Agenda item

The Scrutiny Committee considered the reports contained in the District Executive Agenda for the 7^th January and made the following comments:

Setting the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS)

Scrutiny members have considered this matter in great depth through a Task and Finish Group and Scrutiny Committee – they would like to thank officers for all their hard work on this topic and fully support the recommendations in the report.

Approval of the Somerset District Authorities Regulatory Services Enforcement Policy

Members supported the recommendations in the report but noted that the report contains no financial implications – even if there are no resource implications, the report should make this clear so that members have the full picture before taking any decisions.

Proposed leasing of 80 South Street

Members support the recommendations in the report and noted that consideration had been given to SSDC carrying out the building works ourselves, but that it was not appropriate in this case and that the recommendations contained in the report effectively turned the property from a liability into an asset.

Medium Term Financial Plan

Members noted that the Capital Programme element of the report was not included as details were not currently available for all bids – members would be presented with the complete picture in due course.

Members noted that the report outlined the likely impact of the Government settlement and that early indications are that the necessary savings needed by 2020 are achievable.

Regarding the temporary SRA precept, members asked what would happen if one or more Somerset authority did not support its introduction?

Members discussed the potential £200k additional income from Automatic Number Plate recognition for car parking and look forward to further reports prior to implementation.

Members queried the two separate amounts shown as savings against Vacant Posts, Donna Parham Assistant Director (Finance and Corporate Services) explained that the £143,500 represented the sum that had been achieved to date primarily from people reducing their hours and the £108,000 is a target for further saving.

The Committee queried the savings allocated to the cessation of the CEO contract – a saving of £88k is allocated for this. Members asked what would happen if a decision is taken to appoint a CEO in the future?

Members noted the detailed work that officers had done to investigate the possibility of introducing up to 2 free hours parking. The Committee noted that the findings would seem to indicate that the costs would seem to be prohibitive but did ask that further work be done to cost various options for free parking for periods of less than one hour – members accepted that such work would probably be dependent on the outcome of discussions re: automated number plate recognition.

Members asked when the report of the Strategic Director Place and performance outlining the Transformation Programme would be coming forward to members?

Community Right to Bid

Members noted that All Saints Church in Yeovil Marsh had been nominated and asked for clarification as to whether functioning/ active churches could be nominated?

Confidential Item – Urgent Executive Decision

Members noted the report and asked if in future it would be possible to include how much interest the capital sum would have earned if not allocated to such a project? This would provide a useful comparator for members.