Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Interim Borough Solicitor.

The Committee considered a report of the Borough Solicitor regarding the 2012/13 work programme.

The Chairman informed the Committee that he had reviewed the current work programme and had noted that in the main, the work programme consisted of matters handed to the committee from committees that had existed under the Council’s previous scrutiny arrangements.

He suggested that due to the spread in the role of the committee it would have to be extremely discerning in its choice of work programme items and would therefore have to focus its attention on a small number of high level, but important matters. He therefore proposed that the current list should be reduced to more manageable levels.

He also had noted that in February 2013, the Committee had considered a report on the conclusions of a peer review of the Council’s arrangements for the safeguarding of children, which had taken place between 3 and 7 December 2012. The Committee was informed that this review had now been superseded by an Ofsted inspection which was currently underway in respect of the Council’s child protection arrangements. All of this led the Chairman to conclude that the committee should, as an important area of council services, include safeguarding of both children’s and  adults services, and proposed that the Committee should consider adding a standard item on all future agendas, to consider updates on  safeguarding issues. 

The Committee then reviewed the schedule attached to the report and recommended that the following changes be made:

·         Libraries Strategy – Defer any scrutiny activity until such time as the new library arrangements have been in place for 6 months

·         Car park management task and finish review, update – delete and monitor performance through the quarterly performance reports;

·         Christmas Bins collection -  delete and monitor performance through the quarterly performance reports;

·         Report on project slippages – capital programme - delete and monitor performance through the quarterly performance reports;

·         Children’s/Adults ICT update - Defer any scrutiny activity until such time as the new ICT arrangements have been in place for 12 months;

·         Regulation 33 Visits – to be reported upon quarterly;

·         New Item – Review of Ofsted report and improvement plan on child protection and  safeguarding arrangements

·         New item – The effectiveness of the new Management Restructure;

·         New Item – BeWilderwood;

·         New Item – The impact on schools of the new Ofsted framework;

·         New Item – Impact of Academy provisions in respect of primary schools.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the report be received;

(b)  That the changes listed above be approved;

(c)  That the Chairman and Vice Chairman be requested to review the revised work programme prior  to the next meeting and to allocate, wherever possible, indicative dates for completion; 

(d)  That the review children’s and adults safeguarding issues be included as a standard item on all future agendas for this committee.