Agenda item

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain which provided information of the next steps to be taken to build on the Efficiency and Sustainability Plan, which had been approved for publication by the Court of Common Council on 13 October 2016. The additional steps which would be taken included Efficiency and Effectiveness Peer Reviews for all Chief Officers and incentivisation for identification and implementation of efficiency savings, over and above the 2% target set out within the Efficiency and Sustainability Plan.

The Chamberlain informed the Sub-Committee that, as promised in return for the publication of Efficiency Plans, the Department for Communities and Local Government had confirmed the level of the Corporation’s Local Government Grant Funding for the next three years.

The Sub-Committee asked how the efficiency plan would apply to the independent schools, as it would not be appropriate to make savings through reducing bursaries or similar methods. The Chamberlain explained that there was no intention to cut bursaries, and the efficiency plan would seek to find efficiencies in the shared services used by the schools.

Members asked for clarification regarding the timescale for the completion of Chief Officer Peer Reviews. The Chamberlain explained that a draft timetable for each of the workstreams identified within the report had been developed and this was put around the table. The Chamberlain explained that it was intended to commence the Peer Reviews in early 2017, but it may be necessary, due to resource limitations for these to be staggered and it therefore may not be possible to complete a Peer Review for each Chief Officer until 2018.

The Chamberlain confirmed that the work that would be undertaken to implement the Efficiency Plan would be integrated into the Sub-Committee’s work programme.

RESOLVED – That the Sub-Committee

a)    Notes the proposals for implementing the Continuous Improvement savings target; and

b)    Notes the approach being adopted for progressing Chief Officer Peer Reviews.