Agenda and draft minutes

1.1          To note any changes to the membership.

1.2          To appoint a Chairman.

1.1       There were no changes to the membership.

1.2       Councillor Ian Adams was appointed as Chairman for the municipal year.

1.3       The Committee noted that, in future years, open nominations for the Chairmanship should be requested from Commission Members in preparation for an election and appointment at the first meeting of the municipal year.

To receive declarations by Members and Officers of the existence and nature of any personal or prejudicial interests in matters on this agenda.

2.1       Councillor David Harvey declared that, in relation to Item 3 (Growth Deal for London) he was a Director of The Family Firm Institute and former President at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

2.2       Councillor Barrie Taylor declared that, in relation to Item 3 (Growth Deal for London) he was a member of Paddington Youth Enterprises Ltd.

2.3       Councillor Tim Mitchell declared that, in relation to Item 3 (Growth Deal for London) he was a Governor of City Lit.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th April 2014.

3.1       The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th April 2014 as a correct record.

Report of the Director of Strategy & Communications.

4.1       Mr Steve Carr, Head of Economic Development, introduced the report which provided an overview of the Growth Deal for London which had recently been agreed between Government and the London Enterprise Panel, the Mayor of London, London Councils and London boroughs. Mr Carr summarised the context of the Growth Deal including the negotiations, opportunities arising from the Deal and Westminster’s involvement to date and going forward.

4.2       Members were informed that negotiations in respect of the employment aspects of the Growth Deal for London had been led by Westminster’s Chief Executive (jointly with the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Islington) on behalf of partners across the Greater London Authority (GLA), Central London Forward (CLF - the partnership of the eight central London local authorities); and London Councils. This negotiation produced a pioneering agreement regarding the delivery of employment services and the provision of better access to jobs in the growing economy. It is also a route to securing greater freedoms, flexibilities and funding to drive growth and jobs in London. The CLF will now work in partnership with London Councils, the GLA, the London Enterprise Panel and Government, to establish a joint project team to develop a time-limited, five-year initiative for Employment Support Allowance claimants in Central London.

4.3       Mr Carr explained that the Deal has embedded within it key principles around local government service reform, collaborative working; and the devolution of services to enhance local authorities’ ability to support economic development and growth. In fact through the negotiation, significant commitments on devolution had been secured, thereby ensuring that success will unlock a series of progressive steps towards further local service integration across London.

4.4       Majeed Neky, Senior Policy Officer, provided Members with an overview of the next steps in the process and its implementation. Mr Neky explained that, over the next three months, alongside the detailed design of the scheme, a timetable will be agreed for specific steps towards devolution linked to the performance of the initiative. There will also be a detailed agreement on how successful performance of the initiative will lead to the approach being extended to other areas of London and scope widened to address other services. Ultimately there is an aspiration to negotiate to retain a share of the savings created, through reduced expenditure on benefits and reduced demand for broader public services, by helping people into work.

4.5       Mr Neky explained that the initiative will see each claimant working with a single, multi-skilled caseworker, over a long period of time, to help them implement a plan of action which addresses their individual needs. This will involve a multi-agency approach, working closely with existing council, health and voluntary sector services, to provide specialist support such as mental health provision or specific skills training to guide the individual through their journey towards work.

4.6       The Committee discussed the tension between the ‘supply’ of families and unemployed residents requiring assistance and the demand for both sustainable employment and housing.  In agreement with Members,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report of the Director of Strategy & Communications.

5.1       The Committee received the update which provided detail relating to the progress of 120 Cabinet Member Priority Projects and Activities which are linked to the Better City, Better Lives (BCBL) ambitions. Members noted that of these 55 (46%) had been completed and a further 58 (48%) are on track to be delivered in 2014/15 or as part of the BCBL Year 2 programme. However, the remaining seven priority projects in 2013/14 have either missed deadlines or are on hold.

5.2       Whilst Members commended the completion and/or ‘on track’ rating of the vast majority of projects and activities contained in the report, the Committee fundamentally questioned the usefulness of the measures themselves. Members agreed that it was important to understand the processes which support the achievement of key projects, but emphasised that those process-based elements (e.g. conducting a review of the wardens programme or supporting a roll-out of Wi-Fi provision) should not be considered to be ‘headline’ measures of success in themselves. In the future the Committee requested to receive only the few quantifiable, end-user based measures, which relate to the most significant BCBL projects. The Committee further suggested that the strategic performance reports submitted to other formal Council bodies could usefully be revised to reflect this approach next year.

5.3       RESOLVED:

(1)           That the report be noted; and

(2)          That a recommendation be made to the Leader of the Council in respect of the suggested improvements to the Council’s strategic performance reports, as detailed in paragraph 5.2 above.

Report of the Head of the Cabinet Secretariat.

6.1       The Committee considered the report, which was submitted at the request of Members, to address the issue of continuing training and development for Members of the Council. The report provided an indication of what could be provided and sought a steer on the type and level of training Members would wish to see provided going forward.

6.2       The Committee noted the timeliness of conducting a review of Member training and development, given the recent local elections and the number of new Members who had been elected to the City Council. The Committee recognised that, whilst many Members have a wide ranging and rich skill-set gained academically, personally or professionally, there are many skills and areas of knowledge which are unique to local government and to the role of a Councillor in Westminster. Members’ need for adequate training and development should not therefore be underestimated on the basis of assumed knowledge and skills.

6.3       It was noted that Members (particularly those recently elected) are unclear about what training and development opportunities can be provided and, furthermore, what types of training are acceptable to request? This lack of direction and guidance may therefore deter Members from raising requests for training.

6.4       The Committee agreed that whilst offers of training should be reactive to Member requirements on an individual, Council-role or Committee-role basis, officers should equally be proactive in informing Members of the training opportunities available and how these can be arranged or accessed. In this respect, Members suggested that a skills or training audit could usefully be undertaken to ascertain the appetite for different types of training. Members noted that a formal evaluation of the Member Induction Programme was due to be undertaken over the coming months and the aforementioned audit to inform the future direction of Members training could usefully be incorporated.

6.4       The Committee suggested that, as a starting point, the following training and development areas should be explored:

·           Basic Council-specific information not covered in the Member induction programme such as key officer contacts at front-line level, as opposed to Strategic Director level;

·           A tour of the Borough and site visits to key Council buildings and/or places of significance (i.e. where headline projects are being undertaken);

·           Council finances – both in terms of the overarching framework of how local government is funded (external training) and how the City Council’s finances operate and are managed at a local level (internal officer-led training);

·           Council democracy and governance – how the committee framework and the Leader and Cabinet Member decision-making model operates; how formal reports are prepared; how information can be accessed; and key contacts in this respect;

·           How external training providers and/or professional bodies such as Local Government Association, London Councils, Local Government Information Unit and Universities can offer best practice training across a range of areas and functions.

6.5              In respect of accessing information, Members noted that a new Council website had recently been launched, in addition to a new Committee Management system (Modern.Gov). The Committee therefore suggested that all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.