Issue - meetings

This report seeks approval to revise the longstanding service level agreement with London Borough of Harrow for the continued provision of trading standards through a shared service arrangement.

i) that the continued provision of Trading Standards through a shared service arrangement with the London Borough of Harrow be agreed.

ii) that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, Environment and Neighbourhoods in consultation with the Director of Legal and Procurement to agree revisions to the service level agreement necessary to enable shared service arrangements to continue to operate in an efficient and effective manner.

The Cabinet received a report from the Strategic Director of Environment and Neighbourhood Services seeking agreement to revise the longstanding Service Legal Agreement between the council and the London Borough of Harrow for the Trading Standards Consortium.

Councillor Crane (Lead Member Environment) advised that Brent had provided a Trading Standards Service for Harrow on a consortium basis since 1 April 1965. A formal consortium agreement was first drawn up between Brent and Harrow in 1996 based upon the prior agreement and a further change was made to the arrangements in 2001 with the introduction of the Executive system of governance, establishing the Joint Advisory Board. The working text of a new Consortium Agreement had been agreed between Brent and Harrow officers in 2003 and though it is understood to have never been formally signed, both parties had abided by its terms. The 2003 Agreement was now outdated and changes were required to ensure the continued efficient and effective operation of a shared Trading Standards Service. Members’ attention was drawn to the proposed changes detailed in the report which included better reflecting the changed Executive arrangements for both boroughs, updating performance and financial reporting and oversight arrangements and extending the notice required to dissolve the arrangements. It was highlighted that the arrangements allowed efficiencies of scale to be achieved which permitted both councils to deliver trading services with a far greater impact than was achievable separately.  Councillor Crane noted that Harrow’s Cabinet had agreed the revised Service Level Agreement at its meeting on 15 January 2014.

RESOLVED:

    (i)        that the continued provision of Trading Standards through a shared service arrangement with the London Borough of Harrow be agreed;

   (ii)        that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, Environment and Neighbourhoods in consultation with the Director of Legal and Procurement to agree revisions to the service level agreement necessary to enable shared service arrangements to continue to operate in an efficient and effective manner.