Agenda item

Noted the following aspects of the report:

  i.  Project management

·  Noted the current reported status of each Gold Project.

  ii.  Performance Scorecard

·  Noted the performance issues identified and highlighted.

  iii.  Financial performance – revenue and capital

·  Noted the current projected outturn position on the General Fund of an under spend of £1.323m.

·  Noted that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) reported a forecast under spend of £116k.

·  Noted the identified areas of risk and emerging issues.

·  Agreed the reallocation of £525k to Community priority projects as set out in Appendix A as tabled. 

iv.  Temporary Staff

·  Noted the continued reduction in the use of temporary staff

·  Recommended future reports come to Cabinet and O&S quarterly.

The Cabinet considered the Council’s overall performance from delivery of

service to financial management covering the period up to an including

November 2011 against the Council’s key areas of gold projects, performance

score card and revenue and capital monitoring position.  The report also

contain a further update on the use of temporary staff.

In addition to the report an appendix was tabled setting out the allocation of in

year underspend to community priorities.

Members discussed the progress against the Council’s gold projects and

noted that whilst the personalised services programme was indicating an

overall status of amber there was no under performance against this project  -

there had been a huge volume of activity and the amber rating had been a

particularly cautious approach to progress.  With regard to school places in

Slough and the predicted increase in children to 2016 members asked for a

further report to the Cabinet on the authority’s plan for the future.  Members noted the volume of activity with regard to FOI requests and requested an estimate of the cost to the authority of providing responses, whilst acknowledging that it would be difficult to accurately estimate this cost.  Members noted the budget monitoring information and considered the reallocation of the in year underspend to community priorities as set out in the tabled appendix. 

In discussing the emerging issues and risks, members noted the proposal to use short term lets to offset the current loss of rent to the authority for Highways properties and asked for a  cost benefit analysis of the proposal to be undertaken  before any decisions were taken. 

The Cabinet congratulated officers on the delivery of the budget strategy which had enabled the protection of frontline services and streamlined back office functions.

Resolved -

Noted the following aspects of the report:

  i.  Project management

·  Noted the current reported status of each Gold Project.

ii.  Performance Scorecard

·  Noted the performance issues identified and highlighted.

iii.  Financial performance – revenue and capital

·  Noted the current projected outturn position on the General Fund of an under spend of £1.323m.

·  Noted that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) reported a forecast under spend of £116k.

·  Noted the identified areas of risk and emerging issues.

·  Agreed the reallocation of £525k to Community priority projects as set out in Appendix A as tabled. 

iv.  Temporary Staff

·  Noted the continued reduction in the use of temporary staff

·  Recommended future reports come to Cabinet and O&S quarterly.