MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

CABINET

WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2015

REPORT OF THE JOINT MID KENT IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP (MKIP) TASK AND FINISH GROUP

Report of Poppy Brewer, Democratic Services Officer

1.          Joint Mid Kent Improvement Partnership Task and Finish Group report on governance and communication

1.1       Issue for Decision

1.1.1   To consider the recommendations within the ‘Joint Scrutiny Task and Finish Group report on governance and communication’ attached at appendix i.

1.2       Recommendation of the Joint Mid Kent Improvement Partnership Task and Finish Group

1.2.1 That Maidstone Borough Council Cabinet be requested to consider and respond to the recommendations which have arisen from the joint study of MKIP governance and communications, which were approved by the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee subject to the following amendments:

          i.             That recommendation (a) be amended to read: That opportunities for pre-scrutiny should be provided within existing governance arrangements at each authority prior to any new shared service proposals being considered at a tri-Cabinet meeting (i.e. after MKIP Board consideration, if not before);

         ii.             That an additional recommendation be added under the ‘governance’ section, namely: (n) That given the change in governance arrangements at Maidstone Borough Council from May 2015, that consequential amendments be made to reflect the absorption of the Overview and Scrutiny function within the Policy and Resources Committee and three other service committees.

1.3       Reasons for Recommendation

1.3.1   A special meeting of the three Overview & Scrutiny Committees of Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils was held on 7 July 2014 to review the Mid Kent Improvement Partnership (MKIP). At this meeting, it was recommended that a Joint Task & Finish group be established to consider how MKIP’s governance arrangements should be taken forward and how an MKIP communications plan should be developed.

1.3.2   A review was conducted by the Joint Task and Finish group through a number of question and answer sessions which involved speaking to members of the MKIP Board, Shared Service Managers, client Heads of Service from each of the authorities, Heads of Communication, S151 officers, Monitoring officers and external partners.

1.3.3 The Joint Task and Finish group carried out detailed analysis of the governance arrangements for MKIP and questioned witnesses on the methods of communication currently used internally and externally. The key findings of this review are presented in the attached report and highlight where enhancements could be made to improve current procedures and strengthen the practices of MKIP.  

1.3.4   A second special meeting of the three Overview and Scrutiny Committees of Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils was held on 12 January 2015 to consider the report of the Joint Task and Finish group and the recommendations made.

1.4    Alternative Action and why not Recommended

1.4.1  The Cabinet could decide not to consider the recommendations within the Joint Scrutiny Task and Finish Group report, however the recommendations are based on evidence from a wide range of sources and delivers against the Council priority: ‘Corporate and Customer Excellence’ outlined in 1.5.

1.5    Impact on Corporate Objectives

1.5.1 Seven shared services are delivered under the MKIP , with five of these services sitting under the directorate of Mid Kent Services. The work of MKIP is therefore vital to ensuring the delivery of a number of key services and the corporate priorities of each individual authority.

5.        Financial Implications

5.1   None

6.    Relevant Documents

6.1   Appendix i – Mid Kent Improvement Partnership Joint Task and Finish Group report on governance and communication

Appendix ii - Scoping Report

        Appendix iii - Witness Sessions and Papers Reviewed

        Appendix iv - MKIP Governance Arrangements

Appendix v - Diagram of governance arrangements for MKIP and MKS

Appendix vi - Summary of survey findings

Appendix vii - Draft Communications Plan

Appendix viii - Glossary

7.    Background Documents

10.1    None

8.    Other Implications

8.1

IS THIS A KEY DECISION REPORT?                  THIS BOX MUST BE COMPLETED   x     Yes                                               No     If yes, this is a Key Decision because: ……………………………………………………………..   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….     Wards/Parishes affected: …………………………………………………………………………………..   ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..