Agenda and draft minutes

Cllr Tony Dyer sent apologies as Chair, and the meeting was chaired by Cllr Mark Bradshaw as Vice-Chair. Health and safety information was provided.

Cllr Dyer and Cllr Gollop sent apologies.

To note any declarations of interest from the Councillors.  They are asked to indicate the relevant agenda item, the nature of the interest and in particular whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Any declarations of interest made at the meeting which is not on the register of interests should be notified to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion.

No declarations were made.

Minutes of the OSMB meeting held on 2^nd November 2023 to follow.

The Minutes from the OSMB meeting held on 2^nd November 2023 were reviewed.

RESOLVED; That the minutes be approved.

To note any announcements from the Chair

No business was declared.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item

Any member of the public or Councillor may participate in Public Forum.  The detailed arrangements for so doing are set out in the Public Information Sheet at the back of this agenda.  Public Forum items should be emailed to scrutiny@bristol.gov.uk and please note that the following deadlines will apply in relation to this meeting:-

Questions - Written questions must be received 3 clear working days prior to the meeting.  For this meeting, this means that your question(s) must be received in this office at the latest by 5pm on Tuesday 28^th November

Petitions and Statements - Petitions and statements must be received on the working day prior to the meeting.  For this meeting this means that your submission must be received in this office at the latest by 12.00 noon on Friday 1^st December

The Public Forum was published and can be found here.

Jen Smith submitted a statement regarding SEND and the Our Families Transformation Programme. She challenged the Board around additional Public Forum questions which were also submitted; those questions were redirected to the People Scrutiny Commission that was being held on 6 December 2023. It was agreed that Jen Smith would be contacted to clarify the circumstances.

David Redgewell submitted a statement regarding the legal obligation of public transport provision. The Chair stated that he would draw this issue to the attention of the Chief Executive.

RESOLVED; That the Public Forum be noted.

The Chief Executive and the Director for Workforce and Change delivered a presentation on the Transformation Portfolio and updates against the ‘Top 4’ Programmes within the portfolio, namely Adult Social Care, Children & Education, Temporary Accommodation, and the Property Programme, which account for 62% of the £37m 2023-24 General Fund savings. It was noted that individual programmes would also have been discussed within relevant individual Scrutiny Commissions.

The Director for Adults and Communities presented an overview of the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme and the Executive Director for Growth and Regeneration presented an overview of the Temporary Accommodation and Property Programmes. The Chief Executive emphasised the benefit of addressing silo working and noted that PWC had been engaged as a third party to evaluate the ‘Top 4’ Transformation Programmes, and that their report was anticipated. It was confirmed that this could be shared with OSMB Members once available.

A Member queried whether a breakdown of the budget savings for the 2023-24 year could be provided. It was confirmed that that level of detail was available across all programmes and would form part of the budget discussions planned for 2024.

A Member noted the involvement of Peopletoo as an engaged third party with the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme and queried whether their assessment had provided new information, or if it had highlighted previously known concerns. It was agreed that while there was little ‘new’ information, significant insight had been provided into details of working and compiling evidence for aspects that had been suspected. The Peopletoo involvement had also provided expertise and capacity; teams were embedded alongside staff to work together in finding solution for a longer term piece of work.

A Member noted that all savings within the Property Programme were attached to the 2023-24 year, and queried how much of the portfolio would be left following this. The Executive Director for Growth and Regeneration stated that the estate would remain significant. The amount that had been intended to be disposed of had been adjusted during the 2023-24 year as a flexible response to external factors.  It was clarified that Temple Island was an ongoing programme and not part of the Transformation Programme. Ongoing capital revenue targets would be achieved through pipeline projects.

A Member noted the intransigence of the issue of silo departmental working, and had seen that performance frequently fell following restructuring due to the need to maintain statutory services while bringing in widescale structural change. The Chief Executive acknowledged this and considered that this applied to most Local Authorities. He highlighted the context of 10% of Local Authorities in the position of potentially issuing a 114 Notice and the significant financial challenges, emphasising the necessity of a new approach. It was felt that the approach had contributed to greater interdepartmental and cross-cutting work than previously seen. The Executive Director for Adults and Communities agreed with this and noted the improvement seen through cross cutting work such as with supported housing and long-term accommodation. A ‘whole council’ approach was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Standing item. The most recent version of the Mayor’s Forward Plan as published on 6^th November 2023 is included for information.

The Mayor’s Forward Plan as published on 6^th November 2023 was considered. A Member noted that the substance of the Forward Plan was limited, as previously acknowledged. It was confirmed that the Administration was fulfilling its constitutional obligations by providing at least 28 days’ notice of items to be considered.

Under the Committee System due to come into effect in 2024 it was planned for two programme setting workshops to take place annually.

A Member noted that a number of items were anticipated, if not formally noted and scheduled on the Forward Plan and enquired whether informal notice of those items could be shared. The Chief Executive noted this suggestion.

Chair Cllr Bradshaw agreed to discuss future work programming and Forward Plan development under the Committee System with Cllr Dyer.

To note the work programme.

The Scrutiny Work Programme was noted. Scrutiny Members were reminded of a refresher briefing on Companies Governance scheduled for 13 December 2023.

RESOLVED; That the Scrutiny Work Programme be noted.