Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Clare James.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes of the meeting held on 16^th September 2020.

RESOLVED - That the public minutes of the meeting held on 27^th November 2020 be agreed as an accurate record.

To agree the public minutes of the joint meeting of the Efficiency and Performance Sub Committee and the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee with Committee Chairmen.

RESOLVED - That the public minutes of the joint meeting of the Efficiency & Performance Sub-Committee and the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee held on 21^st January 2021 be agreed as an accurate record.

Joint Report of the Town Clerk & Chief Executive and the Chamberlain.

The Sub-Committee received a joint Report of the Town Clerk and the Chamberlain concerning “flightpath” savings.

The Chairman opened the discussion; whilst recognising that the recent Member-officer bilateral meetings had been constructive, he expressed his concern that we had yet to shift the dial when it came to Members understanding and appreciating their principle role; namely, not to lobby for more money, but to ensure that the money allocated to their respective areas was spent efficiently and effectively.

The Chamberlain highlighted that there were ongoing concerns about achieving the savings targets and it would be surprising if we avoided further turbulence as the 2021/22 FY unfolded. The Chairman emphasised that whilst achieving the savings targets were vital, he recognised that it would present a significant challenge and that overcoming obstacles would be a-fact-of-life in short-to-medium term. Given the key role the savings will play in getting the Corporation back to a sustainable position, he and the Committee stood ready to support the Chamberlain and the Town Clerk, if, and when, they face pushback from either departments or other Members.      

The Head of Corporate Strategy & Performance stressed that her team worked in partnership with departmental business planners; the aim was always to work in tandem with the respective department to bring the best possible information to Members so that they could make informed decisions for the benefit of the department and the Corporation more widely.

She highlighted that our ability to track financial performance and KPIs had matured in recent years, and alongside the appointment of a new COO with a remit for overseeing the driving of further efficiencies, would provide a step-change when it came to departments delivering to targets.   

The Chairman welcomed these comments; he pointed out that, whilst we should continue to ensure that the targets and tracking

Report of the City Surveyor.

This item was deferred.

Report of the Chamberlain.

This item was deferred.

There were no questions.

There were no items of urgent business.

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 16^th September 2020.

RESOLVED - That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 27^th November 2020 be agreed as an accurate record.

To agree the non-public minutes of the joint meeting of the Efficiency and Performance Sub Committee and the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee with Committee Chairmen.

RESOLVED - That the non-public minutes of the joint meeting of the Efficiency & Performance Sub-Committee and the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee held on 21^st January 2021 be agreed as an accurate record.

Report of the Managing Director of the Barbican Centre.

The Sub-Committee received a Report of the Managing Director of the Barbican Centre, which outlined the current financial position of the Barbican Centre, together with its approach in managing the 2021/22 budget.

Report of the Principal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Sub-Committee received a Report of the Principal, Guildhall School of Music & Drama concerning the progress of the development of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s Business Recovery Plan.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.