Agenda item

To consider the development of Overview and Scrutiny work programmes for 2019/20.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages19 to 28, which outlined the process for agreeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programmes for 2019/20.

The report stated that effective work programming was a Member-led process aimed at prioritising issues of community concern and issues which would benefit from Scrutiny input such as major policy and service changes. The aim of work programming was to:

·           reflect local needs and concerns;

·           prioritise Scrutiny issues which have the most impact or benefit;

·           involve evidence from local residents and stakeholders;

·           be flexible enough to respond to new or urgent issues.

In order to generate ideas for the 2019/20 work programmes it was proposed to canvas views from a range of stakeholders including Members, Officers, residents, Town and Parish Councils, partner organisations, community groups and MPs. Views would be sought using local print/social media and the Council’s website.

The report suggested that the initial consultation with stakeholders take place in January/February 2019 with a report back to the Committee’s March 2019 meeting. Implementation of the work programmes would then take place in the new Municipal Year.

The report set out the range of issues covered by the Management Committee in 2018/19 and referred to the successful review of the Council’s Grounds Maintenance contract. The review had concluded with a report to the Executive setting out 12 recommendations to improve the service. It was felt that the Grounds Maintenance review was an example of effective Scrutiny which should be used as a template for future reviews.

The report also provided an update on the anticipated Government statutory guidance on Overview and Scrutiny following the Select Committee report in 2017. It was likely that the guidance would confirm the Government’s view that detailed Scrutiny arrangements were a matter for local discretion. However, the Government had indicated a specific interest in three issues:

·           Scrutiny of “external bodies” (this might be bodies operating under contract, commissioned partners, alternative delivery vehicles, more traditional partners and so on);

·           Access to information (access to, and use of, information effectively by Scrutiny having been a challenge for many practitioners);

·           Scrutiny of financial resilience and sustainability of Councils (recognising the recent, and continuing, pressures on the sector and scrutiny’s role in helping to understand them).

In the ensuing discussion Members highlighted the following issues for consideration as part of the 2019/20 work programmes:

·           Street Cleansing – current performance and preparations for letting the new contract;

·           Implications for the Council of the 2018 IPCC report on climate change;

·           Waste and Recycling - update on progress towards achieving the 2020 recycling targets;

·           WBC systems for collection, management and dissemination of information;

·           Implementation and impact of the 2018 GDPR regulations;

·           Scrutiny of WBC shared service arrangements;

·           Scrutiny of WBC’s budget and budget setting process;

·           Local Plan Update;

·           Discussions on WBC priorities with the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council;

·           Streamlining of the Council’s decision making process.

It was confirmed that the issues raised by Members would be included in the long list of work programme items for consideration and prioritisation at the meeting of the Committee in March 2019.

RESOLVED That:

1)     the process for establishing Overview and Scrutiny work programmes for 2019/20, as set out in the report, be approved;

2)     the suggested process for public consultation on the work programmes be approved;

3)     the 2019/20 Overview and Scrutiny work programmes be finalised at the Committee’s meeting on 20 March 2019;

4)     each of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees carry out one or more detailed reviews during 2019/20;

5)     the update on the Government’s proposed statutory guidance on Overview and Scrutiny be noted.