Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Service Manager for Commercial and Procurement.

The Executive Director for Corporate Development introduced the report and outlined the four themes of the programme. A large number in the budge was for third-party spend. The council aimed to become more commercially minded and there was contract management training course and information available.

A non-committee member felt that there was a wealth of talent among members who had run successful businesses and members should be involved. There was a need for more commercial flexibility in local government.

The committee asked questions and made comments on the commercialisation transformation programme. Officers responded to questions. The following points were raised:

• The council was legally not allowed to make a profit on trade waste.
• Local authorities can create trading companies which are able to make profits.
• Dorset Council was part of a group of councils that look at opportunities for trading, however there were restrictions on trading in other local authority areas.
• The Commercial Board was an officer panel that looked at the implications and pressures of operational decisions. It was not a form of scrutiny.
• Some contract management training was specialist as well as delivered by networks.
• A webinar on contract management training and being commercially minded would be beneficial for members.
• Financial pressures on the council were created by inflation, the pay award, and an increased number of people discharged from hospital into care.
• Although senior officers were on the Commercial Board, they were there because of their commercial expertise.
• There was a further need to understand scrutiny’s role in the Commercial Board.
• There was a market element in adult care bed provision, as beds could be bloc purchased or sold to private buyers.

Following the discussion, the committee requested:

1. An all-member webinar on contract management and being commercially minded.
2. That officers review/explore and produce a report on local authority trading companies for SEND and school transport provision.
3. That officers review the impacts of inflation and covid on transformation projects and budgetary requirement. Then provide feedback to the committee.

The committee noted the progress made and proposed future developments under the programme.