Agenda item

To receive the Executive Response to the Report of the Area Boards Task Group.

The Chairman introduced a report within the agenda, which presented the response of the Cabinet Member to the report of the Area Boards Task Group, which was endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee in March.

It was noted that the purpose of the Task Group was to provide Overview and Scrutiny input into a review of:

a)    The future development and implementation of Area Board local priority setting;

b)    The operation of Area Board working groups; and

c)     Area Board grant criteria.

The Chairman invited the Portfolio Holder for Area Boards, Cllr Allison Bucknell, to present a response. Cllr Bucknell thanked those who had been involved in the rapid scrutiny, noting that a large amount of work had been conducted with a considerable amount of recommendations put forward, which had all been accepted by the Executive. It was noted that the recommendations covered many aspects and that these would be covered in a new handbook. Additionally, it was recognised that at the time of the meeting, only one recommendation had not been implemented, which concerned a new algorithm for Health and Wellbeing older persons group funding.

The following comments were received by the Leader, who stated that this work had been a positive example of how scrutiny can be used to ensure that an emerging policy will work in real world scenarios. The Leader noted that there would be challenges with the new policy, in particular Parish Councils no longer being able to place capital funding applications themselves, however it was suggested that this could lead to Parish Councils feeling empowered that they could deal with their own futures.

The following comments were received by Members of the Committee, with it noted that a communications package had been produced along with a video to illustrate the changes set to take place. Additionally, the Area Board Chairman’s website had been updated along with the new handbook, to provide a detailed description of the role of an Area Board Chairman. Emphasis was placed on being familiar with thewebpage and handbook when electing new Chairmen, with there now only being four Area Board business meetings a year, requiring Chairmen to work alongside Community Engagement Managers (CEMs) to maintain work and actions. It was also suggested that the handbook be included on the EPIC main webpage for easy access.

Additionally, concern was raised regarding the number of members of the public attending Area Board meetings, with it noted that through the hard work of CEMs, successful daytime events had taken place, such as an Eco Fest, an event for the elderly with the Swindon Band. A further example was provided of monthly clinics that had taken place online, where topics had been chosen for discussion, drawing in attendees. Further positive work was cited as clustering 22 Parish Councils into groups of 5, with similar priorities being identified for each group.

Feedback was provided that the grants process would offer a more robust approach, with grants being seen as an investment rather than merely handing out funding. Reference was also drawn to the work of CEMs, with it noted that Area Boards should be aware of not overburdening their workload.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

To note the executive response to the Final Report of the Area Boards Task Group.