Minutes

of the Meeting of the

Finance and Performance Policy

and Scrutiny Panel

Tuesday 15th November 2005

held at the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Meeting Commenced: 6.30 p.m. Meeting Concluded: 7.58 p.m.

Present: Councillors Carl Francis-Pester (Vice-Chairman – in the Chair), Mark Canniford, Mike Johnston (substitute for Sally Tabrett), Muriel Kraft, Michael Roe, David Shopland (substitute for Nick Brown), Richard Skinner, and Barry Walters.

Also in attendance: Councillors Isabel Cummings (Executive Member for Community and Housing), Alan Hockridge (Leader of the Council), Bob Steadman (Executive Member for People and Property) and Robert Coleman.

FAP

Chairman for the Meeting

In the absence of the Chairman, Councillor Nick Brown, the chair for the meeting was taken by the Vice-Chairman, Councillor Carl Francis-Pester.

FAP

Senior Management Structure (Agenda Item 4)

The representative of the Solicitor the Council clarified that the meeting had been convened to consider the call-in of Minute EXE 100 of 25th October 2005 in its entirety, and not just EXE 100(1) (b).

A Member of the Panel tabled a paper outlining the background and reason for the call-in. The Member considered that some of the work outlined in the report to the Executive would be better placed elsewhere in the Council. It was considered, as an example, that the licensing and monitoring of houses in multiple occupation should go to the Licensing Section of the Directorate of Development and Environment. Panel Members commented on the feasibility of the proposal.

The Leader of the Conservative Group asked questions of the Executive Member for Community and Housing on:

(1) the recruitment to the five posts in Housing in respect of Choice Based Lettings

(2) the number of staff in the Housing structure

(3) the salary costs including on-costs

(4) how a balanced budget would be achieved if offsetting savings had to be made elsewhere, and the possible detrimental impact on other services. It was queried how the part year effect in 2005/06 of setting up the posts would be paid for when the Housing and Social Services budget was already overspent

(5) whether the five housing posts were to be judged as a priority against other posts.

The Executive Member for Community and Housing and officers sought to respond to the questions.

It was moved and seconded

“(1) that this Panel supports the resolution (EXE 100) of the Executive of 25th October 2005; and

(2) that the Panel recommended to the Executive that it conducts a full review of the Housing structure within six months of 8th February 2006, such a review to be conducted in liaison with Directors, partners and stakeholders”.

The motion was discussed, and a Member of the Panel moved the following amendment, which was seconded,

“that the Panel recommends to the Executive that until the final decision on the large scale voluntary transfer of the housing stock takes place, officers work up a Service Level Agreement with North Somerset Housing and bring forward a new Housing structure as part of the Medium Term Financial Forecast, to enable those posts to be assessed against other posts in the Council as part of the budget planning process”.

The mover of the amendment confirmed that the Service Level Agreement referred to above, would be in respect of the Housing Register.

Officers confirmed that the previous best value review of housing had been carried out internally with an external adviser briefed by North Somerset officers.

The amendment was put to the vote, and was carried (four votes for, four votes against, with the Chairman exercising his casting vote for the amendment).

On the substantive motion, it was,

Concluded: (4-4, the Chairman exercising his casting vote in favour): that

the Panel recommends to the Executive that until the final decision on the large scale voluntary transfer of the housing stock takes place, officers work up a Service Level Agreement with North Somerset Housing and bring forward a new Housing structure as part of the Medium Term Financial Forecast, to enable those posts to be assessed against other posts in the Council as part of the budget planning process.

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Chairman

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