Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Beaken, Graham MBE and Lumley.

Members to declare any interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting.

Councillors Orson, Pearson, Posnett MBE and Rhodes each declared a personal interest in any matters relating to the Leicestershire County Council due to their roles as County Councillors.

To move the Council forward in its direction and governance arrangements, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Orson, explained that the Council was to consider two reports which would help with the resetting of the direction of the Council.  Having undergone the Peer Challenge in December 2017, completed a considerable amount of the development work since and with the Council’s Annual Meeting coming up in the next week, 15 May, this was the perfect time to ensure the Council was clear on what it hoped to achieve and the way in which it wanted to achieve it.  He further advised that the reports reinforced each other and to be able to deliver the Council’s ambitions the right governance processes needed to be in place so that the Council could make the best use of its available resources.

The Leader referred to his 15 years on the Council and that the changes proposed would make improvements that would take the Council through the next 10 years.

The Chief Executive to submit a report which seeks Member approval to refresh the Corporate Mission, Vision, Values and Priorities in order to reset the direction of Melton Borough Council to 2020.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Orson, referred to the previously circulated report and explained that

(a)  it summarised the work undertaken to refresh the Council’s Corporate Mission, Vision and Priorities.  These had been developed in consultation with Members and Officers to ensure they better capture the agenda in 2018 and the issues the Council was currently dealing with.  They retained much of the original focus from 2015 but now incorporated greater recognition of the Council’s efforts to tackle the low wage economy, increase housing availability, boost the profile of the area to encourage tourism, whilst also incorporating the Council’s ambition to become more commercial and an employer of choice;

(b)  against these priorities, the Council had collectively worked through a process to identify those things it specifically wished to achieve and had built these into a new Corporate Delivery Plan.  This would create a focus for the Council’s efforts over the next 12-18 months and found an appropriate balance between those things the Council must do and those which were nice to do.  The new plan was within the agenda papers and some key highlights included :-

·         Secure the Local Plan and refocus on delivery

·         Develop a new Town and Place Partnership to maximise the Council’s profile, increase inward investment and stimulate the visitor economy

·         Undertake feasibility studies into the next phase of development at the Cattle Market and into the future of leisure facilities in Melton.  These studies were crucial to ensure the Council was clear on its ambitions and that they were ultimately deliverable

·         Work to establish a Council owned housing company to support both the Council’s commercial and social ambitions

·         Increase capacity and capability to better tackle environmental issues, anti-social behaviour and nuisance

·         Review and improve the Council’s approach to supporting customers.  Initial reviews were planned within the People and Communities directorate and also in Planning

·         Undertake a review of all Council assets to maximise their value and usage

·         Implement a new Workforce Strategy to ensure the Council recruited, developed and retained the best possible team at Melton

(c)  Officers had reviewed available resources and identified where resources needed to be refocussed in order to support delivery of the new Corporate Delivery Plan.  The Council anticipated being able to contain the majority of required resources within existing budgets, with the exception of one supplementary estimate required to support the appointment of an environmental enforcement officer.  Whilst the Council was mindful of placing additional burdens on the Council’s finances, there was a belief this was proportionate and affordable.  The decision to support this also needed to be taken in the context of the anticipated positive outcome from the waste procurement process and the recent adoption of the new commercial strategy.  Member will also be aware that later in the year the council would be holding a further workshop to support the Council’s financial stability as plan B was developed and ensure the budget management strategy was sufficiently robust and achievable;

(d)  the final part of this first  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO126

The Chief Executive to submit a report which asks Members to consider proposals for approval of new governance arrangements.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Orson, referred to the previously circulated report and explained that

(a)  the first report established the direction of the Council and this report was about how the Council was most effectively to get there.  The Peer Challenge recognised the Council had some issues in how it made decisions and the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Governance Review carried out in March 2018 set these out in more detail and made some recommendations for how the Council could improve.  The LGA’s report was received by the Governance Committee on 27 March 2018 and following that an informal Governance Development Group of Members and Officers was convened which explored these more fully.  The group met twice and looked at a range of areas including the Committee structure, policy development, the role of Leader, Chairs and Vice Chairs and representatives on outside bodies;

(b)  the Governance Development Group had made an extensive range of recommendations which the Group believed would help improve the Council’s governance processes; remove duplication and streamline decision-making.  At a time when local government finances were under such pressure it was imperative that the Council increased not only the efficiency of its services but also the way in which the democratic function operated and key recommendations within the report included :-

·         Rationalisation to three more autonomous  policy committees; Corporate, People and Place, removing overlap and duplication and creating a better alignment between the corporate priorities and corporate management structures

·         A commitment to build a new Town and Place Partnership with a broader appeal and influence to  help the council raise the profile of the Borough and encourage investment

·         Removal of a range of sub-structures, working groups and boards and replacement with a much clearer route to policy development through a new policy forum

·         These along with a range of other improvements listed within the report would not only improve how the Council carried out its business, they would also deliver a financial and productivity saving to the Council

(c)  the group’s proposals were considered by an Ad Hoc Governance Committee on 30  April 2018 and the questions and comments received from that meeting had been circulated to Councillors.  He was grateful for the contributions made at that meeting and believed that these proposals represented a very positive step in the right direction for this Council.  It was important to note however that this report represented the first phase of improvements and that further work was planned for the Governance Development Group.  This was in line with the LGA recommendations which advised the Council should review its scheme of delegation and Constitution more fully and also look at the merits of alternative governance arrangements.  He added that he looked forward to welcoming the new Director for Legal and Democratic Services who would play a key role in supporting this work and then proposed the recommendations at paragraphs 2.1 to 2.27 of the report and that the vote on the recommendations be taken ‘en bloc’.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO127