Decision details

To note Building Control Service annual report 2017/18.

Matter for Decision

To note the content of the 3Cs Shared Service Annual Report for the 3Cs Building Control Shared Services and the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service during 2017/18.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport

 

Resolved: To note the report.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Strategic Director.

 

The report summarised the performance for the 3Cs Building Control Shared Services, and the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service during 2017/18.

 

The Business Plans for the Shared Building Control and Planning Services had been approved by the City Council, Huntingdon District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council Committees in March 2018.

 

The Strategic Director and the 3C Strategic Lead Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

     i.        The arrangements for shared planning services and TUPE arrangements to South Cambridgeshire District Council had been designed so that officers could work as a single team from the start.

    ii.        The working practices of planning services and the different types of services available were being looked at as a priority, to determine best practice.

   iii.        The Director of Economic and Planning Development had had recently recruited two associate directors to ensure that the senior management structure allowed strategic thinking time to bring a standard way of working.

  iv.        Noted the Committee’s request for a report to be brought to a future meeting outlining the differences of the planning services working practices.

   v.        When shared services had been set up there had been an expectation that savings would be made from the start. This had not been made immediately but it would happen and should be shown after further twelve month period.

  vi.        When looking at the finances of both services it was important to remember if planning services had fewer applications this would equate to lower income. However alternative revenue streams would be looked at as part of the strategic process.

 vii.        The next Annual Report would demonstrate where potential savings had been identified or even made.

viii.        In the latter half of 2017, Building Control had cut ties with all agency staff in order to reduce costs. This had equated to an expected drop in performance for a period of time until four permanent staff members had been recruited. A further two vacancies would be filled as and when the workload required.

  ix.        Would double check the figure quoted in 4.1.3 of the Officer’s report regarding to ensure this was correct.

   x.        The overall expenditure and income included fee earning and non-fee earning work (70% and 30% split); the fee earning was an income target set against expenditure. This showed that Building Control Shared Services had overspent by £25,696 in 2017/18.

  xi.        The overspend of £25,696 had been recovered from the reserves. This had allowed the service to review their fees as the income was less than the cost of the service.

 xii.        The variance of the final outturn figure was due to the cost of the apprentice, which had been a Cambridge City apprentice scheme.

xiii.        Suggested that future Annual Plans could reflect on performance against the original Business Plan.

 

The Committee endorsed the recommendation to note the report by 7 votes to 0 as set out in the Officer’s report.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.