Agenda item

To enable the Cabinet to consider recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to this matter, together with the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder’s response thereto.

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted and that the response of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder thereto be endorsed.

Cabinet was aware that, at its meeting held on 24 May 2022 (Minute 9 referred), the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”) had had before it a report of the Corporate Finance and Governance Portfolio Holder which had provided it with an introduction on the Corporate Investment Plan (CIP) and its intended function. The Members of the Committee had been advised that:

‘The Corporate Investment Plan has been under development over the last six months in response to recommendations by the Council’s external auditors and peer reviews. At its meeting on 25 February 2022, Cabinet agreed to implement a Corporate Investment Plan approach to investment and to establish a Corporate Investment Board. Cabinet asked Portfolio Holders to explore with Officers further items for consideration by the proposed first meeting of the Corporate Investment Board in March.’

There had been discussions around the Corporate Investment Board (CIB) prioritising projects on the CIP and how that prioritisation took place, and the Committee was advised that this was done through a scoring mechanism to establish what priority the project should have. The Committee had been also advised that the membership of the CIB was the Leader of the Council; the Deputy Leader of the Council; the Chief Executive; the Deputy Chief Executive; the Assistant Director (Finance & IT) and the Interim Corporate Director (Projects Delivery). The Committee had been interested to understand how all projects, including those that had been approved but not implemented prior to the CIP approach would be incorporated in the CIP to ensure that there was a complete view on such projects/schemes and the funding associated with them. The Committee had been advised that currently the CIP did not currently include all projects. However, it could be adapted to do this.

After a discussion the Committee had RECOMMENDED to Cabinet:-

“That Cabinet agrees that:-

1)    the Corporate Investment Board is minuted and that these minutes are circulated to Councillors as a part of supporting transparency in this process;

2)    a mechanism is found to report quarterly on the projects that are funded through the Corporate Investment Plan and the delivery of them; and

3)    the report mechanism, mentioned above, include all (non-business as usual) projects for which capital or revenue funding has been allocated.”

The Cabinet had before it the response of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder thereto as follows:-

“There has always been a dialogue between Cabinet members and senior officers to determine the issues that come to Cabinet as reports for discussion and decision. The Corporate Investment Plan is a means to make this process more formal in relation to projects, as it helps to finesse the order in which those Cabinet Papers come forward. The pipeline of projects will be published in the Cabinet Paper.  

The Council regularly reports to Cabinet on significant projects through its performance reporting on highlight priorities. I will ask officers to review whether there are new projects funded through the Corporate Investment Plan which should be added to this reporting process, depending on their significance.”     

Having considered the recommendations of the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee, together with the response of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder thereto:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor P B Honeywood and:-

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted and that the response of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder thereto be endorsed.