Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader of the Council detailing the Executive business conducted since the last Executive Business Report on 18th July 2018.

The report of the Leader of the Council was submitted setting out the details of the business undertaken by the Executive.

The Leader and the Cabinet made statements and responded to questions. 

The following questions were submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1.

1.  Contract Confidence

According to the Council's own internal reports, the Capita Contract was performing well. Now it has been cancelled by the Labour Administration. How can the public have confidence in any other contracts the Council has with providers like Capita, when the Council claims they are performing well and hides poor performance behind claimed "confidentiality"?

Answer

The Council is bringing the services delivered under the contract back in-house to ensure that we have full control and flexibility over these critical services going forward. This will enable these services to be managed in full alignment with the Council’s strategy and eliminate the administrative, commercial and legal constraints presented by the contract.

2.  Recording Meetings

The minutes of Full Council, according to Democratic Services, do not record proceedings, only resolutions. This excludes important actions taken by opposition councillors in holding the Executive to account. The minutes even exclude questions of concern asked to officers of the Council or that even questions were asked of members of the Executive. They even exclude reports and concerns expressed about courses of action being taken by the Executive, including on controversial and/or costly expenditure.  This could be resolved by recording Full Council meetings, whether by audio or video means, as is done in other councils in Hampshire (e.g. Basingstoke and Deane and Hampshire County councils). Will you commit to begin these recordings by the end of 2018?

Answer

The Council’s minutes are brief notes of the proceedings at any formal decision making meeting that, in particular, record the decision made by members not the debate. Minutes can take whatever form is preferred by an individual authority and styles vary but the Council’s approach has served the Council well over many years. There is no merit in a verbatim written report being produced and the Council’s approach follows the practice followed by the majority of Councils. The most important and overarching element is that the decision is accurately recorded.

Minutes are not designed to be used as records of political debate. Officers have explored the possibility of web-camming or streaming meetings, the technology is available on the market, but is costly and from the experience of the few others who do the hits are very few.

3.  Arts Complex – Expenditure

How much total Council money has been spent on the Arts Complex since its inception, how much additional money has been spent on the Arts Complex since you became responsible for it, and when will the taxpayer get this money back?

Answer

The total project spend to the end of August 2018 is £19,958,722.

Since April 2016, the spend has been £14,223,304.

Since opening, Studio 144 has attracted 18,000 visits to the John Hansard gallery and over 55,000 visits  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43