Issue - meetings

To provide members of the panel with an update on current progress against the actions that were agreed for the SHDC Peer Review (presentation enclosed).

Consideration was given to the update on current progress against the actions that were agreed for the SHDC Peer Review.

The Business Intelligence and Change Manager introduced the action plan which incorporated the recommendations from the final report of the SHDC Peer Review follow-up and which had been circulated to Cabinet and the Corporate Management Team. The following points were highlighted:

• The SHDC Peer Review follow-up report was very positive with improvement work specifically noted in respect of the Housing Revenue Account;
• The following two key areas of focus had been identified to support the initial recommendations:
  • An urgent development of fully costed options for the waste services transformation options which considered all implications and enabled decisions to be made.
    • Regarding progress: focus work was already underway with a review of the findings and analysis expected to take place by 31 October 2024;
  • The establishment of a detailed three-year savings and transformation programme linked to the NTFS with Corporate ownership and accountability and with agreed delivery timescales.
    • Regarding progress: this action had been put in place with continual development undertaken by the Section 151 Officer reported to the Leader, Portfolio Holder for Finance and at monthly Senior Leadership Team meetings.
• All actions listed on the plan would be tracked and monitored with colleagues and updates would be brought forward to Cabinet and the Performance Monitoring Panel as part of the ongoing monitoring process.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members were encouraged by the positive report but noted the challenges that were raised.

• Members referred to SHDC’s recruitment site and noted a significant volume of ‘fixed term contracts’. What was the reason for this?
  • The Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development responded that the reasons were many and variable including where specific posts were externally funded for a fixed term and where recruitment was needed to cover a secondment position; and
  • The Chairman added that recruitment and retention was being investigated by the Joint Scrutiny Task Group and that there was a desire to understand whether any underlying issues accounted for staff turnover across the partnership.

• Members queried the recommendation to ‘adopt a Public Engagement Charter’ which stated this was awaiting adoption. Was this action completed or not?
  • The Business Intelligence and Change Manager responded that it was his belief the action was now complete however this would be checked and confirmed.

AGREED:

That the update be noted.