Minute
North Lanarkshire Council · 1 December 2022
Back to Policy and Strategy Committee — 1 December 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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POLICY AND STRATEGY - 1 DECEMBER 2022 84 1 December 2022 at 2 pm. A Meeting of the POLICY AND STRATEGY COMMITTEE PRESENT Councillor Logue, Convener; Councillor Kelly, Vice-Convener; Councillor Roarty, Vice-Convener; Councillors Beveridge, Boyd, Brennan, Campbell, Carragher, Di Mascio, Fotheringham, Hume, Jarvie, Jones, Larson, Leckie, Loughran, Masterton, McBride, Nolan, Robinson, Stevenson, A. Stubbs, Sullivan and Watson. ALSO PRESENT In accordance with Standing Order 64(A) Councillor M. McCulloch attended as a substitute for Councillor Duffy. CHAIR Councillor Logue (Convener) presided. IN ATTENDANCE The Chief Executive; Deputy Chief Executive; Head of Financial Solutions; Head of Legal and Democratic Solutions; Head of Business and Digital; Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions; Head of Strategic Communication; Head of People and Organisation Development; Head of Performance Planning and Quality Assurance; Head of Audit and Risk; Business Finance Manager (Resource Solutions); Technology Strategy Manager; Commercial Contracts Manager; Business Strategy Manager, and Democratic Services Manager. APOLOGIES Councillor Duffy. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF THE ETHICAL STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE ETC. (SCOTLAND) ACT 2000 1. There were no declarations of interest. MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF THE AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL HELD ON 8 SEPTEMBER AND 27 OCTOBER 2022 2. There were submitted the Minutes of the meetings of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel held on 8 September and 27 October 2022 respectively. Decided: that the Minutes of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel held on 8 September and 27 October 2022, respectively, be approved. CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME UPDATE 3. There was submitted a report by the Head of Financial Solutions (1) reminding the Committee that the Community Investment Fund Annual Update report considered by it in September 2022 had highlighted the requirement to reduce the Council's Capital Investment Programme by £22.076m to ensure that programme activity matched funding availability; (2) presenting the outcome of the review of the Capital Programme undertaken by the Council's Strategic Capital Delivery Group while ensuring
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POLICY AND STRATEGY - 1 DECEMBER 2022 85 alignment with the Council's previously agreed capital prioritisation matrix and, therefore, The Plan for North Lanarkshire; (3) explaining that the Council was nearing the end of the second year of its five year capital planning period and that it had always been the intention to undertake a review of the Programme during its first three years and, accordingly, the Strategic Capital Delivery Group would work with Services to develop a new, reset, Capital Programme to commence from 2024/25, and (4) attaching, as an Appendix to the report, the Capital Programme Review. Decided: (1) that the budget reductions outlined in the report, and in the Appendix to the report, be approved; (2) that the ongoing Capital Programme of Funding Risks linked to wider economic factors be acknowledged, and (3) that the approach to the development of a future Strategic Capital Programme, as outlined in the report, be endorsed. ONE PLACE ONE PLAN - GOVERNANCE UPDATE 4. There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive (1) indicating that in the four years since the establishment of a One Place with One Plan approach, with a vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all, The Plan for North Lanarkshire and its associated governance arrangements and operating model have continued to undergo incremental refinements to ensure ongoing alignment which has enabled an approach to policy setting and strategic and operational decision making that has been unwavering in its direction; (2) commenting that ensuring ongoing alignment in this way has also been instrumental in supporting the delivery of a wide range of programmes, projects and activities; (3) reporting on the pressures – internal and external to the Council – which impact on the local government landscape and confirming that the Council needs to be prepared if it is to effectively manage its way through the extent of the business changes to come, and create (and sustain) the conditions that mean local people will thrive now and in the future and that this will require further structural refinements to ensure ongoing alignment of vision, plan, governance and operations in order to maintain the focus and ensure an inclusive growth and prosperity for all, and (4) outlining the first phase of structural refinements for Committee approval. Decided: (1) that the deletion of the Head of Environmental Assets post with immediate effect – realising one-off savings of £54,083 for 2022/23 and recurring savings of £126,992 for 2023/24 onwards – and the realignment of these functions within existing remits as noted in the report be approved; (2) that the changes to Heads of Service reporting lines and the formalisation of Chief Officer job titles, with immediate effect, to ensure Council operating structures and governance arrangements continue to align, as noted in the report and depicted in the Appendix to the report, be acknowledged, and (3) that the intent for a future programme of linked reviews to be undertaken in preparation for the extent of the business change to come, and the indicative dates for future reports to the Committee in this respect, as noted in the report, be noted. POW:003.2 DIGITALNL - NEXT STEPS 5. There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive (1) outlining the background to DigitalNL; (2) highlighting the scope of Digital NL which is much more than just about the Council becoming digitised;
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POLICY AND STRATEGY - 1 DECEMBER 2022 86 (3) explaining that in January 2021 Audit Scotland produced its report "Digital Progress in Local Authorities" with North Lanarkshire participating as one of six selected field work sites for the national performance audit on digital progress in local government; (4) reporting that Audit Scotland acknowledged that the Council had a digital vision that went beyond technology and focussed on people and outcomes; (5) advising that delivering digital savings during the pandemic has been extremely challenging with Services unable to resource the service redesign and consequential user acceptance testing essential for delivering the vision of Digital First due to refocussing their resources to respond to the pandemic, and (6) reviewing programme deliverables achieved to date against those outlined within the Full Business Case approved in March 2019. Decided: (1) that it be recognised that the financial benefits and associated Full Time Equivalent (FTE) reduction available from this transformation programme are very different post-pandemic to those identified – based on pre-pandemic historical experience – by the Council's Digital Business Partner; (2) that it be recognised that the Year 4 Roadmap and future digital developments build upon lessons learnt, and knowledge and experience gained, from progressing the transformation strands of DigitalNL and SmartNL; (3) that the successful delivery of the Digital Workplace and Cloud Migration components of the DigitalNL Transformation Programme be acknowledged; (4) that it be recognised that commitment to the continued development of the Digital Council, and associated governance alongside enhancements and reuse of the Digital Platform, create scope to deliver digital processes, automation and financial and non-financial benefits; (5) that it be acknowledged that the Connectivity Framework, and the partnership with Commsworld, provide the underlying infrastructure to transform and innovate Council services, ultimately placing local people, elected members and communities at the heart of the Council's revised operating model; (6) that it be recognised that the actions outlined within the report enable the Council to drive forward its ambition to become a leading digital authority, and (7) that, otherwise, the contents of the report be noted. P077.1 WORKFORCE FOR THE FUTURE PROGRESS UPDATE 6. There was submitted a report by the Deputy Chief Executive (1) reminding the Committee that the Council has a well established Workforce for the Future Strategy, which takes forward the aspirations of the Plan for North Lanarkshire to drive inclusive growth; (2) providing an update on how the Council is partnering with employers as it progresses its rolling out of the Strategy and in response to emerging challenges; (3) reporting that the Council’s integrated and innovative approach has put it in an excellent position to capitalise on new opportunities, such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will enable the Council to better navigate the challenging economic landscape being faced by both employers and employees; (4) intimating that the plan is to create jobs and to meet employment demand by enabling businesses to grow and develop their workforce and to ensure that all opportunities, including apprenticeships and work placements, demonstrate the principles of fair work and pay and providing an update on the success of a recently launched scheme to reward businesses which demonstrate these values in practice; (5) highlighting a number of planned developments in regards to engagement with key industry sectors, which are anticipated to ensure much more effective pathways are in place to employment in these areas, and (6) detailing successes, so far, in creating jobs and pathways to jobs and the potential to add significant ongoing value in the labour market.
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POLICY AND STRATEGY - 1 DECEMBER 2022 87 Decided: (1) that the increase in workforce demands now being seen within growth sectors, and a concerning position with overall workforce availability in North Lanarkshire’s labour market, be noted; (2) that the good progress being made with the Workforce for the Future Programme of Work in the challenging context, including the significant employer engagement and positive feedback which is now informing the Council’s plans, be endorsed; (3) that the further development of the academy model, and the first stage outcome of the construction skills options appraisal , and the development of a full business case to progress this work, be noted and endorsed; (4) that the increased funding and resources which have now been aligned to support delivery of the Programme of Work in the next phase be noted, and (5) that the intention to bring a further progress update to the Committee in Cycle 2 of 2023 be endorsed. It was agreed in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item on the grounds that the business involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 10 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act. P001 THE ENTERPRISE STRATEGIC VEHICLE – UPDATE AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT 7. There was submitted a report by the Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions (1) providing a further update on the Enterprise Project highlighting both progress to date and planned future development; (2) explaining that the project aims to achieve an integrated client function for asset management across the Council with Phase 1 contract awards expected to be made for the Housing and Corporate Contract in October 2023 and the Roads Contract in December 2023 and that Phase 2 of the project, from 2026, will thereafter aim to optimise asset related arrangements that underpin the delivery of the Plan for North Lanarkshire and allow further integration and development of strategic supply relationships; (3) providing details of procurement activity, and decisions made to date, by the Project Board; (4) explaining that project resource is necessarily focused on the delivery of the Housing and Corporate and the Roads Contracts and that suitable short-term arrangements to provide play shaping advisory services, as and when required, are available, and the longer-term solution will be developed as soon as project resource capacity allows; (5) outlining the Project Governance arrangements, and (6) indicating that a further report will be provided to Committee in May 2023 reporting the progress of the procurement and the outcome of the options revalidation exercise for the Housing and Corporate Contract and the progress of the Roads Contract. Decided: (1) that the status of the Housing and Corporate Contract as set out in the report be acknowledged; (2) that the status of the Roads Contract as set out in the report be acknowledged; (3) that the status of the play shaping contract as set out in the report be acknowledged; (4) that, in relation to the Housing and Corporate Contract, the decisions taken by the Project Board, as detailed in the report, be acknowledged, and (5) that a further report be provided to the Committee in May 2023 reporting on the progress of the procurement and the outcome of the options revalidation exercise for the Housing and Corporate Contract and the progress of the Roads Contract.