Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board Thursday, 19 November 2020 1 This page is intentionally left blank Page 1 Agenda Item 1 WORCESTERSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCILS VIRTUAL MEETING OF THE WORCESTERSHIRE REGULATORY SERVICES BOARD THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2020 AT 4.30 P.M. MEMBERS: Bromsgrove District Council: Councillor A. D. Kent Bromsgrove District Council: Councillor H. J. Jones Malvern Hills District Council: Councillor J. Raine Malvern Hills District Council: Councillor T. Wells Redditch Borough Council: Councillor N. Nazir Redditch Borough Council: Councillor W. King Worcester City Council: Councillor J. Squires (Vice-Chairman) Worcester City Council: Councillor M. Johnson Wychavon District Council: Councillor E. Stokes Wychavon District Council: Councillor D. Morris Wyre Forest District Council: Councillor H. Dyke (Chairman) Wyre Forest District Council: Councillor P. Dyke AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence and notification of substitutes 2. Declarations of Interest To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests. 3. To confirm the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting of the Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board held on 1st October 2020 (Pages 1 - 14) 4. Information Report - The increase in charges by Wyre Forest District Council (Pages 15 - 20) 5. Information Report - Covid Activity Costings (Pages 21 - 24) 6. Worcestershire Regulatory Services - Revenue Monitoring April - Sept 2020 (Pages 25 - 32) 7. Worcestershire Regulatory Services Budget 2021/22 - 2023/24 (Pages 33 - 44) 8. Activity & Performance Data - Quarters 1 and 2 (Pages 45 - 78) - 1 - Page 2 9. Information Report - IT Update (Pages 79 - 82) 10. The new Statutory Standards for Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Pages 83 - 86) 11. To consider any other business, details of which have been notified to the Head of Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services prior to the commencement of the meeting and which the Chairman considers to be of so urgent a nature that it cannot wait until the next meeting. K. DICKS Chief Executive Parkside Market Street BROMSGROVE Worcestershire B61 8DA 10th November 2020 - 2 - Page 3 If you have any queries on this Agenda please contact Pauline Ross Democratic Services Officer Parkside, Market Street, Bromsgrove, B61 8DA Tel: 01527 881406 e.mail: [email protected] - 3 - Page 4 GUIDANCE ON VIRTUAL MEETINGS Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic Bromsgrove District Council will be holding this meeting in accordance with the relevant legislative arrangements for remote meetings of a local authority. For more information please refer to the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police Crime Panels meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020. Please note that this is a public meeting conducted remotely by Skype conferencing between invited participants and live streamed for general access via the Council’s YouTube channel. You are able to access the livestream of the meeting from the Committee Pages of the website, alongside the agenda for the meeting. If you have any questions regarding the agenda or attached papers please do not hesitate to contact the officer named above. Notes: As referred to above, the virtual Skype meeting will be streamed live and accessible to view. Although this is a public meeting, there are circumstances when the Board might have to move into closed session to consider exempt or confidential information. For agenda items that are exempt, the public are excluded and for any such items the live stream will be suspended and that part of the meeting will not be recorded. - 4 - Page 5 Agenda Item 3 Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board 1st October 2020 WORCESTERSHIRE D I S T R I C T C O U N C I LS VIRTUAL MEETING OF THE WORCESTERSHIRE REGULATORY SERVICES BOARD THURSDAY, 1ST OCTOBER 2020, AT 4.30 P.M. PRESENT: Councillors H. Dyke (Chairman), J. Squires (Vice-Chairman), A. D. Kent, H. J. Jones, J. Raine, T. Wells, N. Nazir, M. Johnson, E. Stokes, D. Morris and P. Dyke Officers: Mr. S. Wilkes, Ms. C. Flanagan, Mr. C. Forrester, Ms. K. Goldey, Ms. K. Lahel, Mr. M. Cox, Mr. D. Mellors, Mrs. P. Ross and J. Gresham Partner Officers: Mr. L. Griffiths, Worcester City Council and Ms. M. Patel, Malvern Hills District Council and Wychavon District Council. 11/20 APOLOGIES An apology for absence was received from Councillor W. King, Redditch Borough Council. 