Agenda item

Report of the Comptroller and City Solicitor. This report will also be considered by the Establishment Committee on 19 June 2017.

The Committee considered a report of the Comptroller and City Solicitor which sought approval for funding from the Finance Committee’s contingency for three additional permanent members of staff to the Comptroller and City Solicitor’s Department in 2017/18.  A base budget increase of £140K for future financial years had been approved by Policy and Resources Committee on 4May 2017.

The Chairman commented that, while it appeared to be clear that the additional staff were required, without Departments being charged for their use of the Comptroller’s Department’s services, it was likely that demand and the number of staff required would consistently expand. Therefore, the Chairman requested that a report be provided to the Committee during Autumn 2017, setting out proposals for an internal charging mechanism for legal services, for implementation in 2018/19.

The Chamberlain agreed that such a report could be provided, but cautioned that such systems had not been successfully implemented in the public sector in the past, were resource intensive, and auditors had found that there was no evidence that it produced the intended results.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

a)    approves £140,000 from the Finance Committee Contingencies Fund to fund the 2017/18 cost of appointing three additional permanent members of staff to the Comptroller and City Solicitor’s Department;

b)    requests that the Chamberlain submit a report to the Committee in Autumn 2017 setting out proposals for an internal charging mechanism for legal services, for implementation in 2018/19.