Agenda, decisions and minutes

To take any questions from members of the Public.

No questions were submitted or asked by members of the public.

Members are asked to declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any item of business to be considered at the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made in relation to items of business to be discussed at the meeting.

The purpose of this report is to seek approval for the capital funding necessary for the construction of a gypsy and traveller transit site together with an ongoing revenue contribution towards the maintenance of the site. Each of the Surrey district and borough councils are asked to make a financial contribution towards the site, with the exception of the host borough.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 8 Members voting for, 1 Member against and the Chairman not voting, to:

(1)      Agree a capital contribution of £127,000 towards the construction of a gypsy traveller transit site.

(2)      Agree an annual revenue contribution of £7,500 towards the maintenance of the site.

The Committee received a report seeking approval for the capital funding necessary for the construction of a gypsy and traveller transit site together with an ongoing revenue contribution towards the maintenance of the site. Each of the Surrey district and borough councils had been asked to make a financial contribution towards the site, with the exception of the host borough.

The following matters were raised by the Committee:

a)            Contribution: Following a question from a Member, the Officer confirmed that contributions had been agreed from the 10 other Surrey districts and boroughs, and that Epsom and Ewell are the last to consider.

b)           Costs incurred over the years: Members highlighted the costs incurred from travellers over the years, including both monetary costs from injunctions and physical costs such as disruption to residents, Officer resourcing, clear-ups and time going to court. The Officer noted that a calculation of such monetary costs could be calculated after the meeting and circulated to Members.

c)            Deposits for Transit Site: Members noted that it would be expected for visitors of the Transit Site to pay a deposit in advance of their stay, which would be returned providing that they depart the site leaving it in good fashion.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 8 Members voting for, 1 Member against and the Chairman not voting, to:

(1)      Agree a capital contribution of £127,000 towards the construction of a gypsy traveller transit site.

(2)      Agree an annual revenue contribution of £7,500 towards the maintenance of the site.

This report presents the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Finance Peer Review, and the Council’s arising Action Plan.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved unanimously to:

(1)      Receive the LGA peers’ feedback report (Appendix 1)

(2)      Approve the Council’s Action Plan (Appendix 2).

This Committee received a report presenting the findings of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Finance Peer Review, and the Council’s arising Action Plan.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved unanimously to:

(1)      Receive the LGA peers’ feedback report (Appendix 1)

(2)      Approve the Council’s Action Plan (Appendix 2).

It is essential that the Council has an effective and resilient officer structure that is fit for purpose and aligned to the delivery of Council priorities set out in the Vision, Four Year Plan and Covid-19 Recovery Plan.

This report sets out proposed changes to the staffing structure of the Council that will realign the organisational structure to position our workforce to deliver the corporate priorities. The proposed changes seek to capitalise on the new ways of engaging and working with residents, partners, stakeholders and businesses established during the pandemic, address current areas of duplication and overlap of roles, bring together related functions, and more importantly provide additional capacity and resilience where it is needed most. 

To facilitate the realignment of staffing resources towards delivery of corporate priorities this report seeks agreement to the one off costs associated with moving to the new structure.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 8 Members voting for, 1 member abstaining and the Chairman not voting, to:

(1)      Note the proposed changes to the officer structure aligned to the delivery of Council priorities as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)      Approve funding the one-off costs associated with moving to the new structure as detailed in the confidential supplementary Appendix 2 to the report.  

The Committee received a report setting out proposed changes to the staffing structure of the Council that would realign the organisational structure to position its workforce to deliver the corporate priorities. The proposed changes sought to capitalise on the new ways of engaging and working with residents, partners, stakeholders and businesses established during the pandemic, address current areas of duplication and overlap of roles, bring together related functions, and more importantly provide additional capacity and resilience where it is needed most. 

To facilitate the realignment of staffing resources towards delivery of corporate priorities the report sought agreement to the one off costs associated with moving to the new structure.

The following matters were raised by the Committee:

a)            Timescale: Members noted the proposed timescale for the new organisational structure to come into place. The Officer confirmed that the new structure should be operational by 1 September, although some post-holders may be receiving training past this time.

b)           Proposed revisions: Following a question from a Member, the Officer confirmed that staff would be notified of proposed revisions on Monday 17 May. The Consultation has been extended to 1 June to allow staff feedback on these proposals, at the request of the Union and the Staff Consultative Group.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 8 Members voting in favour, 1 member abstaining and the Chairman not voting, to:

(1)      Note the proposed changes to the officer structure aligned to the delivery of Council priorities as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)      Approve funding the one-off costs associated with moving to the new structure as detailed in the confidential supplementary Appendix 2 to the report.  

The Committee noted that this was its final meeting prior to the Full Council meeting in May 2021.

The Chairman thanked all the Officers who had supported the Committee over the past two years during his Chairmanship, highlighting a number of the achievements made and challenges managed with their support and hard work, particularly throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. He also thanked the Vice-Chairman and all members of the Committee for their assistance throughout the same period.

The Committee thanked the Chairman and Vice-Chairman for their hard work on its behalf.