Issue - meetings

The report will seek approval to establish the new shared Economic Development Service for Haringey and Waltham Forest following the formal consultation with staff and their Trades Unions.

Following an earlier report to the General Purposes committee on  the principles of a shared economic service with Waltham Forest Council a further final report was put forward to the Corporate Committee to consider. The Assistant Director for Planning Regeneration and economy service advised the committee of an addition to recommendation 4.1  . This was that the proposals for the ring fenced recruitment of staff be agreed  apart from the Head of Economic Development  which was an imminent matter for resolution between the two boroughs.

In reference to the Memorandum of Understanding which was being worked on by the  two boroughs and would set out the approach to shared services between them , information was sought by the committee on how this was envisaged to work in practice.   These were similar  issues raised at the  meeting of the General Purposes Committee  in March and clarification was further  sought on:

How issues of location would be resolved

How the savings allocations would be shared

How will the agreement ensure that an equal service is provided to both boroughs – following each boroughs equal economic need for the service.

Apart from the staffing costs, how would the additional asset costs be shared.

 Employment processes, for example who will be employed  by which borough and what will the reporting lines be?

In response to the latter point, following the  council initiatives on smart working there was little asset cost associated with staff allocation. In response to the remaining points these could be  answered in the Chief Executives report to the committee on shared services. This report should also include further details of the costs of the service and provide an overall  understanding of  how  shared services were envisaged to operate.  The committee were advised that the would be a joint officer board  that would be made up of the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Economy and his equivalent  in Waltham Forest  that would meet and to discuss and take forward on the Shared economic projects and policy . They would report to a joint HSP  Enterprise board.   

In response to question  on why this services taken forward as a shared service, it was noted that this was a policy decision  taken by the Cabinet in February and the Corporate committee were now being asked as the appropriate non Executive committee to make the staffing decision on this policy decision.

RESOLVED

That a further report which responds to the above mentioned points be considered at the Special Corporate Committee planned for the 3^rd week in May.