Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/DisclosuresofInterests

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, no interests were declared.

 

To approve & sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 1 June 2016 be agreed as correct record.

J Dong, Chief Treasury Officer presented the Welsh Government report entitled Investing-to –Save 4 – Short-term investment for long-term benefit.

 

The report provided an update about public service efficiency and improvement projects that had received Welsh Government Invest-to-Save funding.  The report stated that to minimise the negative impact on front-line services resulting from reducing budget settlements, it was paramount to find more cost-effective approaches to delivery and to focus greater attention on prevention and innovation in the delivery of public services.

 

It was added that the grant scheme was introduced to encourage innovation.  Available funds were provided as interest free loans that are repayable in full, subject to negotiation with Welsh Government.  The Fund had been available since 2009.  However, the Council had not applied for funding via this method and had utilised funding from its own Contingency Fund.

 

The examples of schemes provided included: -

 

·         Case study 1: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership; 

·         Case study 2: Looked after Children’s Services – Wrexham Repatriation & Prevention (WRAP) Project;

·         Case study 3: Non-emergency Patient Transport – Hywel Dda Health Board;

·         Case study 4: E-Rostering Implementation – Hywel Dda Health Board; 

·         Case study 5: Powys School Modernisation Programme – Powys County Council.

 

The Fund is available on a discretionary basis to Welsh Government funded public service organisations to support their strategic improvement projects where they lead to significant cash-releasing efficiency savings whilst ensuring effective citizen-centred services. The Fund looks to:

• Deliver improved public services in line with the Welsh Government’s public

  service efficiency and wider improvement agenda;

• Transform the operational efficiency of public services and generate

  significant cash-releasing efficiency savings;

• Encourage stronger collaboration across organisations and administrative

  boundaries where this leads to measurable benefits in public service

  delivery;  and,

• Promote the dissemination of lessons learnt and best practice arising from

  projects.

 

The Fund targets those projects that utilise proven approaches, where success in delivering significant benefits previously is evidenced. For example, projects in the following areas that:

 

• improve the way public services procure and commission goods and

  services and manage the market;

• transform business processes;

• make better use of the public estate and shared approaches to construction;

• reduce the costs of corporate functions and routine business through shared

  services and other collaborative approaches to organisational effectiveness;

• maximise efficiency through the introduction or enhancement of ICT as a

  delivery mechanism;

• redesign services so that they are more effective by encouraging the

  development of innovative collaboration across organisations.

 

It was recognised that the S 151 officer has previously demonstrated prudent and astute financial management in setting aside capital for the transformation and improvement agenda. There are still internal funds available for invest to save schemes where there are robust business cases

 

The Committee asked a number of questions of the Officer, who responded accordingly.  The Committee highlighted having an internal agency staff system as a possible Invest to Save loan application.

 

RESOLVED that: -

 

1)    The contents of the report be noted;

2)    The Chair contacts Cabinet Members / Directors to establish if there are any schemes within their portfolio / department that could be funded by an Invest to Save loan;

3)    The Director Resources and Interim Chief Transformation Officer be invited to the Committee meeting scheduled for 31 August 2016 in order to discuss an internal agency staff system further;

4)    Enquire of the Cabinet Member of Transformation and Performance the possibility of the implementation of an internal agency staff capability.

 

The Chair presented an updated Work Programme 2016-2017.

 

RESOLVED that: -

 

1)    The contents of the report be noted;

2)    The Director Resources and Interim Chief Transformation Officer be invited to the Committee meeting scheduled for 31 August 2016 in order to discuss an internal agency staff system further.