To: Overview and Scrutiny Panel – 29 May 2012
Main Portfolio Area: All Portfolios
By: Democratic Services & Scrutiny Manager
Ward: All
Summary: This report sets out possible key activities of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel for 2012/13 and seeks the guidance of the Panel to determine the priority areas of work in the new municipal year.
For Decision
1.0 Introduction and Background
1.1 This paper allows the Panel to establish and agree the Overview and Scrutiny Panel work programme for 2012/13. It has been developed in consultation with the Chairman of the Panel.
1.2 Members are requested to consider whether to reconstitute the formal Working Parties that had been undertaking scrutiny work in 2011/12. The structure of the previous year’s work programme is reflected in Table 1 of the report.
1.3 At the last meeting of the Panel, Members were in general agreement that there may be a need to review the approach for setting up sub-committees of the Panel to carry out more in-depth study of issues. The suggestion was the setting up of Task and Finish Groups with limited timeframes for completing the assigned review work.
1.4 Members appeared to share the view that there may be a need to consider allocating additional resources to the work of the Panel to enable Council to carry out more effective scrutiny.
1.5 An options paper is due for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel. It is hoped that the Panel would offer some recommendations to Cabinet regarding adopting new scrutiny arrangements that are considered “fit for TDC needs and requirements”.
1.6 At the Panel meeting held on 22 March 2012, Members requested that some Forward Plan items be considered at future Panel meeting. Democratic Services are still liaising with the appropriate Council lead officers to determine when reports would be ready for Members’ consideration. Once that is established, Members will be advised. These items are as detailed below:
a) Draft Corporate Plan
b) Allocating Events Budget
c) Housing Strategy
d) Design for future Climate Change
e) Royal Sands Development
f) Night Time Flying Policy
g) Economic Development Strategy.
1.7 On 10 May 2012 a Cabinet Member authored report was put to Cabinet regarding the NHS review of Trauma Services in East Kent and the potential negative impact on the services provided at the QEQM Hospital in Margate. Cabinet then agreed to refer the issue to the Overview & Scrutiny Panel for further study as follows:
“Request the Overview & Scrutiny Panel to add this matter to its Work Plan with a view to informing itself, drafting a consultation response and reporting back to Cabinet.”
1.8 Officers are still carrying out further investigations on the issue in order to provide adequate background information to assist Members of the Panel to determine whether and how they would like to progress this Cabinet referral.
1.9 Initial preliminary investigations undertaken by Democratic Services suggest that the National Health Services Kent and Medway are working on a strategy titled “East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust Clinical Strategy”. The Trust considers the development of the trauma network as one of the drivers of change in this new strategy.
1.10 In addition to the above, the Chairman (elected at Annual Council on 17 May 2012) has requested that Members of the Panel consider including the following items on the Work Programme for 2012/13:
a) Review of the Universal Credit Scheme / Welfare Benefit Reform - consideration of the implications on residents in receipt of benefits in Thanet;
b) Social Housing in Thanet – a review of the level of social housing need and the adequacy of social housing provided by Housing Associations and Thanet District Council;
c) Development of a “public call for scrutiny.”
1.11 The Chairman also suggested that the Panel considers including in the draft terms of reference of the Corporate & Budget and Improvement Task and Finish Group that the Group shadow the Council budget making process over the winter of 2012/13 and act as critical friend to the Cabinet in the development of the budget for 2013/14.
1.12 Officers have been asked to provide information relating to the East Kent Spatial Development Company in order for Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel to determine whether this issue needed further scrutiny or not.
1.13 Members are asked to note that the pending Cabinet decision on “Housing Intervention” is now going to be considered at the 26 July 2012 Cabinet meeting and not in June as previously indicated. This gives the Panel more time to arrange for an extraordinary Panel meeting, should one be necessary to consider the issue as agreed at the last Panel meeting.
FORMAL TASK AND FINISH GROUPS
1.14 If the Panel is agreeable to establishing the formal Working Parties /Task & Finish Groups, then ongoing Working Parties should reconsider the 2011/12 terms of reference for the groups as reflected in Annex 1 to Annex 6 of the report to confirm that they remain appropriate for 2012/13.
1.15 When setting up Groups, Members need to decide whether to waive the application of political proportionality as the Panel has done in previous years.
TASK & FINISH GROUPS WORK PROGRAMME TEMPLATE
1.16 Each Task and Finish Group would need to prepare a programme of their work, indicating the issues to be considered and the timetable using Section B of the Terms of Reference and Work Programme template in the individual Group annexes attached to this report.
INFORMAL TASK AND FINISH GROUPS
1.17 During 2011/12, the Panel operated only one informal sub-group, the Crime and Disorder Reduction Working Party, which met with the lead officer for the service area, but without direct support from the Democratic Services Team.
1.18 Members are asked to note that the Council is not obliged to set up a CDRP Working Party as long as they have the function included in the Overview and Scrutiny Panel orders of reference (which is the case) and they consider a crime and disorder reduction partnership matter at least once a year.
1.19 Guidance from the Panel is sought as regards whether the CDRP Working Party should be re-established, bearing in mind the resource constraints imposed by the Council and Committee Team losing posts as a result of the recent re-organisation.
