Issue - meetings

The Committee is assured by the Auditor General for Wales’ Annual Improvement Plan for 2016/17 and support the executive response to it

The Chief Executive introduced this report which was a positive overview of the Council with no formal recommendations and a small number of (voluntary) proposals for improvement. The proposed Cabinet response was attached to the report. The Auditor General’s Annual Improvement Report was indicative that Flintshire was a mature and responsible council.

            Councillor Billy Mullin congratulated the team for their hard work in ensuring that Flintshire had received such a good report.

            Councillor Richard Jones raised concerns the true effects on services with over estimating the amount of efficiencies last year; he felt that it would be better to drop the efficiency rate to 90%.

            In responding, the Chief Executive commented that the level of efficiencies were  set too to press for momentum and achievement.  He recognised that the in-year efficiency rate was behind the target.

            Councillor Richard Jones referred to the efficiencies for car parking at County Hall and in Flint, and software introduction. He felt that these were not dependent on other things and yet had not been met. The Chief Executive explained the complexities involved with car parking at County Hall which had included negotiations with the unions and workforce. In Flint, car parking charge implementation had been delayed by the major regeneration works.   The new finance software was a complex internal project.

            Councillor Patrick Heesom commented he was not concerned with delivery issues and it was a good response in the Auditor’s report.  He was concerned with the role of scrutiny and his concerns that Scrutiny committees were not working properly. He felt that Members were not given enough time to read very large complex reports. The Chief Executive clarified the meaning of the Wales Audit Office report on overview and scrutiny, which referred to post evaluation review of major service changes only, and were noted intended as a general critique.

            The Leader commented there were no recommendations for Flintshire in the report from the Auditor General for Wales: to receive an Audit report with no recommendations indicated that the Council had come a long way.  He also emphasised that and Cabinet ensured any comments received from Scrutiny, and especially from this committee were properly considered. This view was supported by Councillor Mullin, who opined that Cabinet valued the contribution of Overview & Scrutiny.

RESOLVED:

The Committee is assured by the Auditor General for Wales’ Annual Improvement Plan for 2016/17 and support the executive response to it