To update the committee on progress in implementing the recommendations raised in the Internal Auditor’s audit findings report regarding project management of the joint customer services hub (Blueschool House) capital project presented in September 2017.

The chief finance officer presented the report. 

A member of the committee noted that there was still an outstanding issue in relation to the fact that the committee had requested that the corporate peer challenge was a focused peer review into the economy, communities and corporate (ECC) directorate and asked for confirmation as to when the last review into ECC took place.   The chief executive clarified that management board had agreed that a corporate peer challenge would be undertaken as this was considered to be the most robust and constructive reviews which the LGA can undertake.   It was further noted that government were now recommending that councils’ commission corporate peer challenges and Herefordshire was one of the two thirds of councils which had commissioned one.    The LGA do not currently offer a review of the ECC as councils have different structures in place to deliver place based and corporate services.   The recommendations from the LGA were focused on corporate functions.   There are reviews for children’s services and adults’ services as those services were statutory and there were frameworks in place to undertake reviews.    Some services within ECC had been peer reviewed by LGA, e.g. libraries and museums and communications.

The LGA peer team had been made aware of the issues relating to the management of the Blueschool House project and had not found any systematic or cultural issues within ECC; it would not be a good use of public funds to focus on one area where two investigations had already taken place.   

The chief executive reported that the outcome of the corporate peer challenge, together with a recommendation on the approach to be used to respond to the LGA recommendations would be presented to Cabinet on 28 June 2018. 

The committee requested that as part of the report due to be presented to the meeting on 16 September, the following points were included:

·         Assurances that officers were now following policies, procedures and protocols and that contracts were following the correct governance routes.  

·         Evidence that the culture change is being embedded in relation to the recommendations.    It was also reiterated that the culture change needed to be embedded more quickly. 

·         Progress against the actions in relation to the SWAP recommendations.

·         The report tied all the elements of Blueschool House together in the report and included an update on the report to Cabinet on the corporate peer challenge. 

The chief executive was invited to the meeting on 19 September. 

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.