Agenda item

To consider the Priority Report for priorities 5, 6 and 9.

Mrs R. Henshaw, Engagement and Intelligence Officer, presented the priority report for the final quarter of 2013/2014, with specific consideration for Corporate Priorities Five, Six and Nine. Mrs Henshaw explained the context of quarterly priority reports being made to the Scrutiny Committee and advised Members on the format of the reports.

The Committee was advised of proposals to make slight alterations to priority reporting for 2014/2015, which involved the timetable for reporting being amended so that reports would be presented by Council Plan theme.

Mr A Cavill, Assistant Chief Executive – Regeneration, Tourism and Culture, provided the Committee with reports on Priority Five – ‘Attract Sustainable Investment and Create Quality Jobs’ and Priority Six – ‘Encourage Responsible Entrepreneurship for the Benefit of our Communities.’

With regards to Priority Five, Mr Cavill advised the Committee of the various construction schemes, which had brought a number of jobs and apprenticeships in the construction industry to the borough for local residents. Responding to questions, Mr Cavill reported that some of the apprenticeships had led to full time employment.

Mr Cavill provided the Committee with details relating to the work being undertaken by the Council in order to increase business growth. He reported that the Council had launched its own loan and grant scheme called ‘Blackpool Investment Fund’, which was financed from interest earned from previously successful commercial loans, together with some town centre ring fenced grant funds provided by the government. Mr Cavill advised that the fund could be used to finance property improvements or expansions, the purchase of essential machinery and equipment and for associated infrastructure.

Mr Cavill also provided the Committee with a summary of the challenges for 2014/2015 with regards to Priority Five before responding to a number of Members’ questions.

The Committee was also given details of the activity that had been undertaken in relation to Priority Six, which involved aiding Start Up businesses and increasing business survival rates, encouraging innovation and embedding responsible procurement practices.

Mrs C McKeogh, Deputy Chief Executive, provided the Committee with an update report on Priority Nine – ‘To Deliver Quality Services through a Professional, Well-rewarded and Motivated Workforce.’

Mrs McKeogh provided the Committee with the key issues relating to the Priority for the last quarter. Members were advised that the position with regards to the budget had been relatively successful so far, with staff voluntarily agreeing to changing their terms and conditions with regards to unpaid leave. The Committee was also made aware of the work that had been undertaken to maintain and improve operational resilience, in what had been a challenging period that had resulted in many changes to the organisation. It was noted that those changes for staff included office moves, car parking arrangements, IT equipment and redundancies.

Members requested that their gratitude for the hard work of Council staff during the past few challenging years be recorded.

Mrs McKeogh also discussed Customer Service with the Committee, with Members raising a number of questions regarding customer satisfaction.

The Committee agreed to note the content of the report and to approve the proposed changes to priority reporting for 2014/2015.

Background papers: None.