Agenda and minutes

Any Member who is substituting for another Member should so indicate, together with the name of the relevant absent Member.

The following substitution was declared:

Councillor Susan Glossop for Councillor Jane Midwood.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jane Midwood.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 25 May 2017 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 May 2017, were unanimously accepted by the Committee as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

Members of the public who live or work in the Borough are invited to put one question or statement of not more than 3 minutes duration relating to items to be discussed in Part 1 of the agenda only.  If a question is asked and answered within 3 minutes, the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply.

A person who wishes to speak must register at least 15 minutes before the time of the meeting is scheduled to start.

There is an overall time limit of 15 minutes of public speaking, which may be extended at the Chairman’s discretion.

Public participation had been undertaken within the previous informal discussions, and there had been no questions/statements from members of the public.

Report No: PAS/SE/17/015

(For reference purposes, Forest Heath District Council’s Report Number is PAS/FH/17/017)

Further to the joint informal discussions held prior to the meeting with Forest Heath District Council’s Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee, the Committee formally considered Report No: PAS/SE/17/015.

Members had scrutinised the report in detail and asked questions of the Assistant Directors, to which responses were duly provided.

There being no decision required, the Committee noted the Council’s performance using the Balanced Scorecards for Quarter 1, 2017-2018.

Report No: PAS/SE/17/016

(For reference purposes, Forest Heath District Council’s Report Number is PAS/FH/17/018)

Further to the joint informal discussions held prior to the meeting with Forest Heath District Council’s Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee, the Committee formally considered Report No: PAS/SE/17/016.

Members had considered the report and there being no decision required, the Committee noted the contents of the Quarter 1 West Suffolk Risk Register Monitoring Report.

Report No: PAS/SE/17/017

(For reference purposes, Forest Heath District Council’s Report Number is PAS/FH/17/019)

Further to the joint informal discussions held prior to the meeting with Forest Heath District Council’s Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee, the Committee formally considered Report No: PAS/SE/17/017.

Members had considered the report and had requested that more detailed information be provided in the Balanced Scorecards in the second quarter reporting on Enforcement and Pre-Planning Advice.  Members also requested that a separate report on the Building Control Performance be presented to its November 2017 meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor David Roach, seconded by Councillor Betty Mclatchy, and with the vote being unanimous, it was

          RESOLVED:

That the following additional topic for future scrutiny on service performance, be included in its forward work programme for 2017-2018:

1.           A report on the performance of the Building Control service, be presented to its meeting on 29 November 2017.

Report No: PAS/SE/17/018

(Councillor Sarah Broughton and Peter Thompson both declared non-pecuniary interests as members of The Apex Scrutiny Panel).

The Committee received Report No: PAS/SE/17/018, which provided details about the performance of The Apex for 2016-2017.  The report included an overview of The Apex, which included at Annex 1 additional facts and information about those attending ticketed events; details of The Apex’s performance; Sodexo catering contract; analysis of budgets and looking ahead.

The report covered the financial year from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.  The Apex budget for 2016-2017 was set at £652,337.  The Apex continued to develop as an important local and regional venue and was attracting greater audiences and establishing a loyal customer base.  Increased revenue had contributed to a positive variance of £39,817 against budget at the financial year end and the outturn figure of £612,520 showed a continued reduction in expenditure.

The Apex continued to be a valuable community asset and more and more non-performance events were taking place. For example, greater use of the studio space was now being made with over 170 classes including yoga; tai chi and baby ballet.

The Council entered into a contract with Sodexo in 2012, and the budgetary return from that contact (catering and bar concessions at The Apex) had increased year on year. 

The Apex Management Team had been successful in reducing the budget over the last financial year, as a result of increasing revenues from ticket sales and increasing concessionary income from its catering concession.  The Management Team remained optimistic about the future and had a target of £1.9m ticket sales for 2017-2018.  A new website for The Apex was currently being developed, which would launch towards the end of 2017 summer period.  The new website would be fully mobile compatible, which would improve the ability to view the website and purchase tickets via mobile phones.

The Committee scrutinised the annual performance report in detail and asked a number of questions to which officers duly responded.  These questions and responses covered topics including the subsidy for 2017-2018; where the “free essential guide to what’s on West Suffolk” would be distributed and the lack of public transport after 5pm or on a Sunday in Haverhill and the surrounding area meaning residents could not get to The Apex.

Officers agreed to provide members with a written response to the following question raised in relation to paragraph 4.1 (budget table) , “over a three year period costs appear to have risen by £450k, whilst income had risen by £435k, therefore there was a net loss”.

The Committee acknowledged that the report on The Apex was positive and huge improvements made, including the year on year reduction of the subsidy.

There being no decision required, the Committee noted the 2016-2017 Annual Performance Report for The Apex.

Report No: PAS/SE/17/019

The Committee received Report No: PAS/SE/17/019, which set out the financial performance for the first quarter of 2017-2018 and forecasted outturn position for 2017-2018.

Attached at Appendix A and B to the report was details of the Council’s revenue performance and year end forecasted outturn position.  Explanations of the main year end forecast (under) / over spends was set out within paragraph 1.2.3. 

Appendix C to the report set out the Council’s capital financial position for the first three months 2017-2018.  Finally, a summary of the earmarked reserves was attached at Appendix D along with the forecast year end position for 2017-2018.

Budget holders would continue to work with their Resources and Business Partners and Business Support Advisors, and an updated outturn position would be provided to the Committee in the Quarter 2 Report in November 2017.

The Committee scrutinised the report in detail and asked a number of questions to which responses were duly provided.  In particular discussions were held on the variance in relation to the underspend on the off-street car parks.

In response to a particular question raised on the overspend on the waste and cleansing operatives, members were informed that the Council applied a 2.5% vacancy factor into its budgets, to account for staff turnover during the year. Within the waste and cleansing team, these vacancies did not exist as any absence was covered via overtime or agency resources which was the reason for the overspend. In the past this overspend had been hidden due to the Council budgeting for everyone to be in the pension scheme, whereas this was not the case. In 2017-2018 only those in the pension scheme had been budgeted for, meaning there was no underspend on the pension costs to offset the vacancy factor.

There being no decision required, the Committee noted the Quarter 1 performance and the 2017-2018 year end forecast financial position.

Report No: TMS/SE/17/003 will be considered by the Treasury Management Sub-Committee on 17 July 2017.  The Chairman/Assistant Director (Resources and Performance) will update the Committee verbally on any issues or recommendations arising from the consideration of this report.

The Committee received Report No: TMS/SE/17/003, which had been considered by the Treasury Management Sub-Committee on 17 July 2017.  The Finance Business Partner (Projects) provided a verbal update on the Sub-Committee’s consideration of the report, which:

(a)         Summarised the Council’s Annual Treasury Management Investment Activities for the year 2016-2017; and

(b)         Provided a summary of the investment activity for the first three months of the 2017-2018 financial year.

The Sub-Committee had scrutinised the Annual Treasury Management Report 2016-2017 and the Investment Activity for 1 April 2017 to 30 June 2017, and asked a number of questions to which officers duly responded.  In particular discussions were held on the low borrowing rates which were currently available; and the Council’s budgetary surplus/overachievement of income, which was acknowledged was due to the capital programme where large balances were held for large complex projects and the timing of payments linked to those projects.

The Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee considered the report and asked questions to which officers duly responded.

The Committee noted the investment activity for April to June 2017.

It was proposed by Councillor Patricia Warby, seconded by Councillor David Roach, and with the vote being unanimous, it was

          RECOMMENDED:

That subject to the approval of Council, the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2016-2017, attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: TMS/SE/17/003 be approved.