Agenda item

The Commission considered a report of the Chief Executive and Director of Resources concerning the Revenue Budget 2006/07 and Capital Programme 2006/09 in relation to the Resources Department.  A copy of the report marked ‘B’ is filed with these minutes.

 

During the course of the ensuing discussion the following comments were made:

 

REVENUE BUDGET 2006/07

 

Growth

 

(i)         Strategic Spatial Planning

 

            The funding was to provide an additional post to assist the County Council’s strategic planning function in supporting the work of the Regional Assembly.  This was in response to late Government Amendment to the Planning Bill to retain the statutory role of County Councils in strategic spatial planning.

 

(ii)        Member Development

 

            The growth was to support developments in member training and in particular to buy in the time of a trainer to assess members’ training needs and to organise training events. 

 

Savings

 

(iii)       Support to services in local communities including the Rural Partnership

 

            The proposed savings would be achieved by small reductions in the Rural Community Council grant, the budget support for Market Towns and in some rural partnership projects.

 

            The Cabinet Lead Member indicated that he would look further at the impact these proposals would have to ensure that services to communities were not adversely affected.

 

(iv)       Urban Development and Community Information

 

            These savings would be achieved by a reduction in the matched funding for the Leicestershire Online Research Atlas (LSORA) which would mean that the database could not be developed further.  The Cabinet Lead member indicated that he would look again at the implications of this. 

 

In addition a £20,000 saving would be achieved when an existing service level agreement in relation to urban development ended in March 2006. 

 

(v)        Community Safety Grants

 

            The Cabinet Lead Member indicated that he would look again at these proposals to assess their impact particularly in relation to current schemes.

 

General

 

(vi)       Customer Services

 

            The amount included in the budget was in relation to County Hall reception staff who had transferred from the Property Department and other staff who were developing customer care standards and providing customer service training and support to all departments of the County Council.

 

            The Contact Centre was separate from this budget and its development would be considered as part of the change management programme. 

 

(vii)      Best Value

 

            The budget for Best Value was utilised to support a range of activities including the increasing demands being placed on the Council in relation to consultation.  It would be appropriate to alter the description of this budget line.

 

(viii)     Tourism

 

            This sum was the County Council’s contribution towards LeicesterShire Promotions. (LSP).  The County Council had a service level agreement with LSP which was regularly monitored.  The Scrutiny Commission had previously considered a detailed report on the activities and performance of LSP and received presentations from its Chief Executive.

 

Change Management Programme

 

(ix)       As part of the Change Management Programme there would be a review of a number of projects including the Contact Centre,

e-procurement and Electronic Document Record System.  A report on the Change Management Programme would be submitted to the next meeting of the Commission.

 

Local Area Agreement

 

(x)        The proposal to use one-off funding was to support the new governance arrangements and to pump prime certain activities within the LAA.  This level of expenditure was in line with the experience of other Councils who had negotiated and were implementing Local Area Agreements, the process being heavily resource intensive.  If the targets within the LAA are successfully delivered the County Council and partners would stand to gain a reward grant of up to £13million.

 

Capital

 

The proposed Capital Programme was noted without comment. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the comments now made in respect of the Revenue Budget and Capital Programme of the Chief Executive’s Departments be noted and forwarded to the Cabinet.