Agenda and minutes

To receive details of any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from:

Cllr Howard Greenman

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2017.

Resolved

To approve and sign the minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 26^th September 2017.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

None.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

Change of agenda order

It was proposed and agreed to changed the order of the agenda to allow Cllr John Thomson’s attendance at a meeting with the Boundary Commission. Item 8, the Wiltshire Online Project Update, was therefore brought forward to item 6.

Budget scrutiny timetable

A budget timetable was now in place to agree the council’s financial plan 2018/19. The process was as follows:

·       Members briefing on the budget – 23^rd January

·       Financial Planning Task Group – 24^th January

·       Management Committee (to consider the Administration’s draft budget) – 30^th February

·       Cabinet – 6^th February

·       Management Committee (to consider Opposition Group amendments – 9^th February

·       Full Council – 20^th February

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 22 November 2017 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on 24 November 2017. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

None.

To receive updates from the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Select

Committees in respect of the topics under scrutiny in their areas, including any recommendations for endorsement by the Management Committee.

Updates were received from the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the Select Committees in respect of the topics under scrutiny in their areas, including recommendations for endorsement by the Management Committee.

Children’s Select Committee

There were currently three task groups operating under the committee: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); Traded Services for Schools; and SEND School Provision. A rapid scrutiny had been arranged for mid January to focus on child care leavers.

Adoptions West was now taking an officer lead from Martin Davis since Terence Herbert (Head of Service Care and Placement) of had taken the role of Corporate Director (Children and Education). A meeting had been arranged to update the Chair and Vice Chair of Children’s Select on the progress of what form scrutiny would take in Adoptions West.

Environment Select Committee

The committee had received public attendance at their last meeting from the South West Wiltshire Green Party regarding the recent waste consultation. Representatives were invited to the January meeting as a result, and the committee will look into Wiltshire’s Waste Strategy.

The forward plan for the committee was noted as being large. However, the limit of the committee’s capacity had not yet been reached. Members would be notified once the limit had almost been reached.

Key issues for the committee include road accident data and affordable housing. Additional topics include tourism and major Wiltshire Council schemes.

Health Select Committee

Recent key topics for the committee included: Adult Care Charging Policy; Adult Social Care Transformation Programme; the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG); and the Maternity Strategy.

The CCG was noted as a significant topic with a large amount of public interest in how community hospital provision would be provided across the Salisbury/Trowbridge/Chippenham area. The committee was receiving regular updates on this.

It was noted that instances of Cabinet meeting in the morning of a day where the committee met in the afternoon was problematic for the process of scrutiny work.

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

The Chair and Vice Chair had received a briefing from John Rogers, Head of Systems Thinking, on the council’s key corporate programmes. Part of this included the Systems Thinking training course. The committee agreed that the systems thinking course was worth recommending to members to encourage their sign up.

It was proposed that the committee introduce pre-meeting information briefings immediately prior to this Committee’s meetings, the kind of which are already held by the Children’s and Health Select Committees. The briefings would cover topics of relevance to this Committee’s remit of corporate matters and oversight of the work programme overall when there is something relevant to cover.

Resolved

1. To note the OS Forward Work Programme and the updates provided on current activity.

2. To introduce pre-meeting information briefings immediately prior to the Management Committee meetings, when appropriate, on subjects relevant to the Committee’s remit.

To receive any updates on recent activity on the following Task Groups:

• Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group
• Financial Planning Task Group
• Military-Civilian Integration Task Group
• Planning Committee System Task Group
• Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership Task Group

And to endorse the establishment of the Third Party Advertising Policy Task Group.

Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group

A forward plan was being constructed to create a way forward for the task group. The outcome of Peer Review was also being awaited, with the next task group meeting scheduled for February. The Chairman of the task group, Cllr Jon Hubbard, had also been invited to join the Digital Implementation Board as an observer.

Financial Planning Task Group

The next task group meeting was set for the 18^th December, prior to the budget scrutiny process in 2018.

Planning Committee System Task Group

A series of meetings were planned for early 2018, including the area planning committee Chairmen to be invited to meet with the task group.

