To receive any apologies for absence.

Councillor S Cook.

Apologies were received from Councillors Bayford, Cook and Morris.

The Chairman to report any notifications received prior to this meeting regarding the attendance of substitutes for the named Members of this committee.

There were no substitutes for the meeting.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That Councillor Morris be elected Chairman of the Committee for the Council Year 2018/19.

(b)  That Councillor Todd be appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the remainder of the council year 2018/19.

(Councillor Todd then took the Chair for the remaining business for the meeting).

To receive any declarations of interest.

No declarations of interests were received from councillors or officers.

To confirm as a true record.

The minutes were confirmed as a true record.

TO NOTE the report of Andrew Stevens, Heads of Shared Services.

The Head of Shared Services summarised the annual performance report for East Kent Services (EKS), who provide a shared service to the three councils that included HR, ICT and customer services. A presentation of the key findings was provided which covered key performance indicators, an update on key projects, customer satisfaction, HR and ICT highlights and finance.

Several improvements have been made to the structure and operating systems resulting from the completion of restructures and outsourcing of services to Civica, with further reviews for improvements either underway or due within the next council year. Due to the changes made and key projects undertaken, EKS won the prestigious MJ award for the Behaviour Change category.

During the financial year 2017/18, EKS underspent by £179.8k and used those funds to replenish the EKS reserves for future commitments. HR were carrying forward £73k of unspent funds into the 2018/19 financial year to cover planned expenditure.

For the forthcoming council year HR, ICT and Client Services would work closely together to ensure high standards for the services provided. Although a portion of EKS had been outsourced to Civica, they would be under the same level of scrutiny as EKS and closely monitored to ensure standards of service are met.

In response to questions from a committee member regarding member involvement the Head of Shared Services confirmed that there are currently quarterly meetings of the board and a monthly report on services which is reported to the monitoring officer of each council. However, visibility can be improved as required with working groups to explain the Civica business model. With regards to the setting of targets, a meeting with all three councils would be required to discuss the proposed targets in greater detail.

Since the Civica outsourcing project was completed for EKS, Civica have been in the process of completing work for other local government offices throughout the country.

RESOLVED - That the report should be NOTED.

There was no other urgent business.

It may be necessary to exclude the press or public for this item.

There was no other business.