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Issue - meetings

Publica Transition Plan

 

 

Meeting: 22/07/2024 - Executive (Item 211)

211 Publica Transition Plan pdf icon PDF 279 KB

Purpose:

To consider the Detailed Transition Plan, to note its contents and to approve the recommendations therein. 

 

Recommendations:

That the Executive resolves to recommend to Council to:

1.    Approve the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition on the basis of the Detailed Transition Plan;

2.    Delegate to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council the decision to deal with any final detail matters arising from the Detailed Transition Plan;

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Governance in liaison with the Leader to update the constitution by making any consequential changes required as a result of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition;

4.    Carry out a budget re-basing for the 2026/7 financial year so that the funding provided to Publica is proportionate to the services received.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Ahead of the agenda item being considered, the Leader stated that Publica employees, who were in scope for Phase 1 of the transition, would leave the room. Officers employed by Publica who would advise members in relation to the Publica transition, remained in the room, as, in accordance with the viewpoint of the Council’s Director of Governance, the need for members to receive answers to questions outweighed the appearance of bias.

 

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report, which considered a Detailed Transition Plan for Publica. The report also sought the Executive to note its content and approve recommendations therein.

 

The Leader reaffirmed the Executive’s commitment, in partnership with Cabinets at partner Councils, to ensuring that the transition process was as smooth as possible, and that services to residents would not be affected during the transition. The Leader also stated that the Executive remained steadfast in ensuring that the terms and conditions of staff were protected as part of the transition, and paid tribute to the work of those directly involved in the transition project.

 

By invitation of the Leader, Giles Hughes, Chief Executive, reminded the Executive that the Publica model was not the same as the one that was initially set up in 2017, and the needs and aims of both individual councils and residents had changed over the time that the partnership working model had been in place. The Chief Executive highlighted that generic working practises had changed significantly since Publica’s creation in 2017, and the project was underpinned with the Council’s future in full view. The project was key to ensuring the Council’s ambitious plans were better placed to be achieved as a result of the transition.

 

The Chief Executive stated that the first phase of the transition would take effect on 1 November 2024, with Council staff employed by Publica in roles which directly supported a sole Council from the partnership, being transferred to the Council’s employment via a TUPE process. The Chief Executive highlighted that employment which would fall under the Council’s direct ownership would have greater clarity and certainty in the work undertaken by sovereign departments and employees.

 

The Chief Executive stated that employees who would remain in shared roles with partner councils (e.g. Cotswold District Council) would be employed by one District Council as appropriate, in keeping with detail contained within the transition plan. The Chief Executive reaffirmed commitments to ensure that any redundancy measures were minimised as much as possible.

 

In debate, the Executive paid tribute to all staff employed as part of the Publica partnership, highlighting that additional work related to the transition came on top of normal working commitments. The Executive also stated that the transition was part of a wider aspiration of partner councils to return to previous working arrangements, and that each council would play their own role in the transition. The Executive also paid tribute to the work of the transition team to ensure that financial implications pertaining to the transition were fully visible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 211

Meeting: 17/07/2024 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 22)

22 Publica Transition Plan pdf icon PDF 282 KB

Purpose:

To consider the Detailed Transition Plan and to note its contents.

 

Recommendations:

The Committee notes the report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to make to the Executive on 22 July 2024.

The Executive is recommended to recommend to Council to:

1.    Approve the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition on the basis of the Detailed Transition Plan;

2.    Delegate to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council the decision to deal with any final detail matters arising from the Detailed Transition Plan;

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Governance in liaison with the Leader to update the constitution by making any consequential changes required as a result of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition;

4.    Carry out a budget re-basing for the 2026/7 financial year so that the funding provided to Publica is proportionate to the services received.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive introduced the report that set out the services proposed to transfer, the process including phasing, consideration of risks and opportunities, cost implications, practicalities and timelines for the Publica transition.

 

It was explained that important work had been done collectively and alongside the Interim Programme Director to ensure the best outcomes were achieved.  Taking into consideration logically, the great detail of services to ensure any changes were done in a phased manner with a strong locality focus to ensure the organisation would deliver.

Special care was taken to recognise that service areas varied and that there would be differences in how Publica and the Council would be structured and reframed effectively whilst producing financial modelling.

The financial implications of the Publica Review had been the subject of extensive due diligence since programme inception in February 2024. The resulting financial modelling output reflects robust programme assumptions and a detailed audit trail of movements between baseline costing, of delivery via the current Publica model, to the new WODC structure posttransition, as proposed in the Detailed Transition Plan. The key financial implications of the Detailed Transition Plan were as follows:

Indicative enduring annual increase to West Oxfordshire District Council revenue budget of £185k per annum (pro rata for 2024/25 would be £77k) with one-off costs of restructuring between £207k to £301k, being the “most likely” and “maximum” scenario respectively.

The report also referenced business change and a focus on WODC with its needs and priorities, different services, both community wise and economic. The changes would bring better clarity in roles and responsibilities, responsiveness and agility.

There was a plan to implement minimum redundancies and the intention was to find places for as many people as possible.  TUPE would be used to facilitate this process and for the majority of staff the transition from Publica to West Oxfordshire District Council would straightforward with very little disruption.

The Interim Programme Director explained that he deliberately set up a programme office and asked Members to note the ‘Waterfall’ chart on page 31 that  highlights the core movements in cost from the Publica baseline costing to the WODC new structure post transition. The key assumptions which underpin the Phase 1 cost movements were:

·         The Council model assumed all Phase 1 roles were opted-in to Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) at the point of transfer (November 2024) with no subsequent opt out.