Military and Civilian Integration Project Task Group

Cllr Alan Hill suggested, as previous chairman of the task group, that the task group should look at military civil integration and army rebasing. Both were individual topics, but overlapped. A point had been reached where the work of the task group could shortly be resumed.

Cllr Simon Jacobs and Cllr Ian Blair Pilling volunteered as potential members.

Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) Task Group

Cllr Alan Hill had been re-elected as Chairman. Enthusiasm had been received from Swindon members towards the work in the new forward plan for the task group. It was noted that this was the only LEP in the country with a scrutiny task group.

Third Party Advertising Policy Task Group 

Work was explained as progressing at a slow pace, but the topic area needed to be considered with care.

Waste Contracts Task Group (proposed)

An additional task group update report was included in Agenda Supplement 1 which proposed the establishment of a Waste Contracts task group. This followed a resolution by the Environment Select Committee, with terms of reference to be determined.

Resolved

1. To note the updates on task group activity provided;

2. To approve the Digital Strategy and Implementation Task Group’s terms of reference, as set out in the report;

3. To approve the inclusion of the council’s Commercial Strategy within the Financial Planning Task Group’s work programme, with findings and recommendations brought to Management Committee for endorsement prior to referral to Cabinet;

4. To approve the establishment of the Third Party Advertising Task Group with the membership and terms of reference set out in the report, with findings and recommendations brought to Management Committee prior to referral to Cabinet.

5. To add Cllrs Jacobs and Blair-Pilling to the membership of the MCIP Task Group.

6. To approve the establishment of a Waste Contracts Task Group with the membership and terms of reference to be agreed, with findings and recommendations brought to the Environment Select Committee prior to referral to Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee.

To receive an update on the rollout of the Wiltshire Online Project.

Cllr George Jeans, Overview and Scrutiny representative on the Wiltshire Online Project Board, will be in attendance.

A report from Cllr George Jeans, Overview and Scrutiny representative on the Wiltshire Online Project Board, was presented to the committee. Cllr John Thomson, Cabinet Member for Communications, communities, leisure and libraries, was also in attendance.

Wiltshire Council had made excellent progress within their small team and the recent work and contract had broken the previous BT monopoly. Broadband had been delivered to more premises and expanded to rural communities and those living on the fringes.

There had been some underspends on the projects, which would be rolled back into future work.

Some issues with 4g coverage had been solved through installed extra masts. However, planning permission was needed to install masts which meant a costly and lengthy process. It was noted by the committee that 4g coverage was important for emergency services.

A concern was expressed regarding the remaining 4% without broadband. It was asked if they will receive broadband eventually or if there will always remain a number who don’t. Better Broadband vouchers and the future universal service obligation were referenced in response.

Residents can check the status of their broadband connection through the Openreach or Gigaclear website postcode checkers. They can also contact Wiltshire Council via email for updates.

The mobilisation of Gigaclear’s contract and the contract management was queried. It was explained that nothing would be paid until they had delivered on the contract. Outside auditors as well as council officers would be working to monitor the contract delivery. The work would be going through both the SWLEP and OS.

Resolved

1. To thank Cllr Jeans and the team for the update and note the progress reported on the Wiltshire Online project.

2. To note that at the close of the project 4% of Wiltshire does will still not have access to broadband, and to receive an update on delivery in 6 month’s time;

3. To note the significant challenges and expense of delivering universal access to broadband services and the local and national initiatives in place to drive this forward.

4. To include a summary of the update as this week’s Scrutiny Story of the Week to help raise awareness of progress and challenges with the programme amongst councillors.

To report on the outcome of the rapid scrutiny exercise established by the Committee on 26 September 2017 and held on 01 November 2017 to consider the revised Asset and Service Devolution and Community Asset Transfer Policy.

This report was received by Cabinet on 7 November 2017.

The report of the rapid scrutiny exercise established in September and held on 1st November 2017 to contribute to  the revised Asset and Service Devolution and Community Asset Transfer Policy was presented to the committee.

