Agenda and minutes

To receive the apologies of any Member who is unable to attend this meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

To invite Councillors to declare any interests they may have in items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

1.         To give notice of any items for future meetings or for the Forward Plan, including any scheduled for this meeting, but now carried forward or deleted; and

2          any other relevant announcements.

(Oral report)

There were no Leader’s announcements.

To consider the recommendations of the meeting of the Shared Services Board on 29 June 2009 in respect of the Shared Services arrangements between Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council and the post of Acting Joint Chief Executive of the two authorities.

(In view of the fact that it contains information relating to an individual or which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual and contemplated consultations or negotiations in connection with labour relation matters between the authority and employees of the authority, this report will not be for publication and will be circulated only to relevant Officers and Members of the Council. In view of this, it is anticipated that discussion of this matter will take place after the exclusion of the public).

(Report attached to the agenda for the Council meeting at 7.00pm the same evening refers).

Members considered the recommendations of the meeting of the Shared Services Board held on 29 June 2009 in respect of the Shared Services arrangements between Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council and the post of Acting Joint Chief Executive of the two authorities.

RESOLVED that

1)         the minutes of the meeting of the Shared Services Board held on 29 June 2009 be noted; and

RECOMMENDED that

2)         the creation of a single management team be approved;

3)         in pursuit of the above:

a)         the current secondment arrangements in relation to the Acting Joint Chief Executive be extended up to the end of 2012/13;

b)        authority be delegated to Redditch Borough Council’s Head of Legal, Democratic and Property Services and Head of Financial, Revenues and Benefits Services, in consultation with the Leader, to determine and agree the necessary amendments to the Secondment Agreement;

c)         any costs associated with Recommendation (3) above be shared equally by Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council;

d)        the post of Acting Joint Chief Executive be re-titled Joint Chief Executive for the duration of the extension to the secondment arrangements;

e)         the Business Case as produced by Serco be approved in principle noting the management team response;

f)          the Joint Chief Executive be tasked with preparing and presenting more detailed proposals to the Shared Service Board by the first week of September 2009 in relation to:

            i)          the structure of the single joint management team;

ii)         the detailed financial arrangements to meet the requirements of both Councils’ Medium Term Financial Plans;

iii)        details in relation to the legal implications, employment implications and implementation arrangements of a single joint management team; and

iv)        a timetable for the implementation of the Business Case to include specific milestones;

g)        the post of Joint Chief Executive be re-evaluated for the duration of the extension to the secondment arrangements and that the West Midlands Local Government Association be requested to undertake this; and

h)        the Joint Chief Executive be authorised to commence negotiations with the relevant Trade Unions in relation to the creation of a single joint management team and the harmonisation of terms and conditions of employment; and

4)         the Concordat between the authorities be reviewed, to ensure that it is sufficiently robust to enable the proposed shared service arrangements to function effectively.

(During the consideration of this item, Members discussed matters that necessitated the disclosure of exempt information.  It was, therefore, agreed to move to exclude the press and public prior to any further debate on the grounds that information might be revealed that related to an individual or which was likely to reveal the identity of an individual and contemplated consultations or negotiations in connection with labour relation matters between the authority and employees of the authority.

There is nothing exempt, however, in this record of the proceedings.)

It may be necessary, in the opinion of the Chief Executive, to consider excluding the public from the meeting in relation to the following items of business on the grounds that exempt information is likely to be divulged. It may be necessary, therefore, to move the following resolution:

“that, under S.100 I of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following matter(s) on the grounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) of the said Act, as amended.”

RESOLVED that

under S.100 I of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following matter(s) on the grounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) of the said Act, as amended.

Shared Services Board – Business Case (as detailed in Minute 74 above).