12/20 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest. 13/20 MINUTES The minutes of the meeting of the Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board held on 18th June 2020, were submitted. Councillor Kent, Bromsgrove District Council (BDC) referred to page 3 of the minutes and in doing so, commented that Members had been expecting an update report at the meeting held on 18th June 2020, however, it was agreed that officers would provide an update on the ICT system including timescales, at the next meeting of the Board. Councillor Kent expressed his disappointment that Agenda Item 5, Information Report – IT Update being presented to Members today, did not include timescales as agreed. In response the Head of Finance & Customer Services informed the Board that the implementation of the new Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council Finance system was due to go live in October 2020. However, there had been delays due to Covid 19; with rolling out the necessary training, testing the system and not being able to get officers on site. Officers were looking at the schedule to see if an 1 Page 1 Page 6 Agenda Item 3 Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board 1st October 2020 extension was needed, but currently the revised implementation ‘go-live’ date was the end of November 2020. RESOLVED that subject to the comments, as detailed in the preamble above; the minutes of the Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board meeting held on 18th June 2020, be approved as a correct record. 14/20 WORCESTERSHIRE REGULATORY SERVICES BUDGETS 2020/21 The Head of Finance & Customer Services, Bromsgrove District Council, introduced the report and in doing so highlighted that the Worcestershire Regulatory Services budget for 2020/2021 as agreed by the Board at the meeting held on 28th November 2019, had had to be adjusted due to late changes, as follows:- The late changes in the Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) forward pension funding rate from 16.9% to 20.5%; The Pay Award of 2.75% (budgeted at 2%); The increase in charges from Wyre Forest for accommodation and ICT hosting; and A change in the pest control service at Wyre Forest in March 2020. As detailed on pages 17 to 21 of the main agenda report. Councillor Kent, BDC queried the refund of £7k to Wyre Forest District Council with regards to their Pest Control Services; and the increase of £13k in accommodation charges and ICT hosting from Wyre Forest District Council in March 2020. The Head of Regulatory Services responded and informed the Board that Wyre Forest District Council had ceased offering subsidised Pest Control Services for residents in receipt of specific benefits in February / March 2020. With regards to the increase in accommodation charges and ICT hosting, following discussions with the Chief Finance Officer and the Head of IT, Wyre Forest District Council, the overall cost of inflation was discussed and it was agreed that, since the contract was initially entered into in 2015, an adjustment was made upwards, which was simply a reflection of the increase over that 5 year period. It was not just to cover the ICT provision it also included a proportion for the increase in rent for the space occupied by WRS officers at Wyre Forest House. The initial agreement was a fixed annual charge over a 5-year period. A Consumer Price Index was used. The Head of Regulatory Services agreed to provide Members with further details on the discussion that took place in respect of the £13k increase in accommodation charges and ICT hosting. 2 Page 2 Page 7 Agenda Item 3 Worcestershire Regulatory Services Board 1st October 2020 Councillor J. Raine, Malvern Hills District Council commented that after getting his authority views on the pay award, which was more than expected, it was agreed that it was well deserved, particularly in these difficult times. Further discussion followed, whereby Councillor E. Stokes, Wychavon District Council also expressed her concerns with regards to Recommendation 1.4 and if calculations were based on a Consumer Price Index, was that not compounding it. The Council’s Legal Advisor clarified that each Recommendation could be decided on individually. RESOLVED that a) Recommendation 1.4, as detailed on page 18 of the main agenda report, be deferred; and b) the Head of Regulatory Services be tasked to provide further information in relation to the increase in accommodation charges and ICT hosting from Wyre Forest District Council, at the next meeting of the Board. RECOMMENDED that partner authorities approve the following for 2020/21: 1.1 the additional partner liabilities for 2020/21 in relation to increase in WRS pension forward funding rate and recommend the increase to individual partner councils:- Bromsgrove District Council £11k Malvern Hills District Council £10k Redditch Borough Council £13k Worcester City Council £13k Wychavon District Council £18k Wyre Forest District Council £12k Total £77k 1.2 the additional partner liabilities for 2020/21 in relation to the additional increase