Five years’ worth of spending at Sefton Council’s security service is to be reviewed after dozens of problems were identified with how it has been run.
An audit into activities carried out at SeftonArc, which runs CCTVs, alarms, access control and careline telecare services across the borough, found 11 major issues, dozens of medium issues and two low level issues, which led to 47 separate recommendations being made.
A draft report into the problems identified with the service was released last week but not made public.
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However, details of some of the recommendations made have been revealed in a report into audit activities carried out in the borough ahead of a meeting of the council’s audit and governance committee due to be held next week.
The report notes several recommendations have now been carried out although 19 remain outstanding.
High-priority issues identified which remain outstanding include a lack of business strategy, a lack of fees and charges schedule and “a number of procurement-related recommendations.”
As part of the procurement issues, a recommendation has been made, but not yet carried out, to analyse all purchases made by SeftonArc over the past five years.
Reference is made to ensuring current and future expenditure is carried out using proper council procurement processes with the need for a “gatekeeper” identified to manage purchases in the short term.
The report adds this would involve: “Keeping expenditure through one experienced and competent staff member, implementing effective monitoring of this approach as well as considering the cultural changes needed to embed change across the function.”
Some of the issues now listed as “completed” include the fact that staff members working in electrical, alarm and fire provision had previously been made to use and insure their own equipment to carry out tasks for the service.
A recommendation was made and, according to the report has now been carried out, which stated this practice needed to cease, with equipment instead to be provided by SeftonArc.
A health and safety “incident” is also referred to, with a recommendation this be “formally reported” to the health and safety team. As part of this recommendation, which has also been listed as completed, it was stated that “guidance and advice on the action should be undertaken and report to the relevant Health and Safety subcommittee.”
Another now completed issue involved Security Industry Authority (SIA), a form of licensed security accreditation. The recommendation indicates that over £20k has already been spent on this but had not been carried out in accordance with the council’s contract procurement rules.
The report states that future expenditure needs to be made in accordance with the proper procedure and recommends a “retrospective waiver” for spend already incurred during the financial year, with this issue logged as now “completed”.
A further recommendation referenced the way SeftonArc monitors the expiry dates of staff licences and the need for a system to ensure licences are “renewed promptly” and to stop staff with expired licenses from carrying out “prescribed” work. This recommendation is also now listed as “completed”.
The report is due to be discussed by members of Sefton’s audit and governance committee at a meeting to be held at Bootle Town Hall on Wednesday, March 15 from 3pm.
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