ColchChronic

Wednesday 7th February, 2024

Arts in Sunny Colch is on the agenda when the Colchester City Council Scrutiny Panel next meets at the Town Hall on 13th February.

We’re talking Firstsite, the Mercury and Colchester Arts Centre. And to be more precise, the level of funding the Council provides, and the value provided for residents in return.

Art or arse?

You can’t put a price on art.

Unless you live in Suffolk…

All three art organisations are key to Colchester. They enable the town / city to punch above its weight. They help Colchester to carve out an identity in the East of England as the economy shifts away from production.

Didn’t Marx have something useful to say about that?

You’d be a FOOL to think that City Council funding props up these three key landmark venues. And believe us, there are plenty of FOOLS out there who think the Council throws money at the arts for arts sake.

All three organisations are also commercial operations. They also have to compete for funding from elsewhere, such as the ACE National Portfolio and ECC.

Art was never meant to be a beauty contest, Comrades.

The report adds:

“In October 2021 the Council announced a new funding settlement for the three Strategic Arts Partners from financial year 2023/24, providing the organisations with certainty and continuity.”

Let’s talk numbers:

The Mercury attracts audiences of 100,000+ each year – no mean feat. Outreach at the venue was available for 36,000 people. The estimated spend in the city centre as a consequence of the Mercury is £3m per year.

That’s quite a contribution.

The Arts Centre had its highest audience numbers in 2022/23. A £700k project to update the building was completed in 2021.

Firstsite offers so much more than art. An example is the 21,000 meals provided to young people and their families in need during the school holiday periods. It also has half decent toilets.

Scrutiny takes place with a City Councillor sitting on the Board for each organisation:

Mercury Theatre: Cllr Lyn Barton

Colchester Arts Centre: Cllr Mick Spindler

Firstsite: Cllr Steph Nissan

The City Council has every right to be a critical friend, given the annual funding provided. For 2023/24, this clocks in at:

£168,175 to The Mercury Theatre

£48,175 to Colchester Arts Centre

£97,000 to Firstsite

The Scrutiny Panel next week is asked to:

“Review the performance and programming of each organisation and consider how effectively this supports the Council’s strategic priorities and provides value for money for the funding provided.”

Art is always subjective, natch. But Colchester would be a duller place to live without these three venues.

Monday 5th February, 2024

The papers for the Colchester City Council Governance and Audit Committee meeting on February 7th reveals a financial tale that is both surprising and concerning.

The Capital Outturn Report for 2022/23 details an underspend of £61.231m. This is not a saving, however. Most of the funding will come later down the line for the City Council.

General Fund Capital Programme:

In the General Fund Capital Programme for 2022/23, a budget underspend of £61.231m occurred, with actual expenditure at £12.235m compared to an updated budget provision of £73.466m.

The most significant variance was a £26.7m underspend related to planned loan advances for Colchester Amphora Housing Ltd. This was due to a change in delivery strategy and the Council’s risk appetite.

Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme: Delays and Underspends

Moving to the HRA Capital Programme, there was a budget underspend of £32.128m, with actual expenditure at £29.657m compared to an updated budget provision of £61.785m.

The most significant variance here was a £12.798m underspend on the Housebuilding Programme, mainly due to delays in various schemes, with planning issues playing a prominent role.

Specific Projects and Overspends: A Mixed Bag

The report highlights specific projects with both underspends and overspends:

Underspend (£4.303m): Colchester Northern Gateway Heat Network

– Limited capital spending on this project in 2022/23 due to the unavailability of end users.

Overspend (£1.495m): Rowan House Refurbishment

– Total budget was £2.058m, but spending in 2022/23 amounted to £3.553m, primarily due to unforeseen repairs and maintenance.

*Underspend (£1.226m): Improved Youth Provision

– No capital spending in 2022/23 due to procurement delays at Essex County Council. Expected delivery in 2024/25.

Underspend (£1.365m): St Marks Community Centre/Mill Road Rugby Club

– Capital spending limited to £47,000, with the project now paused and removed from the 2024/25 to 2028/29 draft Capital Programme.

