Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 On 18^th July, 2002 the Council agreed additional funding of £108,400, to be allocated from general balances, to enable executive and overview and scrutiny arrangements to operate effectively.

1.2 This report invites the Council Executive to approve the proposed allocation of that funding.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the funding arrangements outlined in para 4.3 of the report be approved.

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3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Contained in the body of the report. However, it was acknowledged at the Council that there might be a budgetary shortfall in meeting ongoing costs for future years. This would be reviewed and any shortfall addressed in the budget review process.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The allocation was requested partly to meet the setting up and ongoing costs of operating new executive arrangements. This recognised that Executive Councillors would undertake different and potentially intensive roles and for this would require specific personnel, accommodation, technical and other resource support not previously available.

4.2 The Council resolution also identified that £45,000 of the total additional allocation, be specifically directed to support to the Overview and Scrutiny process, to be supplemented from other parts of the allocation as appropriate.

4.3 It is proposed that the allocation be committed as follows:

One-off set up costs

Office accommodation and executive workspace in

Bath and Keynsham (IT set up costs, adaptations

and furniture/equipment) £45,000

Provisional sum for project management IT

software, database and other systems developments

for executive and overview and scrutiny working

and alternative hot desk provision (*see para 4.4 below) £28,000

Total one-off set up costs £73,000

Ongoing costs

Accommodation costs (rentals of rooms allocated

to the Executive) £18,800

IT costs (equipment/systems) £11,600

Executive support staff (*see para 4.5 below) £45,000

Overview and Scrutiny costs (*see para 4.6 below) £45,000

Total ongoing costs £120,400

Total costs for 2002/03 £193,400

LESS contingency assembled within existing modernisation

budget £85,000

Total additional allocation £108,400

4.4 As the new arrangements evolve, particularly in overview and scrutiny activity, there will be the capacity to develop IT based solutions to information management, work planning, public decision making and tracking/record keeping. A modest provision has been made for such developments. At this stage it is assumed this will cover set up costs for suitable systems.

4.5 In consultation with the Leader, the Chief Executive has recruited a Personal Assistant to the Leader (funded from within the original modernising budget) and is currently recruiting a Secretarial post to support Executive Councillors directly. In addition, the democratic Services Manager is consulting the Leader about the recruitment of a support post which will assist individual Executive Councillors in their work planning and tracking and provide complementary support to Democratic Services staff in processing the formal executive decision making arrangements. These latter 2 posts are to be funded from the newly voted allocation.

4.6 Discussions are continuing with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and Councillor Nigel Roberts about the most appropriate use of the provision set aside for support to the overview and scrutiny process. This is an evolving process currently in its infancy. These discussions will identify the most effective workload support and management requirements of the Board, its Chair and Vice Chair, the individual Panels and their Convenors.

4.7 A report will be made to the Board in due course on the conclusions of these discussions, recommending a detailed allocation of the resource agreed by the Council.

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This version was printed 15-Aug-02 9:24 AM