Agenda item

A report from Paul Kelly, Scrutiny Manager, and Ian Baker, Head of Programme Office, is attached.

At its meeting on 29 April 2014 the Management Committee considered a report from the Scrutiny Manager on recent requests to appoint a scrutiny member to executive project boards, and requested a set of recommendations on a suitable approach to such requests, addressing the need for clear remits for any appointee, a focus on outcomes and a clear report process.

A report from the Scrutiny Manager and the Head of the Programme Office, setting out criteria for the role of any appointee to a Project Board, and an engagement process as detailed in the agenda papers, including ensuring alignment with key criteria to ensure any involvement was appropriate and adding value to the council and regular meetings with the Programme Office to review new projects that could benefit from Scrutiny involvement.

The Committee discussed the report as well as receiving updates from Cllrs John Walsh and George Jeans on their experiences from working on Project Boards, including the need for a certain amount of confidentiality and constructive analysis, with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Streetscene and Broadband commenting on the useful involvement of scrutiny members on a Project Board.

The need for officer support from the Programme Office as well as Scrutiny for any member appointed to a Project Board was emphasised, and it was also felt appropriate that where a Cabinet Member or Portfolio Holder was a member of a Board, there was a likelihood some form of Scrutiny engagement would follow given the clear significance of any such project.

Some concerns were raised about a focus on projects overshadowing the need to scrutinise the council more broadly, such as with corporate governance issues, although achieving early scrutiny involvement to shape policy and project development was seen as a positive step, rather than seeking involvement, or being requested to scrutinize, complex topics at too short a notice to add much to the process. The need for any appointee to take a strategic, not local, view was raised, with discussion of how realistic it could be for a single member to adopt a county-wide strategic approach, although it was felt local interest in a topic could assist in the informing of a strategic approach.

Members felt that the requirement that any Scrutiny involvement on a Board aligned with delivery of the council’s business plan should be mandatory, and that a list of which Boards Cabinet Members and Portfolio Holder’s were members of, as well as more detail on lead officer’s and categories of projects and a template for members to create reports to the relevant Committee, would assist Scrutiny in its considerations of where it could add value to the process.

At the conclusion of debate, it was,

Resolved:

(1)  Involvement of Overview and Scrutiny needs to align with delivery of the council’s business plan, and one or more of the following criteria;

·         Must be transformational in nature with a direct impact on communities or people

·         Has significant financial implications for the Council

·         Involves thematic and/or partnership working

·         Engagement adds value

(2)  The Head of Programme Office will meet with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee once a month to review new projects that could benefit from Overview and Scrutiny membership. Soundings will also be taken from the political and corporate leadership as appropriate.

(3)  The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny will advise the Head of Programme about any engagement and whether an alternative approach from Overview and Scrutiny would be more suitable involving one or a phased combination of:

·       Select Committee

·       Task Group

·       Rapid Scrutiny Exercise

·       Representation on Project Board