  It was explained that Officers involved in procurement have tended to be involved in repair and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The list of actions from the previous meeting was noted.

The Forward Work Programme was noted. 

It was proposed that the meeting scheduled for 27^th September 2018 is longer to accommodate adequate scrutiny of:

·         Welsh Government - Broadband

·         ADM

It was noted that Velothon has agreed to scrutiny on the most recent event and our investment at a subsequent meeting.

A Member queried if there was any work on the impact of the event.  It was clarified that Velothon has been asked to provide a detailed analysis.  Another Member provided information about the financial impact of the event on businesses in Usk.

The Forward Work Programme was noted.  The importance of Officers populating the planner was emphasised

Thursday 27^th September 2018 at 10.00am.

Thursday 27^th September 2018 at 10.00am.