Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Corporate Services

RESOLVED THAT

1.    those functions for Revenues and Benefits Services listed at Appendix 3 be delegated to the 2020 Vision Joint Committee subject to delegation principles in section 6.

2.    the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists.

The Cabinet Member Finance introduced the report and explained that as with the previous report on the business case for sharing customer and support services a Cabinet Member Working Group had been set up to consider the business case for sharing Revenues and Benefits Services under the 2020 partnership structure.

The Cabinet Member Finance went on to explain that whilst revenues and benefits were mandatory in nature there were discretionary opportunities to enhance service provision. The Cabinet Member highlighted what members of the CMWG thought were the most important outcomes for the Council and for customers and communities as laid down in paragraph 2.4 of the report. He also explained how the group had looked at alternative options, e.g. outsourcing but the conclusion was that the 2020 Vision sharing offered the potential to move to a teckal company with stakeholder pensions which were more affordable.

Cllr Tim Harman, as member of the CMWG, was invited to address Cabinet. He believed that the potential to improve the service via the 2020 shared services partnership structure was very exciting. In response to his question on collection rates the Cabinet Member Finance said that Cheltenham had slightly higher collection rates mainly due to the fact that rural areas had less turnover in population.

The Cabinet Member proposed that the wording to recommendation 2 be amended to read (changes in italics) : “the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists”.

The Cabinet Member Finance thanked officers and all of the CMWG working parties, Members, the Director Resources, the Policy and Partnerships Manager, the Deputy Chief Executive, the Cabinet Member Corporate Services and the Managing Director 2020 Partnership.

The Leader concluded that Members should be assured that services under the 2020 Vision partnership structure would change for the better. He was impressed how quickly the CMWGs had undertaken their work and thanked all those who had been involved.

RESOLVED THAT

1.    those functions for Revenues and Benefits Services listed at Appendix 3 be delegated to the 2020 Vision Joint Committee subject to delegation principles in section 6.

2.    the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists.