The Audit and Performance Committee of Westminster Council met on Tuesday 12 January 2016 to discuss the Managed Services Programme (MSP). The committee noted the progress update report and requested that officers provide a forward plan of significant contracts to allow for scrutiny.

Operational Update on the Managed Services Programme

The committee received an update on the Managed Services Programme (MSP), which is a significant initiative impacting the council and its stakeholders. The report, covering the period up to 6 January 2016, was provided with less than the statutory five working days' notice. However, the Chairman, Councillor Jonathan Glanz, agreed to accept it as a matter of urgency due to the programme's wide-ranging impact and potential risks to the council's year-end audit activities.

Clive Parsons and David Hack from BT Global Services attended the meeting to answer questions. Mr. Parsons, who recently joined the programme, is the operational manager in the Shared Service Centre (SSC) supporting service improvement, while Jane Watt leads on supporting the council's financial year-end audit. Mr. Hack, who has approximately 12 years of experience at BT, is the lead on development work for the Agresso System, including rolling out remaining components and resolving system issues.

Nick Dawe, Interim Bi-Borough Director of Corporate Services, summarised the key issues for the committee. Following discussions and questions from the committee members, two resolutions were passed. Firstly, the MSP update report as at 6 January 2016 was noted. Secondly, given the ongoing problems associated with MSP, officers were requested to regularly provide the committee with a forward plan of contracts that are of significant size, complexity, and/or value. This is to allow the committee to determine whether it wishes to consider any contractual arrangements or refer them to the relevant policy and scrutiny committee.

Actions arising from the meeting include organising a further meeting in mid-February to scrutinise whether agreed deliverables for the end of January have been met, and providing the committee with the weekly update reports that are circulated to the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, and the Chief Executive. This will enable members to stay informed about operational performance.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Jonathan Glanz (Chairman), Councillor David Boothroyd (Cabinet Member for Finance and Council Reform), and Councillor Judith Warner. Councillor Lindsey Hall was absent. Also present were Councillor Antonia Cox, Nick Dawe, Steve Mair (City Treasurer), Moira Mackie (Internal Audit Manager), Moyra McGarvey (Tri-Borough Director of Audit, Fraud, Risk and Insurance), Clive Parsons and David Hack from BT Global Services, and Reuben Segal (Senior Committee and Governance Officer). Councillors Glanz and Warner declared that they were BT customers. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 December 2015 were signed as a correct record. The committee also resolved to exclude the public and press from discussions relating to exempt reports under the Local Government Act 1972, due to the likely disclosure of exempt information concerning the financial or business affairs of the Authority and/or other parties.