Significant Underspending/Slippage in HRA Capital Programme

Three areas of notable underspending/slippage in the HRA Capital Programme include New Build (£12.798m Underspend) and Sheltered Accommodation (£9.038m Underspend).

It will be interesting to see what the balance sheet is like in 12 months time, and how many of these projects have actually been delivered.

Tuesday 23rd January, 2024

Colchester City Council has been left trying to find £7.7m to comple the Northern Gateway project. This will discussed at Cabinet on 24th January.

Since 2016, Colchester Commercial Holdings Limited (CCHL) has been managing the development for Colchester City Council (CCC). The site got planning permission in December 2022, but there are conditions, like improving the roads near Junction 28 of the A12.

The team at CCHL has worked with Essex County Highways and National Highways to meet these conditions. It agreed on the plan, and the construction was set for 2024/25.

Here’s the twist:

The review of CCHL commissioned by CCC early in 2023, recommended that CCC needs to bring this programme of work in house. It’s part of an overall restructuring of the finances at the Town Hall.

Out go Council owned companies, in comes a more internal way of managing big projects.

This includes finding £7.7 million in the budget for the work at Junction 28.

Ouch.

CCC now needs to find a partner to complete the detailed plan and carry out the work. To do this, the Council now needs to find money from the already over-stretched budget.

If the road work at Junction 28 isn’t done, no part of the development can be used, and it’ll be hard to find a buyer for the site. The development is a big area for jobs with its own section in the Local Plan.

The Council states that it also wants to rethink the plan for the Colchester Northern Gateway (CNG) development and come up with a new strategy by the summer of 2024.

It is unlikely that retail will feature.

Tuesday 23rd January, 2024

The new Garden Waste Collection service in Colchester has already delivered an income of £741,594 – before the end of the first week of the paid for service.

Nice work, etc.

The target of £600,000 income generation for the financial year has been broken. It seems that residents are happy to pay for the service that was once offered for free.

These figures will be discussed when the Scrutiny Panel meets at the Town Hall on 23rd January. The report Business Case for the Garden Waste Charging Scheme updates the Panel on the progress made so far.

The current subscriber rate is 22% of all residents in the borough. The Council had budgeted for an 11% uptake.

This translates to 15,928 households, against the forecast of 7,758.

In total an income of £1.474m has been generated for the scheme. The £741,594 relates to the current financial year.

The report confirms:

“The launch has exceeded performance targets.”

The new scheme has a £35 ‘joining fee.’ Residents then pay an annual price of £55 to have a garden waste bin collected each fortnight.

654 residents in receipt of Local Council Tax Support have signed up to the scheme as of 10th January 2024, benefiting from a discount on the joining fee.

Council Officers have assumed that the new service will start with three crews, who will drive four routes until more capacity is needed. The operation will expand to four crews.

Tuesday 9th January, 2024

There’s some pretty major RED FLAGS in the Colchester City Council latest Risk Management Progress Report. Key Council services are rated as being ‘very high’ when it comes to the level of risk.

These include organisational resilience (how CCC reacts when the shit hits the Town Hall fan), Budget Strategy (not exactly staying out of the black and in the red) and Cyber Security.

Jan in Accounts has forgotten her password again.

Shit the bed.

These details will be discussed when the Governance and Audit Committee next meets at the Town Hall on 16th January.

The background behind the report is CCC marking its own homework. No one likes it when there’s a f-up at work. At least CCC is attempting to plan for the nightmare scenarios.

When it comes to Organisational Resilience, the report admits:

“The Council does not have the resources, or resilience, to be able to make the changes required to deliver the strategic plan outcomes.”

VERY HIGH is then highlighted in red to describe the serious threat level that this poses for the Council.

The Budget Strategy has the same red mark treatment:

“The budget strategy does not accurately reflect the unprecedented level of savings required.”

The LibDem Council will be meeting next month to put its Budget plans to Full Council for approval.

