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Agenda and minutes

Contact: Kieran Elliott  01225 718504, Email: kieran.elliott@wiltshire.gov.uk

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Items
No. Item

25.

Apologies

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

Minutes:

There were no apologies.

26.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2021.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2021 were presented for consideration, and it was,

 

Resolved:

 

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

27.

Declarations of Interest

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

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations.

28.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

Minutes:

The Chairman drew attention to the establishment of several Rapid Scrutiny Exercises and a Task Group as detailed below:

 

1)    Rapid scrutiny exercise: Gap analysis of the provision of accommodation for young people

2)    Rapid scrutiny exercise: Disadvantaged learners

3)    Fostering Excellence Task Group

4)    Rapid scrutiny exercise: Housing Related Support

 

All Members would be contacted and encouraged to participate in the work programme.


29.

Public Participation

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 by 5pm on 17 September 2021. 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 14 September 2021 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 16 September 2021. 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.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

A question had been submitted by Mel Boyle regarding potential scrutiny of county farms. A response was provided as detailed in Agenda Supplement 2.

30.

Wiltshire Council Draft Business Plan 2021-31

On 19 October 2021, Full Council will discuss the adoption of a new 10-year Business Plan for Wiltshire Council. This will follow its consideration by Cabinet on 27 September 2021.

 

The Business Plan sets the council’s overarching strategy and its purpose is to enable Chief Officers to lead and manage the organisation to achieve the priorities and objectives set by elected members. In September, each select committee will be invited to comment on Business Plan priorities relevant to their remits, with comments being referred to Cabinet to consider at its meeting on 27 September 2021.

 

The final Business Plan will be an influential document when OS is developing its forward work programme, with experience showing that OS is most impactful when it focuses on the council’s key priorities. Alongside select committee engagement on the Business Plan, the chairs and vice-chairs will be meeting with their Executive counterparts and directors during September to gain a more informed understanding of plans and projects and to discuss how OS can engage most constructively. These two processes should lead to a well-developed OS forward work programme that reflects the key priorities of the council.

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Business Plan sets out the council’s overarching principles by which the organisation would be managed. The current plan was set out for 2017-27. This had been updated on 21 July 2020 to include an addendum relating to climate change.

 

Following the election in May 2021 the Business Plan had been reviewed and a draft Business Plan Principles 2022-32 was circulated to Overview and Scrutiny members on 18 September 2021 and then published as detailed in Agenda Supplement 2. The Select Committees each met informally on 20 September 2021 to discuss the draft document.

 

Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, supported by the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert, and other members of the Executive, presented the draft Business Plan. It was explained that the document was intended to serve as the guiding principles for the organisation, and would inform service delivery plans, and metrics would then be used to measure the performance of the council in meeting those guiding principles. It was intended that a finalised version of the Business Plan principles together with service plans would be considered by Full Council in February 2022.

 

The Leader detailed the approach taken in developing the Business Plan principles, focusing strategically on systemic problems and how to bring resources together across all areas to address them, rather than services operating in isolation. The guiding themes including of prevention and early intervention, improving social mobility and tacking inequalities, understanding communities, and integration, were detailed.

 

The Chairman of each Select Committee then raised points discussed at the informal meetings which had considered the draft document. In addition to textual suggestions there were comments relating to references to delivery of housing, scrutiny influence on annual corporate planning, the involvement of scrutiny on transformation of council services, and how the themes could be reviewed by the Select Committee structure. There were comments that the document was not detailed on some of the specific challenges that the council faced or was not specific enough in relation to young people, with some previous commitments reduced. In response the Leader noted that much detail would be within service delivery plans, and the guiding principles would not be an exhaustive list of specific challenges or proprosals.

 

Other points raised in discussion included the need for further scrutiny of the developing service plans to accompany the Business Plan. Some Committee members noted the changed approach from the previous Business Plan and sought details of measuring if it had achieved its aims. The Leader considered that the two plans were structured and would be monitored in very different ways, and did not consider it would be appropriate to expend resources examining the details of the previous Plan as the new Plan was developed. Some also raised that whilst the Business Plan set out broad themes, that they felt it was important to be explicit around inclusion of children and young people issues. The importance, through the Plan, of working with partners such as parish councils, was discussed.

 

At the conclusion of discussion,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

31.

Stone Circle Governance Review

A report is attached presenting the findings of a governance review into the Stone Circle companies, which was commissioned by Cabinet in February 2021 and conducted by the Corporate Director for Resources and Deputy Chief Executive, and the Director of Legal and Governance in the intervening period. The report will be considered by Cabinet on 27 September 2021.

 

The report sets out the recommendations of the review and their implications, including Overview and Scrutiny’s role within the companies’ governance arrangements.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Stone Circle companies were formed in 2019. The housing development company was incorporated on 9 September 2019 and was esablished to provide homes to residents whose financial circumstances enabled them to afford rents between council house levels and the private sectors, and to create homes for sale through developing council owned land.

 

Cabinet had requested a review of the governance arrangements for the Stone Circle companies on 2 February 2021, to examine governance in relation to shareholder requirements, processes for decisions, performance and risk reporting to the council’s corporate leadership team and the Cabinet, the council’s role as shareholder, representation on the company boards, separation of roles, and the role of Audit and Governance and Overview and Scrutiny

 

Councillor Pauline Church, supported by the Corporate Director for Resources and Deputy Chief Executive Andy Brown, presented the report, which would be considered by Cabinet on 27 September 2021. She set out the process of the review to draw on best practice, including experience of other councils, to enhance the viability of the companies. She provided details of the new shareholder group which would receive reports from Audit and Governance and Overview and Scrutiny, to enable Cabinet to monitor the companies appropriately.

