Issue - meetings

Report by Chief Operating Officer

48.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer

48.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1) approve, subject to the satisfactory completion of the assessments as set out in the report, to  Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) joining Orbis as a founding partner and to BHCC joining the Orbis Joint Committee upon completion of the Inter Authority Agreement; and

2) delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the Lead Member for Resources, to:

a)               determine whether the results of the assessment referred to above are satisfactory; and

b)               to take any actions necessary arising from or to give affect to the integration of BHCC in the Orbis partnership including (but not limited to) agreeing the timings and terms of the integration, and the terms of the Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) and any other Agreements the Chief Operating Officer considers appropriate.

Reason

48.3     The Cabinet has agreed to BHCC joining the Orbis partnership and Joint Committee, subject to the completion of the necessary assessments. Consideration of the assessments and the decision as to whether the results are satisfactory is delegated to the Chief Operating Officer in consultation with the Lead Member for Resources together with finalising the terms and timings of their inclusion.  By proceeding to a more detailed planning and delivery phase it will enable a robust approach to be developed and provide the necessary powers of delegation to progress at the pace required.

To seek approval from the Orbis Joint Committee to proceed with Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) joining the Orbis Partnership on behalf of Surrey County Council and for the Orbis Joint Committee to recommend East Sussex County Council Cabinet approve BHCC joining the Partnership.

Declarations of interest:

None

Witnesses:

Adrian Stockbridge, Orbis Programme Manager, Surrey County Council

Ann Charlton, Director of Legal, Democratic and Cultural Services, Surrey County Council

David Kuenssberg, Executive Director Finance and Resourcing, Brighton & Hove City Council

Kevin Foster, Chief Operating Officer, East Sussex County Council

John Stebbings, Chief Property Officer, Surrey County Council

Marie Greenan, Orbis Programme Coordinator, East Sussex County Council

Sheila Little, Integrated Director of Finance

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.            Officers introduced the report and advised Members that the recommendations the Joint Committee was being asked to consider reflected the fact that the decision on admitting Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) to the Orbis Partnership was required to go through separate decision-making processes at East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Surrey County Council (SCC).

2.            Members were informed that integrating BHCC into the partnership would present some challenges which would need to be mitigated as integration progressed. Addressing the concerns of existing staff members and those joining Orbis from BHCC in relation to the integration process was identified as a significant potential challenge. Officers further highlighted that integration would need to take place in tandem with the delivery of the Business Plan in accordance with agreed timescales. Uncertainties relating to the financial position of all three partner authorities also continued to present a risk to Orbis as there was the potential for one of the partner authorities to need to drive additional budget savings through the shared service. The Committee was advised, however, that the inclusion of BHCC presented some real opportunities including the addition of 600 extra staff to Orbis as well as the chance to broaden its scope through the inclusion of a unitary authority to the Partnership.

3.            The Committee discussed an event on public sector shared service centres that had been hosted by the Local Government Association (LGA) and which was attended by officers. The event had enabled delegates to share learning and best practice around integrating the delivery of local authority business functions. Members asked how the Orbis Partnership’s operating model compared to that of other shared service partnerships. Officers stated that alongside Orbis there were just two other public sector shared service partnerships at the event and that these employed divergent operating models. Orbis has sought to blend these two approaches in order to develop the most effective shared service model and Orbis is the only one of the three partnerships that will fully integrate services. Officers highlighted that although Orbis was the newest of the three partnerships it was more advanced in tackling some of the key challenges related to integrating local authority service delivery particularly around people management and organisational development.

4.            Further information was requested on what impact the introduction of BHCC into the partnership would have on members of staff and people management processes. Officers advised that some staff would inevitably find the process of integration challenging and so it is important that, where possible, members of staff are engaged in the integration process  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69