This rapid scrutiny report had been received by Cabinet on 7 November, alongside the final version of the Policy itself. Cllr Philip Whitehead, Cabinet Member for Finance and IT, had responded verbally to the Group’s recommendations at the Cabinet meeting and his written responses were provided in the report.

Cllr Ruth Hopkinson, Lead Member for the Rapid Scrutiny, provided comments on the report and the responses received.

The rapid scrutiny exercise had questioned Cllr Whitehead on how assets can, in some cases, be considered liabilities on management/service levels. It was explained that they were considered on a case by case basis and be financial assets with liabilities.

A question was asked if local members will be advised when assets are disposed of or up for consideration. It was explained that disposal of assets in general is a separate topic and that the report was in regards to the transfer of services and assets to them. Assurance was given that disposal wouldn’t happen without local members being made aware.

Resolved

1. To note the report of the Rapid Scrutiny Exercise and to thank its members for their work;

2. To note the Executive responses to the report and to thank the Cabinet Member for his engagement in the Scrutiny process;

3. To approve the rapid scrutiny group’s recommendations of further scrutiny engagement on the Policy and its implementation as set out under Recommendations 18 a, b and c.

4. To note the Cabinet Member’s assurance that local councillors will always be notified when a local asset is disposed of.

A report will be provided seeking councillors’ views on an effective Overview and Scrutiny learning and development programme in the 2017-21 council.

A report was presented which asked the committee to consider what they would like to see in an effective four-year learning and development programme for Overview and Scrutiny councillors during this council.

A list of activities was included based on what the previous council had undertaken. Members were asked to consider this and what may be missing.

The committee recommended considering including LGA courses, which could be run at no extra cost. Cllr Wright asked members to bring forward any suggestions they had to his or Henry Powell’s attention any point.

Resolved

1. To note that Committee has considered the potential OS L&D activities set out in the report and the others put forward by councillors.

2. That the findings of the recent Peer Challenge and the CLG’s Review of OS in Local Government are reflected if and when appropriate in the final four year OS L&D programme.

3. That following this initial discussion, a draft four-year OS L&D programme is developed by officers and the Chairman and Vice-chairman and brought back to Committee for approval.

To receive the following note on the CLG Committee’s Review of Overview and Scrutiny.

1.    The Communities and Local Government Committee recently concluded its review on ‘Overview and Scrutiny in Local Government’. This review was established prior to the General Election 2017 and was reinstated in September 2017, following the General Election.

2.    Written evidence was received, some being from local authorities such as Birmingham City Council and North Lincolnshire Council. Oral evidence was heard from Suffolk County Council, Croydon Council, Birmingham City Council, London Assembly, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority.

3.    The Committee will soon publish the report of its finding, complete with its recommendations. The Minister for Local Government, Marcus Jones MP, has not committed to act on any of the recommendations.

4.    From the oral evidence considered, it was seen that effective O&S ought to be founded upon positive relationships with the Executive and a culture of openness and transparency; where O&S Cllrs are able to access information easily, in order to conduct appropriate reviews. Primarily, O&S ought to concentrate on holding the Executive to account, developing policy in particular areas and reviewing service areas. O&S was deemed to add most value when its recommendations were evidence-led and not politically motivated.

5.    Consensus among the evidence presented was that O&S should not be used as a political weapon, indeed, O&S works most effectively when politics is removed from the equation. Ensuring that the customer is kept at the heart of the decision-making process, will help to enable O&S to add as much benefit as possible to the democratic process.

6.    It was detailed among LAs how O&S can sometimes be under resourced. In response to this challenge, if O&S is outcome focussed when allocating resources, then it can ensure that it can still deliver.

An update on the CLG review of Overview and Scrutiny in local government was provided for the committee.

The parliamentary select committee had now concluded its evidence gathering, which this council had contributed to, and the report of its findings would soon be published. The Committee would receive those findings as soon as they are available to consider if and how to respond.

Resolved

To note that the CLG review of Overview and Scrutiny will soon conclude and to consider its findings once available.

To confirm the date of the next meeting as 30 January 2017. This meeting will be for consideration of the administration’s budget proposals.

Confirmed as 10.30am, Tuesday 30 January 2018, County Hall.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

None.