 

Following the update, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

1)    To note the recommendations of the governance review, which will be considered by Cabinet on 27 September 2021 and the Audit & Governance Committee on 28 September 2021.

 

2)    To note the important role overview and scrutiny plays within a robust governance framework for local authority wholly-owned companies.

 

3)    To welcome the recommendation for overview and scrutiny input on Stone Circle Company annual business plans and quarterly reports.

 

4)    If the review’s recommendations are approved by Cabinet, to ask Financial Planning Task Group to:

a)    undertake the overview and scrutiny input recommended, with updates from the task group presented to OS Management Committee under its standing update item;

b)    refer any issues highlighted in Stone Circle reports regarding housing delivery (rather than finance) to the Environment Select Committee where appropriate;

 

5)    To ask the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and Financial Planning Task Group to monitor the governance arrangements adopted and report back in 12 months or sooner if appropriate.

 

32.

Asset Transfer Policy Update

To receive an update on implementation of the Policy, which was considered by overview and scrutiny prior to its adoption in 2017. This item follows a meeting on 1 September 2021 attended by Cllrs Hopkinson and Wright with the Corporate Director for Resources and Deputy Chief Executive (Section 151 Officer), and the Director for Housing and Commercial Development. Here the history of the policy’s agreement and implementation was discussed and it was agreed that a written update would be presented to Management Committee.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The service devolution and asset transfer policy was the policy under which responsibility for services or ownership of assets was transferred from Wiltshire Council to town and parish councils, including car parks, play areas or grass cutting provision. A policy was approved by Full Council in 2017. The Committee had requested an update on the policy and delivery of service devolution and asset transfer following delays in 2019 and pausing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Councillor Phil Alford, Cabinet Member for Housing, Strategic Assets and Asset Transfer presented the report. He noted the pause in the programme, noting particularly the technical expertise required to exercise the policy of transferring services or assets which had needed to be reassigned, and provided details of completed transfers and savings that would be realised.  The policy would be reviewed, with input from parishes, in order to improve the process, which had taken longer than intended in several instances.

 

The Committee discussed the report and update. It was stated that the initial asset transfer policy had been agreed in 2011 and been refreshed in 2017, and that relatively few transfers had been agreed. Whilst the impact of Covid-19 was acknowledged comments were made about the delays to the delivery of the policy prior to that point, and that this meant the continuance of a lower level of service or maintenance of assets for local residents. The difficulty for parish councils to plan their budgets with uncertainty around taking on services or assets was raised, along with any new parish requests being treated the same as those with historic requests.

 

The Cabinet Member, along with the Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Clewer, noted the comments and concerns raised, as well as the intention to streamline the processes as much as possible, or alternative models explored if that would be more suitable. The complexity of devolving services and assets was emphasised, as it was stated that a simple process was not always possible as a result.

 

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

1)    To note the update on the Asset Transfer Policy, which will now be reviewed, and ask Cabinet to note the points raised by the Committee.

 

2)    To note the reported intention for a consultation on the Policy in November 2021 and a report to Cabinet in early 2022 to reset the policy and programme, taking into account resource requirements and town/parish council appetite.

 

3)    To establish a rapid scrutiny exercise to provide Overview and Scrutiny input on the Policy review process following completion of the Consultation process, with arrangements to be agreed by the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Cabinet Member and reported back to Committee.

 

33.

Financial Planning Task Group Update

To receive an update on the work of the task group since the Committee’s previous meeting.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

A report on the ongoing work of the Financial Planning Task Group was presented by Councillor Pip Ridout, Chairman of the Task Group.

 

Councillor Ridout provided details of recent work of the Task Group including revenue and capital budget monitoring, and the report detailed amendments to the terms of reference of the Task Group.

 

Updates were also provided on the level of work needed for scrutiny of the Stone Circle companies, and that owing to the level of assigned work for the Task Group, it was requested that the Committee establish a new Task Group for specific scrutiny of the Evolve programme, which was considered under the next agenda item.

 

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

1)    To note the update on Financial Planning Task Group activity provided.

 

2)    To approve the appointment of Councillor Bill Parks to the Financial Planning Task Group.

 

3)    To approve the amended terms of reference as set out at paragraph 5 of the report.

 

34.

Management Committee Task Group update

To receive updates on recent activity by Management Committee’s task groups and other ad hoc exercises.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

A report was provided with an update on the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) Joint Scrutiny Panel, which had met on 9 August 2021 to consider the governance review of the SWLEP.

 

It was then,

 

Resolved:

 

To note the update on Task Group and Panel activity provided.

35.

Forward Work Programme

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.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the forward work programmes of each Select Committee, as well as updates from the Chairmen.

 

Updates included details of the new exercises and task groups being undertaken by the Children Select Committee including as detailed under Chairman’s Announcements. Updates from the Health Select Committee included work with the Royal United Hospital, Bath, on its new Health and Care vision model and interacting with Wiltshire social care, as well as other work on place based integrated care and reablement. The Environment Select Committee had examined the future bus strategy and would be progressing with a review of Community Area Transport Group operation.

 

The Chairman also confirmed that at request of the Executive and the Financial Planning Task Group that the Management Committee would establish a Task Group relating to the Evolve programme, the replacement of the council’s enterprise resource planning solution.

 

All Chairmen had or would be meeting with relevant Cabinet Members and Directors to shape future overview and scrutiny work.

 

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

To note the updates on select committee activity and approve the Overview and Scrutiny Forward Work Programme.

 

36.

Date of Next Meeting

To confirm the date of the next meeting as XX XXXber 201X.

Minutes:

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 16 November 2021.

37.

Urgent Items

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

Minutes:

There were no urgent items.