Agenda item

Establishment of All Party Business Delivery Board and Strategic Change Programme Board

Minutes:

A report by the Acting Chief Executive/Director of Finance informed the Cabinet that as part of the ongoing drive to improve the Council, its corporate governance and the manner in which it discharged its functions, duties and obligations, five key Wirral Improvement Priorities had been agreed by all three Political Group Leaders and the Improvement Board. The five “Wirral Improvement Priorities” were set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

 

The report proposed the establishment of an all party Business Delivery Board (“BDB”) and a Strategic Change Programme Board (Working Group) (“SCPB(W/G)”) to assist the Council achieve the “Corporate Plan” and “Budget and Financial Stability” Wirral Improvement Priorities together with other Council corporate priorities, targets and objectives (“Agreed Priorities”) .

 

Councillor J Green referred to paragraph 2.9 in the report which proposed a Project Manager and informed that the reason and purpose for making this appointment was to add capacity to the current Team to enable the Strategic Change Programme to gain pace and momentum.  Further consultation would need to take place with the Change Team before it was put in place.

 

The Project Manager should be appointed on a consultancy basis for a period of twelve months (unless extended by Cabinet) and upon such terms as considered appropriate and necessary by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Law, HR and Asset Management.

 

The costs of the Project Manager should be met from the Efficiency Investment Budget.  The Chief Executive’s Office should provide the necessary administrative support to both the BDB and the SCPB(W/G). Subject to the level of support required, a resources review may be required in the future.

 

It was noted that the Minutes of both these Boards would be made available to the public and published on the Council’s website.  Both Boards would also be subjected to scrutiny.

 

Councillor J Green informed that the aim was to look at problems and solutions.  The Boards would work in an all party way involving people in decision-making rather than excluding them.

 

Officers were asked to develop some Member training options in consultation with Councillor T Harney and the Member Training Steering Group.

 

Councillor J Green, asked Councillor P Davies (who was in attendance at the meeting) for his comments on the establishment of the two Boards.

 

Councillor P Davies told the Cabinet that he was in favour of the opportunities for the three Political Groups to work together.  The Boards should not be bureaucratic, the number of meetings proposed seemed reasonable and the principle of doing more things collectively was fine.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That subject to endorsement by the Improvement Board, the Cabinet:

 

(1)  agrees to the establishment of a cross party Business Delivery Board and Strategic Change Programme Board;

 

(2)  approves the Terms of Reference for the Business Delivery Board and Strategic Change Programme Board (Working Group) set out at Appendix 2 and 3 respectively to the report; and

 

(3)   approves the appointment of a consultant Project Manager to support the Strategic Change Programme Board (Working Group) as detailed in the report; and that the costs of the consultant be met from the Efficiency Investment Budget.

Supporting documents: