Agenda and minutes

Mr. D.R. Parsons CC – Leader of the Council.

Mr. R. Miller CC – Deputy Leader of the Council.

Dr. R.K.A. Feltham CC – Cabinet Lead Member for Better Access to Services.

Mr I. D. Ould CC – Cabinet Lead Member for Education

Mr.J.B. Rhodes – Cabinet Lead Member for Community Safety.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 January, 2004 having been previously circulated were taken as read, confirmed and signed subject to the inclusion of the names of Mrs. M.L. Sherwin CC and Mr. M.B. Page CC in the list of members present.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 35.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5).

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The following declarations of interests were made by members:-

 

Mr Hyde CC – personal and prejudicial as a member of the Co-operative Society in relation to the savings proposals affecting the Leicestershire County Co-operative Development Agency;

 

Mr M. L. Sherwin CC – personal and non prejudicial as a member of the Leicestershire Police Authority in relation to any discussions relating to the contribution by that Authority to the activities of Youth Offending Service Management Board.

There were no declarations of the Party Whip.

The Chief Executive reported that there were no petitions to be presented.

The Commission considered a joint report of the Director of Resources and Chief Executive concerning the Revenue Budget for 2004/05 and Capital Programme 2004/07 in relation to the Chief Executive’s Department.  A copy of the report marked ‘B’ and ‘B1’ is filed with these minutes.

 

The Commission also considered the following reports, copies of which are also filed with these minutes:

 

-         Report of the Director of Resources to the Cabinet on 28 January, setting out the overall position on the Revenue Budget 2004/05 and Capital Programme 2004/07 (marked ‘BB’).

 

-         Comments of the Scrutiny Committees on the proposed Revenue Budget and Capital Programme relating to their respective service areas (marked ‘B2’).

 

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting the following members who had kindly agreed to attend the meeting to answer questions:

 

Mr. D.R. Parsons CC                         -                        Leader of the Council

Mr. R. Miller CC                        -                        Deputy Leader of the Council

Dr. R.K.A.Feltham CC                        -                        Cabinet Lead Member for Better Access

                                                to Services

Mr I. D. Ould CC                         -                        Cabinet Lead Member for Education

Mr. J.B. Rhodes CC                        -                        Cabinet Lead Member of Community Safety

 

Messrs. Ould and Rhodes advised the Commission of their personal interests in relation to the Youth Offending Service as members of the Probation Board and Police Authority respectively.

 

a)         Chief Executive’s Department Budget

 

            In reply to questions the Commission was advised as follows:-

 

            i)            That the efficiency savings would be achieved by a range of                                  measures including:-

 

·        £130,000 in a full year from the review of the Training Function previously carried out by the Department;

·        increased income primarily from increased charges for orders and agreements relating to development and environmental issues;

·        closer and more careful management of operational and staffing budgets including managing vacancies.

 

With regard to implementation, the normal procedures would apply regarding reporting to the Cabinet and, if appropriate, the Employment Committee. Scrutiny would be able to comment on the decisions of the Cabinet before implementation.

 

ii)            the increased budget provision for Youth Justice and Safer Communities was made up two elements, firstly to meet the cost of strengthening the management and financial monitoring arrangements which were necessary following the merger of three different teams and secondly, to meet the demands from increased referrals and the shortfall in contributions from partner agencies.

 

With regard to the role of the partner agencies, the Commission was assured that all the partners on the Youth Service Management Board were committed to the success of the Youth Offending Service.  However, in view of the particular financial circumstances facing their respective organisations in the coming year the Police, the NHS and, in particular, the Probation Service were unable to commit the additional financial resources requested.

 

         The underspending in the 2003/04 budget was partly as a result of the focus being on bringing together the Youth Offending Service, the Drugs and Alcohol Action Team and the Community Safety Unit and partly as a consequence of the process of recruitment. The increases in the budget were deemed necessary to deliver the County Council’s commitments in the Medium Term Corporate Strategy. 

 

iii)  the additional revenue and capital included for the Better Access to Services Initiative was to deliver the three year strategy agreed by the Cabinet and was also a response to the Government’s strategy of making services accessible electronically. The additional investment would enable the Authority to address the implications of the Freedom of Information Act, continue the roll out of the model services shop initiative and begin to address the issue of broadband access for remote villages.

 

iv)  the £50,000 growth included for implementing the Leicestershire Local Strategic Partnership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

The date of the Commission’s next meeting will be Wednesday 3^rd March, 2004 at 2.00pm.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held at 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 3 March, 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.00 p.m. – 3.50 p.m.                        CHAIRMAN

9 February 2004.