Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE DEPUTY EXECUTIVE

To consider and approve the Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the draft Action Plan at Appendix A be approved.

(2)       That agreeing the timescales for the actions within the Action Plan be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader and Managing Director.

(3)       That the Learning and Development Champions be requested to investigate various methods of training delivery for Members.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

(1)       That the Special Reserve be used to fund a small transformation team for a period of 18 months from October 2020, with an estimated total cost of £150k (£50k in 2020/21 and £100k in 2021/22);

(2)       That agreeing the specification for, and intended outcomes of, the transformation programme be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader, Executive Member for Finance and IT, Managing Director and Service Director Resources.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To ensure that the Council responds to the matters identified within the CPC report, ensuring that the benefits of the CPC process are realised.

Audio Recording – 21 minutes 31 seconds

Councillor Martin Stears-Handscomb, Leader of the Council, presented the report entitled Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan together with the associated appendix:

·                Appendix A – Draft Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan.

Councillor David Levett, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, advised that the Committee felt that all Members should receive planning training and therefore had agreed an additional recommendation. The Committee had made the following recommendations to Cabinet:

(1)     That the draft Action Plan at Appendix A be approved.

(2)     That agreeing the timescales for the actions within the Action Plan be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader and Managing Director.

(3)     That Cabinet recommend to Full Council that the Special Reserve be used to fund a small transformation team for a period of 18 months from October 2020, with an estimated total cost of £150k (£50k in 2020/21 and £100k in 2021/22).

(4)     That agreeing the specification for, and intended outcomes of, the transformation programme be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader, Executive Member for Finance and IT, Managing Director and Service Director Resources.

(5)     That Cabinet consider making Planning training compulsory for all Members.

The following Members took part in the debate:

·                Councillor Martin Stears-Handscomb;

·                Councillor Paul Clark;

·                Councillor Ian Albert;

·                Councillor Steve Jarvis;

·                Councillor Judi Billing.

Comments from Members included:

·                That all Members should receive Planning training and a way forward was needed;

·                The take up of training by Members was extremely low and Group Leaders needed to encourage take up of essential training;

·                There was an opportunity to consider new ways of providing training such as Zoom.

Councillor Martin Stears-Handscomb proposed and  Councillor Judi Billing seconded that:

“That the Learning and Development Champions be requested to investigate various methods of training delivery for Members”

Councillor Martin Stears-Handscomb propose, Councillor Paul Clark seconded and it was:

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the draft Action Plan at Appendix A be approved.

(2)       That agreeing the timescales for the actions within the Action Plan be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader and Managing Director.

(3)       That the Learning and Development Champions be requested to investigate various methods of training delivery for Members.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

(1)       That the Special Reserve be used to fund a small transformation team for a period of 18 months from October 2020, with an estimated total cost of £150k (£50k in 2020/21 and £100k in 2021/22);

(2)       That agreeing the specification for, and intended outcomes of, the transformation programme be delegated to the Leader, Deputy Leader, Executive Member for Finance and IT, Managing Director and Service Director Resources.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To ensure that the Council responds to the matters identified within the CPC report, ensuring that the benefits of the CPC process are realised.