·         Newly created roles were in accordance with service delivery requirements under the Council model post Phase 1. Proposed organisational structures had been developed, to facilitate this cost modelling, and these would be refined and finalised after consultation with staff involved in Phase 1.

·          “Direct savings” result from roles not transferring to an equivalent role within the Council operating structure.

·         “Indirect savings” result from a Senior Management restructure within Publica. These savings were offered in entirety underneath the scope of Phase 1, therefore no further executive management savings were anticipated for future Phases.

·         For modelling purposes, both the one-off costs of transition and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22

Meeting: 06/03/2024 - Executive (Item 161)

161 Publica Transition Update pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Purpose

To consider the Local Partnerships report and to consider the findings and recommendations therein.

 

Recommendation

That Executive notes:

1.    the findings and recommendations set out in the Local Partnerships report; and

2.    that the Interim Programme Director shall prepare a detailed transition plan, building on the recommendations set out in the Local Partnerships report, for subsequent consideration by Executive, Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Council.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Ahead of the item of business being considered by the Executive, Officers employed by Publica Group left the Council Chamber.

 

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report, which considered a report from Local Partnerships and the findings and recommendations therein.

 

The Leader gave an overview of the implications that were associated with the report, and explained that, whilst not fully known, a wide-ranging scale of financial costings would be associated with the proposals, as well as legal and recruitment implications. The Leader highlighted that a full transition plan and full business case would be formulated in due, to ensure that residents and Council staff remained foremost in the aims of the Council. The Leader stated that an Interim Programme Director had recently been appointed to oversee the transition of services, and that the appropriate officers meet and engage with the Programme on a regular basis.

 

The Leader reminded the Executive that the Publica model, was not the same as the one that was initially set up in 2017, and the needs and aims of both individual council’s and residents had changed over the time that the model had been in place. The Leader urged Members to exercise caution when highlighting potential associated costs with the transition and that such plans must be fully costed and with the best interests of residents and staff in mind.

 

In debate, the Executive thanked the work of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its input so far in scrutinising the proposals. The Executive reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the transition process was as smooth as possible, and that services to residents would not be affected. The Executive was also steadfast in ensuring that the terms and conditions of staff were protected as part of the transition.

 

The Executive also referred to the effectiveness of the Council, efficiencies of the Council, and feasibility of the project to ensure that the transition would be as smooth as possible, and the proposals associated with the transition project must be financially sound, and in keeping with the intended outcomes of the plan pertaining to West Oxfordshire District Council.

 

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Michele Mead and Councillor Julian Cooper, attending as non-Executive Members, highlighted that the proposals were lacking consistent detail in relation to the overall financial implications of that transition, and that it was imperative to have a ‘cap’ on the financial costings associated with the project, before fully entering into a business agreement.

 

The Chief Executive stated that no estimates were currently available as the overall transition project was still in its infancy, and that a more detailed transition plan would be brought before the Executive in the coming months, which would take into account the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

Councillor Andy Graham proposed that the Executive agree to the recommendations as listed on the report. This was seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by the Executive.

 

The Executive Resolved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 161

Meeting: 29/02/2024 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 55)

55 Publica Transition Plan pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Purpose:

To consider the Local Partnerships report and to consider the findings and recommendations therein.

 

Recommendation:

That the Committee scrutinises the Publica Transition Plan and agrees any recommendations it wishes to submit to the Council’s Executive.

 

Invited:

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council

Giles Hughes, Chief Executive

Andrew Pollard, Interim Programme Director

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive Officer introduced the report that considered the Local Partnerships report and other findings and recommendations therein of the Publica review.

Frank Wilson had been recruited as the new Interim Managing Director of Publica. Christine Gore had been appointed as the new Chair of the Board and Andrew Pollard had been appointed as the Interim Programme Director.

The report explained that most Council services were delivered through Publica, a joint vehicle owned by the Council together with Cotswold District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Forest of Dean District Council. An options appraisal review of Council services and the way in which they were delivered had been undertaken by a company called Human Engine in 2023. The final report recommended that a significant number of services should move from Publica and return to being under direct control of the Councils. This would leave Publica delivering a range of support and customer services for the Councils.

The Human Engine report would inform the preparation and implementation of a detailed transition plan that would be presented by the Interim Programme Director and Chief Executive later in the year.

Local Partnerships come with a wealth of experience and were well placed to be able to refer to the wider public sector’s experience of insourcing to provide illustrations of governance, organisational design and service transformation, having been involved in undertaking service reviews for a number of councils in the past. This knowledge and approach facilitated bringing services back in-house following best practice, rather than simply ‘lift and shift’. The brief agreed with Local Partnerships was for the provision of a high-level set of recommendations, following those set out in the Human Engine report, to enable the councils to take the project forward. The Local Partnerships report did not intend to seek to identify all service areas to be transferred, but to give a high-level overview of and suggest key phases of services as part of the transition. It would be for the Interim Programme Director to develop this further with more specific detail in due course. It was envisaged that the detailed transition plan would be completed by the end of April, with subsequent reporting back through the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive.

The Interim Programme Director introduced himself and outlined his experience whilst explaining how he could go about developing a detailed, fully analysed and costed Transition Plan.

Various questions and points of clarification were raised with Officers providing answers and points of clarification as follows:

  • Member consultation would be organised in due course; however, all service options would be considered for a reasonable and sensible approach to ensure economies of scale and resilience. There would need to be robust frameworks and agreements in place to protect all Councils.
  • There were two aspects and the Interim Programme Director explained the hub and spoke approach that used the many hands principles and that there were gatekeepers to keep track of the costs. It was also explained that all options  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55

 

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