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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED – That the work programme be agreed subject to the aforementioned change.
AGREED - i. To thank Lead Members and Officers for the report and the information provided at the meeting. ii. To recommend to the Chief Officer Education and Early Intervention that an engagement strategy be developed to enable partners and communities to inform the work of the Change Programme. iii. To recommend to the Lead Member for Finance & Asset Management and the Lead Member for Housing & Climate Change that the next Change Programme update include the following:- Ø Key actions, plans, timescales and milestones for each of the projects which sit beneath the Change Programme Themes. Ø Identification of those savings which are part of general efficiency savings and those which are related to specific Change Programme projects. Ø A focus on savings which are rated Amber or Red categories in the budget savings tracker.
An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Councillor Stella Matthews.
AGREED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 19 March 2026 be received as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That the work programme be agreed subject to the aforementioned change.
The Chief Officer Corporate and Governance submitted a report COGC/23/26 which allowed Members to consider the updated work programme of the Customers, Performance, Resources & Governance Scrutiny Committee which was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The following change was put forward and subsequently supported by the Committee. · Council Front Door Project – deferred from April to 14th May 2026. AGREED – That the work programme be agreed subject to the aforementioned change.
Decision as recorded
AGREED - i. To thank Lead Members and Officers for the report and the information provided at the meeting. ii. To recommend to the Chief Officer Education and Early Intervention that an engagement strategy be developed to enable partners and communities to inform the work of the Change Programme. iii. To recommend to the Lead Member for Finance & Asset Management and the Lead Member for Housing & Climate Change that the next Change Programme update include the following:- Ø Key actions, plans, timescales and milestones for each of the projects which sit beneath the Change Programme Themes. Ø Identification of those savings which are part of general efficiency savings and those which are related to specific Change Programme projects. Ø A focus on savings which are rated Amber or Red categories in the budget savings tracker.
The Lead Member for Finance and Performance and the Lead Member for Housing and Climate Change submitted a joint report (COFI/15/26) which provided Members with an update to the Customers, Performance, Resources and Governance Committee on the Council’s Change Programme arrangements, and to update the Committee on the progress made by the Change Programme since our last report. The Lead Members introduced their report and responded to questions accordingly thereafter. Members congratulated the Digital & Customer Service Team on their recent Granicus Award in respect of Blue Badge applications. At the request of the Chair, each senior officer in attendance (Chief Officer Finance and ICT, Chief Officer Education and Early Intervention, Chief Officer Social Care, Head of Service, Digital and Head of Service Human Resources) provided an update in respect of the key projects within their respective departments. The Lead Member for Environment provided an update on behalf of the Chief Officer Environment and Technical Services who had sent apologies. During the ensuing debate, a number of issues were highlighted, including: · The importance of Community engagement and discussion around whether an engagement strategy should be developed. · Officers acknowledged the complexity of partnership working and the importance of aligning this with the Digital workstream. · It was agreed that engagement and communication with communities should be strengthened. · Questions were raised about how to improve Member engagement, as past workshop attendance had been low. · Officers confirmed that a communications plan was being implemented for employees and Members, including workshops, videos, and quarterly updates and examples of Change Programme Project work. Members were asked to submit suggestions for engagement options to improve participation. · Chief Officer Finance and ICT confirmed that all of the Change Programme proposals contributing to the savings in 2024/25 listed in Appendix 1 had been achieved. Savings in respect of 2025/26 would be confirmed as part of the Outturn Report which was scheduled for consideration in June 2026. · Positive feedback was given on the software changes within the registration services; this had led to improvements in how registration bookings for births and marriages and ceremonies are processed; it was noted that previous process could be slow and email heavy. · Members asked how savings resulting from the Change Programme could be tracked and evidenced. Officers advised that savings move into a formal savings tracker once confirmed and were monitored through existing governance mechanisms. · The Change Programme team has been reshaped, with dedicated staff and a new project support role being recruited. · It was noted that governance arrangements included programme boards to prioritise work and manage capacity and risks. · Members requested more detailed information in future Change Programme update reports that would allow for more effective scrutiny. · Officers explained that some projects were still in development and financial impacts would become clearer over time. · It was suggested that the hybrid working policy potentially conflicted with workforce objectives. AGREED - i. To thank Lead Members and Officers for the report and the information provided at the meeting. ii. To recommend to the Chief Officer Education and Early Intervention that an engagement strategy be developed to enable partners and communities to inform the work of the Change Programme. iii. To recommend to the Lead Member for Finance & Asset Management and the Lead Member for Housing & Climate Change that the next Change Programme update include the following:- Ø Key actions, plans, timescales and milestones for each of the projects which sit beneath the Change Programme Themes. Ø Identification of those savings which are part of general efficiency savings and those which are related to specific Change Programme projects. Ø A focus on savings which are rated Amber or Red categories in the budget savings tracker.
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