Policy and Strategy Committee

Thursday  22 May 2003 at 3.00 pm

Present:  Provost Rebecchi, Councillors Blair, Forbes, Fyfe, Hill, Mitchell, Nimmo,  Roach,  Robertson and Snoddy.

Chair:  Councillor Blair presided.

In attendance:  Chief Executive, Depute Chief Executive, Mr A Barnes (for Director of Community & Protective Services), Director of Education Services, Director of Finance, Director of Legal & Support Services, Mr D Robin (for Director of Social Work & Housing Services), Head of Personnel Services, Head of Property Services and Managing Solicitor (Committees/Contracts).

Apologies:  Councillors McCabe and McCormick (M).

386

Policy Framework of the Council

386

Submitted:  Statement from Councillor Blair setting out proposals for changes in the policy and direction of the Council.

Councillor Blair indicated that the paper was intended to be a clear statement of intention by the new Council which would provide a platform on the basis of which the Council’s Committees and Officers could carry on their business.  Councillor Blair moved that the Committee agree the following proposals subject to the suspension of the relevant Standing Order by the Council, where necessary, in respect of the previous decisions reversed or varied as a consequence of the proposed decisions:-

1.  Housing

(a)  The Council does not support the principle of transfer of housing stock on the model contemplated by the previous administration.  Pending discussions with the Scottish Executive with regard to the financial implications of pursuing alternative policies, and the consideration of such alternatives by the Council, the shadow board of the proposed Housing Trust will be put in suspense as will the Housing Services Review Group.  The secondment of the Head of Housing and Building Services to the Housing Trust will likewise be discontinued.  The Council will determine its final position with regard to this issue as soon as practicable, in the light of its discussions and negotiations with the Scottish Executive, Communities Scotland and other relevant parties.  Meanwhile all practical steps to minimise the costs directly involved in this exercise, including property costs, will be taken.

Further options for the future of Council housing will be considered, including alternative forms of management, and a report will be prepared as soon as practicable with regard to this.

(b)  A review of the role and function of Estate Officers will be undertaken with a view to more effective housing management and in particular to address public concern with regard to anti-social behaviour.  Adequate resources will be made available for this and other initiatives which may be available to the Council and its community safety partners to respond to public concern about anti-social behaviour which is prejudicing the ability of many residents to enjoy peaceable occupation of their homes.  This will include meeting the expense involved in taking out and implementing anti-social behaviour orders.

(c)  Housing management will be expected to give priority to achieving the Council’s practical objectives.  The formation of policy itself is of value but only if, once approved, such policy is implemented.  This will represent a significant change in emphasis in the Department’s operation.

(d)  As part of this process the Head of Housing Services will be located physically within the Housing Department, so being directly available to staff members and ensure implementation of Council policy.

(e)  The policy and practice of the Department in factoring former Council owned properties, now privately owned, will be reviewed with a view to responding to concerns among owners of such properties.

2.  Tackling Bureaucracy

(a)  A great deal of time, work and paper is consumed in the system of Committees and Working Groups.  This is true both of officers and members.  In many instances this is not cost or time efficient, and does not assist in rapid implementation of policies and decisions.  A review of the Committee structure will take place which will deal with proper use of staff time, scaling down of paperwork and better implementation of decisions.

(b)  A review of the Council’s standing structure will take place which will consider inter alia the relationship of various levels of management, whether or not they are assisting cost effectively in the delivery of services, the effective use of new technology and the clear identification of officers responsible for driving forward policies and initiatives.  An illustration of the importance of this is the achieving of maximum return from match funding.

3.  Best Value

(a)  The Council will take the concept of best value very seriously.  To this end the Best Value Committee and the officers servicing it will be expected to be pro-active in ensuring that (a) “Best Value” culture is developed in the Council (b) reviews of performance take place and (c) outcomes are monitored and reviewed.

To assist this process where appropriate performance targets will be established and used to monitor progress.  The Council’s officers will be asked to assist in establishing practical procedures to bring this about.

4.  Education

(a)  The previous administration's policy of seeking to fund investment in education by means of a private public partnership will be discontinued.  The two main planks of such an arrangement are based on the concept of “public sector comparator” and “the transfer of risk”, neither of which has stood up to serious scrutiny in the context of Inverclyde schools.  The PPP process will therefore be discontinued and the Council will seek to minimise any further costs involved in this whilst taking advantage of the work carried out to date.  The Council’s officers will take steps to produce other funding options.  The Education Committee will retain the services of the consultants only in so far as these services may now be of value to the Council, and will in any event agree the completion of the physical survey, which is underway.