The report adds that there is:

“An inability to deliver the budget strategy as planned, unplanned additional use of balances / reserves and insufficient cashflow to meet liabilities.”

CCC is broke.

Aren’t we all.

It doesn’t make any better reading when it comes to Cyber and Data Security:

“Sensitive data, in any format, is not correctly managed, processed or protected from loss or theft (including as a result of a cyber attack) in line with GDPR and Data Protection Act requirements, including council data managed and handled by third parties. The ever increasing sophistication of phishing attacks increases the likelihood of officers and members inadvertently opening malware emails.”

CLICK HERE, etc.

The implications for such an attack are classed as VERY HIGH:

“Severe disruption to core services, financial, legal and reputational impacts for the Council, including ICO fines. Significant harm caused to residents with release of their personal details. Potential ransomware events.”

Corporate Assets is another area of concern. This refers to how the Council manages it residential and business stock throughout the borough:

“There is a failure to develop a comprehensive management plan and delivery model for the Council’s corporate assets, encompassing compliance, utilisation and future development.”

It gets grimmer:

“Assets are not maximised to their full potential. Statutory building procedures are breached resulting in fines and liability claims. The repairs and maintenance programme for the assets is insufficient to respond to issues, especially in connection with heritage sites. There is a deterioration of condition of assets leading to integral failure.”

If Members of the Committee are looking for better news down the agenda document, then they would do best to swerve the Interim Review of the Annual Governance Statement 22/23 Action Plan.

This report confirms:

“Due to pressures within the team the self assessment has not yet been completed and will be reviewed as soon as possible, in the first half of 24/25.”

Try telling that to the Tax Man about your own accounts come the start of April.

The report adds:

“The failure of the External Audit contractor to deliver a timely service in assessing the Council’s accounts could potentially mean that a financial governance issue is not resolved, and ultimately may impact on external assessment and partner challenge.”

Ouch.

Thursday 4th January, 2024

Changes to St Botolph’s Circus, public space at the old bus station and an an attractive walking and cycling route at Vineyard Gate, are some of the revised suggestions in the new proposals for the Colchester City Masterplan.

The Local Plan Committee will discuss these when it next meets at the Town Hall on 15th January. The revisions follow a consultation after the first set of plans were made public back in March 2023.

The City Council has worked with Essex County Council in coming up with the changes. ECC is responsible for highways throughout the city centre.

Consultants We Made That were appointed and prepared the original draft City Centre Masterplan.

The company was then awarded the contract to revise the original plans, based on the engagement sessions that have taken place this year..

The new Masterplan explains how the original plans for St Botolph’s Circus have now ‘evolved.’ This is seen as a key southern gateway to the city centre. The plans now aim to to deliver:

“Reclaimed space for people, interchange between different transport modes.”

The site of the former bus station is controversial. The City Council fell out with its current partners, ECC, over a legal covenant on the site. It now seems that both sides have kissed and made up.

The current plan is for:

“Public space and mixed-use development including space for creative and digital industries alongside housing.”

There is no mention of student housing in the new document.

Plans for a new retail space at Vineyard Gate dating back over a decade are dead and buried. The Masterplan now supports:

“Public open space next to the Roman Wall, an attractive walking and cycling route through to Queen Street and fine grain, tight-knit new homes and business spaces as infill in and around existing buildings.”

Fine grain new homes seem a little optimistic.

Other updates in the revised Masterplan include:

“A low traffic High Street, people focused street where spaces for walking, cycling and outdoor seating is maximised while ensuring necessary public transport, deliveries and blue badge holder access is maintained.”

The report emphasises that full pedestrianisation of the High Street isn’t part of the current plans.

The report is also keen to point out that the Council will continue to support the retention and promotion of retail uses within the City Centre.

Southway and St John’s Street / Osborne Street:

“The proposed strategy seeks to reconnect communities to the south into the city centre through frequent, at-grade crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Britannia Yard also forms part of the plans:

“The strategy seeks to deliver a significant new public space that can be used for events, markets and casual use, designed to highlight the extraordinary heritage of St Botolph’s Priory. New urban housing of various types, fully integrated with the existing neighbourhood south of Priory Street.”

Active travel is a strong theme throughout the document:

“The continued economic and cultural vibrancy of the city centre lies in reconnecting it to the surrounding neighbourhoods and improving choice in transport modes including the walking and cycling experience of routes to the mainline rail station, the Roman Circus and the Hythe and University campus in particular.”

The original proposal to ‘animate’ the River Colne has disappeared.

A total of 106 detailed representations were received from 44 respondents, regarding the Masterplan.

Wednesday 13th December, 2023

Colchester City Council is looking to formalise a partnership with both Braintree District Council and Epping Forest District Council. All three local authorities will work under the banner of North Essex Councils.

The plans are laid out in the Cabinet report North Essex Councils and Shared Services.

This is expected to be approved by the Colchester City Council Cabinet when it meets at the Town Hall on 19th December.

The plan is for some Council services and knowledge to be shared. The main reason for doing this is to save money.

Areas that have been identified for possible collaboration include ICT, programme management, HR and Revenues & Benefits.

The idea was first floated in July of this year. A meeting took place with the respective Chief Executives. Each Council is now heading back to their own fiefdom to formalise the plans.

The decision for Cabinet to make next week is to agree to the Memorandum of Understanding. Plus also to cough up an initial £20k to put the resources in place for the partnership. A further £60k is needed to help with a business plan.

The Cabinet report adds:

“NEC will identify common issues and develop shared solutions that add value beyond what any individual council can do on their own.

NEC will convene partnerships that deliver improved outcomes on Economic Development, through the North Essex Economic Board (NEEB), Finance, Housing, Climate Change, Shared Services and Devolution.”

This collaborative way of working is nothing new. Colchester City Council already has partnerships in place.

These include the Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service, North Essex Parking Partnership and Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community.

Some are more successful than others…

Wednesday 13th December, 2023

Colchester City Council is looking to ‘reset’ – which sounds ominous, especially if you’re a City Council employee.

The Cabinet meeting on 19th December will discuss the 2023 End of Year Update and Forward Look to Reset the Council:

“This meeting is the final Cabinet meeting of 2023 which has been a year of significant organisational challenge and change, in response to unprecedented financial difficulties, LGA Peer Review and budget gap.”

Tell It Like It Is, etc.

“Transformational changes and cost reduction needed to ensure the Council is living within its means.”

We understand what cost reduction means. Transformational change is one of those policy twonk localgov phrases that can mean any number of things. It usually involves… cost reduction.

The LibDem Cabinet is asked to:

“To note significant progress in preparing the Council for the transformation and cost reduction changes required in 2024.”

It looks like they will be doing the dirty work ahead of the next set of the 2024 local elections. It’s not a good look when you’re out doing the LibDem door knocking thing.

The reason for this ‘reset’ is described beautifully:

“To ensure the Council is ready for the significant structural changes, staff and service changes required in 2024 and that the public and partners have confidence the Council will be able to close the budget gap, unlike others.”

UNLIKE OTHERS.

Ouch.

For once the Alternative Options add:

“There are no alternative options.”

Oh, come, come, Comrades. There’s always an alternative option, if you’re prepared to stand up and fight.

The background to the report explains how 14 Councils across the country have failed to set a balanced budget this year. Colchester under the LibDems is in mood to be added to this macabre list.

The report continues:

“In 2023, the reset of Senior Leadership arrangements for the City Council commenced in 2022 has been completed. This means a Senior Leadership Team is in place that is fit for the future and poised to deliver the significant change required in 2024.”

Talk about a top down led approach.

We note that Chief Officers make a Median average pay of £95,154.43, while other staff average at £26,452.24.

We also read how:

“The Amphora Commercial Companies and Colchester Borough Homes are working in a more joined up, supportive and connected way, under the overall oversight and direction of the Chief Executive.”

Translation: they were either broken up or taken back in house.

