Agenda item

Draft Work Programme

To consider the Committee’s work programme.

Minutes:

The Chairman invited the Vice-Chairman to review the draft work programme with the Committee. The Vice-Chairman noted that a number of items had been identified for consideration but had not moved forward subsequently and suggested that the work programme and associated documents be tidied up, especially as Committee meetings were to be scheduled bi-monthly in the future. The principal points arising from the discussion are summarised below.

Draft work programme

The scheduled programme, for January 2014 (Fire Service Consultation) and February 2014 (Budget), was noted.

Issues identified for consideration but not scheduled

Performance Report on Hoople:	The Vice-Chairman requested that this report come forward to a Committee meeting before the end of the financial year. For continuity of information, this should reference previous reports on the company’s performance and ten-year plan. A Member suggested that this could include an update on IT, including Frameworki and Agresso.
Document Control and Information:	This would be subsumed into the work of the Digital Strategy Task and Finish Group.
Financial Inclusion Strategy:	As with other items scheduled for the cancelled 9 December 2013 meeting, the Scrutiny Officer would request officers to prepare a briefing note for Members; if it was felt that a more in depth review was required, an agenda item could be scheduled for a future meeting.
Budget Monitoring:	As a future Committee agenda item, this could be removed from the list.
Response to the Francis Enquiry:	A briefing note on the implications for the scrutiny function would be circulated.
School Examination Performance:	The Assistant Director People’s Services Commissioning had requested that this form a future agenda item given current performance issues in the county.

The Chairman commented that there was a debate nationally about the role of scrutiny with academies and free schools; although they were set up as stand-alone institutions, the local authority was still responsible for safeguarding and the welfare of the children attending those schools. Therefore, it was noted that work might be needed in this area.

Referring to budget monitoring, a Member in attendance questioned whether bi-monthly meetings were sufficient given the critical financial situation and asked whether a standing forum could be established. In response, the Chairman reported that the Leader was in the process of making arrangements for such a group, incorporating Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and Audit and Governance Committee.

Reviews identified for feasibility study

Governance and Management of Joint Ventures / Partnering Arrangements:	The Vice-Chairman requested that this item remain on the list for future consideration.
Review of the Council’s Communication Policy:	It was suggested that elements of this could be reviewed in the Digital Strategy work, given the increasing prominence of the Council’s website and other forms of digital communication.
Monitoring the Council’s ‘Public Services Vision’:	The Vice-Chairman noted that a budget consultation was being undertaken at present and this would inform future direction. The Scrutiny Officer suggested that this matter be dealt with via a briefing note, ahead of Committee meeting on the budget.
Accommodation Strategy:	The Scrutiny Officer reported that officers were refreshing this strategy at present. Therefore, to avoid duplication of work, a briefing note would be circulated on this.
Legal Services:	This could be removed from the list, subject to the circulation of a briefing note.
Free Schools:	It was suggested that this be picked up in the report on School Examination Performance.
Council Procurement Policy:	This could be removed from the list, subject to the circulation of a briefing note.
Waste Collection:	It was noted that this would primarily look at waste transfer stations, not waste collection generally. The Scrutiny Officer advised that a scoping statement was being prepared and that questionnaires would be made available to the public at transfer stations. A Member requested that questionnaires be provided to town and parish councils also. It was anticipated that the work would be completed before the end of March 2014, to inform a review of the changes in this area.

Reviews in progress

Community Infrastructure Levy:	It was noted that the Assistant Director Economic, Environment and Cultural Services was preparing a timetable for phase 3 of this work (see minute 37 below).
Cultural Services:	This Task and Finish Group was nearing completion.
Digital Strategy:	The first meeting of this Task and Finish Group was to be held on Thursday, 14 November 2013. Currently, the group comprised the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Councillor Chave. The Vice-Chairman said that she reserved the option to co-opt further Councillors or subject matter experts from further afield.
Fire Service Consultation:	The Chairman would lead on this Task and Finish Group; this would commence shortly, to report back to the Committee on 6 January 2014.

Executive Rolling Programme

The Chairman noted that, in the previous week, notifications had been received about a series of decisions to be taken by the Executive. He suggested that Members should review these and consider the potential for call-in by the Committee. The Scrutiny Officer advised that, in view of the number of decisions to be taken in December 2013, a summary would be provided to Committee Members for ease of reference.

In response to a question from a Member in attendance about free schools, the Chairman re-iterated that there was a lack of clarity about the relationship between free schools and local authority safeguarding functions but confirmed that he had not been made aware of any specific concerns at this point.

Referring to the decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member Infrastructure on ‘Increasing income from parking - on street charging in Hereford’, the Vice-Chairman suggested that the recommendations from the ~~Income and Charging Task and Finish Group~~ Scrutiny Review of On-Street Parking [amended 6 January 2014] be resubmitted to the Executive, adding that the Committee should be informed if the recommendations could not be implemented and the reasons for this.

In response to questions about ‘non-key’ decisions, the Executive Manager outlined the purpose of the ‘Local Development Plan - Annual Review’ and ‘Retail Impact Study Notice of Motion’ items.

It was noted that the items listed for this Committee would need to be updated.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted and the work programme and associated documents be updated accordingly.

Supporting documents: