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RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET that the Commercialisation Strategy be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee’s 2024/25 Forward Work Programme be endorsed.
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
There were no apologies for absence from Committee Members. Apologies for absence were received from the Leader and the Cabinet Member for Resources, who were engaged in alternative Council business.
Councillor Minute Number Nature of Interest A. Evans Item 4 – Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report 2023/24 Family member works in Democratic Services section
No public questions had been received.
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RESOLVED that the report be received.
[Note: Councillor Alex Evans having declared a personal interest in this item earlier remained in the meeting and voted]. The Head of Financial Services in the absence of the Cabinet Member for Resources presented the Authority’s Corporate Budget Monitoring Report and the Chief Executive’s and Corporate Services departmental reports as at 29th February 2024 in respect of the 2023/24 financial year. The following queries were raised on the report: Appendix A of the report · It was asked if Officers anticipated any significant changes between 29th February 2024 and year end? The Head of Financial Services stated that unfortunately the figures were not available to share at this point. · Reference was made to the development of an in-house agency pilot for the Llanelli based homes to deliver a more flexible pool of casual staff cited within the main variances - Older People - Residential Care Homes (Local Authority Provision. It was asked if the pilot had commenced and was there any early indications of the impact? The Assistant Chief Executive explained that the pilot had commenced within Social Care, it was anticipated that the pilot would run for 3 months and was being managed by one of the appointed future leaders. Early indications suggested that it was working well, and that the outcome so far has been presented to the Transformation Board and the Corporate Management Team. · Reference was made to the main variances - Housing Benefits Admin which stated that there were 11 vacant posts within the section due to difficulties with recruitment. An update was sought. The Director of Corporate Services explained that the challenges with that particular service was that there was an element of transfer through to Universal Credit and the significant turnover. It was acknowledged that 11 vacant posts seemed significant amount, however the vacancies were spread across the Housing Benefit admin team and the Council Tax Reduction team and some of the posts were not full-time. Members were informed that there was an impact in terms of workload, but Members were assured that this was being managed appropriately and that the recruitment process was ongoing. The Assistant Chief Executive added that 2 apprentices would be joining the team. · Reference was made to the £114 overspend on bank charges due to significant increase in the number of card payments as stated under the Revenues section. Following the recent negotiations with the bank, an update was requested. The Director of Corporate Services explained that this was as a consequence of the throughput of the promotion for cashless options and increased use of credit and debit cards and was therefore over and above the main banking contract. Director of Corporate Services further explained that the terms with the bank had been negotiated and was now more competitive. Members were made aware that there was a bank charge associated to every transaction made by card. It was raised that the percentage charges on transactions had been reduced significantly by other providers which should be included within future contract negotiation discussions. The Director of Corporate Services agreed, however it was reported that the percentage would not be reduced to offset the increase in the volume of the usage in terms of the impact on the budget. · It was asked what work had been undertaken in regard to the provision of free school meals? The Head of Financial Services stated that the amount being recovered from Welsh Government had increased from the previous amount of £2.90 to £3.20, marginally above 10%. The Director of Corporate Services added that the increase from the Welsh Government’s valuation process did not match the costs and therefore a shortfall remained. · Reference was made to the cost increase in regard to school transport. In acknowledging the reasons, it was asked if it would be built into next years budget? The Head of Financial Services confirmed that it had been accommodated within the budget which was approved by full Council in March 2024. Appendix B of the report · In response to queries raised in regard to the to the comment attributed to the Transformation Team, the Transformation Manager explained that in terms of the office disposal there a significant amount of work had taken place to maximise and effectively make use of ‘hybrid-working’ which had enabled a rationalisation of Council buildings. In response to a further query regarding the timeline of the downsizing programme the Transformation Manager confirmed that the majority of planned relocations had been completed with a small number of relocations from Parc Dewi Sant outstanding. The Assistant Chief Executive added that a reconfigure structures had also taken place to align with the new ways of working. Reassurance was provided that the overspend was being regularised. · An update was requested in regard to the comment attributed to the Property Division Business Unit – Vacant Head of Service post. The Assistant Chief Executive explained that work was still ongoing when the final decision has been reached the Committee would be informed accordingly. · It was asked if the Pentre Awel project was on schedule. The Director of Corporate Services reported that whilst the project was currently on schedule, it was expected that a possible variation of a matter of weeks may occur, which was to be expected on a contract of this size. In addition, work was being undertaken to revisit the programme to clarify the outcome position. Members were also assured that the project was within budget. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
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RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET that the Commercialisation Strategy be endorsed.
The Committee received a report which included the new Commercialisation Strategy for consideration. The Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workforce presented the report supported by a presentation delivered by the Flood Defence and Coastal Protection Manager who, as part of the Future Leader Initiative was tasked with the project to develop the strategy with the Transformation Manager. The comprehensive presentation was shared with Members on the day and aimed to inform the Committee on why there was a need for a Commercial Strategy and what the Strategy would look to deliver. The Strategy in its explanation of the purpose, acknowledged that the Council faced pressures from increasing demand for services, with further constraints on resources and an increasing reliance on generating revenue. The Council had declared a climate change emergency and was developing plans to become a net zero carbon local authority by 2030. Increased commercialisation and income generation was also one of the key priorities included within the Council’s Transformation Strategy and that the Commercial Strategy was intended to reinforce new ways of working. The report outlined that the Commercialisation Strategy had been developed to provide for a more strategic approach to the development and implementation of income generation activities across the Council. Income generation/commercialisation was one of the key priorities within the Council’s Transformation Strategy and could play a vital role in helping to mitigate the impact of the significant budget challenges that the Council was likely to continue to face in the short to medium term. The report asked that the Committee formulate views for submission to the Cabinet for consideration. The following queries were raised on the report: · Members thanked the team for a comprehensive strategy and were grateful to receive the information contained within the presentation. · It was asked if the Strategy allowed the Council to capitalise on the private sector for commercial gain? The Transformation Manager explained that commercialisation practices would be adopted were appropriate adhering to legislation. Some services allow for a profit to be generated where the generation of profit was not allowed the option of introducing a stand-alone company which enabled more scope to adopt a more commercial approach in terms of generating profit. An example where the Council have adopted private sector practices was the trading arm of Delta Wellbeing which had proved to be successful. The Director of Corporate Services further explained that whilst capitalising on a private venture could be achieved, it would need to be balanced as it would be linked to risks and challenges. In addition, the Council would not have any additional powers over and above the legislation. It was suggested that the Leisure Services could capitalise on activities which could include Caravan Shows which were prevalent in England with huge success. The Director of Corporate Services stated there was scope that the Leisure team would consider this as an opportunity. · In recognising the importance of effective governance, a concern was raised that it should not however, hinder future decision making. The Director of Corporate Services assured members that risks relating to governance would be identified by the Commercialisation Board as part of the governance structure. · The Transformation Manager, in response to a query raised in regard to the definition and purpose of the Strategy, explained that this Strategy brought everything together in a more joined-up manner, with the next step being to develop a delivery plan, capturing projects over the next year. It was further explained that there was a process in place which encouraged discussions to gather initial ideas for initiatives from managers, teams and operational staff. · An observation was made in that there was no reference of AI within the Strategy. The Interim Chief Digital Officer assured Members that AI was central to both the Transformation Strategy and Digital Strategy which aligned with and supported the Commercialisation Strategy presented today. It was reported that a dedicated AI Strategy would be formulated during the summer. Furthermore, it was explained that over the years the Council had built and hosted many of its technical solutions internally, however in reaction to the ever-evolving technological industry, the Council have now increased its management of solutions/products/services through procurement or monthly/annual leases. Acknowledging that there was no option for income generation in this area, it was however recognised that there were benefits in achieving a less technical and more commercial mindset. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET that the Commercialisation Strategy be endorsed.
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RESOLVED that the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee’s 2024/25 Forward Work Programme be endorsed.
The Committee considered its Forward Work Programme for 2023/2024 prepared in accordance with the Council’s Constitution which required Scrutiny Committees to develop and publish annual forward work programmes identifying issues and reports to be considered at meetings during the course of the municipal year. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee’s 2024/25 Forward Work Programme be endorsed.
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RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
The Committee considered a list of items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting to be held on 9th July, 2024. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting be received.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 17th April, 2024 be signed as a correct record.
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