The Council now shares a Financial Officer with Epping Forest District Council. Two for the price of one, if you will. The report confirms that the Mr Double Identity has:

“Concluded a fundamental review of all aspects of the Councils finances resulting in a revised Medium Term Financial Forecast which will be presented to Cabinet in January 2024.”

We hope he doesn’t get the reports for each Council mixed up. Because that would be most unfortunate.

There is also talk of sharing services with Braintree District Council in the coming months.

There’s mention of the recent pay award to the City Council staff. This was an extra £600k out of the Council coffers that it wasn’t expecting. Combined with other areas of overspend and inflationary pressures, the reserves will take a £3.6m hit in 2023/24.

That’s going to hurt.

A full review of the Northern Gateway project is planned. This isn’t the bad news that you would expect. The report claims that there has already been a £1.8m saving for this project.

The report ends:

“To conclude, 2023 has been a year in which the foundations have been put in place to commence the reset of the Council in 2024 so it is fit for the future. Further details of the action needed to achieve this will accompany the budget and Medium-Term Financial Forecast papers in January.”

And then come February, we’re in full localgov BUDGET MODE.

That’s when we get to see if the Great Sunny Colch ‘Reset’ is a way forward, or a backdoor to redundancies and loss of services.

Tuesday 12th December, 2023

Colchester City Council received five formal complaints against Councillors in the past year. Four related to City Councillors, and two to Parish Councillors.

Yep – we know the maths doesn’t add up. It is understood that one of the complaints was for a City Councillor who was also a Parish Councillor.

This related to the case of ex-Tory Councillor Patricia Moore of West Mersea and Pyefleet. She was accused of flouting two elements of the Council’s Code of Conduct in April 2023

The Governance and Audit sub-committee said her conduct had not treated others with respect “on more than one occasion” and that she had disclosed confidential information relating to the complaints made against her.

But in a surprise move, the same sub-committee later decided the latter offence came within the obligation of treating others with respect.

This meant that Councillor Moore had only breached a single element of the code of conduct, thereby escaping any real punishment.

She didn’t stand for re-election in May 2023.

The figures about complaints are contained in the papers ahead of the meeting of the Colchester City Council Governance and Audit Committee taking place on 13th December.

The story is wrapped up by saying four out of the five complaints required no further action.

Elsewhere on the agenda is the Review of the Council’s Ethical Governance Policies.

These are the key policies which set out the standards of conduct and integrity that the Council expects of Councillors, staff, partners, suppliers and customers when conducting Council business.

The report confirms that two whistle blowing cases were reported to the City Council in the past year. In total there was 23 reported cases relating to a breach of data protection.

Tuesday 12th December, 2023

Colchester City Council has failed to meet seven of the key service targets it set itself between April and September 2023.

These cover:

Rent collected

Bereavement Services Income

Household waste reused, recycled, and composted

Number of households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households

Average time to re-let council homes  

Repairs completed within target timescale 

Customer satisfaction with latest repair

The failure to meet these Key Performance Indicators will be discussed by the Scrutiny Panel when it meets at the Town Hall on 12th December.

Chaired by Tory Cllr Darius Laws, the meeting will consider the report: Half Year April – September 2023 Performance Report Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

#SEXY

The report benchmarks what has actually happened on the ground against the policy aims set out by the City Council.

Scrutiny can make comments about the performance of the Council in these areas, and then send them back for Cabinet to consider in January. It’s basically the Council marking its own homework.

Five broad themes have been identified by the Council across all policy areas:

Financial

Respond to the Climate Emergency

Deliver Homes for those Most in Need

Improve Health, Well Being and Happiness

Grow our Economy So Everyone Benefits

A total of 26 KPI’s are then laid out, each relating to one of the areas above.

There is better news for other KPI’s with 12 of these being met. Housing Benefit and the Local Council Tax Scheme both exceeded the service levels expected.

Residents are receiving benefits after an average of 2.91 days for Housing Benefit and 2.45 days for Local Council Tax Scheme.