Issue - meetings

At the September 2017 Value for Money and Customer Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting a working group was established to review the process and management of the Council’s capital expenditure programme. After being considered and endorsed by the Value for Money and Customer Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee, this report sets out the findings of the review and the recommendations made to the Executive as a result. 

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive consider and approve the recommendations made within the report.

8.1    At the invitation of the Portfolio Holder, Cllr Mike Band presented the report of the Value for Money & Customer Service Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the Capital Expenditure Process and Management.

8.2    The review had been initiated after O&S Members had noted the slippage of budgets on the 2016/17 capital expenditure programme at the year-end, most of which had only been identified in the out-turn report. This seemed to indicate that there were issues with how capital budgets were being planned and managed over the life of a project spanning a number of years.

8.3    Cllr Band commended officers for their support of the work of the O&S Members, and drew the Executive’s attention to the conclusions and 19 recommendations set out in the report.

8.4    Cllr Seaborne also commended the huge amount of work put in to the review by O&S Members and officers, who had been open and co-operative. Special credit was due to Yasmine Makin, Scrutiny Policy Officer, who had supported the review and helped to draw the evidence and recommendations into a coherent report. He especially wished to emphasise recommendations 8 and 9, in relation to resourcing of project delivery.

8.5    Cllr Hall thanked the O&S Members and officers for an excellent report that highlighted some very important issues in the management and delivery of projects. The Leader echoed the comments and confirmed that discussions were already underway to identify how to implement the recommendations and resource projects to ensure successful delivery.

The  RESOLVED to thank O&S Members and officers for the report, and approve the recommendations made within the report.

[Reason: To improve the Council’s approach to capital project initiation, budget management, and project management.]