The Director of Resources introduced a report and gave a presentation which provided the Committee with an update as to the progress of the Future Council project, as well as an opportunity to engage with and influence the emerging options which were being developed in order to transform the Council and achieve the savings required of the Council.

The emerging options would be further developed and then published by the Chief Executive, as officer budget options, for full public, staff and service user consultation in September 2014.

The Director set the context for the project in that investment decisions and budget savings were to be made according to three key priorities:

·  Tackling health inequalities, poverty and disadvantage - narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest communities in the borough

·  Protecting the vulnerable, making sure people were safe and felt safe – and could remain independent as long as possible

·  Driving economic growth – investing in Wirral’s future

The Council was also committed to ensuring that savings were identified and delivered based on the following principles where possible:

·  Spend less on the cost of running the Council

·  Broadest shoulders to bear the greatest burden

·  Mitigate the impact of savings on frontline services

Current projections of savings were for a total of £70million would be required by 2018.

Responding to comments from Members, the Director and Kevin MacCallum, Corporate Marketing Officer, made a number of comments, including:

·  Officers would look at how Constituency Committees would be involved in the consultation process in light of the fact that some were scheduled to meet late in October.

·  The officers would ensure that cross-cutting options identified by the Future Council process would be cross checked with the principles for making savings.

·  There would be a long consultation process with the public through September / October and although clarity was needed by November, it would be an ongoing process up until the budget was set in February, 2015.

·  Pre-decision scrutiny by Policy and Performance Committees on options would start at the September meetings for feedback to Cabinet in November. The public consultation would run concurrently with the Committees’.

·  The Committee could invite as many external experts as it wished to be involved in the process, there would be time enough once the options, which were still being developed, were published in September.

·  Options which had a particular staff impact were subject to staff consultation and if options had a particular impact on specific groups then they would be consulted.

·  The website would be updated weekly as to where particular public consultation events were taking place. A programme of events would be put in place although this would remain fluid to enable the consultation team to respond to particular requests at short notice. Officers would ensure that Members were kept updated.

The Chair, referring to a proposal that had been made at the Coordinating Committee proposed that a meeting of Policy and Performance Committee Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Spokespersons or their nominees be convened before September 2014 to discuss how to deal with the Future Council scrutiny process. Workshop sessions on the Future Council options could be held in public.

A Member suggested that the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Constituency Committees could be invited to the Chair and Vice-Chairs meeting, although another Member cautioned against this as the Constituency Committees acted independently of each other.

Resolved – That the report, presentation and comments be noted.