Agenda item

The Committee received, for consideration, the End of Year Performance Management Report for the services within its remit, for the period 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016. The report included:

·         Heads of Service Overview of Performance

·         Improvement Plan Monitoring – Actions and Performance Measures

·         Complaints and Compliments Monitoring

The following issues were discussed during consideration of the report:

In response to a question about the legal support for the Dyfed-Powys Police Panel, the Head of Administration & Law reminded the Committee that this Panel’s membership comprised county councillors from the respective local authorities within Dyfed-Powys Police Force area and that Carmarthenshire County Council provided independent legal advice to this Panel.

Reference was made to the £20m borrowed during 2015/16 in order to support the capital programme and it was asked why this figure had been borrowed when elected members had previously been informed that this amount had been found within existing reserves. The Director of Corporate Services informed the Committee that this was linked to cash flow and that he could provide a detailed explanation during consideration of Item 11. 

It was asked whether officers were confident of achieving capital receipts in the current financial climate, in light of the fact that only 75% of the 2015/16 target had been achieved. The Director of Corporate Services reminded the Committee that whilst there was uncertainty at the present time, there were no legal commitments made in relation to the capital programme, beyond the 2016/17 financial year. The Assistant Chief Executive (Regeneration & Policy) added that whilst the banks continued to lend to developers, many had until this point looked for additional financial support from local authorities and EU funding. The Head of Property informed the Committee that whilst the previous year’s target had not been achieved, on aggregate over recent years, the level of capital receipts had actually been exceeded.

In response to a question on the potential cost of maintaining ageing Council buildings, the Head of Property informed the Committee that asset management planning was an on-going activity and that the new Corporate Asset Management Plan would be presented to the Committee at a future meeting. Whilst the Authority retained a number of older buildings, there was an on-going maintenance programme to ensure that the fabric and structure of these buildings were maintained. Improvement works, for example, had recently been completed at T? Elwyn, Llanelli and were about to start at Municipal Buildings, Llandeilo. Officers also monitored the use of office space on a regular basis to ensure the most efficient use of offices facilities across the County. 

Clarification was sought as to what community benefits might be delivered as part of procurement exercises. The Head of Audit, Risk & Procurement informed the Committee that as part of procurement exercises, both over and under the value of £1m, officers sought to obtain benefits from the successful supplier or provider. One example was the current development of the Carmarthen West Link Road where a viewing platform had been installed to allow pupils from nearby schools an opportunity to view the construction work and encourage interest in subjects such as engineering and construction. He agreed to confirm what the non-core community benefits (linked to the bus companies) referred to in Report B (Action 11645) were and circulate details to the Committee.

RESOLVED that the report be received.

The Committee’s attention was drawn to the fact that the meeting had been underway for 3 hours. It was, accordingly, UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to suspend Standing Orders in order that the remaining items on the agenda could be considered.