To comment on the report to be considered by Cabinet on the 29 September 2016.

The Strategic Director of Operations, Simon Fletcher, referred Members to pages 3-12 of the supplementary agenda and explained that the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) presented to Council in February 2016 identified the need to reduce council expenditure by £5.6m in 2017-18.  Members were informed that as the economic climate changed in the UK the Council's expenditure level might need to change.  Any significant changes will be weaved into the Medium Term Financial Plan.

The Strategic Director of Operations went onto explain that in March 2016 Cabinet approved a refreshed Transformation Programme 2016- 2018 with the aim to create a leaner and more agile organisation, focused on the customers, services and the communities the Council serves.

Members were informed that guided by the Council’s Transformation Programme, work to date had identified how the council’s expenditure could be reduced by £5.3m in 2017-18 through a mixture of increasing income and reducing cost.  The details were included in the report and further savings proposals would be brought to Cabinet in February 2017.

The Strategic Director of Operations explained that Members should be aware that some of the savings proposed were subject to individual cabinet reports and were therefore only included as draft proposals to be subsequently approved for inclusion in the budget.

Members were informed that the report recommended that managers were authorised to implement the proposals as soon as practicable to secure implementation by 1st April or earlier and that these proposals were included in the Budget for 2017-18 when discussed in February 2017.

Members were informed that the report would be going before Cabinet on the 29 September 2016.

Following the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

Ø  With regard to the Community Wardens and Parking Enforcement section of Appendix A on page 11 of the report.  Members were informed that the Council was currently trialling a small pilot in the Town Centre and had been since the middle of August.  It was noted that the pilot was going very well due to the parking wardens heightened presence.  Members were informed that the findings of the short-term pilot would be fed into the report. 

Ø  The Strategic Director of Operations explained that one of the Councils Manifesto Commitments was to increase the number of Community Wardens but not spend more money and that the Council was therefore looking at creative ways of doing this.  It was noted that the Council was talking to the private sector to see if it could protect the Community Wardens function by enabling them to do more enforcement work. 

Ø  That Westminster Marshalls had been introduced recently and that the Strategic Director of Operations was looking forward to taking Members to speak to Westminster Council to find out the pro’s and con’s.  The Chairman stated that the mentality of people at Westminster might not be the same as people in the Royal Borough and that he did not want it to look like a private police force. 

Ø  Councillor Story stated that any changes to the Community Wardens role would require clear benefits to be presented to the Panel.  The Strategic Director of Operations stated that the procurement process was not at the final stage yet and that he would like a small task and finish group formed to look at the results of the pilot. 

Ø  Parish Councillor Margaret Lenton stated that the Council’s Community Wardens were so valued by villages in the Royal Borough and that Wraysbury Parish Council was very anxious to see these roles maintained. 

Ø  That this report would come back to Cabinet later this year with more data.

The Panel made the following comments to Cabinet:

·         The Panel agreed that the report should come back before the Panel.

·         The Panel stated that the Community Wardens were very valued by the Council.

·         The Panel suggested that the pilot be extended to other areas in the Royal Borough. 

The Crime & Disorder Overview & Scrutiny Panel unanimously agreed to recommend to Cabinet the concept of the following:

(i)    Agree the savings listed in Appendix A for submission to Council in the 2017-18 budgets subject to approval of any subsequent reports on individual schemes.

(ii)   Authorises Strategic Directors in agreement with Lead Members to implement savings proposals.