Meeting documents
Venue: Mezzanine Room 1, County Hall, Aylesbury. View directions
Contact: Fazeelat Bashir
Note: Please note that this meeting will be webcast - please use the "Webcasts" menu link
Media
Webcast: View the webcast
Note | No. | Item |
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10am |
Apologies for Absence/Changes in Membership Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Mr C Clare. The Chairman advised that the Committee currently had a vacancy and thanked Mr Martin Farrow for his valuable contribution to the Committee. |
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Declarations of Interest To disclose any Personal or Disclosable Pecuniary Interests Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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To agree the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 September 2018. Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 11th September 2018 were agreed as a correct record, subject to the following amendment – An additional bullet point added to the Children’s Services section on p 4 of the minutes to read: ‘It was noted that the budget for Looked After Children had been set at £21.9m and the legal budget was £2m.’ |
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Public Questions Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in the county to put a question to a Scrutiny Committee about any issue that has an impact on their local community or the county as a whole.
Members of the public, who have given prior notice, will be invited to put their question in person.
The Cabinet Member and responsible officers will then be invited to respond.
Further information and details on how to register can be found through the following link:-
http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/scrutiny/getting-involved/ Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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Chairman's Report For the Chairman of the Committee to provide an update to the Committee on recent scrutiny related activity. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman reported that a small Inquiry Group had held a useful meeting with Human Resources and he asked the Members involved to feedback on the notes of the meeting by 11th December.
Members were also advised that the Chairman had met with Richard Ambrose in preparation for the Budget Scrutiny Inquiry. In addition, the Chairman had recently been asked to provide his views on a possible Investment acquisition. |
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Draft Capital and Investment Strategy - Overview PDF 94 KB Members will be given an overview of the principles underlying the draft Capital and Investment Strategy. Following discussion, the Committee will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Cabinet Member and the Director of Finance & Procurement on the draft strategy, ahead of it being considered at Cabinet in December 2018.
Contributors: Mr John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Resources Mr Richard Ambrose, Director of Finance & Procurement Mr Oster Milambo, Deputy Head of Strategic Assets Mr Mark Preston, Head of Finance – Resources & Pensions Mr John Reed, Director of Property & Assets
Papers: Presentation and draft strategy attached. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman welcomed Mr John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Resources, Mr Richard Ambrose, Director of Finance and Procurement, Mr Mark Preston, Head of Finance – Resources and Pensions and Mr John Reed, Director of Property and Assets to the meeting.
The Cabinet Member explained that the new Capital and Investment Strategy had been drafted in response to new guidance from Government and would bring together three separate elements - Capital strategy, Investment strategy and some aspects of the Treasury Management strategy. This would also increase transparency.
10.10am Ms Sarah Ashmead, Executive Director for Resources joined the meeting.
Mark Preston provided an overview of how the strategy had been developed and key themes. During the presentation and in response to Members’ questions the following main points were noted:
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Budget Scrutiny 2019 - Scope PDF 71 KB The Committee will consider and agree the draft inquiry scope for the 2019 Budget Scrutiny Inquiry.
Papers: Draft scope attached. Additional documents: Minutes: Mrs Kelly Sutherland, Committee and Governance Manager provided an overview of the scoping document for Members and reminded them of the key dates for the Inquiry. Sessions with individual Cabinet Members would be held in public on 8th, 9th and 10th January 2019 and as in previous years, members of the public would be invited to submit their own questions via email or social media.
A Member asked if the approach to Budget Scrutiny would be changed in the light of the recent Unitary announcement. The Director of Finance and Procurement confirmed that the County Council’s budget was still focussed on delivering business as usual for 2019-20, as the new Unitary Authority would not be fully operational until April 2020. Transition costs would have to be considered, but until the governance structure had been agreed and a financial work stream was underway, it would be difficult to predict these accurately.
Other potential changes such as the Fairer Funding Review and Business Rates Retention would also need to be factored in. |
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12 pm |
Committee Work Programme PDF 52 KB To consider and agree the Finance, Performance and Resources Select Committee Work Programme.
Papers: Work Programme attached. Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee noted the forward Work Programme.
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New Technology Strategy - Smarter Bucks PDF 155 KB Members will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Cabinet Member and the Joint Strategic Director for Information Assets & Digital Development on the draft new technology strategy for 2018-2020, entitled the ‘Smarter Bucks Strategy’, before it is considered by Cabinet in December 2018.
Contributors: Mr John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Resources Ms Balvinder Heran, Joint Strategic Director – Information Assets & Digital Development Mr Tony Ellis, Chief Information Officer Mr Ben Unsworth, Head of Digital Mr Matt Sanford, ICT Solution Owner – Security
Papers: Report and strategy attached. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman welcomed Mr John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Resources, Ms Sarah Ashmead, Executive Director, Resources, Ms Balvinder Heran, Joint Strategic Director, Information Assets and Digital Development, Mr Tony Ellis, Chief Information Officer and Mr Ben Unsworth, Head of Digital to the meeting.
The Cabinet Member for Resources explained that the new Smart Bucks Strategy was a refreshed technology strategy for 2018-2020 and he was very happy that a full leadership team was now in place to deliver it.
Ms Heran provided an overview of the main themes of the strategy. During the presentation and in response to subsequent Member questions the following main points were noted:
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12.15pm |
Date and Time of Next Meeting The next meeting will be a private briefing for the Committee on Budget Scrutiny 2019-20. It will be held on 11 December 2018, 10.00am, in Mezzanine Room 1, County Hall, Aylesbury.
The next public meetings will be held at 10.00am on 8th, 9th and 10th January 2019 when the Committee will meet to undertake Budget Scrutiny 2019. Additional documents: Minutes: There will be a private briefing for Members on the Budget on 11th December 2018 at 10am in Mezzanine Room 1.
The Committee would next meet in public for the Budget Scrutiny Inquiry on 8th, 9th and 10th January 2019 at 10am in Mezzanine Room 1, County Hall, Aylesbury.
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Exclusion of the Press and Public To resolve to exclude the press and public as the following item is exempt by virtue of Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972 because it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED
That the press and public be excluded for the following item which is exempt by virtue of Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972 because it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) |
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12:25 |
Private Session - Cyber Security This will be a private session for Members to ask questions on the cyber security element of the Council’s Smarter Bucks Strategy. |