Tag: Cllr Jeff Green

Corporate Governance Committee 16/11/2011 (Wirral Council) Part 2 Work Program, Progress and Associated Issues

The committee considered item 3 Work Program, Progress and Associated Issues. However Cllr Jeff Green went back to agenda item 2 (Minutes). He said as part of the minutes, the list of committee meetings was not agreed. Bill Norman said there had been some confusion in the briefing. There had been discussion with each political … Continue reading “Corporate Governance Committee 16/11/2011 (Wirral Council) Part 2 Work Program, Progress and Associated Issues”

The committee considered item 3 Work Program, Progress and Associated Issues.

However Cllr Jeff Green went back to agenda item 2 (Minutes). He said as part of the minutes, the list of committee meetings was not agreed.

Bill Norman said there had been some confusion in the briefing. There had been discussion with each political group’s officers. The briefing had been done before the agenda [for this meeting] was finalised, so the schedule in Appendix 8 was different to the list. The minutes [of the meeting held on the 26th October 2011] reflected the previous list and he noted the revision.

Cllr Jeff Green said that they had been told he couldn’t make it and that his non-availability had been made known.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said there was no set of dates they could all attend.

Bill Norman said about the confusion in the briefings, they had tried to find out everyone’s availability but timescales were stretched. He apologised for the confusion.

Cllr Steve Foulkes joked that he wouldn’t do Christmas Day, but he would “do Boxing Day”.

Cllr Tom Harney said that the primary aim of this committee was not discussions, there were major decisions of Cabinet and they had to make some progress and look at it as if they were a statutory committee.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said they needed to make decisions, not make recommendations to Cabinet.

Jim Wilkie mentioned that because of Wirral Council’s constitution some decisions had to made by a meeting of all councillors.

Cllr Tom Harney said that they needed to look at how to alter decision-making.

Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 26th October 2011 5.00pm (Committee Room 1) Part 10

Jim Wilkie said it was a working response to changing circumstances and that councillors made policy. He asked for further discussions on its precise role and interdependencies.

Cllr Foulkes said he saw it as a start despite the implied criticism. He asked for a detailed overview and said it would help corporate governance. He called it an “excellent start” which would be “more focused when developed” and hoped it was “not a massively excessive cost”. He asked for more detail and to look at how other local authorities did it.

Cllr Harney was happy with what Cllr Foulkes said. He brought up the issues of how to involve partners in policy (in relation to child poverty). Cllr Foulkes added a recommendation for a detailed report to come back. Cllr Ann McLachlan said child poverty work was currently channeled through the Children’s Trust Board but she recommended it go to the policy unit.

The recommendation was agreed which Cllr Foulkes said he was happy to endorse. Cllr Foulkes said it “went better than expected”, that he was “pleased with progress” and that people had been thoughtful. He asked for ideas for the next agenda and for progress reports on the issues councillors have outlined with milestones and dates.

Anna Klonowski said for alll dates, there needs to be a level of ambition and challenge in delivery. Clr Green called for some sort of program. Jim Wilkie said it would be done some time before the next meeting, but not just before at the briefing. Cllr Foulkes agreed and thanked Anna as well as everyone who’d come to the meeting.

Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 26th October 2011 5.00pm (Committee Room 1) Part 8

Cllr Foulkes said the report raised two issues. The first would help feed into the corporate governance work program, the other issue was to do with the work stream which would have to bid into the Budget.

Cllr Anne McArdle raised the issue of external customers, schools, what schools needs and school employment.

Bill Norman said his department provides human resources and a significant level of employment related advice to schools as well as legal and committee services. More work on the latter would limit their capacity to give advice to schools and deal with admission appeals.

Cllr Ann McLachlan said that 4.9 was a useful starting point. Bill Norman replied that David Smith had made a helpful point, Cabinet has bulky three-week agendas and it was a matter of deciding the best way of using time.

Cllr Foulkes raised the issue of Anna’s seminar to all councillors. He asked that they do their level best. Cllr Phil Davies said Bill had made a good start on the challenges, but asked what the options were of addressing the challenges? He asked if other councils had looked at the same challenges and how Wirral Council would go about addressing them?

Cllr Green said the wanted to highlight the requirement of making it clear how the review of services would be laid out and answering the question “What sort of Council do we want?”. He had a strong opinion but he wanted to avoid producing unnecessary reports which would be avoided by a clear and agreed set of requirements.

Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 26th October 2011 5.00pm (Committee Room 1) Part 4

Chris Hyams agreed that she would report back next time. Cllr Foulkes asked if the report was agreed. Cllr Jeff Green asked if they would use an electronic or paper based system? He would prefer them to use an electronic system for the appraisals.

Chris Hyams said they would but not in the first instance, but once it was live they would link it and log it as complete.

David Smith said they needed to consider the kind of council they wanted in six to nine months time and what information would be held electronically.

Cllr Foulkes said everything would be interlinked and thanked Chris.

Jim Wilkie introduced the report on corporate governance. He said items three and four on the agenda were interlinked. He said the reports described how it would be organised. Mr. Wilkie also said there were comprehensive work plans, which had the capacity to be complex and confusing which set out the main issues and key lines of enquiry as well as what was to be done, who would do it and the timelines. Resources were required and there were interdependencies. There was enough work to do but a limited amount of time. They might need additional external support to supplement Anna Klonowoski which would give an external perspective as well as help with backfilling. He asked the committee for its initial views and secondly its views or reaction over the allocation of resources. He asked if there should be a dedicated budget and said it was important for councillors across the organisation to be involved in the process.

Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 26th October 2011 5.00pm (Committee Room 1) Part 2

The Chief Executive Jim Wilkie said it had been commissioned before Anna [Klonowski]’s work. He said that in the clear light of Anna’s report that there were important connections and this was an opportunity for the committee to give its view. He asked if it is correct and if not correct they would bring it back quickly. They would get on with the performance appraisals as soon as possible but were looking for guidance.

Cllr Foulkes asked if Chris wanted to add anything.

Chris said the paper had been received by Cabinet and mentioned individual performance appraisals, leadership and the performance framework. Cllr Foulkes said he had a suggestion and read his recommendation. The recommendation noted the report and asked for it to be considered holistically with the wider performance framework. He asked if work could continue or if this was part of the forward work stream and compared it to the chicken and the egg.

Cllr Jeff Green said he agreed and talked about transferable skills of top senior managers. He said unless they were careful they could “gum up” but that these were “good starting points”. Cllr Green said he would’ve thought they could train people to start giving people an expectation about how the appraisal interview will be done as well as discipline over how it happens. He said one of the key priorities was over moving forward, otherwise there would be a dam later on, so it needed to be delivered to the front end and subsumed into the work program.