(b)  The specific proposals for schools are in several important respects not acceptable and indeed do not represent an adequate response to the views expressed in the course of the recent public consultation process.  The programme will therefore be reconsidered by the Education Committee which will in due course put revised proposals to the Council.

(c)  At this stage I re-affirm that the new administration favours the retention of Wellington Academy as both an excellent school and a much needed community facility but recognises the need to carry out statutory consultation on this proposal and remits the drawing up of the necessary proposal to the Education Committee.

5.  Policy Review and Development

The main mechanism for this in recent years has been the Policy Review Group.  This has had merits in producing material and options in important areas of the Council’s operation, but neither it nor the Council has been successful in implementing these quickly or efficiently.

If the Council’s operations are to be made more efficient, it is essential that this problem be solved.  There will therefore be a review of the way in which the Policy Review Group works with a view to the introduction of improvements which will allow objectives to be agreed and then achieved more effectively than at present.  The Chief Executive will be convening a meeting of this Group to progress matters.

6.  Environment

The Council will place considerable priority in making Inverclyde both cleaner and greener.  Within the financial constraints that exist funding will be made available for this purpose.  The Council will also seek the support of the public, local business and relevant partners and agencies in promoting “green” policies and objectives.  The Community and Protective Services Committee will have primary responsibility for advancing these policies and dealing pro-actively with such problems as graffiti and litter and promotion of green areas within the urban landscape.

At this stage I would propose that the Council take on maintenance responsibility for parts of the A8 central reservation and that the Chief Executive be authorised to utilise existing funds and lever in whatever other funds are available to improve landscaping and planting.

7.  Chief Officers’ Salaries & Members’ Allowances

Prior to the recent election the Council was contemplating the award of salary increases to Senior Officers of some 23% over a 2-year period.  Recently CoSLA have recommended allowance increases for Council members of around 20%.  This Council does not support these proposals.  To do so will be damaging to the morale of Council employees and harmful to public confidence in the Council itself.

With regard to Councillors’ allowances, therefore, any increase will be limited to the level of increase to be enjoyed by Council employees as a whole, which is understood simply to reflect price inflation.

With regard to Chief Officers’ salaries, the Council’s view is similar, but prior to finalising a decision I am requesting a further report clearly setting out the issues and detailing the implications, legal and otherwise, of implementing the provisional view the Council has arrived at.

These recommendations are not intended to reflect in any way on the quality of either Chief Officers or members.  Rather it is to reflect what the public and the Council’s workforce would expect in the light of Inverclyde’s present difficult financial position.

8.  Staff Relations

The Council’s policy will be to listen to employees, consult employees and respect employees.  This will be at all levels.

The recent survey of employee opinion conducted by Tom McGlew of the University of Edinburgh clearly shows that there are grounds for concern in a number of areas about employee morale and relationships.  The Council will seek to address these and other similar concerns, and will fully recognise its obligation to be a “good employer”.

In the first instance, the Chief Executive and the Leader and Depute Leader of the Council will consider what initial steps should be taken towards meeting this commitment.

9.  Social Regeneration

The Council will continue to pursue the Council’s existing policies with regard to social inclusion and will seek to develop and strengthen the partnership arrangements which exist in this connection.  At the same time it recognises the imperfections of the system whereby funding is largely directed at a number of defined physical areas, and will explore the possibility that a more “thematic” approach might be adopted.

10.  Economic Regeneration

The Council’s main single aspiration will be to make Inverclyde both safer and stronger.  This will be difficult, without a degree of success being achieved in economic regeneration.  The existing policy of the Council will, therefore, be continued and developed, and all available steps taken to reverse the long-term fall in population, and make full use of the natural advantages of the area.

As part of this process the Council will seek to strengthen its relationship with its partners and other agencies.  It will also consult whenever appropriate with Greenock Chamber of Commerce, local business and the Trade Unions in developing policies to assist regeneration.  The economic situation in Inverclyde merits special consideration by the Scottish Executive and the Council will seek to have this further recognised by them by way of appropriation of specific funding.

11.  Community Leadership

The Council recognises its role as community leader and will take forward development of the whole area by way of its policies, practices and example.

To this end, the Council will drive forward the Community Plan and in this process will look for co-operation from its partners, local businesses and industry, community groups and Community Councils and that

(a) it be agreed further that the Chief Executive be authorised to initiate and carry out discussions with the Scottish Executive and all other relevant agencies and request meetings with Scottish Executive Ministers as appropriate on the proposals; and

(b) that all Councillors be given full information on the costs of the proposals in accordance with established practice.

As an amendment, Councillor Robertson moved that the Council not adopt and endorse the Statement.

On a vote 2 Members voted for the amendment and 8 Members for the motion which was declared carried.

Decided:  that the motion as detailed above be approved.