1.20 Table 1 shows the number and size of Working Parties in 2011/12 and is for illustrative purposes only. The structure of groups in 2012/13 will be informed by the Panel decision on proportionality (amongst other things).
2.0 The Work Programme Table
2.1 The table is sub-divided in order to illustrate the suggested nature of the work involved:
a) Formal Working Party /Task & Finish Group – a formal sub-committee which will report its findings back to the Panel for recommendation onto the executive.
b) Involvement in policy development – this entails the relevant Members being involved by officers in the review/development of policies by the executive. That work will be reported back to the Panel prior to recommendations being passed to the executive.
c) Presentations – these are presentations to the Panel that will allow the Panel to consider whether any further work should be undertaken and a specific item included in the Panel’s work programme.
d) Status to be determined – possible additions to the work programme. The Panel will need to decide whether to undertake work on them, and if so, how that work will be organised.
Table 1 – Draft Work Programme
|
Issue |
Size of Group |
Lead Officer |
|
Formal Working Parties |
|
|
|
Date of Establishment: 02.10.07 Airport Working Party |
7 |
Madeline Homer |
|
Date of Establishment: 02.10.07 Asset Management Working Party |
7 |
Mark Seed |
|
Date of Establishment: 28.05.08 Corporate Improvement and Budget Working Party |
7 |
Sarah Carroll/Sarah Martin |
|
Date of Establishment: 10.01.12 Electoral Registration Process Review Working Party |
5 |
Glenn Back |
|
Date of Establishment: 15.06.10 Shared Services Working Party |
7 |
Karen Paton – EKS Client Side Representative (for Thanet District Council) |
|
Involvement in policy development (Informal Working Parties) |
|
|
|
12/13 Presentations by Portfolio Holders and Corporate Services Managers |
||
|
Status to be determined |
||
|
Review of the Universal Credit Scheme / Welfare Benefit Reform |
||
|
Social Housing in Thanet |
||
|
Public Call for Scrutiny |
||
|
East Kent Spatial Development Company |
3.0 Corporate Implications
3.1 Financial
3.1.1 There are no financial implications arising directly from this report but elements of the suggested work programme may have financial and resource implications.
3.2 Legal
3.2.1 There are no legal issues arising directly from this report
3.3 Corporate
3.3.1 The work programme should help to deliver the Modern Council theme of the Corporate Plan by focusing on the best use of people, technology, buildings and assets in order to deliver high quality and efficient services. An active Scrutiny programme is part of good governance and will, ultimately underpin the Council’s use of resources assessment.
3.3.2 The Task and Finish Groups assist the work of scrutiny as they would carry-out an in-depth study of any issue referred to the groups under the terms of reference. An active Scrutiny programme is part of good governance and will, ultimately underpin the Council’s use of resources assessment.
3.4. Equalities
3.4.1 None directly but the Council needs to retain a strong focus and understanding on issues of diversity amongst the local community and ensure service delivery matches these.
4.0 Recommendations
4.1 With regard to the application of political proportionality to Working Parties:
a. Agree to establish the membership of formal Working Parties /Task & Finish Groups with due regard to political proportionality and agree the sizes from among the following options:
i) 7 = 3C: 3L: 1TIG: 0I
ii) 7 = 3C: 3L: 0TIG: 1I
iii) 8 = 4C: 4L: 0TIG: 0I
iv) 9 = 4C: 4L: 0TIG: 1I
v) 9 = 4C: 4L: 1TIG: 0I
vi) 10 = 4C: 5L: 1TIG: 0I
vii) 12 = 5C: 5L: 1TIG: 1I
or
b. To unanimously agree to disregard political proportionality when setting up the Working Parties / Task & Finish Groups and agree the sizes from the following options:
i) 6 = 2L: 2C: 1I: 1TIG
ii) 8 = 3L: 3C: 1I: 1TIG
4.2 To determine whether to establish or re-establish the Task and Finish Groups, set out in Table 1, determine their composition between Political Groups and nominate Members to serve on them and agree the terms of reference (as in Annex 1 to Annex 6 where appropriate);
4.3 Agree that before any consideration of substantive business all Groups would be required to complete the project template and review their respective terms of reference at their first meeting and report back to the next available Overview and Scrutiny Panel for approval;
4.4 Agree the rest of the work programme for 2012/13.
5.0 Decision Making Process
5.1 These are all decisions that can be taken by the Panel, though any suggestion affecting the Council’s Constitution would need to be referred to the Constitutional Review Working Party.
|
Contact Officer:
|
Charles Hungwe, Senior Democratic Services Officer, Ext: 7186 |
|
Reporting To: |
Glenn Back, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, Ext 7187 |
Annex List
|
Annex 1 |
Airport Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
|
Annex 2 |
Asset Management Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
|
Annex 3 |
Corporate Improvement & Budget Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
|
Annex 4 |
Electoral Registration Process Review Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
|
Annex 5 |
Shared Services Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
|
Annex 6 |
CDRP Task & Finish Group Terms of Reference and Work Programme |
Background Papers
|
Title |
Details of where to access copy |
|
None |
None |
Corporate Consultation Undertaken
|
Legal |
Harvey Patterson, Corporate & Regulatory Services Manager |