POLICY and Resources Committee

Minute / 21 February 2012 / Minute
Minute / Minute

POLICY AND resources committee

Meeting of Tuesday 21 February 2012

at 10.30am in Council Offices, English Street, Dumfries

Present

Members

Ivor A Hyslop(Chairman) / - / Lochar
Patsy Gilroy (Vice Chairman) / - / Dee
Ian B Carruthers / - / Annandale South
Rob Davidson / - / Abbey
Jim Dempster / - / Mid and Upper Nithsdale
Iain W Dick / - / Stranraer and North Rhins
Robert J Higgins / - / Wigtown West
Jeff Leaver / - / Lochar
Jane Maitland / - / Dee
Sean W Marshall / - / Annandale South
Gail MacGregor / - / Annandale North
Graham Nicol / - / Mid Galloway
Ronnie Ogilvie / - / Annandale South
Doug Snell / - / North WestDumfries

Officials

Gavin Stevenson / - / Chief Executive
Lorna Meahan / - / Assistant Chief Executive
Alex Haswell / - / Director Chief Executive Service
Carol Henshall / - / Service Manager Committee and Member Services
Ian Donaldson / - / Head of Strategic Planning and Customer Services
Paul Garrett / - / Head of Finance and Technology
Ewan Green / - / Head of Economic Development
Peter Nelson / - / Operations Manager Strategic Property Services
Gillian Ross / - / Corporate Finance Manager
Justin Tracy / - / Director Community and Customer Services

Apologies

John Charteris / - / Lochar
Peter Duncan / - / Castle Douglas and Glenkens
Sandra McDowall / - / Mid Galloway
Ronnie Nicholson / - / North WestDumfries
Colin Smyth / - / Nith

Alex Haswell

Director Chief Executive Service

1.SEDERUNT AND APOLOGIES

13 Members present, 5 apologies

2.DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

NONE declared

MINUTE

3.MINUTE OF MEETING OF 17 JANUARY 2012

Decision

APPROVEDas amended to reflect that Jane Maitland had replaced George N

Prentice as a member of this Committee.

Member - Gail MacGregor entered the meeting – 14 Members present

Strategic policy

4.FINANCIAL INCLUSION – Report by Director Community and Customer Services

Decision

AGREED

4.1the Strategic Commission for Advice and Information Services as amended to include the additional fundingagreed by the Council when setting the 2012/13 Budget,and, recognising that this was the first Third Sector Strategic Commission, that this be subject to a further report outlining the Commission’s further development and the consequent service specifications;

4.2that the Strategic Commission for Advice and Information Services begin on 1 September 2012 and would run until March 2014;

4.3to receive six monthly monitoring and performance reports through the Community and Customer Services’ reporting mechanism;

4.4to continue grant funding to Dumfries and Galloway Citizen Advice Service (DAGCAS) until 31 August 2012;

4.5to continue grant funding to Solway and Stranraer Credit Unions until 31 March 2013 pending the development of Credit Union commissioning from 1 April 2013;

4.6to the development of a Financial Inclusion Strategy; and

4.7to receive a report on options for Member engagement in the implications of Welfare Reform at the next meeting of this Committee.

Member - Rob Davidson left the meeting – 13 Members present

STRATEGIC FINANCE

5.COUNCIL revenue budget monitoring 2011/12 for the year ended 31 december 2011 – report by Head of Finance and Technology

Decision

NOTED

5.1that year-end unallocated General Fund Balances were currently estimated at £7.525 Million (after the transfer of resources to the Corporate Change Fund);

5.2that current allocations to the Corporate Change Fund total £2.5 Million;

AGREED

5.3that the future six month establishment reports to this Committee should detail the location of staff by area to track movements and provide for the detail on agile working; and

5.4to receive a report on review of service needs and property in the larger urban centres/main settlements, APPRECIATING that there would be a report on progress on the agreed archive strategy and development of community archives later in 2012.

