Waverley Borough Council Committee System - Committee Document
Meeting of the Executive held on 13/06/2006
Local Government Reform - Latest Position
APPENDIX F
Waverley Borough Council
EXECUTIVE – 13TH JUNE 2006
Title:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM - LATEST POSITION
[Wards Affected: All]
Summary and purpose:
This report updates members on proposals for developing joint working with other District and Borough Councils in Surrey.
Environmental implications:
There are no direct environmental implications arising, but protecting Waverley's environment is a key policy for Waverley and will become a key issue in any proposals for structural change to Local Government.
Social / community implications:
Again, no immediate implications, but making a positive input to try to ensure that Local Government structures represent the interests of Waverley's communities will be a key challenge for Waverley. There are major partnership implications for Waverley’s joint working with Towns and Parishes and Surrey County Council and for working with other public and voluntary sector partners.
E-Government implications:
Any future restructuring will be based on organisations that have become far more e-enabled and this will form an important part of the Government's decision making on this.
Resource and legal implications:
There could be significant immediate resource implications for staffing in preparing for any response and subsequently reacting to the Government White Paper and later legislation. It may be that the Council needs to prepare for the possibility of commissioning research into joint working, and this will have budgetary implications for which there is no direct provision at present in 2006/07 budgets, however it was anticipated that a budget might be required and £5,000 of underspends on corporate management budgets in 2005/06 were earmarked which could be used for this purpose once budget carry forwards have been agreed.
Introduction
1. Members will recall that the Council, at its meeting on 26th April, agreed
a. that the policy position on the emerging Blackwater Valley region, as set out in the report, be adopted;
b. the need to prepare a case for a combined unitary Council as an option be recognised, and that geography implies a Waverley/Guildford/Woking partnership is the most likely option;
c. that officers be authorised to start work on a response to the White Paper on the range of likely options for restructuring and to report to the next meeting of the Executive on resource implications; and
d. that the Council pursues active co-operation and the benefits of partnership working with Guildford and Woking Borough Councils, and all other adjacent Councils.
Proposed City Regions
2. The Leader took part in a web forum with the Local Government Minister on 18th May. She raised the possibility of the Borough generating funding to improve transport infrastructure and officers are investigating the options included in the Minister's reply.
Relationship of Waverley with other Surrey Borough Councils
3. Waverley has taken part in three meetings of all Surrey leaders and Senior Officers, and the Managing Director attended the last meeting on 24th May 2006. At this meeting, proposals for joint working were put forward and the meeting agreed that Leaders would request their Councils to offer support for this, by contributing £5,000 towards costs of projects to progress joint working and/or providing officer support. A work programme is attached at
Annexe 1
.
Conclusion
4. Management Team feels that this combined working offers opportunities for providing scoping reports which would provide a framework for joint working which could be progressed regardless of whether there is any restructuring of local government.
Recommendation
It is recommended that
1. a contribution of £5,000 be made to the Surrey Borough Councils' Joint Project, to be funded from the budgets identified in paragraph 5 above; and
2. Management Team be asked to identify staff resources that could be offered to assist with the project.
Background Papers
(HCMS)
There are no background papers (as defined by Section 100D(5) of the Local Government Act 1972) relating to this report.
CONTACT OFFICERS:
Name:
Robin Pellow
Telephone:
01483 523222
E-mail:
rpellow@waverley.gov.uk
Name:
Steve Thwaites
Telephone:
01483 523463
E-mail:
sthwaites@waverley.gov.uk
comms/exec/2006-07/029