Issue - meetings

That: (A) the comments of Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee be received and supported; and

(B)     the Improvement Plan be approved and monitored on a six monthly basis by Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee for one year.

The Executive considered a report setting out the proposed Improvement Plan for the Council, following the recent Peer Challenge event and the Executive’s awayday session to consider the recommendations and service priorities for 2014/15 onwards.

The Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 28 May 2013, had considered the Action Plan and supported the addition of the following points:

·                        11a – debates to be held at scrutiny meetings to revitalise and focus topics on members’ scrutiny priorities.

·                        18 – e.g., early interventions be considered where they might reduce future demands for services.

·                        26a – include a planning training event for parish/town council members.

The Executive supported all of these comments.  The Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Community Services had already had discussions with Scrutiny Chairmen to consider how they might improve the focus and ownership of respective scrutiny work programmes, including considering them earlier in their meetings to encourage greater debate.  The Leader advised that different methods of pump priming, as a principle, whereby spend on prevention might reduce spend on remedies, had been raised with the Local Strategic Partnership.  Also, a separate planning training/open day would be arranged for town/parish council members.

The Executive approved the recommendations as now detailed.

RESOLVED - that (A) the comments of Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee be received and supported; and

(B)      the Improvement Plan be approved and monitored on a six monthly basis by Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee for one year.

The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Community Services submitted a report that set out the improvement plan for the Authority following on from the Peer Challenge review and the Executive’s recent away day session to consider the recommendations and service priorities for 2014/15 onwards.

Members were reminded of the recent peer challenge review, which was part of the sector led improvement plan coordinated via the Local Government Association (LGA).

Councillor J Mayes commented that the results of the organisational culture questionnaire for the Council had indicated that a higher proportion of operational staff than senior Officers (Head of Service and above) had expressed an opinion that the Authority provided good customer service.

In response to a query from Councillor J Ranger in respect of when the Community Engagement checklist would be re-launched and made available to Members, the Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Community Services undertook to provide a written response after the meeting.

In response to a Member query, the Director of Finance and Support Services advised that the Authority had to consider new ways of delivering services in order to adapt to changing demands from customers, whilst also taking account of new methods and opportunities for service delivery and sources of funding.

Councillor G Jones stated that he welcomed the opportunity to get more involved with discussions regarding the development of work programmes for the Scrutiny Committees as outlined in one of the actions. 

The Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Community Services advised that Officers welcomed the active involvement of Members and would support their greater role in shaping what each scrutiny had on its work programme.

The Committee suggested the following additions to the action plan:

·               11a – debates to be held at scrutiny meetings to revitalise and focus topics on Members’ scrutiny priorities.

·               18 – action so early interventions might reduce future demands for services.

·               26a – include an event for Parish/Town council Members.

The Committee received the report.

RESOLVED – that (A) the Improvement Plan be recommended to Executive for approval following consideration of the points raised on actions 11, 18 and 26, as now detailed; and

(B)   the Improvement Plan be monitored on a six monthly basis by Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee for one year.