6.Community and Customer Services – Capital Programme and Property issues – February 2012– Report by Director Community and Customer Services

Decision

NOTED

6.1the current position of the Community and Customer Services Capital Programme for 2011/12 and the draft Capital Programme for 2012/13;

6.2the ongoing development of the Capital Programme for 2012/13 and 2013/14; and

6.3the inclusion of the projectswithin the Community and Customer Services’Capital Maintenance Programme as follows:-

No.LocationProjectTotal

Expenditure

£k

King George V Park Surface rejuvenation and drainage10

– MUGAInvestigation

Colliston Park, Surface rejuvenation and drainage9

Dalbeattie–MUGAinvestigation

Ryan Centre, StranraerReinstate corroded steel to columns10

and plinths

Castle Douglas - MUGASurface rejuvenation and drainage15

Investigation

5.Belmont Primary School Surface rejuvenation and drainage15

-MUGAInvestigation

6.Stair Park, Dalbeattie –Surface rejuvenation and drainage15

MUGAInvestigation

MEMBERS – Ian B Carruthers left and Rob Davidson entered the meeting – 13Members present

7.Shared Admin/Corporate Services Maintenance Block and Property Issues – February 2012– Report by Director Chief Executive Service

Decision

AGREED

7.1the current position of the Shared Admin/Corporate Services Capital Programme for 2011/12, and the draft Capital Programme for 2012/13;

7.2the ongoing development of the Shared Admin/Corporate Services Capital Programme for 2012/13 and 2013/14 in recognition of the revised investment priorities and emerging pressures;

7.3the inclusion of the projectswithin the Corporate/Shared Admin Services Capital Maintenance Programme; and

7.4NOTEDthe current position of the previously agreed capital investment priorities list (list agreed Policy & Resources Committee on 15 February 2011).

MEMBERS - Iain B Carruthers re-entered and Iain W Dick and Graham Nicol left the meeting – 12 Members present

STRATEGIC BUSINESS

8. BUSINESS PLANNING GUIDANCE – Report by Assistant Chief Executive

Decision

8.1 APPROVED the refreshed Business Planning Guidance with amendments on roles and responsibilities to further clarify the roles of Area Committees and enhance support provided for Members in relation to both the development of Business Plans and related performance monitoring; and

8.2 agreedthat six monthly procurement reports be received by this Committee.

MEMBER - Robert J Higgins left the meeting – 11Members present

9.MOFFAT TOWN HALL PARTIAL REFURBISHMENT – Report by Director Community and Customer Services

PROCEDURE – The Chairman allowed Councillor Roger Grant to speak to the Committee

Decision

9.1NOTEDthe conditional award of funding of £224k to the Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust by Historic Scotland for the partial refurbishment of Moffat Town Hall;

AGREED

9.2to take early action to undertake the partial refurbishment of Moffat Town Hall, (Option 1) as follows:-

9.2.1to award capital grant of £378k and to lease the building to the Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust under conditions, which would lead to £224k of external funding being drawn down towards repair works to the value of £602k,APPRECIATING that the Trust’s business plan for Option 1 had been reviewed and accepted by officers;

9.2.2the retention of a large proportion of ongoing costs by the Council after any lease was signed. These being:-

facility management costs of £37k/annum –being a budget neutral position for Strategic Property Services;
a loss of income from lets of around £12k/annum and that this budget pressure be funded from within CCS budgets through ongoing work to identify efficiencies;
any costs arising for the replacement or renewal of internal systems, such as the heating system to be meet as needed through, as appropriate, the Council’s Capital and Maintenance programmes.

9.2.3that any award be conditional upon the payment of funds by Historic Scotland, and leasing of the building to the Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust, to ensure the safeguarding of our Council’s asset;

9.3to remit the Director of Community and Customer Services, in consultation with Legal Services, to finalise and sign a lease with the Moffat Town Hall Redevelopment Trust which should incorporate the following conditions:-

The Trust would be responsible for maintaining the exterior of the building.
The Council would be responsible for all running costs (utilities and cleaning), maintenance of the interior fabric and servicing of systems such as heating.
Council services would retain their current footprint within the building.
Service Level Agreement: The Trust would keep all room let income in excess of £4k per annum (initially) to ensure the £10k income needs of the Trust were met.

MONITORING REPORTS FOR SCRUTINY

10.CHIEF EXECUTIVE SERVICE BUDGET MONITORING 2011/12 - PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2011– report by Director Chief Executive Service

Decision

NOTED that the Chief Executive Service was currently projected to overspend by £19k and that the senior management team was continuing to exert strict spending control measures to ensure a balanced outturn was achieved.

11.community and customer services revenue budget monitoring report for the period TO 31 december 2011– Report by Director Community and Customer Services

Decision

NOTED

11.1 that forecasts indicated a potential overspend of £4k in the current financial year; and

11.2that work was underway to control projected overspend on repairs and maintenance budgets.