To receive a report from the leader on the activities of the executive (cabinet) since the meeting of the council in July 2017.

The Leader presented his report on the activities of the Cabinet since the meeting of Council on 14 July 2017. An update was provided by the Cabinet Member Health and Wellbeing on the Better Care Fund and Council was informed that the submission recently made to central government with the CCG had been approved by NHS England. The initial concern that funding would be withheld had been assuaged; written evidence was still awaited to provide definitive confirmation. 

Questions were invited to the Leader which included those issues raised below:

·         The success of companies based at Rotherwas and the contribution played by the access road which had initially faced opposition from element of the Council. It was noted that improvements to the route to Rotherwas were still required and concerns that the height of Green Crize bridge and clearance for large loads intended for the nuclear industry had been raised by businesses at the site. Comments were raised that the construction of a bypass needed to be expedited. The Leader agreed that the success of companies at Rotherwas attracted funding through the Local Enterprise Partnership and the bypass was a priority.    

·         The peer review relating to directorate performance reviews was welcomed. Responsibility for the situation concerning financial irregularities had been attributed by the Leader to officer error and members for not calling-in the issue. Ultimate responsibility was felt to rest with the Leader and the Cabinet Member for Contracts and Assets and a number of questions were posed regarding the tenability of their current positions on the Executive. The unfortunate public perception of the situation was highlighted and the requirement for the Leader to ensure that confidence in the council was restored. The Leader confirmed that the reasons for the issue at Blueschool House included a lack of scrutiny over the decision and it was confirmed that the Cabinet Member would not have been aware of the actions of officers to appoint the contractor on the project. 

·         A query was raised regarding the response to the collective letter from West Midlands authorities to the Secretary of State for Heath regarding funding. It was queried if there would be closer working with Worcestershire in future. The Leader confirmed that the issue would be discussed with Group Leaders and the correspondence would be shared.

·         The tendering process had not been properly followed in respect of Blueschool House. The situation had demonstrated weaknesses in governance arrangements for capital projects which was an issue that internal and external auditors had raised in the past. The Leader was asked for an assurance that the correct tendering process was observed in other areas of the council. Detail was requested concerning the number of contractors listed on the framework agreement. The Leader confirmed that a framework agreement was in place for Blueschool House which had appointed a preferred contractor; there were a number of examples of framework agreements across the county. The appointment had gone through agreed processes. A written response would be provided regarding the number of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34